McDowell County Veterans Memorial, Marion
The memorial to veterans of McDowell County consists of five upright granite panels on a double base. The center panel is black granite and the rest is of gray granite. All elements are smooth finished except the lower base which has rough-hewn edges. Incised and colored in white at the top of the center panel is the coat of arms of the Department of Defense. Beneath is the primary inscription outlined in white on three sides and a wreath with ribbon along the bottom. The panels to either side of the center panel are slightly taller. Incised near the top of each is a spread wing American eagle holding arrows in its talons. At the bottom of the left panel are logos to the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. At the bottom of the right panel are logos to Disabled American Veterans and American Ex-Prisoners of War. The panels on each flank are one-half the height of the center panel. The left flanking panel is unadorned. The right flanking panel has an incised Southern Cross of Honor between the dates 1861 and 1865. These two flanking panels were not present when the memorial was dedicated in 1986. The memorial was also modified in other ways, most likely when the additional panels were added. A photo from 1989 shows the two original grey panel having rounded edges which have been cut away. Each of the original panels was also topped with a granite cap. The memorial base was also extended to accommodate the added panels.
The memorial stands at the edge of a large circular concrete pad facing a Charters of Freedom Memorial with a flagpole in the center. This concrete pad was poured in 2019 to accommodate the Charters of Freedom memorial which required the Veterans Memorial and flagpole to be re-positioned on the site. The flagpole had been dedicated in 1967 to a military veteran, M/Sgt. Shufford Rowe.
Images:
Inscription on the center panel |
Center and two left panels |
Center and two right panels
Center panel: DEDICATED / IN HONOR OF ALL / MCDOWELL COUNTY / VETERANS AND TO / THE MEMORY OF / THOSE WHO GAVE / THEIR LIVES FOR / OUR COUNTRY.
Panel, far left: IRAQI FREEDOM / & / MIDEAST CONFLICT / [1 name]
Panel, center left: WORLD WAR I / [13 names] / KOREAN WAR / [7 names] / VIETNAM WAR/ [20 names]
Panel, far right: MCDOWEL COUNTY / CONFEDERATE / VETERANS / 1861 1865 / LEST WE FORGET
Panel, center right: WORLD WAR II / [97 names in two columns]
McDowell County
November 11, 1986
35.684090 , -82.008360
View in Geobrowse
Daniel, Bobby. “McDowell County Courthouse in Marion, North Carolina,” bobbystuff.com, October 24, 2015 (accessed May 15, 2022) Link
“Marion Memorial,” Asheville Citizen-Times (Asheville, NC), July 5, 1967
“McDowell County Courthouse,” The Historical Marker Database, HMdb.org, (accessed May 15, 2022 Link
“Veterans Remembered,” Asheville Citizen-Times (Asheville, NC), November 5, 1989
Yes
Grey granite, black marble
The Veterans Memorial is located in front of the McDowell County Courthouse, 21 S. Main St, Marion NC, 28752. It stands to the right of the main walkway into the courthouse. It is facing a Charters of Freedom memorial, one of several Charters of Freedom memorials installed across the state on grounds of county courthouses.
Memorials stand on a well-maintained courthouse lawn with several large shady trees behind them.
The memorial was re-positioned in 2019 when another memorial was placed on the courthouse grounds. It first stood a little to the right of its present location and faced the street.
Know anything else about this monument that isn't mentioned here? If you have additional information on
this or any other monument in our collection fill out the form at the Contact Us link in the footer. Thank you.
