Documenting the American South

Monument Name

High Point Veterans Memorial, High Point

Type

War Memorial

Subjects

World War I

World War II

Iraq War, 2003-2011

Vietnam War, 1960-1975

Korean War, 1950-1953

Afghanistan War, 2001-2021

City

High Point

County

Guilford

Description

The memorial includes two gray granite pillars flanking a shorter black granite slab with incised inscriptions. The left pillar lists the wars and military operations in which local veterans served beginning with World War One. The monument’s right pillar holds bronze seals representing the five branches of military service. Both pillars feature an incised American Eagle clutching arrows in its talons. The gray pillars are topped with small blocks of black granite pieces and the total height is seven feet including the double base. The lower large base piece is gray granite with rusticated edges. The upper base is black granite smooth finished on all sides. In addition to the inscription the center slab features the City of High Point logo. A stone plaque listing sponsors and donors is laid into the brick patio in front of the memorial.

Images: Sponsor plaque | Far-off view of the Memorial Park

Inscription

Center slab: HIGH POINT / VETERANS MEMORIAL / THIS MEMORIAL IS / DEDICATED TO THE / MEMORY AND HONOR OF / THOSE WHO HAVE / SERVED BRAVELY IN / OUR ARMED FORCES / IN BOTH TIMES OF WAR / AND IN TIMES OF PIECE / MAY 30, 2005

Left slab: WORLD WAR I / WORLD WAR II / KOREAN WAR / VIETNAM WAR / PERSIAN GULF WAR / OPERATION / ENDURING FREEDOM / AFGHANISTAN / OPERATION / IRAQI FREEDOM / IRAQ

Custodian

City of High Point

Dedication Date

May 30, 2005

Decade

2000s

Geographic Coordinates

35.957430 , -80.005610 View in Geobrowse

Supporting Sources

Schultz, Sue. “Granite Marker Honors Veterans,” N&R Greensboro.com, News And Record (Greensboro, NC), May 3, 2005, (accessed February 25, 2016) Link

Williams, Matt. "High Point Unveils Memorial For Vets,” N&R Greensboro.com, News And Record (Greensboro, NC), May 29, 2005, (accessed February 25, 2016) Link

“High Point Veterans Memorial,” The Historical Marker Database, HMdb.org, (accessed February 25, 2016) Link

“High Point's Hidden Treasures,” Spotidoc.com, (accessed February 25, 2016) Link

Public Site

Yes

Materials & Techniques

Granite

Sponsors

Rotary Club of High Point and Nicholas Ruden

Monument Cost

$30,000

Monument Dedication and Unveiling

Senator Richard Burr and Representative Howard Coble were on hand to dedicate the monument. The ceremony also included a brass band from Fort Bragg, an honor guard from Pope Air Force Base and the flyover of a North Carolina National Guard helicopter. High school student Nicolas Ruden who was instrumental in efforts to build the memorial also spoke at the dedication. “We owe our veterans our gratitude,” he said, “because without them, we would not have our freedoms we enjoy today.”

Subject Notes

High school student and history buff Nicholas Ruden led efforts to raise money for the Veterans Memorial. He was also responsible for seeing the World War One “Doughboy” statue cleaned, repaired and moved to this same location in 2004.

Location

The memorial stands on a brick plaza, or, Memorial Park, located at the intersection of N. Main Street and E. High Avenue. Other memorials include Revolutionary War Patriots, African American Gold Star plaque, World War Two Honor Roll, WWI Doughboy statue, and POW/MIA plaque. On the corner across E. High Street is a plaque to General Maxwell Reid Thurman. Across Main Street at the restored High Point Train depot is the Plank Road Foreman statue and “High Point” marker.

Landscape

Bushes and trees adorn the brick plaza where the High Point Veterans Memorial stands on.