The Joseph Caldwell Monument is located in McCorkle Place.
This marble obelisk, located a few feet north of the Davie Poplar in McCorkle Place, marks the gravesites of Joseph Caldwell, the University’s first president, and his wife and stepson. Caldwell, who came to teach at UNC-Chapel Hill in 1796, served as president from 1804 to 1812 and again from 1816 until his death in 1835. The obelisk, dedicated at the University’s 1858 Commencement, replaced the original sandstone monument. The original obelisk was moved to the Old Chapel Hill Cemetery and rededicated to four African American men—Wilson Caldwell, November Caldwell, David Barham, and Henry Smith—who had served the University and its early presidents. The relative obscurity of this rededicated monument contributed to the creation of Do-Ho Suh's "Unsung Founders" memorial in 2005.
Created by Struther & Co. (Philadelphia) (1850s).