Documenting the American South

Monument Name

Wilkes County War Memorial, Wilkesboro

Type

Obelisk

Subjects

World War I

World War II

Vietnam War, 1960-1975

Korean War, 1950-1953

City

Wilkesboro

County

Wilkes

Description

The Wilkesboro War Memorial is a granite obelisk atop a plinth with the inscription and plaques on single base. The area around the obelisk is a stone paved square with two granite benches.

Images: Inscription and Wordl War I plaque | World War Two plaque | Korean Conflict plaque | Vietnam War plaque

Inscription

South Side Base inscription: DEDICATED TO / THE MEN OF WILKES COUNTY / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE / SERVICE OF THEIR COUNTRY

South Side Plaque inscription: WORLD WAR ONE /
[Left Column] ADAMS, GEORGE F. / ANDERSON CLINTON A. / ANDERSON ELBERT / BARNETT DANIEL G. / BOWERS A. BURR / BROOKS, BOSS / BROWN JOHN / BYRD ERNEST / BYRD, ROBERT / CHURCH, PHILLIP P. / CLANTON, JOSEPH J. / CLANTON, RICHARD M. / COMBS, EDGAR / COTHREN, CHARLES W. / CRYSTEL, JAMES W. / DAMERON, JOHN C. / DANCY, ISSAC P. / EMERSON, JAMES F. /
[Center Column] FERGUSON, JAMES E. / FERGUSON, ROBY / FOSTER, ALBERT F. / GOULD, FELIX C. / GRAY, JAMES S. / HACKETT, ROBERT / HAMBY, THOMAS E. / HARRINGTON, EUGENE / HODGE, JAMES H. / HOLDER, JAMES A. / HOWELL, CHARLES H. / HUIE, TYRA V. / JAMES T. JOE / JOINES, MAC / JOINES, TALMADGE / JOHNSON, GERMAN L. / JOHNSON, RICHARD J. / KENDALL, JEAN / LOWMAN, ESTILL C. /
[Right Column] MARTIN, OGBURN D. / MILLER, GAITHER / PEARSON, D. STOKES / PEARSON, WILLIAM Z. / POPLIN, WILLIAM B. / RHOADES, ALEXANDER / SAUNDERS, ROWAN D. / SUMMERLIN, ZOLLIE A. / TRIPLETT, JULIAN C. / TRIPLETT, SILAS / WALKER, CHARLES C. / WALKER, WILLIAM H. / WALKER, WILLIAM T. / WALSH, THOMAS I. / WATKINS, CLYDE E. / WELBORN, GEORGE / WILCOX, WILLIAM M. / WILLIAMS, ROBERT F.

North Side Plaque inscription: WORLD WAR II /
[Left Column] BENGE, LASS C. / BENTLY, JOHN S. / BENTLEY, WILLIAM W., SR. / BISHOP, STEWARD L. / BLEVINS, CLARENCE E. / BOWERS, EDGAR D. / BOWERS, KEMP O. / BROOKS, GLENN W. / BROOKSHIRE, GROVER E. / BYRD, HENRY D. / BYRD, JOHN T. / CHAMBERS, HAROLD W. / CHMABERS, JOHN W. / CHANDLER, FRED L. / CHEEK, ROBERT W. / CHURCH, HANSFORD T. / CHURCH, JAMES R. / COFFEY, ELMER J. / COLVARD, BEN H. / COMBS, VIRGIL C. / COX, GLENNIE T. / CRAVEN, DONALD W. / CROWDER, HUBERT W. / CURRY, TALMADGE S. / DANCY, ISAAC H. / DAVIS, CLEGG M. / DAVIS, FRED O. / DOWELL, AUDREY B. / DILLARD, CHALLIE L. / DILLARD, COYD W. / ELLEDGE, RALPH J. /
[Left Center Column] ELLER, JACOB A. / ELLER, PERCY H. / ELLER, RAYMOND V. / ESTEP, CLAUDE / FERGUSON, HOWARD L. / FINLEY, ROBERT W. / FLETCHER, ARCHIE J. / GAMBILL, HUGH M. / GILLIAM, WILLIAM S. / GREENE, ALONZO C. / GRIFFIN, PERCY / HAMPTON, WADE / HANDY, MINTON M. / HANDY, WALTER W. / HANKS, CHARLIE W. / HARROLD, WILLIE R. / HAWKINS, MILLARD C. / HAYES, HENRY C. / HAYNES, JAMES P. / HAYNES, WILLIE L. / HOLBROOK, CARL / HOLBROOK, CHESTER / HOLCOMB, LINVILLE / HOLLEMAN, CHARLIE L. / HOOPER, L.V. / HUBBARD, ELI L. / HUFFMAN, T. THEODORE / JOHNSON, FRED / JONES, ROBERT L. / KEATON, LESTER J. / KEY, WILLIAM R. /
[Right Center Column] KILBY, JAMES G. / LAWS, DON R. / LAWS, S. ROBERT, JR. / LOVE, BURL W., SR. / LOWE, JAMES D. / MARLEY, GEORGE G. / MARTIN, JOHN V. / MARTIN, WAYNE / MASTIN, BAXTER D. / MASTIN, EDGAR J. / MEADE, LEWIS W. / MELTON, JAMES D. / MCGEE, JULIUS L. / MCHONE, WARREN F. / MILLER, CARL B. / MINER, ELBERT C. / MITCHELL, GEORGE B. / MITCHELL, JAMES P. / NELSON, FILMORE / OLIVER, CHARLES B. / PAINTER, LLOYD J. / PALMER, LLOYD W. / PARDEW, OSCAR W. / PARKER, ANDREW C. / PEARSON, ALVIN W. / PEARSON, JOE H. / PIERCE, CARL W. / ROBINSON, CLAUDE R. / ROTEN, POZY / ROYALL, DAYTON C. / SALE, RAY E. /
[Right Column] SALE, ROBERT B. / SCHUBERT, OTTO J. / SCHURENE, THEODORE A. / SHAFFNER, TROY L. / SHEETS, LLOYD / SHELL, BEN F. / SHUMATE, IVY J. / SHUMATE, ROBY O. / SIMMONS, AUBRAY C. / SMITHEY, LEONARD H. / SMOAK, SAM / SMOOT, IRA H. / SOUTHER, EARL C. / SOUTHER, JUNIOR / SPRINKLE, CYRUS R. / STALEY, WAYNE H. / TAYLOR, DEAN / TEMPLETON, EDWARD M. / THOMPSON, RAYMOND / TOMLINSON, ARCHIE B. / TRANSOU, RAY R. / TRIPLETT, CARTER G. / TRIPLETT, HOWARD B. / WARD, ROBERT L. / WELBORN, GEORGE / WEST, CHALCIE G. / WHITTINGTON, JAMES A. / WILES, CURTIS L. / WILMOTH, CARL / YATES, ROBY P. /
[Bottom Center] ROOPE, WARREN G., BRADLEY, OTTIS L.

West Side Plaque inscription: KOREAN / CONFLICT / BENTLEY, RUSSELL D. / BYNUM, JACKIE B. / CHILDRESS, GEORGE S. / GENTRY, ARCHIE C. / GENTRY, CHARLES C. / HUNT, GWYN R. / JORDAN, ROBIE L. / MARLOW, CHARLES, JR. / MOORE, CHESTER / SPRINKLE, WARREN H.

East Side Plaque inscription: VIETNAM / CONFLICT /
[Left Column] CARROL, BAXTER C. / DOBBINS, FREDDIE J. / DUNCAN, JOSEPH W. / ELLER, LAWRENCE W. / HALL, RICHARD J. / JOHNSON, JAMES W., JR. / LOVETTE, SAMUEL D. / MILES, ROBERT W. / MILLER, GURNEY L. /
[Right Column] MOUNCE, GEROLD L. / OSBORNE, JOHN W. / PIERCE, EDWARD E. / SHEPHERD, FRANKLIN S. / SWIFT, EUGENE E. / TAYLOR, JAMES W. / TAYLOR, RODNEY E. / VANNOY, JAMES T. / WALKER, HOWARD L. /
[Bottom Center] WOODS, JAMES T.

Custodian

Wilkes Heritage Museum

Dedication Date

Circa 1970

Decade

1970s

Geographic Coordinates

36.148590 , -81.151430 View in Geobrowse

Supporting Sources

North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. Department of Cultural Resources. "Downtown Wilkesboro Historic District," National Register of Historic Places, (accessed August 7, 2020) Link

“War Memorial-Wilkesboro, NC,” Waymarking.com, (accessed February 21, 2016) Link

“Wilkes County Courthouse, Wilkesboro, N. C,” in Durwood Barbour Collection of North Carolina Postcards (PO77), North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Link

Public Site

Yes

Materials & Techniques

Granite, Bronze, stone pavers

Location

The obelisk is located at the Wilkes Heritage Museum, at the corner of E. Main and Broad Street in Wilkesboro, NC. The museum building was the former Wilkes County Courthouse. Memorials on the museum grounds include a Cannon Circle, Daniel Boone’s Trail marker, Time Capsule and two Tory Oaks markers. A Roads and Schools plaque is attached to the old courthouse wall near the entrance. One block away is the Wilkes County Confederate Memorial. Colonel Ben Cleveland Statue is in close proximity on the 100 block of North Bridge Street.

Landscape

The memorial stands on the front lawn of the historic Wilkes County Courthouse building.