Signers of the Declaration of Independence Plaque, State Capitol, Raleigh
This plaque commemorates North Carolina's three signers to the Declaration of Independence: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, and John Penn. The bronze plaque measures approximately three feet by four feet, with a single decorative scallop rising along the top edge of the frame and a leaf motif around the entire perimeter. The interior of the plaque bears bas-relief burnished lettering commemorating the signers and includes the insignia of the plaque's sponsor, the Daughters of the American Revolution. Small decorative bas-relief coins or medallions frame the four corners of the inscribed area of the plaque.
IN MEMORY OF / THE THREE SIGNERS OF THE / DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE / FROM NORTH CAROLINA / WILLIAM HOOPER / JOSEPH HEWES / JOHN PENN / ERECTED BY / THE NORTH CAROLINA SOCIETY / DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION / MARCH 8, 1927
March 8, 1927
35.780700 , -78.639060
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"Monument to State Signers in Capitol Here," The News and Observer (Raleigh, NC), March 9, 1927, 1,3.
"Visit the North Carolina State Capitol," North Carolina Historic Sites, historicsites.nc.gov, (accessed March 20, 2019) Link
Bishir, Catherine W. "State Capitol Memorials," from “Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina”, http://docsouth.unc.edu/commland/, (accessed May 16, 2012) Link
Conrad, Robert T. Biography of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, (Philadelphia, PA: 1884), (accessed September 5, 2013) Link
Davis, B. J. 2008. "Representatives to the Continental Congress," NCpedia.org, reprinted from Tar Heel Junior Historian (Fall 2008), (accessed September 3, 2013) Link
Davis, B. J. "Representatives to the Constitutional Convention North Carolina's Founding Fathers: Part 2," NCpedia.org, reprinted from "Tar Heel Junior Historian (Fall 2008), (accessed June 18, 2013) Link
Engstrom, Mary Claire. 1988. "Hooper, William," NCpedia.org, (accessed September 3, 2013) Link
Martin, Micheal G. 1988. "Hewes, Joseph," NCpedia.org, (accessed September 3, 2013) Link
Troxler, George. 1994. "Penn, John," NCpedia.org, (accessed September 3, 2013) Link
U.S. National Archives & Records Administration. "America's Founding Documents: The Signer's Gallery," The Charters of Freedom, (accessed September 4, 2013) Link
Yes
Bronze
North Carolina Society Daughters of the American Revolution
Society members from across the state gathered along with members of the general assembly and others for the services which began in the in the chamber of the House of Representatives. A young girl, Katherine Glascock, presented bouquets to society officers from the Caswell-Nash chapter. Attendees then moved to the rotunda for the unveiling. Josephus Daniels, then president of the North Carolina Literary and Historical Society, gave the address after introduction by Mrs. W. O. Spencer. Mrs. W. B. Murphy presented the tablet to Governor MacLean, who remarked in his acceptance speech that it had taken North Carolina 150 years to commemorate the signers. A number of children helped with the unveiling, including Miss Margaret Greaves Penn of Carthage, a descendent of both Hooper and Penn, and Master Pembroke Greaves Reese, a descendant of Hooper. A musical interlude was provided by solos sung by Miss Virginia Eastill, accompanied on the piano by Miss Era Roundtree.
North Carolina had three signers to the Declaration of Independence in July of 1776 at Philadelphia: Joseph Hewes, a merchant and justice of the peace from Edenton in Chowan County; John Penn, a farmer from Island Creek in Granville County; and William Hooper, a lawyer and delegate from New Hanover County.
A plaque commemorating Signers of the Declaration of Independence is located in the rotunda of the North Carolina State Capitol in Raleigh, NC.
In 1932, a monument to Joseph Hewes was unveiled in Edenton, NC.
[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 plaque is located in the rotunda of the North Carolina State Capitol building on West Morgan Street.
The plaque is located on the wall in the interior of the rotunda of the North Carolina State Capitol. The interior of the rotunda houses other State Capitol memorials including statuary, paintings, and plaques commemorating significant events and individuals in North Carolina's history.
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