Sons of Confederate Veterans raise massive flag along I-40 in Burke County

BURKE COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- As the battle for the representation of Confederacy rages on in North Carolina, the Sons of Confederate Veterans raised a 20-by-30 foot Confederate flag on an 80-foot pole along Interstate 40 in east Burke County.

On Friday, members of the group took the time to replace a smaller variation with the larger flag, ABC-affiliate WSOC reports.

It is one of several to have gone up as Confederate memorials across the state have come down.

RELATED: Most NC Confederate monuments sit on public property in prominent locations

"The Sons of Confederate Veterans, we're trying to replace the statue with flags, and we try to put them on the interstate so more people can see it," said Elgie McGalliard, Sons of Confederate Veterans.

The mayor of Hildebran, a nearby town, opposes the assembly of the flag that cost nearly $800.

"I've had numerous contacts from people saying they wouldn't do business in town because of that flag -- $800 -- that could be better used to help veterans," Mayor Wendell Hildebrand told WSOC.

The flags remain on private property, preventing county leaders from removing it.

"Take down our statues, and we're going to put up a flag somewhere along the major interstates in North Carolina," McGalliard said.