View complete article and references at Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina at: https://docsouth.unc.edu/commland/monument/97
Description: The House of Memory is a stone pavilion, 22 feet by 38 feet, that sits in the Oakwood Cemetery. It is in the Gothic style and houses 12 tablets on the interior walls with dedications to North Carolina's participation in every war from the Revolutionary War to World War I. Three new plaques were added in 1960 (WWII and Korean War) and 1970 (Vietnam War).
Images: Front Entrance | Left Entrance | Right Entrance | Back Entrance | Bench 1 | Bench 2 | Bench 3
Inscription:
THE HOUSE OF MEMORY / A MEMORIAL / TO THE SOLDIERS AND SAILORS / OF NORTH CAROLINA WHO SERVED HER IN TIME OF WAR ON LAND AND SEA
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This Memorial Pavilion / built in memory of the / North Carolina soldiers and sailors / living and dead / will commemorate the valor of men / who true to the instincts of their birth, / faithful to the teachings of their fathers, / fought, believing their cause just, / in the following wars: / Revolutionary War; War of 1812; / Mexican War; War Between the States; / Spanish-American War; World War. / "the soldier of the South takes his place / in the World's Legion of Honor" / Erected by the / North Carolina Division / United Daughters of the Confederacy; Sponsored by / the General James Johnston Pettigrew / Chapter U. D. C. / Raleigh, North Carolina / Mrs. Alfred Williams, Chairman.
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NORTH CAROLINA / in the / REVOLUTIONARY WAR/ 1775-1783 / In memory of the more than / 25,000 North Carolina soldiers and sailors / who helped with American Independence / Memorializing especially the six regiments / which supported General/ Washington at the Battles of Brandy / Wine and Germantown, enduring with him / the hardships and privations of the memorable / winter of 1777-1778 at Valley Forge / Commemorating also the decisive Battles/ of Moore's Creek Bridge, King's Mountain, / Guilford Court House, and other Battles / in which North Carolina fought / This tablet is erected / by the / North Carolina Society / of the/ Daughters of the Revolution
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NORTH CAROLINA / in the / AMERICAN REVOLUTION / 1775-1783 / In memory of the North Carolina Patriots / whose heroism and sacrifice contributed / signally to the achievement / of American Independence. / North Carolina offered armed resistance / to the Stamp Act in 1776. / On May 20, 1775, / the Mecklenburg Declaration / of Independence was signed. / This act combined with / the Halifax Resolution of April 12, 1776, / made North Carolina the first Colony / to declare Independence / from the Crown / On battlefields from New York to Georgia,/ the sons of North Carolina / served and suffered and died / for Victory and Freedom. / THE NATIONAL SOCIETY / DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION/ of North Carolina / 1937
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In Memory / of that Silent Legion / of Soldiers and Sailors / who laid down their lives / in the War of 1812, / Mexican War/ and Spanish American War. / In the war of 1812 / North Carolina met its quota / of Seven Thousand Volunteers. / In the War with Mexico (1846-1848) / more than three times the quota volunteered. / In 1898 / in the Spanish American War, / North Carolina was among the first / to volunteer with three Regiments/and its First Regiment were among / the first American soldiers / to land in Cuba.
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In this / Confederate Cemetery / Lie more than 2800 soldiers/ who gave their lives / for the Confederate cause. / From North Carolina, 2,000; South Carolina, 46 / Georgia, 44; Alabama, 8 / Mississippi, 8; Virginia, 4;/ Florida, 2; Arkansas, 1; Louisiana, 1; / Tennessee, 2; Texas, 1;/ Three form the Confederate Navy; / 124 Removed from Gettysburg in 1871; 108 from / Arlington in 1883; / 388 from Pettigrew Hospital Cemetery; / 106 Unknown dead. / "We care not whence they came / Dear in their lifeless clay / whether unknown or known to fame / Their cause and country sill the same / They died"Ãand wore the Gray."
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NORTH CAROLINA / IN THE WAR/ BETWEEN THE STATES / 1861-1865 / Seceded May 20, 1861 / North Carolina sent 127,000 / to this war from a military population of 115,369 / furnishing 84 regiments and / 20 Battalions thus supplying / more than one fifth of the / 600,000 men in the / Confederate Army / Of General Lee's 124 Regiments / 24 were from North Carolina. / Total number of lives lost / in the Confederate Army / was 74, 524 / of these 19,643 from / North Carolina.
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FIRST AT BETHEL / FARTHEST TO THE FRONT / AT GETTYSBURG AND CHICKAMAUGA / AND LAST AT APPOMATTOX / The twenty-sixth North Carolina Regiment / suffered at Gettysburg the / heaviest loss in killed and wounded of any regiment on / either side in any battle/ of the war. / At Chickamauga, the Sixtieth Regiment / of North Carolina troops / advanced farthest into the / enemy's lines. / At Appomattox, Major Gen'l / Bryan Grimes of North Carolina / planned and led the last battle / fought by the Army of Northern Virginia. / The North Carolina Brigade of / Brigadier Gen'l William R. Cox / Fired the last volley,/ April 9, 1865.
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NORTH CAROLINA / IN THE LAST YEAR / OF THE WAR / Largely due to the efforts of / Zebulon Baird Vance, / Governor of North Carolina / from 1862-1865, / this state contributed large / sums of money and supplies / to the Confederate Cause,/ besides supporting her own troops / throughout the entire war. / records show that for many months/ previous to the Surrender, / General's Lee's army had been almost / entirely fed from North Carolina. / Through Wilmington, the/ last Confederate port/ to be closed,/ were imported materials which/ were the chief source of supply / to the Southern Armies.
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IN MEMORY OF / THE PRIVATE SOLDIERS / OF THE CONFEDERACY / And the army of Unknown Dead / who died in Northern prisons / and are buried far from home / and kindred. / "Not for fame, not for wealth, / not for renown, nor goaded by/ necessity, nor lured by ambition, / but in simple obedience to duty, / these men suffered all, sacrificed / all, dared all, and died." / Furl that Banner, softly, slowly! / Treat it gently"Ãit is holy"Ã / For it droops above the dead. / Touch it not"Ãunfold it never, / Let it droop there, furled forever, / For its people's hopes are dead!
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NORTH CAROLINA / IN THE WORLD WAR / April 6, 1917"ÃNovember 11, 1938 / North Carolina sent more than / 85,000 Soldiers, sailors and Nurses / to the poser of the United States / which turned the tide of victory / in the World War. / Of these nearly / 2,500 North Carolinians made the supreme sacrifice / for their country. / the 30th (Old Hickory) Division, / Composed of troops from North Carolina, / South Carolina, and Tennessee,. Helped break the Hindenburg Line. / In proud and loving remembrance / of their Sons and Daughters / who answered their country's call/ service on Land and Sea/ and in the Air / during the World War. / This tablet is erected by / The American War Mothers of North Carolina / 1937
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To the Mothers / of North Carolina/ Soldiers and Sailors / Whose loving ministrations / in all the Wars of our Country / sustained them/ under every privation and suffering, / at home/ in Hospitals / and on the field of Battle. / Whose fortitude/ and unselfish labor/ contributed much/ to supply the wants / of their defenders in the field. / Who gave up the dearest treasures / of their lives / and bore the Martyr's cross / In Freedom's Name
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To the / Confederate Women of / North Carolina / who nursed the wounded to health / and soothed the last hours / of the dying. / Whose unwavering faith / in their Cause / showed ever a guiding star / through the perils and disasters of war. / And whose patriotism/ has taught their descendants / to emulate the noble spirit / of their fathers. / Erected by / The Children of the Confederacy / of the / North Carolina Division U. D. C.
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IN MEMORY / OF THE / NORTH CAROLINIANS / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES / IN / WORLD WAR II / ERECTED / BY THE / NORTH CAROLINA DIVISION / OF THE / UNITED DAUGHTERS OF / THE CONFEDERACY / 1960
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IN MEMORY / OF THE / NORTH CAROLINIANS / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES / IN /THE KOREAN WAR / ERECTED / BY THE / NORTH CAROLINA DIVISION / OF THE / UNITED DAUGHTERS OF / THE CONFEDERACY / 1960
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IN MEMORY / OF THE / NORTH CAROLINIANS / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES / IN /THE VIETNAM WAR / ERECTED / BY THE / NORTH CAROLINA DIVISION / OF THE / UNITED DAUGHTERS OF / THE CONFEDERACY / 1970
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Dedication date: 10/15/1936
Creator: Charlotte Byran Grimes Williams, Unspecified
Materials & Techniques: Wake County stone, limestone, multicolored Beaver Creek stone, oak beams
Sponsor: United Daughters of the Confederacy, General James Johnston Pettigrew Chapter
Unveiling & Dedication: Address given by Dr. Frank P. Graham, then president of the University of North Carolina
Post dedication use: The United Daughters of the Confederacy would a hold a Confederate Memorial Day celebration at the pavilion in honor of deceased veterans after May 10, 1935.
Subject notes: The House of Memory was an idea conceived by Charlotte Williams, and efforts were made to build the monument since 1917. The purpose of the House of Memory is to honor the lives of North Carolina veterans spanning the period from the Revolutionary War to World War I.
Location: Behind the House of Memory are located graves of deceased veterans, and the House has a path as well as steps leading to the entrance. It is located west of the Confederate cemetery.
Landscape: The pavilion stands west of the Confederate section of the Oakwood Cemetery on a sloping terrace, surrounded by graves of North Carolina's Confederate dead.
City: Raleigh
County: Wake
Subjects: Civil War,Korean War,Mexican War,Revolutionary War,Spanish American War,Vietnam War,War of 1812,World War I,World War II