Hooper Penn Monument

Located in Greensboro, North Carolina, this monument stands as a dedication to two North Carolinian signers of the Declaration of Independence: William Hooper and John Penn. It stands about 114 feet South West from the well-known Nathaniel Green monument. The monument itself contains a block of granite with an inscription. Atop this granite base stands a bronze figure of a colonial man raising his right hand in the air while the left-hand holds the Declaration of Independence. The name of John Penn is inscribed on the west side and the name of William Hooper on the east side.

An inscription on the monument reads, 

In memoriam. William Hooper and John Penn. Delegates from North Carolina, 1776, to the Continental Congress and signers of the Declaration of Independence. Their remains were reinterred here, 1894. Hewes grave is lost. He was the third signer. “Lee, Henry, and Hooper were the orators of the congress.” John Adams’ Diary Vol. 2 P. 396, 1774.

The granite base of the Hooper Penn monument was created by the W.H. Mullins Company in Salem Ohio. The bronze figure atop the granite block was created by the Bureau Brothers. The granite monument was dedicated on Independence Day (July 4th) 1894. The bronze statue depicting a man in colonial garb with the Declaration of Independence in his hand was added to the monument later and was separately dedicated on July 3rd, 1897. Remarks and an oration were delivered during the dedication ceremony.

The two men honored by this monument risked a great deal for their country by signing the Declaration of Independence. The final line of the Declaration of Independence reads,

“And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”[1]

Signing the Declaration of Independence can be compared to signing a death warrant. Every man who signed the Declaration knew the risk he was running by doing so. If any of the signers were caught, death would await them at the hands of the British. Their simple yet historical act of signing this document demonstrated their approval and active support of the rebellion against Great Britain.

After placing his name on this renowned document, William Hooper was hunted by British forces and forced to flee his home. He was separated from his family for a time during the revolution and both his homes were destroyed by British forces because he was viewed as a traitor for signing the Declaration. While on the run from the British, Hooper contracted malaria, which gave him a fever, chills, and flu-like symptoms that would continually affect his health until his death in 1790. Hooper suffered these things as a result of signing the Declaration of Independence, yet he displayed that he was willing to suffer for his country and the cause of independence when he claimed,

“My first wish is to be free.”^[2]

John Penn may not have suffered to the extent of Hooper, however, his life was still in constant danger from being labeled a traitor for his actions. After signing the Declaration of Independence, Penn was appointed to a position on the War Board of North Carolina. In this position, he helped organize North Carolina’s defenses during the Revolutionary War and found ways to supply the North Carolina militia with much-needed materials. Penn’s devotion to the patriot cause can be seen from the words he declared upon arriving at Congress,

“My first wish is for America to be free.”^[3]  

The original site of the monument was at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park. In the late 1970s, the location of the monument was changed to reside in the woods, due to numerous complaints that it obstructed drivers’ visibility on the road.

As the years have passed benches have been erected around the monument offering sightseers a place to sit and marvel at the monument as they soak in the history of these two men and their impact upon North Carolina.

^[1] Barton, David. The Founders Bible. Newbury Park, Shiloh Road, 2017. Pg. 2190

^[2] William Hooper Quotes, foundingfatherquotes.com. Accessed February 28th, 2022. https://www.foundingfatherquotes.com/father/id/24.

^[3] John Penn Quotes, foundingfatherquotes.com. Accessed February 28th, 2022. https://www.foundingfatherquotes.com/father/id/41.

Ashe, Samuel. History of North Carolina. Vol. 1. Spartanburg, SC. The Reprint Company, 1971

Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina | William Hooper and John Penn, Guilford Courthouse, Commemorative Landscapes. March 19th, 2010. Accessed February 28th, 2022. https://docsouth.unc.edu/commland/monument/127/.

Hooper Penn Monument, NCPedia.org. June 11th, 2014. Accessed February 28th, 2022. https://www.ncpedia.org/monument/hooper-penn-monument.

Kiernan, Denise, and Joseph D’Agnese. Singing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence. Web.p.ebscohost.com. Philadelphia, PA: Quirk Books, 2019. Accessed January 21, 2022. https://web.p.ebscohost.com/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzczMDk5Ml9fQU41?sid=f119475f-be6d-4e3b-99f7-703e4333ca71@redis&vid=3&format=EK&lpid=navPoint-1&rid=0.