Stokes County Confederate Monument, Danbury
The Stokes County Confederate Monument in Danbury commemorates the soldiers who served in the Civil War. The front of the main monument includes a depiction of the first Confederate National flag while the sides feature depictions of Confederate soldiers. The main monument is also surrounded by nine rectangular monuments which include the names of different regiments that fought in the war.
Central monument (top): STOKES COUNTY TROOPS C. S. A.
Central monument (base): IN HONOR OF ALL WHO SERVED
Central monument (base left): 1861-1865
Central monument (base right): 1861-1865
Central monument (reverse): FROM MANASSES / TO GETTYSBURG / FROM GETTYSBURG / TO APPOMATTOX
Central monument (reverse base): ERECTED BY / STOKES CO. HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND / CAPT. M.W. NORFLEET CAMP #1249 / SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS / MAY 26, 1990
Surrounding monument 1: STOKES BOYS / CO. H, 22ND REGT. N.C. INF. / ORG. JUNE 1, 1861
Surrounding monument 2: TOWN FORK INVINCIBLES / CO. G, 21ST REGT. N.C. INF. / ORG. MAY 30, 1861
Surrounding monument 3: MOUNTAIN BOYS / CO. F, 21ST REGT. N.C. INF. / ORG. MAY 29, 1861
Surrounding monument 4: BROWN MOUNTAIN BOYS / CO. A, 2ND BATN. N.C. INF. / ORG. MAY 4, 1861
Surrounding monument 5: N.C. JUNIOR RESERVES / CO. C, 4TH BATN. (3RD REGIMENT) / ORG. MAR. 30, 1864
Surrounding monument 6: STOKES COUNTY MILITIA / 72ND REGT. N.C. INF. / 18TH, BRIGADE
Surrounding monument 7: MOUNTAIN GRAYS / CO. G, 53RD REGT. N.C. INF. / ORG. APRIL 30, 1862
Surrounding monument 8: DANBURY BLUES / CO. H, 53RD REGT. N.C. INF. / ORG. APRIL 30, 1862
Surrounding monument 9: MCCULLOCH'S AVENGERS / CO. D, 52ND REGT. N.C. INF. / ORG. APRIL 28, 1862
Stokes County
May 26, 1990
36.409420 , -80.206040 View in Geobrowse
"Civil War Monument Dedication Is Saturday," Danbury Reporter, May 23, 1990, 1.
"Confederate Soldiers Remembered At Service," Danbury Reporter, May 30, 1990, 1.
"Stokes County Confederate Memorial - Danbury, NC," Waymarking.com, (accessed June 5, 2014) Link
"Stokes County Courthouse - Danbury, North Carolina," Waymarking.com, (accessed August 2, 2021) Link
"Stokes County Troops C.S.A," The Historical Marker Database, HMdb.com, (accessed August 2, 2021) Link
Caldwell, Neill. “Commissioners Move to Protect Historic Monuments,” The Stokes News (King, NC), thestokesnews.com, June 24, 2020, (accessed August 30, 2020) Link
Yes
Red granite
Stokes County Historical Society and Captain M.W. Norfleet Camp #1249, Sons of Confederate Veterans
The dedication for the monument was part of a weekend-long celebration associated with Stokes County's Bicentennial. The weekend included reenactors from around North Carolina dressed in Civil War attire who camped out at a local park, a parade, and a cannon salute when the monument was revealed. About 200 Stokes County members were present for the event. Live music was played before and after the ceremony on restored instruments from Danbury's 1880s Coronet Band.
Following the massacre of nine African Americans in a church in Charleston, South Carolina on June 17, 2015 by white supremacist Dylann Roof, Americans, especially southerners, have reflected on and argued over the historical legacy of slavery, the Civil War, the Confederacy, and white supremacy. Monuments have been a particular focus of these debates and controversies, especially after the death of a counter-protester, Heather Heyer, at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in August 2017 and after President Donald Trump expressed his opposition to the removal of Confederate memorials. Despite laws in many southern states intended to prevent or impede the removal or relocation of historical monuments, protesters and local community leaders have removed or relocated controversial monuments associated with slavery, the Confederacy, and white supremacy. The pace of the removal of controversial monuments accelerated sharply in 2020, following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Against the backdrop of protests against police brutality and white supremacy across the nation, local authorities in many communities in North Carolina removed and/or relocated monuments that were the focus of civil unrest.
In light of the unrest, the reaction of some communities was to ignore calls to remove memorials or take action that prevented removal. In Stokes County, on June 24, 2020, the county commissioners approved an ordinance protecting the county’s historical monuments and buildings. Verbiage of the ordinance included “a building, monument, memorial, plaque, statue, marker or display of a permanent character that commemorates an event, a person, or military service that is part of Stokes County and/or North Carolina history; and which is located on property owned by Stokes County, or located on public property.” Anyone in violation of the ordinance would be guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to a fine. Despite acknowledging that laws were already on the books for this purpose including a 2015 state law, Stokes County attorney Ty Browder said “this adds an extra layer of protection. You’re making a statement that the Board sees this as important.” The ordinance did not apply to three municipalities located in the county.
The monument is located northeast of the intersection of Main Street and Courthouse Circle in Danbury, North Carolina. It stands on the grounds of the Stokes County Courthouse (1012 Main Street Danbury, NC 27016). The Stokes County World War I Monument is in front and in line with the Confederate memorial.
The monument stands in a grass area to the west of the courthouse. Although trees are located near the location of the monument, there is no decorative landscaping surrounding the monument itself.