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Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina
Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina
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Source:  Memorial Arch, Sunset Hill Cemetery, Littleton. Image courtesy of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. Photo by Tom Vincent.

  • Monument Name

    Memorial Arch, Sunset Hill Cemetery, Littleton

  • Type

    Arch or Gate

  • Subjects

    Civil War, 1861-1865

  • Creator

    Campbell Bros. of Raleigh, Designer

  • City

    Littleton

  • County

    Halifax

  • Description

    The memorial arch consists of two stone plinths spanned by a metal arch with the centered, painted words "Sunset Hill." It stands at the entrance to the Sunset Hill Cemetery, facing the small access road of North Main Street.

    Images: Left plinth | Right plinth

  • Inscription

    Front, left plinth: PRESENTED BY / ROANOKE MINUTE MEN / CHAPTER / DAUGHTERS OF THE CONFEDERACY / 1930

    Front, right plinth: IN MEMORY OF / OUR BELOVED / CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS / 1861 + 1865

  • Custodian

    The Town of Littleton

  • Dedication Date

    June 3, 1930

  • Decade

    1930s

  • Geographic Coordinates

    36.432130 , -77.919300 View in Geobrowsemap pin

  • Supporting Sources

      Butler, Douglas J. North Carolina Civil War Monuments: An Illustrated History (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2013).

      Smith, Blanche Lucas. North Carolina's Confederate Monuments and Memorials, (Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, 1941)

  • Public Site

    Yes

  • Materials & Techniques

    Rough-hewn granite, smooth stone tablets, metal

  • Monument Cost

    400

  • Monument Dedication and Unveiling

    The unveiling took place at sunset. The program opened with the song Carolina, after which Chaplain Francis Joyner led an invocation. Mrs. T. J. Miles spoke regarding the history of the Roanoke Minute Men Chapter and paid tribute to the Daughters of the Confederacy resting in the cemetery. Then Mrs. W. M. Perkins introduced the main speaker, the Honorable Jno. M. Picot. Four small children assisted with the unveiling, and finally the chaplain led a benediction.

  • Subject Notes

    June 3, the date of the monument's dedication, is Jefferson's Davis birthday.

  • Controversies

    Sue J. Curtis lists the unveiling date as June 3, 1900 in her list of North Carolina Confederate Memorials.

    Blanche Lucas Smith states that the smooth tablets are marble, while Douglas Butler's book describes them as stone.

  • Location

    The entrance to the Sunset Hill Cemetery faces the small access road of North Main Street.

  • Landscape

    The surroundings consist of a wooded cemetery.

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