Daniel Boone Cabin Monument, Rivers Park, Boone
The monument is a square chimney shaped structure of hewn stone blocks and a formed
concrete top. The top is pyramid shaped which is itself topped with an obelisk shaped piece of
stone. When originally constructed it was described as being 26-feet tall. Having been moved
and reconstructed two times it stands several courses of stones shorter than when first built
and the tip is broken from the obelisk shaped piece of stone. Two plaques were placed in 1912.
Two additional plaques were placed to denote the 1969 and 2005 reconstructions.
The monument now stands at the entrance to Rivers Park on a concrete pad. In front of this
pad is a stone retaining wall with RIVERS PARK lettering attached. Behind the monument is
another stone retaining wall with three bronze plaques placed when the monument was
reconstructed in 2005.
Images (by Randell Jones and Rusty Long):
Northwest: 1969 reconstruction |
Northeast: 2005 reconstruction |
Southeast: Daniel Boone plaque |
Southwest: Wil. Bryan plaque |
Plaque, rock wall left |
Plaque, rock wall center |
Plaque, rock wall right
Northeast: DANIEL BOONE MONUMENT / RECONSTRUCTED ON THIS SITE / SEPTEMBER 16, 2005
/ HON. VELMA BURNLEY MAYOR / HISTORIC BOONE
Northwest: DANIEL BOONE MONUMENT / RECONSTRUCTED ON THIS SITE / APRIL – 1969
Southeast: DANIEL BOONE / PIONEER AND HUNTER / BORN FEB. 11, 1735 / DIED SEPT. 26, 1820
/ CAMPED HERE 1760 TO 1769
Southwest: WIL. BRYAN, SON OF / BATTLE AND REBECCA MILLER BRYAN / - BORN NOV. 19,
1837 - / BUILT DANIEL BOONE MONUMENT / OCT. 1912, COST $208.27.
Plaque, rock wall left: IN MEMORIUM / GENE LEWIS REESE, DDS / APRIL 20, 1927
MARCH 7, 2001 / FOUNDER OF HISTORIC BOONE / ARDENT SUPPORTER OF THE /
RECONSTRUCTION OF THE / DANIEL BOONE MONUMENT AND / COLLECTOR OF HISTORIC
MEMORABILIA
Plaque, rock wall center: DANILE BOONE MONUMENT COMMITTEE / 2005 / HONORABLE
VELMA BURNLEY / BILL DIXON / ARMFIELD COFFEY / SKIP GREENE / ERIC GUSTAVESON / TIM
HAGAMAN / FRANK PAYNE / GLEO GREENE PAYNE / DON WATSON / APPALACHIAN
ARCHITECTURE, PA / GREEME CONSTRUCTION COMPANY / TOWN OF BOONE
Plaque, rock wall right: IN MEMORIUM / RACHAEL RIVERS COFFEY / MAY 4, 1943
AUGUST 24, 1999 / RIVERS PARK / HOMEPLACE OF RACHAEL RIVERS COFFEY. /
DONATED TO THE TOWN OF BOONE IN / PERPETUITY FOR HISTORICAL PURPOSE, / NATURE
TRAILS AND WILDLIFE / SANCTUARY. / JANUARY 26, 2000
October 31, 1912
36.218200 , -81.686400
View in Geobrowse
Jones, Randell. Trailing Daniel Boone, Daughters of the American Revolution Marking Daniel Boone’s Trail, 1912-1915, (Winston-Salem, NC: Daniel Boone Footsteps, 2012)
Van Noppen, Ina W. 1979. "Boone, Daniel," NCpedia.org, (accessed January 10, 2014) Link
“Daniel Boone Cabin Monument,” from "Images of North Carolina" by DigitalNC, contributed by Watauga County Public Library, (accessed February 11, 2016) Link
“North Carolina Daniel Boone Heritage Trail,” North Carolina Daniel Boone Heritage Trail, Inc., (accessed January 11, 2016) Link
“University Plans Moving Monument of Daniel Boone; Erecting Statue,” news.google.com, Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, SC), December 5, 1994, (accessed February 11, 2016) Link
Yes
Stone, concrete
$203.37
No dedication was held at the time of completion. A year later on October 13, 1913 recognition was given to William L. Bryan for marking the spot of Boone’s Cabin during the dedication ceremony for the Boone’s Trail Marker located at the Watauga County Courthouse.
Because of its shape, the monument was called “the chimney” by students at Appalachian State University.
The monument in its original location was thought to have been the site of a hunters’ cabin
used by Daniel Boone. Historians later determined that the actual site of that cabin was about six
miles away on Meat Camp Creek.
The monument was the idea of William Lewis Bryan, the first mayor of Boone, who believed he
was descended from the family of Daniel Boone’s wife. In 1912 he had decided to honor his
ancestor and hero of America’s pioneer days. After failing to raise money from the Boone
community to build the monument he used his own funds to complete the project.
The monument marks the entrance to Rivers Park and is located on the corner of Rivers Street and Moretz Dr. in Boone.
The memorial stands on a hill with a great view of woods and mountains.
The monument was originally located at what is now Tomlinson Park on the campus of Appalachian State University. A statue to Daniel Boone with his Hunting Hounds now occupies that spot. The monument had first been moved in 1969 to accommodate construction on campus. In 1995 it again needed to be moved and was dismantled, the stones numbered and placed in storage. It was restored and placed at Rivers Park in 2005.
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