Bob Gibson Ninety-seven years ago, in 1924, when Charlottesville dedicated its Robert E. Lee statue, the Ku Klux Klan threw a giant parade in celebration. This July 10, when the city took down the Lee statue, local residents in attendance cheered its removal. Many Virginians were never taught how strong the white supremacist Klan had been in Charlottesville and across Virginia when Lee was deified and his bronze monument unveiled. Historian Michael Beschloss, commenting last weekend on the Lee statueâs removal, noted that its installation took place after the Klan âheld a celebratory parade there with an immense throng of spectators.â