Denton in Davidson County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Judge Hiram H. Ward

1923-2002

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 10, 2024

1. Judge Hiram H. Ward Marker

Inscription. Clock and Tower
given in memory of
Judge Hiram H. Ward
1923-2002
Lifelong resident of southern Davidson County, Denton's First Eagle Scout, wounded combat veteran of World War II, graduate of Denton High School and Wake Forest College and Law School, local attorney, and United States District Court Judge. The Federal Courthouse in Winston-Salem bears his name.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Fraternal or Sororal Organizations • Law Enforcement • Patriots & Patriotism • War, World II. A significant historical year for this entry is 1923.

Location. 35° 38.052′ N, 80° 6.825′ W. Marker is in Denton, North Carolina, in Davidson County. It can be reached from North Main Street (State Road 2414) just north of West Salisbury Street, on the left when traveling north. The marker is on the east side of the pavilion in Harrison Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 52 West Salisbury Street, Denton NC 27239, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Piedmont

and specifically in Piedmont Triad.

It is also in

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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,

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 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Mill Stones from Old Metters Mill (within shouting distance of this marker); 1951 Cupola Caboose (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Our Confederate Dead• • • • • (approx. 3.6 miles away); Trading Path (approx. 6.8 miles away); Beck's United Church of Christ Veterans Memorial (approx. 10.6 miles away); Beck's Reformed Church (approx. 10.7 miles away); Captain Peter Hedrick (approx. 10.7 miles away); In Memory of John Beck, Sr. (approx. 10.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Denton.

Also see . . .
1. Hiram Hamilton Ward (Wikipedia).

Excerpt: United States district judge of the United States District Court for the
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 10, 2024

2. Judge Hiram H. Ward Marker
The marker is mounted at ground level on a large stone on the east side of the pavilion in Harrison Park.
Middle District of North Carolina. Ward received a Bachelor of Laws from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1950. He served in the United States Army Air Forces (rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel) from 1940 to 1945. He was in private practice in Denton, North Carolina from 1950 to 1951. He was a staff attorney for the National Production Authority in Washington, D.C. from 1951 to 1952. He was in private practice in Lexington and Denton from 1952 to 1972. He was an interim judge of the local Recorder's Court in Denton in 1961.
Ward was nominated by President Richard Nixon on May 18, 1972, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 28, 1972. He served as Chief Judge from 1982 to 1988. He assumed senior status on August 20, 1988. Ward's service was terminated on April 4, 2002, due to his death in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

(Submitted on May 15, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Hiram Ward Obituary (Legacy.com).

Excerpt: During World War II, he served on a U.S. Army Air Corps B-25 bomber
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 10, 2024

3. Judge Hiram H. Ward Clock Tower
in the North African, Sicily-Italy and China-Burma-India theaters, and was awarded the Air Medal Presidential Unit Citation, and Bronze Star. On his 54th combat mission, his plane was shot down in Burma. After recovering from his war injuries, he obtained college and law degrees at Wake Forest College.
He was appointed U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of N.C. in 1972. He served as Chief Judge of the District from 1982-1988, resigning early to enable a colleague to become the first African American Chief Judge in the South. After taking Senior Status, he continued to carry a full caseload for some years, and to hear cases by designation with the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

(Submitted on May 15, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

3. Hiram H. Ward Federal Building.

United States District Court
Middle District of North Carolina
Hiram H. Ward Federal Building
251 North Main Street
Winston-Salem, NC 27101

(Submitted on May 15, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Harrison Park Pavilion image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 10, 2024

4. Harrison Park Pavilion

Looking north; the marker is visible on the far-right side of the pavilion.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 12, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 16 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 15, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.