Swain County War Dead Memorial, Bryson City
A statue of a common WWII-era soldier stands atop a tall, six-sided pedestal. His left leg, knee bent, resting on a rock. He holds the strap of his rifle resting on his back. Three sides of the pillar have war inscribed with lists of Swain County citizens who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. The base of the monument is chained off with American flags. There are several benches nearby, and a flag pole lies NE of the monument.
Nearby on the lawn of the old Swain County Courthouse are two time capsules. One is from the Swain County Centennial Celebration to be opened in 2071 and the other is from the Bryson City Centennial Celebration to be opened in 2089.
Images (by Natasha Smith):
Memorial in front of the old courthouse building |
Close-up view of the memorial |
Memorial facing the intersection of Main and Everett Streets |
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Close-up view of the soldier |
Back view of the soldier
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Rear view of the memorial |
Side view of the memorial |
West Face inscription |
South Face inscription |
East Face inscription |
Swain County Heritage Museum (old courthouse building) |
Time capsule "Swain County Centennial Celebration - 1971-2071" |
Time capsule
"Bryson City Centennial Celebration - 1989-2089"
West Face: WAR DEAD / WORLD WAR I / BARKER, WILLIAM H. / BATES, EVERETT R. / CATHY, CHARLIE / COCHRAN, JOHN T. / FRANKLIN, WALTER I. /FREEMAN, CARO N. / KINCAID, WILLIAM / LEATHERWOOD, JAMES L. / MASHBURN, ERNEST L. / MASON, WILLIAM / MATHIS, FRED / MOORE, GRADY / QUEEN, JAMES R. / SHULER, FINLEY M. / SHULER, WILLIAM A. / STEPHENSON, WILLIAM B. / STYLES, ANDY / TURNER, FLOYD C. / WIGGINS, JOHN W. / WINCHESTER, BENN
South Face: OF SWAIN / WORLD WAR II / ALLEN, ROBERT H. / BARB, JAMES E. / BARKER, GRADY H. / BRADLEY, STUART / BREEDLOVE, JOSEPH L. / BROGDEN, JAMES M. / BUCHANAN, OMER A. / BURNS, WILLARD J. / BYRD, EARL L. / CAMBY, RAY / CATT, BOYD / CHILDERS, JULIUS W. / CLARK, EDWARD W. / CLINE, CLAYTON C. / COLE OTIS Q. / CONLEY, CHARLES / COOK, ARNOLD H. / DEHART, CLARENCE W. / DEHART, RANSON A. / DILLS, ADAM J. / DRIVER, ADAM W. / EARLS, NOAH W. / EDWARDS, JOSEPH C. / EDWARDS, WILLIAM A. / ELDERS, ORA L. / FRANKS, HARLEY / GIBSON, ROBERT E. / GRANT, ADAM S. / HAMILTON, RUSSELL / HAMMOCK, CHARLES E. / HARDIN, EDWARD / HYDE, HORACE L. / JENKINS, CLIFFORD C. / JONES, WAYNE / LAMBERT, JAMES R. / LEMONS, CLARENCE / LEQUIRE, WILLIE L. / MANEY, WALTER R. / MASON, JACKSON / MURPHY, CLARENCE A. / NATIONS, RUFUS D. / OTTER, SAMUEL W. / “GREATER LOVE HAT NO MAN / THAN THIS, THAT A MAN / LAY DOWN HIS LIFE / FOR HIS FRIENDS.” / ST. JOHN 15-13
East Face: COUNTY / WORLD WAR II contd / PARRIS, EDWARD / PAYNE, ESTES E. /QUEEN, HUBERT / ROLLAND, EARL J. / ROSS, ISAAC / ROSSER, DAVID E. / SHELL, JOSHUA / SMITH, EARNEST / THOMASSON, JOHN / THOMPSON, ENOS / WAHNEETA, AUSTIN / WIGGINS, WILLIAM D. / WILSON, CLYDE H. / WILSON GEORGE J. / CUNNINGHAM, OLIN / MEADOWS, CLYDE / COCHRAN, JACK P. / GIBBY, GOLA G.
KOREAN WAR / GEORGE, CHARLES / ARCH, CHARLES E.
VIETNAM WAR / BREEDLOVE, CURTIS / JENKINS, WAYNE / LAKEY, JAMES E. / SUTTON, DOUGLAS R. / TUCK, JAMES W. / MORRIS, BILLY V.
35.427560 , -83.444970 View in Geobrowse
"Swain County War Dead Memorial - Bryson City." Waymarking.com, (accessed July 18, 2015) Link
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. "The Wall of Faces, Bryson City, NC," www.vvmf.org, (accessed July 18, 2015) Link
“War Dead of Swain County World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War,” The Historical Marker Database, HMdb.org, (accessed July 18, 2015) Link
Yes
Marble
The memorial is located In front of the old Swain County Courthouse, at the intersection of Main and Everett Streets in Bryson City, NC.
The monument rests on a concrete area in the middle of a landscaped green yard in front of the old County Courthouse that is now Swain County Heritage Museum and Visitors Center.