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Near Jacksonville in Onslow County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
 

Julius Valentine Hofmann

 
 
Julius Valentine Hofmann Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Kevin W., October 21, 2009
1. Julius Valentine Hofmann Marker
Inscription.
In recognition of
Julius Valentine Hofmann

This Hofmann Forest, a 78,000 acre tract established in 1934 and dedicated to demonstrate sound forestry education and practice, is the result of the pioneering vision, energy and resourcefullness of the first Director of the School of Forestry at North Carolina State University.

The Board of Directors of the N.C. Forestry Foundation, Inc. erected this monument as an honor to this outstanding forester.
 
Erected 1965 by the Board of Directors of the N.C. Forestry Foundation, Inc.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: EducationHorticulture & Forestry. A significant historical year for this entry is 1934.
 
Location. 34° 50.128′ N, 77° 18.221′ W. Marker is near Jacksonville, North Carolina, in Onslow County. It can be reached from the intersection of New Bern Highway (U.S. 17), on the right when traveling south. At the Hofmann Forest Equipment Headquarters building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5472 New Bern Hwy, Jacksonville NC 28546, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Tidewater. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, 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, 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 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Hofmann Forest (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); James Melville Jones (about 600 feet away); Edward B. Dudley
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(approx. 7½ miles away); Beirut Memorial (approx. 8.8 miles away); Montford Point (approx. 8.8 miles away); Onslow County 9/11 Memorial (approx. 8.8 miles away); a different marker also named Montford Point (approx. 8.8 miles away); Operation Desert Storm Memorial (approx. 9.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Jacksonville.
 
Other markers no longer nearby. First Post Road (was approx. 5 miles away but has been confirmed missing); Camp Lejeune (was approx. 7.8 miles away but has been confirmed missing).
 
Also see . . .  Guide to the North Carolina Forestry Foundation Sub-Group, 1869 - 2000. "In February 1929, the North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering (now N.C. State University) hired Dr. Julius V. Hofmann to set up a forestry program at the college. Prior to his appointment at North Carolina State College, Hofmann served as assistant director of the forestry school at Mount Alto, Pennsylvania.

"One of Hofmann's immediate goals was to acquire some forestland for laboratory, research, and demonstration purposes. Unable to secure funding from the university or the state of North Carolina, Hofmann determined the only recourse
Julius Valentine Hofmann Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Kevin W., October 21, 2009
2. Julius Valentine Hofmann Marker
The Hofmann Forest Equipment Headquarters building is in the background.
was to purchase the land on a self-liquidating basis. His hope was that receipts from timber sales would pay for the land. In addition to research, he hoped the school forest would demonstrate how to operate a forest on a profitable and sustainable basis.

"Hofmann, along with some trustees of North Carolina State College, incorporated the North Carolina Forestry Foundation on April 15, 1929 to manage and develop the Poole Woods, a 74.94 acre tract in Wake County, North Carolina and the first forest obtained by the Foundation. The Foundation was unable to operate the Poole Woods on a profitable basis and eventually liquidated the property in 1940 and 1941. The Foundation widened its scope to cover all lands acquired for the Department of Forestry. Other Foundation properties included the Hill Forest, near Durham, North Carolina, that the Department of Forestry received as a gift in 1930. The Forestry Foundation purchased the MacLean Forest, located in Hyde County, North Carolina, in 1932. The MacLean Forest was sold in 1942 so the Foundation could concentrate on their recently acquired land in eastern North Carolina, which became known as the Hofmann Forest."

Additional information and a chronology are also included at this link. (Submitted on October 27, 2009.) 
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on November 29, 2019. It was originally submitted on October 27, 2009, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,353 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on October 27, 2009, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia.
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Jun. 9, 2026