Daniel Boone Trail Marker, Hillsborough
The monument is shaped in the form of an arrowhead, and the surface has been covered in a mosaic of natural field stones matching the stone sidewalk surrounding the site. One side bears an inscribed bronze plaque; the other side bears two bronze images, a relief image of Daniel Boone and his dog and a relief image of a Native American chief. The inscriptions on both sides of the monument indicate that metal in the bronze came from the U.S.S. Battleship Maine.
North face: FROM THIS SPOT WHERE STOOD THE / OLD STATE HOUSE, / WAS AN EXPEDITION OF / FRONTIERSMAN UNDER / COL. RICHARD HENDERSON, / FOR KENTUCKY, LED BY / DANIEL BOONE / MARCH 17, 1776 / "AND THEY MARCHED AWAY SOLEMNLY AS / IF GOING TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD" / NEAR BY ARE BURIED: / 1 SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE / 2 GOVERNORS, 2 CHIEF JUSTICES / IN TABLET IS METAL OF U.S.S. MAINE
South face:
Inscribed above and below figure of Daniel Boone: BOONE TRAIL HIGHWAY / METAL FROM BATTLESHIP MAINE IN TABLET / DANIEL BOONE
Inscribed above the figure of a Native American Chief: HERE PASSED / THE TRADING PATH / 1700
Image
Town of Hillsborough
circa 1920s to 1930s
36.754720 , -79.984720
Yes
The Hillsborough Daniel Boone and Old Trading Path Marker is part of a series of markers placed in a number of states to memorialize Daniel Boone and the pioneer spirit. The markers were the inspiration of Joseph Hampton Rich, a North Carolina Native, who founded the Boone Trail Highway and Memorial Association in 1913. The monuments have an inscription indicating that they contain metal recovered from the U.S.S. Maine.
The monument sits on the northwest corner of the green in front of the Old Courthouse square in Hillsborough at the intersection of S. Churton Street and King Street. The inscribed side faces north and the intersection. The south side, with the images of Daniel Boone and the Native American Chief, faces the courthouse.
The monument sits at the edge of the grass in front of the courthouse where it meets the sidewalk. The sidewalk and the monument are both constructed in a mosaic of natural field stones. There are large old oaks shading the site.
Know anything else about this monument that isn't mentioned here? If you have additional information on this or any other monument in our collection fill out the form at the Contact Us link in the footer. Thank you.
