5. Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies

The origin of the cemetery is linked to the University’s two literary societies, which were organized in 1795.

Photograph of Dialectic Society graves The "Debating Society" was organized first, by Charles Wilson Harris of Cabarrus County, patterned after the Whig Society at Princeton, and dedicated to the "cultivation of lasting friendships and the promotion of useful knowledge". Three weeks later, the society was divided (possibly over a difference of political opinion), and the Concord Society was formed. Within several months, the names of both societies had been changed: the Debating Society became the Dialectic Society, or the "Di", and the Concord Society became the Philanthropic Society, or the "Phi" Campus tradition required students from east of Raleigh join the Philanthropic Society and students from west of Raleigh join the Dialectic Society. This tradition continued until after the Civil War, when students were no longer required to join the literary societies.

Photograph of Philosophic Society Graves The first interment in the cemetery is thought to be that of George Clarke, a nineteen-year-old student from Bertie County and a member of the Philanthropic Society. His death on September 28, 1798, was likely unexpected, as the Society’s minutes note his participation in a meeting held on September 11 of that year. The site for Clarke’s burial was probably chosen quickly to facilitate the speedy disposal of a body suspected of harboring a contagious and fatal disease.

The fenced plots of the Di and Phi Societies, located close together in the north central portion of Section One, are among the earliest and most artistically significant monuments in the cemetery. The ornate cast-iron fences, done in the Gothic Revival style characteristic of the mid-nineteenth century, as well as the large size and elegant carving of the marble headstones, ledgers and obelisks, indicate that these organizations went to great expense to honor their deceased members. These are among the few monuments in the entire cemetery which have stonecutters’ signatures, indicating that they were specimen examples of the artisans’ work.