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Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina
Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina
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Source:  Confederate Memorial, Mooresville. Photo courtesy of Rusty Long

  • Monument Name

    Confederate Memorial, Mooresville

  • Type

    Column

  • Subjects

    Civil War, 1861-1865

  • City

    Mooresville

  • County

    Iredell

  • Description

    This monument in memory of Confederate soldiers buried at Willow Valley Cemetery is a large block of granite between 7 and 8 feet high by 4 feet wide with a grouping of 89 names deeply etched into the stone. Near the top of the monuments face is incised a wreath surrounding what is assumed to be a Confederate national flag but with seven stars instead of thirteen. Beneath the flag is a stylized NC and the years 1861 and 1865 are craved into the wreaths ribbon. Five additional names appear below the inscription denoting the monuments sponsor. They were not present in a photograph taken at the dedication. Most likely these are additional names of those buried in the cemetery. Later news articles noted that 94 Confederate soldier graves had been located and more thought to exist.

    Images: View of the cemetery | Confederate flag (detail)

  • Inscription

    IN MEMORY OF / THE SOLDIERS OF THE CONFEDERACY / 1861 – 1865 / WHO LIE BURIED HERE / [List of 89 names] / ERECTED BY / BATTLE OF BENTONVILLE CHAPTER / UNITED DAUGHTERS OF THE CONFEDERACY / 1941 / [List of five names]

  • Custodian

    Willow Valley Cemetery, City of Mooresville

  • Dedication Date

    May 9, 1941

  • Decade

    1940s

  • Geographic Coordinates

    35.580500 , -80.812820 View in Geobrowsemap pin

  • Supporting Sources

      Butler, Douglas J. North Carolina Civil War Monuments, An Illustrated History, (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2013) 208

      Osborne, Jessica. “Cemetery Project Seeks to Remember All Veterans,” Mooresville Tribune (Mooresville, NC), July 1, 2015, (accessed September 5, 2015) Link

      “A Monument To Our Confederate Dead,” Mooresville Tribune (Mooresville, NC), May 15, 1941

  • Public Site

    Yes

  • Materials & Techniques

    Winnsboro Granite

  • Sponsors

    Battle of Bentonville Chapter, United Daughters of the Confederacy

  • Monument Dedication and Unveiling

    A 1941 news article on the dedication only included a photograph and an extended caption describing the monument. The ceremony was said to be impressive. It was noted that the monument had first been envisioned 17 years prior to its dedication.

  • Subject Notes

    Willow Valley Cemetery is the oldest in Mooresville with military burials back to the War of 1812. In July 2015 plans were announced for restoration work at the cemetery. A memorial to all veterans is planned and additional names since discovered but not listed on the 1941 Confederate marker will be added to a secondary one.

  • Location

    The Willow Valley Cemetery is located at 191 S Church St, Mooresville. The memorial is right at the entrance to the cemetery, at the intersection of S Church Street and E McLelland Avenue.

  • Landscape

    The monument stands under a large oak tree.

  • Death Space

    Yes

  • Post Dedication Use

    Ceremonies for Confederate Memorial day have been conducted at this site.

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