Unsung Founders Memorial

Unsung Founders Memorial is a historic site in North Carolina, at a modelled elevation of 148 m. Cane Creek Mountains stands 301 m to the west, 22 miles off. The nearest named place is Joseph Caldwell Monument, a historic site less than a tenth of a mile away. Football Road passes 2.1 miles off. 36 named summits stand within 25 miles.
The story
The Unsung Founders Memorial at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a memorial located in McCorkle Place, one of the University's quads. It consists of a black granite tabletop supported by 300 bronze figurines and surrounded by 5 black stone seats. The inscription around the edge of the table 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 memorial was a class gift by the Class of 2002, described at the time of its construction as "the most successful senior class gift campaign".
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q7897545, linked from the OpenStreetMap record's article tag.
How to reach it
- 2.1 mi off the Football Road
- 6.6 mi off the Scots-Welsh Heritage Byway
- 7.8 mi off the Colonial Heritage Byway
- 15.1 mi off the Devil's Stompin' Ground Road
Overlooks nearby
- #44 Racecar · 11 mi
- #12 Racecar · 11 mi
- Historic Grandstand · 11 mi
- Trading Path View · 12 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- McCorkle Place: 0.0 mi
- Small Courtyard: 0.5 mi
- Memorial Grove: 0.5 mi
- Parker Community Park: 0.6 mi
- Hargraves Park: 0.7 mi
- Exhale: 0.4 mi
- Bolin Creek Trail: 0.8 mi
- Tatanka: 1.1 mi
- Plaid Cow: 3.2 mi
- The Hooded Witch: 4.0 mi
- Old Well: 0.1 mi
- Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower: 0.4 mi
- Bennett Place: 9.1 mi
- 11-foot-8 Bridge: 9.9 mi
- Boxyard RTP: 10.1 mi
- Adams Tract: 1.4 mi
- William L. Hunt Arboretum: 1.7 mi
- Berryhill Rhododendron Bluffs: 2.0 mi
- Laurel Hill Nature Preserve: 2.2 mi
- Parker Preserve: 2.5 mi
- Joseph Caldwell Monument: 0.0 mi
- Hippol Castle: 0.9 mi
- Kemp Plummer Battle Bench: 0.9 mi
- Stone Knoll: 3.7 mi
- Thomas Lloyd Marker: 3.9 mi
- Iron Mine Hill: 1.5 mi
- Nunn Mountain: 2.8 mi
- McCauley Mount: 3.3 mi
- High Hill: 3.4 mi
- Stony Hill: 3.7 mi
- Morehead Planetarium: 0.1 mi
- Ackland Art Museum: 0.2 mi
- Carolina Basketball Museum: 1.1 mi
- Nasher Museum of Art: 9.1 mi
- The History Hub Museum: 10.1 mi
- Coker Arboretum: 0.1 mi
- Alumni Sculpture Garden: 0.2 mi
- Sam W. Hitt Medicinal Plant Garden: 0.5 mi
- Carrboro Community Garden: 0.9 mi
- Poisonous Plant Garden: 1.4 mi
- Large Picnic Shelter at Southern Community Park: 2.7 mi
- Small Picnic Shelter at Southern Community Park: 2.7 mi
- White Oak Recreation Area: 12.3 mi
- Youth camp tables, fire pit, wood storage: 16.9 mi
- Observation Platform: 20.9 mi
- Bobbit's Hole: 10.1 mi
- Parker's Creek Beach: 11.8 mi
- White Oak Beach: 12.1 mi
- Crosswinds Beach: 12.1 mi
- Seaforth Beach: 13.0 mi
- Hollow Rock: 5.3 mi
- Kodak Rock: 9.9 mi
- Coon rock, Jumping rock: 11.2 mi
- Cedar Falls: 3.0 mi
- Moosejaw Falls: 13.4 mi
- Ye Olde Valley Spring: 10.9 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Unsung Founders Memorial. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cane Creek Mountains | W 276° | 301 m | 21.6 mi |
| Bass Mountain | W 277° | 275 m | 19.3 mi |
| Occoneechee Mountain | NNW 339° | 261 m | 11.0 mi |
| Red Mountain | NNE 19° | 243 m | 23.9 mi |
| Pickards Mountain | WNW 300° | 237 m | 7.0 mi |
| Brown Elfin Knob | NNW 341° | 234 m | 10.9 mi |
| Bald Mountain | NW 322° | 232 m | 5.5 mi |
| Terrells Mountain | WSW 243° | 232 m | 7.2 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:21 | 18:54 | 19:28 |
| June solstice | 06:01 | 19:59 | 20:37 |
| September equinox | 07:05 | 18:41 | 19:15 |
| December solstice | 07:24 | 16:27 | 17:07 |
Local time (America/New_York).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Mar–Nov.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 42 | 44 | 51 | 60 | 68 | 76 | 80 | 78 | 72 | 61 | 51 | 44 |
| Precip in | 3.4 | 2.8 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.3 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Chapel Hill Williams AP, 2 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaOpenStreetMap element way/320821054
Day trips start here
- Chapel Hill · 2 mi
- Research Triangle · 15 mi
- Raleigh · 24 mi
Take the scenic way to Unsung Founders Memorial.
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