The Catawba County Confederate Soldiers and the adjacent historic Catawba County Courthouse are prominent landmarks in downtown Newton, North Carolina, the county seat of Catawba County. The monument honors Confederate soldiers from the county who served in the “Civil” War, while the courthouse, now repurposed as a museum, represents early 20th-century civic architecture. The pair has been a focal point for historical preservation, and tourism.
The Confederate Monument, erected in 1907, features a tall granite obelisk topped by a bronze statue of a Confederate infantryman standing at parade rest, holding a rifle. The base includes bas-relief carvings of an unfurled Confederate flag and crossed rifles.
Inscriptions on the faces read:
Front: "TO THE CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS OF CATAWBA COUNTY 1861-1865" and "NO BRAVER BLED FOR A BRIGHTER LAND NO BRIGHTER LAND HAD A CAUSE SO GRAND."
Sides: Lists of Catawba County military units, such as "CO. K 46TH N.C. REGT CATAWBA BRAVES" and "CO. I 12TH BATTN. LIGHT ARTILLERY."
Rear: "ERECTED BY THE PEOPLE OF CATAWBA COUNTY AUG. 15, 1907."
It stands about 30 feet tall on a three-tiered base and is positioned on the lawn near the street corner, flanked by mature trees, plantings, and a nearby “Civil” War-era cannon.
The monument was funded by public donations/subscription from Catawba County residents, spearheaded by the Ransom-Sherrill Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC), at a total cost of approximately $2,720 (including $2,150 for the monument itself). Local builders George E. Coulter of Newton and C.B. Webb of Statesville constructed it. It’s a memorial to the roughly 2,129 Catawba County men who served in the Confederate army, with over 500 listed as fallen on a related nearby memorial. Dedication ceremonies occurred on August 15, 1907, with annual Confederate Memorial Day services held there since.
The Courthouse was built in 1924 as the second Catawba County Courthouse and now serves as a museum. This two-story Renaissance Revival building features a granite veneer exterior, a symmetrical facade with recessed wings, and classical elements like columns and pediments. Designed by Charlotte architect Willard G. Rogers and constructed by J.J. Stout for $250,000, it served as the county's judicial center until 1971.
Since 1973, it has housed the History Museum of Catawba County, operated by the Historical Association of Catawba County. The museum showcases local artifacts, including Civil War items like Colonel Clinton A. Cilley's field desk, a Colt .45 pistol captured from Union raiders, and a hand-dyed 1861 Confederate "Stars and Bars" flag.
Admission is free (donations appreciated), and it's open Tuesday–Saturday. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and is part of the Newton Downtown Historic District.
The courthouse lawn also hosts the Catawba County War Memorial (dedicated 1946, expanded 2005), which includes plaques for wars from the Mexican War through Middle East conflicts, with a rear section listing over 500 Confederate dead sponsored by the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
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