Pembroke in Robeson County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

University of N. C. at Pembroke

Photographed by J. J. Prats, February 18, 2017

1. University of N. C. at Pembroke Marker

Inscription. Established 1887 as the State Normal School for Indians. Since 1972 a campus of The University of North Carolina.

Erected 2000 by Division of Archives and History. (Marker Number I-30.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Indigenous Peoples and Communities. In addition, it is included in the North Carolina Division of Archives and History series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1887.

Location. 34° 41.084′ N, 79° 12.129′ W. Marker is in Pembroke, North Carolina, in Robeson County. It is at the intersection of State Highway 711 and Lowry Street, on the right when traveling west on State Highway 711. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Pembroke NC 28372, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain. It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

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one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Honorable Hamilton McMillan (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Henry Berry Lowrie (approx. 0.2 miles away); Croatan Normal School (approx. 1.3 miles away); Battle of Hayes Pond (approx. 2½ miles away); Lumbee Tribe (approx. 2.6 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 2.6 miles away); Burnt Swamp Association (approx. 4.2 miles away); Raft Swamp (approx. 8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pembroke.

Also see . . . About UNC Pembroke. Website homepage:
“The school was moved to its present location in Pembroke, the center of the Indian community, in 1909. The General Assembly changed the name of the institution in 1911 to the Indian Normal School of Robeson County, and again in 1913 to the Cherokee Indian Normal School of Robeson County. In 1926, the Board of Trustees added a two-year normal (teacher training) program beyond high school and phased out elementary instruction.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, February 18, 2017

2. University of N. C. at Pembroke Marker

The first ten diplomas were awarded in 1928, when the state accredited the school as a ‘standard normal school.’” (Submitted on March 24, 2017.)

Photographed by J. J. Prats, February 18, 2017

3. Old Main

The Arrowhead Monument image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, February 18, 2017

4. The Arrowhead Monument

Built by J. Hampton Rich in 1933 on the Quad. He erected a large number of stone monuments, this is numbered 138. Moved here in 1985.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, February 18, 2017

5. The Arrowhead Monument

This tablet on the back is a “Buffalo Trail” marker. The tablet on the front of the arrowhead is a “Sequoia tablet.”

The Quad at UNC Penbrooke image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, February 18, 2017

6. The Quad at UNC Penbrooke

Credits. This page was last revised on August 14, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 24, 2017, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 649 times since then and 47 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 24, 2017, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 4, 5, 6. submitted on March 25, 2017, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. Other, better photographs of the campus • Can you help?