Lionel Weil Marker, Seven Springs
The memorial to Lionel Weil is an unadorned rectangular bronze tablet attached to a squarest block of granite.
IN APPRECIATION OF / LIONEL WEIL / 1877-1948 / HIS DEVOTION TO HIS NATIVE STATE / COMBINED WITH HIS STEADFAST VISION / AND GENEROSITY MADE POSSIBLE THIS / CLIFFS OF THE NEUSE STATE PARK / “TO HIM WHO IN THE LOVE OF NATURE HOLDS / COMMUNION WITH HER VISIBLE FORMS, SHE SPEAKS / A VARIOUS LANGUAGE”… BRYANT / PRESENTED JUNE 9, 1957
Cliffs of the Neuse State Park
June 9, 1957
35.235830 , -77.890460
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Bodman, Ellen-Fairbanks Diggs. 1996. “Weil, Lionel,” NCPedia.org, (accessed January 17, 2022) Link
North Carolina State Park. “Cliffs of the Neuse State Park,” ncparks.gov, (accessed January 18, 2022) Link
North Carolina. Division of Parks and Recreation. “Documents Regarding the Dedication of a Memorial to Lionel Weil at Cliffs of the Neuse State Park,” from "North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation Records. State Archives of North Carolina," digital.ncdcr.gov, (accessed January 17, 2022) Link
“Cliffs of the Neuse State Park,” from "Cultural Heritage Institutions of North Carolina, NC ECHO Project" by North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, (accessed January 17, 2022) Link
“Dr. Frank Graham to Speak at Park Marker Dedication,” Durham Morning Herald (Durham, NC), June 9, 1957
“Weil Marker Unveiled at Cliffs,” The News and Observer (Raleigh, NC), June 10, 1957
Yes
Bronze, granite
Cliffs of the Neuse Advisory Committee
About 150 people were in attendance during a steady rainfall for the dedication ceremony. Dr. Frank P. Graham was the primary speaker. Graham noted Weil’s contributions to Goldsboro, the state and the University of North Carolina. The marker was unveiled by Sarah Weil Michell, Lionel Weil’s granddaughter.
In 1945 Lionel Weil donated the original 291 acres for Cliffs of the Neuse State park. Weil was an agronomist, conservationist and business owner with a PH.B. degree in geology from the University of North Carolina. Among his accomplishments was leading the city of Goldsboro to become the first municipality in the state to adopt the city manager form of government and published monographs of aspects of city government. He was active in Jewish charitable organizations to include being district president of B'nai B'rith and North Carolina chairman of the National Jewish Welfare Board. Other involvement included United War Work Campaign (World War One), the State Farm Debt Adjustment Committee, the State Tobacco Advisory Commission, director of the North Carolina Forestry Association, National Fertilizer Association and president of the Plant Institute of North Carolina. He also invented a device for transplanting longleaf pines and published a handbook on Our Native Trees and other works on farming.
Weil and his family established and endowed the Weil Lectures on American Citizenship at The University of North Carolina in 1915. In memory of his wife he created the Weil Collection of Classics in the Rare Book Room of Wilson Library.
North Carolina statutes did not allow for any commemoration of a person to be placed on state property until 25 years after that person’s death. A bill was introduced to the NC Legislature that waived that regulation allowing for the Weil marker to be placed nine years after his death.
The marker is located in Cliff of the Neuse State Park at the overlook for the 90-foot high cliffs. The park address is 240 Park Entrance Rd, Seven Springs, NC 28578.
The park covers over 1,000 acres along the banks of the Neuse River and is known for its impressive cliffs overlooking the river. Five hiking trails allow for exploration of the riverside and mature forests. Camp sites, picnic grounds and an 11-acre swimming lake with a bathhouse are located in the park.
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