Andrew Johnson Monument, Carthage
The monument consists of a large rectangular slab of granite standing about ten feet tall, with a large bronze plaque. Centered at the top of the plaque is a bas-relief portrait of Andrew Johnson facing to the right. Engraved under the portrait are words from the people of Carthage celebrating Johnson for his actions during Reconstruction. The bronze plaque is 24 inches wide by 36 inches high.
Images: Bronze plaque
ERECTED BY THE CITIZENS OF MOORE COUNTY IN HONOR OF / ANDREW JOHNSON / SEVENTEENTH PRESIDENT / OF THE UNITED STATES / ONE TIME RESIDENT OF CARTHAGE / A STALWART UNION MAN, YET HE THREW HIMSELF / INTO THE BREACH AS A BULWARK, IN FAVOR OF / THE PROSTRATE SOUTH AGAINST FANATICISM IN THE BITTER DAYS OF RECONSTRUCTION. / LET HIS MEMORY BE EMBALMED / IN EVERLASTING FAME.
The Town of Carthage
Sometime after 1922
35.345660 , -79.416810
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"Andrew Johnson," WhiteHouse.gov, (accessed December 28, 2012) Link
"Moore County Court House, Carthage, N.C." in Durwood Barbour Collection of North Carolina Postcards (P077), North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, Wilson Library, UNC-Chapel Hill Link
Case, Steven. "Andrew Johnson," NCpedia.org, (accessed December 28, 2012) Link
County of Moore North Carolina. "History," www.moorecountync.gov, (accessed December 28, 2012) Link
Yes
Mount Airy granite, bronze
The citizens of Carthage
The date and activities of the dedication are not known. The monument appears in photographs of the historic Moore County courthouse built in 1922. However, it does not appear in photographs of the prior courthouse which burned. The monument appears to have been erected sometime after 1922.
Andrew Johnson, who once resided in Carthage, was the 17th President of the United States. He succeeded President Lincoln after his assassination. Although a Unionist during the Civil War, he adopted policies during Reconstruction that were applauded by many white southerners. He did not promote the rights of the recently freed slaves and granted lenient terms to many former Confederates. Eventually, Johnson was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives but was acquitted by the Senate.
[Additional information from NCpedia editors at the State Library of North Carolina: This person enslaved and owned other people. Many Black and African people, their descendants, and some others were enslaved in the United States until the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in 1865. It was common for wealthy landowners, entrepreneurs, politicians, institutions, and others to enslave people and use enslaved labor during this period. To read more about the enslavement and transportation of African people to North Carolina, visit https://aahc.nc.gov/programs/africa-carolina-0. To read more about slavery and its history in North Carolina, visit https://www.ncpedia.org/slavery. - Government and Heritage Library, 2023.]
The monument is located in front of the east entrance to the historic courthouse in Courthouse Square in Carthage, NC. Courthouse Square is located along NC Route 24/27.
The monument stands on the lawn between the traffic circle and the courthouse.
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