Documenting the American South

Monument Name

Surry County War Dead, Dobson

Type

War Memorial

Subjects

World War II

Vietnam War, 1960-1975

Korean War, 1950-1953

City

Dobson

County

Surry

Description

The monument is an unadorned granite slab about six feet tall, eight feet wide and eight inches think on a single base. There are four columns of names of Surry county citizens who lost their lives during World War Two. The fifth column lists those who died at Korean War and Vietnam War.

Images: Confederate Soldiers Memorial and War Dead Memorial in front of the Surry County Courthouse

Inscription

Front: THESE SURRY COUNTY CITIZENS GAVE THE ULTIMATE / SACRIFICE WHILE SERVING THEIR COUNTRY / 1941-1975 / [Five columns of names]

Rear: WE ENTERED UPON THE CAREER OF INDEPENDENCE AND IT MUST BE INFLEXIBLY PURSUED JEFFERSON DAVIS

Dedication Date

Circa 1980’s

Decade

1980s

Geographic Coordinates

36.395670 , -80.723170 View in Geobrowse

Supporting Sources

"Surry County Court-House, ca. 1932, Dobson, N.C., Surry County", North Carolina Postcard Collection (P052), North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, Wilson Library, UNC-Chapel Hill Link

Linville, Jeff. “Man Complains of ‘Racist’ War Memorials,” Elkin Tribune (Elkin, NC), January 23, 2018, (accessed November 5, 2023) Link

“Jefferson Davis’ First Inaugural Address,” Rice University, jeffersondavis.rice.edu, (accessed November 5, 2023) Link

“Surry County Courthouse in Dobson, North Carolina,” Bobbystuff.com, (accessed November 5, 2023) Link

“Surry County KIA – Dodson, NC,” Waymarking.com, (accessed May 18, 2016) Link

Public Site

Yes

Materials & Techniques

Granite

Subject Notes

The quote by Jefferson Davis is from his first inaugural address to the Confederate Congress on February 18, 1861. It immediately follows a sentence that says the emergency created by secession must be met “by the final arbitration of the sword” if necessary against the United States yet those whose names appear on the memorial served in service of the United States.

Location

The memorial is located at the old Surry County Courthouse, 141 Main St. Dobson, NC. It stands on the lawn on the east side of the building across a sidewalk to the right of the Confederate Soldiers monument. The Surry County World War I Memorial is located on the north side courthouse. The Enduring Freedom Era Memorial stands nearby.

Landscape

The memorial stands on the front lawn of the courthouse building.