With America 250th banners hung from the Historic Courthouse in Halifax to the Charters of Freedom on the side, a new monument was unveiled on the square today — a quill pen representing the signing of the Halifax Resolves on April 12, 1776.

“It’s just been a community project,” said Yvonne Thompson, chair of the Halifax County Arts Council. “What a beautiful background for a public art project. We’ve got this historic courthouse, we’ve got document circle and we had a wonderful designer that thought about the connection between the feather pen, independence, and the Declaration of Independence being signed subsequently to the Halifax Resolves.”

Thompson said the project just came together. “We’re in an era where if we don’t get a picture of someplace you didn’t go. We hope there’ll be a lot of selfies taken when the pen is unveiled.”

County board of commissioners Chairman Vernon Bryant said, “The weather may be dreary but nothing will dampen our spirit as we continue to march through various events and projects for the upcoming 250th anniversary of our nation in 2026.”

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Bryant said the county has been celebrating the 250th for some time. “Halifax County is proud to be the home of the Halifax Resolves, adopted 249 years ago. Tomorrow, just a block from where we now stand and the true expression of the pen being mightier than the sword, the delegates of the Fourth Provincial Congress risked their property and their lives to call for independence from England.”

Bryant said, “We are proud here today to be with our partners from the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, our friends from the Halifax County Arts Council and the Halifax County Convention and Visitors Bureau to unveil a statue that will stand on these grounds for many years to come to pay homage to the Halifax Resolves — a cornerstone in our nation’s foundation.”

Lori Medlin, president and CEO of the HCCVB, said the words of the resolves “lit the way for the Declaration of Independence. The quill pen, simple, elegant but powerful, was an instrument that carried their courage to the page.”

The pen, Medlin said, “Stands tall as a monument to the power of ideas, the strength of conviction, and the enduring legacy of liberty.”

Bizzell Designs designed the monument, Medlin said, a firm that she said creates iconic images for towns across the United States. “The quill pen and the inkwell are fitting symbols for Historic Halifax’s 250th celebration. This monument is more than stone and steel. It’s a promise — a promise to remember the leaders who dared to dream of freedom, a promise to teach our children the importance of their voices, and a promise to carry forward the spirit of independence for generations to come.”

Michael Wray, chair of the Halifax 250th Commission, said, “I want to  thank and congratulate the Halifax County Arts Council, the county of Halifax and the Halifax County Convention and Visitors Bureau for making this monument possible.”

Said Wray: “As we visit this display, may it serve as a reminder that words matter, courage matters and Halifax still matters with deep respect for the past and great hope for the future.”