Monroe in Union County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Wade-Ins

— NC Civil Rights Trail —

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 12, 2023

1. Wade-Ins Marker

Inscription. African American youths from Monroe protested in 1957 & 1961 for the right to swim in the segregated public pool located here.

Erected 2022 by North Carolina African American Heritage Commission • William G. Pomeroy Foundation. (Marker Number 14.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Parks & Recreational Areas. In addition, it is included in the NC Civil Rights Trail, and the William G. Pomeroy Foundation series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1957.

Location. 34° 58.055′ N, 80° 30.663′ W. Marker is in Monroe, North Carolina, in Union County. It can be reached from Pageland Highway (U.S. 601) half a mile south of Andrew Jackson Highway (U.S. 74), on the right when traveling south. Marker is on entrance road to Monroe Country Club. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1680 Pageland Hwy, Monroe NC 28112, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Piedmont

and in Greater Charlotte.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

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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,

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 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Camp Sutton (approx. 0.8 miles away); World War II Memorial (approx. 0.8 miles away); Robert F. Williams (approx. 2.4 miles away); T. Walter Bickett (approx. 2.4 miles away); Union County Revolutionary War Memorial (approx. 2.4 miles away); John J. Parker (approx. 2.4 miles away); Lt. Samuel I. Parker (approx. 2.4 miles away); Ferdinand Foch (approx. 2.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Monroe.

Also see . . .
1. Swimming Pool Showdown (PDF). Robert F. Williams, the local NAACP president at the time, recounts the initial effort to desegregate the municipal pool. (Excerpted from Negroes with Guns by Robert F. Williams; via the Civil Rights Archive) (Submitted on December 16, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. Civil Rights & The Monroe Country Club Pool (PDF).

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 12, 2023

2. Wade-Ins Marker

Historical vignette on the desegregation effort and the city's response by permanently closing it. (Union County Public Library) (Submitted on December 16, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 12, 2023

3. Wade-Ins Marker

The grassy area is the filled-in pool.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on December 16, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 383 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 16, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.