David Caldwell Monument, Guilford Courthouse
This monument, a roughly-cut rectangular granite block placed on top of a granite base, measures 6'11" in height and 3' wide, not including the base.
Images (courtesy of Natasha Smith):
North face |
East face |
South face |
West face
North Face: Dr. DAVID CALDWELL / BORN 1724 / DIED 1824 / PREACHER
East Face: PATRIOT
South Face: 1909 / PHYSICIAN
West Face: TEACHER
Guilford Courthouse National Military Park
1909
36.133250 , -79.843470
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"Guilford: The Only Revolutionary Battlefield Now a National Park," Greensboro Patriot Weekly (Greensboro, NC), July 7, 1909, 1-3 Link
"Monument to Rev. Dr. David Caldwell," Greensboro Patriot Weekly (Greensboro, NC), July 7, 1909, 11 Link
Caruthers, Eli Washington. A Sketch of the Life and Character of the Rev. David Caldwell, D. D., (Greensborough, NC: Swaim and Sherwood, 1842), (accessed February 6, 2012) Link
National Park Service. U.S. Department of the Interior. North Carolina National Register of Historic Places. "Inventory Form - Guilford Courthouse National Military Park," (accessed November 6, 2019) Link
Van Noppen, Addie. The Battle Field of Guilford Court House, (Greensboro, NC: Jos. J. Stone & Company, 1927), (accessed February 6, 2012) Link
“Dr. David Caldwell,” The Historical Marker Database, HMdb.org, (accessed April 13, 2018) Link
Yes
Granite
General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church and descendants.
The principal speaker for the day was Dr. C. Alphonso Smith who said a “nation must find in its past its heritage for its future.” The dedicatory speech for the Rev. David Caldwell monument was made by the Rev. Melton Clark. The Caldwell monument was unveiled by Adelaide Van Noppen and Marion Jones, great-great granddaughters of Dr. Caldwell. The since removed Clio The Muse of History statue was also dedicated the same day.
Born in 1724, David Caldwell spent many years teaching. He was eventually licensed to preach, which he continued to do late into his life. He was a member of the convention that formed the Constitution of the state of North Carolina in 1776. He died August 28, 1824.
[Additional information from NCpedia editors at the State Library of North Carolina: This person enslaved and owned other people. Many Black and African people, their descendants, and some others were enslaved in the United States until the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in 1865. It was common for wealthy landowners, entrepreneurs, politicians, institutions, and others to enslave people and use enslaved labor during this period. To read more about the enslavement and transportation of African people to North Carolina, visit https://aahc.nc.gov/programs/africa-carolina-0. To read more about slavery and its history in North Carolina, visit https://www.ncpedia.org/slavery. - Government and Heritage Library, 2023.]
The Caldwell monument is located in Guilford Courthouse National Military Park. It was the last memorial in a row of monuments on the Historic New Garden Road that runs through the park. It is also the only remaining one in its original location.
The memorial is surrounded by mature trees of the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park.
General Assembly of the Southern Presbyterian Church as well as descendants of Doctor Caldwell.
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