Documenting the American South

Monument Name

World War One Memorial, Oakdale Cemetery, Mount Airy

Type

War Memorial

Subjects

World War I

City

Mount Airy

County

Surry

Description

The memorial to Mount Airy World War One dead is a narrow gothic top granite stele four to five feet tall. It stands on a single base with smooth faces and rusticated edges. The American Legion emblem is incised into the front and back near the top. The front lists the names with rank and date of death in a single column. The last name at the bottom was a later addition. The dedication information appears on the rear.

Images: Back of the memorial

Inscription

Front: IN MEMORY OF THE VETERANS / OF SURRY COUNTY / WHO MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE / IN THE WORLD WAR OF 1917 – 1918 / SGT. JONES, JESSIE D. SEPT. 29, 1918 / SGT. HOOKER, CLAUDE E. SEPT. 29, 1918 / PVT. ATKINS, RUFUS S. FEB. 2, 1918 / PVT. BADGETT, BRADY OCT. 30, 1918 / PVT. CARTER, WILLIAM H. NOV. 16, 1918 / PVT. COCKERHAM, JOE R. JAN. 24, 1918 / PVT. COOK, EDGER LEE NOV. 15, 1917 / PVT. CREWD, WILLIAM OCT. 11, 1918 / PVT. GRAY, GEORGE P. SEPT. 16, 1918 / PVT. HARDY, WILLIAM E. NOV. 3, 1918 / PVT. HODGE, JAMES H. NOV. 29, 1917 / PVT. HOLYFIELD, EARLY OCT. 16, 1918 / PVT. ISSAC, JAMES C. OCT. 11, 1918 / PVT. JESSUP, JAMES H. OCT. 3, 1918 / PVT. JESTER, DALLAS DEC. 5, 1917 / PVT. LAWSON, LACY J. NOV. 13, 1918 / PVT. LEWELLYN, THOMAS F. DEC. 28, 1918 / PVT. MCNIGHT, WILLIE N. JAN. 21, 198 / PVT. NIXON, LASTER G. DEC. 22, 1918 / PVT. NORMAN, ISSAC G. SEPT. 29, 1918 / PVT. PATTERSON, CARL OCT. 25, 1918 / PVT. RIGGS, DEWITT H. JAN. 29, 1918 / PVT. RING, VESTER NOV. 7, 1918 / PVT. SHACKLEFORD, ROSCOE A. JAN. 20, 1918 / PVT. SMITH, ALBERT E. SEPT. 29, 1918 / PVT. SNOW, CHARLES R. OCT. 10, 1918 / PVT. TILLY, AUSTIN W. OCT. 10, 1918 / PVT. WALL, GLANE OCT. 2, 1918 / PVT. WEBB, ISSAC L. NOV. 1, 1918 / LT. RIGGS, ROBERT H. SEPT. 30, 1918

Rear: ERECTED BY / JESSE B. JONES POST / NO. 23 / MOUNT AIRY N.C. / JULY 4, 1936

Custodian

Oakdale Cemetery, City of Mount Airy

Dedication Date

July 4, 1936

Decade

1930s

Geographic Coordinates

36.519000 , -80.603630 View in Geobrowse

Supporting Sources

"List of WWI Veterans from Mount Airy, NC." from "City of Mount Airy War Memorial Search Page - Mount Airy, NC" database, http://www.mountairy.org/266/war-memorial-search_green, (accessed August 9, 2016) Link

"Oakdale Cemetery," from Mount Airy, North Carolina, http://www.mountairy.org/, (accessed August 9, 2016) Link

“World War Memorial, Mt. Airy, North Carolina,” in Durwood Barbour Collection of North Carolina Postcards (PO77), North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, (accessed August 8, 2016) Link

Public Site

Yes

Materials & Techniques

Granite

Sponsors

American Legion, Jesse B. Jones Post #123

Subject Notes

The 1940s postcard shows a World War One era German Howitzer next to the memorial. Communities across the United States acquired captured German artillery pieces after World War One from the United States military to use as World War One memorials or to place along with their war memorial. Due to material shortages during World War Two many communities donated these weapons during metal drives. Mount Airy was one of those communities that supported the war effort in this way.

Oakdale Cemetery dates to the late 1800’s and is located in the northern part of Mount Airy surrounded by residential neighborhoods. Its 22 acres contain more than 6,000 burial sites.

Location

The WWI memorial is located in Oakdale Cemetery, one block south of the intersection of N. Main Street and E. Oakdale Street. It stands to the right of an entry road into the cemetery. The Oakdale Cemetery address is 200 N. Main Street. Mount Airy, NC. Surry County Confederate Dead Monument is located nearby, at the entrance to the Oakdale cemetery, on 1445 State Rd 1708, not far from the intersection with Old Springs Road

Landscape

The memorial stands on a grassy area surrounded by gravestones.