Unc Memorial Research Paper
Kara Wiley
October 2, 2012
English 105
UNC Memorials
Since its founding as the first public school in America, The University of North Carolina has created a rich past dating back to 1789. In honor of its history, UNC also has numerous memorials throughout the campus commemorating those who have helped build and shape the school. Four monuments that stand out are the Carolina Alumni Memorial in Memory of Those Lost in Service, the Caldwell Monument, The Unsung Founders Memorial, and Silent Sam.
The Carolina Alumni Memorial in Memory of Those Lost in Service is located right off Cameron Ave between Phillips and Memorial Halls. This rather large memorial is dedicated to all Carolina students that have lost their lives by fighting …show more content…
for our country. In honor of these brave men and women, the memorial consists of a long sandstone bench and a bronze sculpture called the Book of Names. On the bench, one can see a Thomas Wolfe quote that reads, “He heard ... the mellow booming of the campus bell. And suddenly it seemed to him that all the beaten walks were thudding with the footfalls of lost boys, himself among them, running for their class. Then, as he listened, the far bell died away, and the phantom runners thudded into oblivion.” At first, this chilling quote depicts a college student, listening to his school bell and his peers walking to class. However, when one reads more into the quote, it ends up being a description of the own student’s delusion when he is at war in reality. While reading the quote, one can feel the sacrifice of giving up education these soldiers had to make in order to fight for their country. Right next to the bench stands the Book of Names sculpture sitting on a rectangular concrete block. In the Book, two pages are dedicated to each war that Carolina alumni have fought in. These two pages also list the names of the 684 Carolina students whose lives have been lost due to war. Looking at the pages, one can see how many Carolina alumni have protected the United States. Because not all names of the Carolina alumni could be found though, Maggie Smith designed the Book so that additional names could be added to it. She also wanted to provide space for future Carolina alumni that might die protecting our country. In addition to the bench and sculpture, Maggie Smith provided the memorial viewers a place to rest. Facing this sandstone bench sit these two columns of three stone benches. While the sandstone bench is never shaded and therefore more prominent to the eye, the stone benches are protected by trees placed between each row. Because of the stone benches’ placement, all viewers can easily sit and learn about the University’s brave soldiers from looking at the memorial. On McCorkle Place lawn sits the three other memorials. The Caldwell Memorial is the first monument one walks upon when coming from the Carolina Alumni Memorial, the Unsung Founders Memorial is next, and Silent Sam comes last and is closest to Franklin Street. Honoring the first president of the University of North Carolina, the Caldwell Memorial is one of the earliest memorials established on the university campus.
Caldwell was born in New Jersey but ended up spending much time and effort in helping create Carolina. In 1796, just seven years after the university’s founding, Joseph Caldwell taught at the university as a mathematics professor. He then served two terms as president from 1804 to 1812 and from 1816 to 1835. Caldwell also made major contributions to the state of North Carolina. His years spent in North Carolina consisted of promoting railroad transportation throughout the state, placing the southern boundary, and serving as an ordained Presbyterian minister. Caldwell’s monument on the McCorkle Place lawn was established in 1858 and made by Struther & Co. The marble obelisk stands tall and draws much attention with inscriptions on all sides and a shield at the top of the north-facing side. The four inscriptions state who raised the honorary monument, how Caldwell served both the university and the state, and his date of birth and death. One of the inscriptions also describes that the monument itself rests upon the grave of Joseph Caldwell and his wife Helen Caldwell. Because he advocated for railroads in North Carolina, the shield is carved with a train wheel. The shield also hosts an engineer’s transit and an open Bible that refer to Caldwell’s effort in drawing the lines of North Carolina’s southern boundary and his years as a minister. Lastly, the shield is carved with oak leaves. Because of his work and dedication to the school, one can understand why Carolina dedicates an entire monument to Caldwell. However, the Caldwell Memorial on the McCorkle Place lawn is not the first memorial at UNC dedicated to Joseph Caldwell. In 1837, a sandstone obelisk was built to honor the original president and lasted for about 50 years. However, in 1891, Carolina’s senior class rededicated the obelisk to three of the
Caldwell family slaves and relocated the monument on top of Wilson Caldwell, one of the slave’s, grave in the Old Chapel Hill Cemetery.
Located to the right of the Caldwell Memorial, the Unsung Founders Memorial sits on the McCorkle Place lawn in front of the Alumni Building. This relatively new memorial honors the colored men and women, enslaved and freed, who greatly contributed to the building of Carolina’s university. Established by Carolina’s senior class of 2002, the memorial works toward being historically correct when it comes to acknowledging everyone that contributed to UNC, not just the main figures. The monument consists of 300 bronze sculpted figures that represent every type of colored man and woman. Some figures are dressed in tattered clothing, some men are dressed in suits, and some men and woman are barely dressed. This variation in clothing signifies that both enslaved and free black people were a major part in creating Carolina. The figures are also holding up a circular piece of black granite with a polished top that acts as a table and the actual memorial. On the table, an inscription reads, “The Class of 2002 honors the University’s unsung founders – the people of color bond and free – who helped build the Carolina that we cherish today.” The act of holding up the table represents how hard the black slaves and freemen worked and how much their work contributed in building the university. Five seats surround the table and figures as well. Made from granite with a polished top, these seats provide opportunities for the viewers to look at the memorial closely and see all of the details. Although there is much controversy over this memorial relating to the smaller size, the non African American heritage of the sculptor, Do-Ho Suh, and the lack of the word slaves in the dedication, this memorial shows the schools work toward appreciating its entire history.
The last monument is known to the University as Silent Sam. Originally named the Memorial to Civil War Soldiers of the University, this monument commemorates all of the UNC students that fought on the Confederate side of the Civil War and the 321 alumni that died while fighting. John Wilson, the sculptor, and the Gorham Manufacturing Company created the memorial. Standing on a concrete pedestal, the bronze statue is of a Confederate soldier holding a rifle in both hands. The soldier actually lacks an ammunition cartridge box and this fact has given the memorial the title of Silent Sam. On the pedestal, there is a brass relief that depicts a woman holding a sword while looking down at a student dropping his books. These two figures represent Lady North Carolina and a UNC student who is giving up his education in order to protect the Confederate States. The relief and the statue give a feeling of pride in the Confederate States. Although they were defeated, the relief and statue represent the students’ dedication and sacrifice in fighting for their home states. In 1913, the year of this memorial’s establishment, Julian Carr gave a speech at the monument’s dedication. His speech spoke of the brave and valiant men that stopped attending school in order to fight for the Confederates and those who died in the war. In addition, the speech had a racist nature because of Carr’s story recounting his whipping of a colored woman 100 yards from the monument’s location. This part of the memorial and the university’s history has sparked controversy throughout the recent past. In fact, there is a movement called the “Real Silent Sam” that hopes to create factual dialogue about the University’s monuments and past, instead of just romanticized ideas of what has occurred.
Well, that concludes our tour for the day. I hope you learned more about this university, its past, and its many contributors!
References
http://docsouth.unc.edu
http://www.unc.edu/interactive-tour/landmarks/
October 2, 2012
English 105
UNC Memorials
Since its founding as the first public school in America, The University of North Carolina has created a rich past dating back to 1789. In honor of its history, UNC also has numerous memorials throughout the campus commemorating those who have helped build and shape the school. Four monuments that stand out are the Carolina Alumni Memorial in Memory of Those Lost in Service, the Caldwell Monument, The Unsung Founders Memorial, and Silent Sam.
The Carolina Alumni Memorial in Memory of Those Lost in Service is located right off Cameron Ave between Phillips and Memorial Halls. This rather large memorial is dedicated to all Carolina students that have lost their lives by fighting …show more content…
for our country. In honor of these brave men and women, the memorial consists of a long sandstone bench and a bronze sculpture called the Book of Names. On the bench, one can see a Thomas Wolfe quote that reads, “He heard ... the mellow booming of the campus bell. And suddenly it seemed to him that all the beaten walks were thudding with the footfalls of lost boys, himself among them, running for their class. Then, as he listened, the far bell died away, and the phantom runners thudded into oblivion.” At first, this chilling quote depicts a college student, listening to his school bell and his peers walking to class. However, when one reads more into the quote, it ends up being a description of the own student’s delusion when he is at war in reality. While reading the quote, one can feel the sacrifice of giving up education these soldiers had to make in order to fight for their country. Right next to the bench stands the Book of Names sculpture sitting on a rectangular concrete block. In the Book, two pages are dedicated to each war that Carolina alumni have fought in. These two pages also list the names of the 684 Carolina students whose lives have been lost due to war. Looking at the pages, one can see how many Carolina alumni have protected the United States. Because not all names of the Carolina alumni could be found though, Maggie Smith designed the Book so that additional names could be added to it. She also wanted to provide space for future Carolina alumni that might die protecting our country. In addition to the bench and sculpture, Maggie Smith provided the memorial viewers a place to rest. Facing this sandstone bench sit these two columns of three stone benches. While the sandstone bench is never shaded and therefore more prominent to the eye, the stone benches are protected by trees placed between each row. Because of the stone benches’ placement, all viewers can easily sit and learn about the University’s brave soldiers from looking at the memorial. On McCorkle Place lawn sits the three other memorials. The Caldwell Memorial is the first monument one walks upon when coming from the Carolina Alumni Memorial, the Unsung Founders Memorial is next, and Silent Sam comes last and is closest to Franklin Street. Honoring the first president of the University of North Carolina, the Caldwell Memorial is one of the earliest memorials established on the university campus.
Caldwell was born in New Jersey but ended up spending much time and effort in helping create Carolina. In 1796, just seven years after the university’s founding, Joseph Caldwell taught at the university as a mathematics professor. He then served two terms as president from 1804 to 1812 and from 1816 to 1835. Caldwell also made major contributions to the state of North Carolina. His years spent in North Carolina consisted of promoting railroad transportation throughout the state, placing the southern boundary, and serving as an ordained Presbyterian minister. Caldwell’s monument on the McCorkle Place lawn was established in 1858 and made by Struther & Co. The marble obelisk stands tall and draws much attention with inscriptions on all sides and a shield at the top of the north-facing side. The four inscriptions state who raised the honorary monument, how Caldwell served both the university and the state, and his date of birth and death. One of the inscriptions also describes that the monument itself rests upon the grave of Joseph Caldwell and his wife Helen Caldwell. Because he advocated for railroads in North Carolina, the shield is carved with a train wheel. The shield also hosts an engineer’s transit and an open Bible that refer to Caldwell’s effort in drawing the lines of North Carolina’s southern boundary and his years as a minister. Lastly, the shield is carved with oak leaves. Because of his work and dedication to the school, one can understand why Carolina dedicates an entire monument to Caldwell. However, the Caldwell Memorial on the McCorkle Place lawn is not the first memorial at UNC dedicated to Joseph Caldwell. In 1837, a sandstone obelisk was built to honor the original president and lasted for about 50 years. However, in 1891, Carolina’s senior class rededicated the obelisk to three of the
Caldwell family slaves and relocated the monument on top of Wilson Caldwell, one of the slave’s, grave in the Old Chapel Hill Cemetery.
Located to the right of the Caldwell Memorial, the Unsung Founders Memorial sits on the McCorkle Place lawn in front of the Alumni Building. This relatively new memorial honors the colored men and women, enslaved and freed, who greatly contributed to the building of Carolina’s university. Established by Carolina’s senior class of 2002, the memorial works toward being historically correct when it comes to acknowledging everyone that contributed to UNC, not just the main figures. The monument consists of 300 bronze sculpted figures that represent every type of colored man and woman. Some figures are dressed in tattered clothing, some men are dressed in suits, and some men and woman are barely dressed. This variation in clothing signifies that both enslaved and free black people were a major part in creating Carolina. The figures are also holding up a circular piece of black granite with a polished top that acts as a table and the actual memorial. On the table, an inscription reads, “The Class of 2002 honors the University’s unsung founders – the people of color bond and free – who helped build the Carolina that we cherish today.” The act of holding up the table represents how hard the black slaves and freemen worked and how much their work contributed in building the university. Five seats surround the table and figures as well. Made from granite with a polished top, these seats provide opportunities for the viewers to look at the memorial closely and see all of the details. Although there is much controversy over this memorial relating to the smaller size, the non African American heritage of the sculptor, Do-Ho Suh, and the lack of the word slaves in the dedication, this memorial shows the schools work toward appreciating its entire history.
The last monument is known to the University as Silent Sam. Originally named the Memorial to Civil War Soldiers of the University, this monument commemorates all of the UNC students that fought on the Confederate side of the Civil War and the 321 alumni that died while fighting. John Wilson, the sculptor, and the Gorham Manufacturing Company created the memorial. Standing on a concrete pedestal, the bronze statue is of a Confederate soldier holding a rifle in both hands. The soldier actually lacks an ammunition cartridge box and this fact has given the memorial the title of Silent Sam. On the pedestal, there is a brass relief that depicts a woman holding a sword while looking down at a student dropping his books. These two figures represent Lady North Carolina and a UNC student who is giving up his education in order to protect the Confederate States. The relief and the statue give a feeling of pride in the Confederate States. Although they were defeated, the relief and statue represent the students’ dedication and sacrifice in fighting for their home states. In 1913, the year of this memorial’s establishment, Julian Carr gave a speech at the monument’s dedication. His speech spoke of the brave and valiant men that stopped attending school in order to fight for the Confederates and those who died in the war. In addition, the speech had a racist nature because of Carr’s story recounting his whipping of a colored woman 100 yards from the monument’s location. This part of the memorial and the university’s history has sparked controversy throughout the recent past. In fact, there is a movement called the “Real Silent Sam” that hopes to create factual dialogue about the University’s monuments and past, instead of just romanticized ideas of what has occurred.
Well, that concludes our tour for the day. I hope you learned more about this university, its past, and its many contributors!
References
http://docsouth.unc.edu
http://www.unc.edu/interactive-tour/landmarks/