Local Peace Officer Memorial, Nashville
This four-foot-tall monument was created in order to honor fallen law enforcement officers from Nash and Edgecombe counties. This monument originally had six names on it but after space on the monument ran out, a new one was commissioned and rededicated on November 8, 2008. The current monument honors thirteen officers who have died between the years 1917 and 2012.
Images:
Top inscription |
Front inscription |
Right inscription |
Back inscription |
Left inscription
Top: BLUE KNIGHTS / N. C. XXI / NCFOP LODGE / # 46 / ROCKY MOUNT / LOCAL / PEACE OFFICER / MEMORIAL / GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN / THAN THIS. THAT A MAN LAY / DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS / JOHN 15:13
Front: MATT RANSOM / GWATNEY. / TARBORO PD / EOW 03-03-1917 / RUSSELL E. / GILLIAM. / NASH COUNTY SO / EOW 10-11-1975 / DAVID YOUNG. / SHARPSBURG PD / EOW 04-12-2005 / BOBBY GENE / DEMUTH, JR. / NC STATE / HIGHWAY PATROL / EOW 09-08-2012
Right: PLUMMER RAY / RIGGAN. / TARBORO PD / EOW 03-03-1917 / THOMAS ALAN / CONE. / EDGECOMBE SO / EOW 01-25-1990 / ALAN CHRISTOPHER / SILVER. / ROCKY MOUNT PD / EOW 05-02-2007
Back: CLYDE B. AVENT / NC STATE / HIGHWAY PATROL / EOW 12-12-1949 / WILLIARD WAYNE / HATHAWAY. / SHARPSBURG PD / EOW 07-18-1997 / TIMOTHY CHARLES / BARNES / NASH COUNTY SO / EOW 07-28-2010
Left: WILLIAM HAYWOOD / WEBB. / EDGECOMBE SO / EOW 10-06-1964 / TONYA DOREEN / GILLIKIN. / ENFIELD PD / EOW 03-15-1999 / WARREN B. “SNEAK” / LEWIS, III / NASH COUNTY SO / EOW 06-09-2011
Nash County
1995. Rededication: November 8, 2008
35.975460 , -77.968490
View in Geobrowse
"Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina," Aug 24, 2016, bobbystuff.com, (accessed September 4, 2023) Link
Handgraaf, Brie. "Etched in Time," Rocky Mount Telegram (Rocky Mount, NC), November 22, 2011
Nash County Sheriff's Office. "Local Peace Officer's Memorial set for May 6 at Noon at front of the Courthouse," Nixle, April 19, 2013, (accessed June 11, 2014) Link
Yes
The Blue Knights North Carolina XXI, North Carolina Fraternal Order of Police #46
$3,500
The memorial used to be a marker that had only six names on it and was donated in 1995 by the Fraternal Order of Police. When thinking about designing the new monument, it was important that it looked respectful, and not like a tombstone. They decided to design their monument identical to another monument serving the same purpose in Morehead City.
Warren “Sneak” Lewis’ name was added to the monument after the publication of this article in 2011 after he died in the line of duty while serving a murder warrant. Lewis was a member of the Nash County Sherriff’s Office.
The memorial is in front of the Nash County Courthouse, off of State Highway 58, facing the court house. The Spirit of the American Doughboy statue stands several feet to the left side of the pillars at the entrance to the Nash County Courthouse. The Nash County Korean War memorial plaque is located nearby on the brick face of the courthouse. The address for the Nash County Courthouse is 234 W Washington St, Nashville, NC 27856.
The memorial is located on the west lawn in front of the Nash County Courthouse, next to a red brick sidewalk.
There is a yearly commemoration ceremony during Peace Officer’s Week in May. Families of the deceased are honored and local people are invited. A program from one of the yearly memorial ceremonies is included in supplemental information. Often times, flowers are found on the monument later in the day or the day after the ceremony.
Approval from the County Manager’s Office and the Clerk of Court.
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