Today in Carolina History

No More Posts

2010-01-03T08:25:00.002-05:00

Now that I've completed a whole cycle of what happened on each day in the Carolinas, I will not be posting new blog posts because most of it would be a repeat of what I've already posted. History doesn't change, but new history is added. For this reason, I plan to leave this blog up as a resource for people who are interested in what has happened each day in the Carolinas.

Many blessings,

December 31

2009-12-31T06:00:00.000-05:00

1879
The Federal Point Lighthouse on the North Carolina Cape Fear River was placed out of service.

December 30

2009-12-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

1862
The USS. Monitor sank in a storm off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Just nine months earlier, the ship had been part of a revolution in naval warfare when the ironclad dueled to a standstill with the C.S.S. Virginia (Merrimack) off Hampton Roads, Virginia, in one of the most famous naval battles in history--the first time two ironclads faced each other in a naval engagement. By December, the Monitor was no longer needed in Virginia, so she was sent to Beaufort, North Carolina to join a fleet being assembled for an attack on Charleston, South Carolina.

2004
Scotty Rhodarmer did his last show on WWNC-AM 570, in Asheville, North Carolina. Rhodarmer did the morning show for 50 years beginning in 1954.

December 29

2009-12-29T06:00:00.001-05:00

1808
President Andrew Johnson was born in Raleigh, North Carolina and succeeded the presidency after Lincoln's assasination. He was impeached and then acquitted.

1969
British-American Actress, Jennifer Ehle, was born in Winston-Salem, NC. Her best known starring role was as Elizabeth Bennett in the 1995 mini-series, Pride & Prejudice. Colin Firth play Mr. Darcy.

December 28

2009-12-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

1832
John C. Calhoun became the first American vice president to resign from office. He served under Presidents John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. He gave his resignation after a series of political disagreements with President Jackson. He later became a US Senator for South Carolina.

December 27

2009-12-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

1780
Patriots defeated the British at Williamson's Plantation, South Carolina.

December 26

2009-12-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

1941
The North Carolina Society of Historians was organized to encourage the collection and preservation of North Carolina history, including genealogy and archaeology.

December 25

2009-12-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

1922
Actress Ava Gardner was born in North Carolina and became famous for her performance in the movie The Barefoot Contessa. She later married Mickey Rooney, then Artie Shaw, and finally Frank Sinatra.

1944
America's leading "ace" pilot in WWII, Major George E. Preddy, was killed. He was born in Greensboro, North Carolina.

December 24

2009-12-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

1895
George Vanderbilt officially opened his home in Asheville, North Carolina to family and friends, the largest privately owned home in the world. A castle, it consists of 250 rooms, 34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, 65 fireplaces with an indoor pool, gymnasium, bowling alley, servants, quarters, etc.

December 23

2009-12-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

1794
The original Bald Head Island Lighthouse was lit for the first time near where the current "Old Baldy Lighthouse" now stands at the mouth of Cape Fear River, North Carolina.

December 22

2009-12-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

1789
North Carolina became a smaller state by giving up western lands to form the state of Tennessee.

December 21

2009-12-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

1761
Revolutionary War hero, Robert Barnwell, was born in Beaufort, North Carolina.

1776
Richard Caswell became the first governor of North Carolina under the new constitution.

1846
Gaston County was created in North Carolina and named for the Honorable William Gaston, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.

1890
Maggie Mae Setzer was born and her community was named for her as Maggie Valley, North Carolina. Her father wrote the US Post Office for permission to establish a post office in his home for the community. The first few names he submitted were rejected so he submitted the names of his 3 daughters. They chose Maggie. When she learned of the name, she was embarrased and burst into tears.

1965
Actor Andy Dick was born in Charleston, North Carolina. He starred as "Matthew" in the TV sitcom, NewsRadio.

December 20

2009-12-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

1860
South Carolina voted unanimously as the first state to secede from the United States.

December 19

2009-12-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

1801
South Carolina College was chartered as one of the nation's first publicy supported institution of higher education.

1828
South Carolina legislature issed a set of resolutions opposing a tariff that Congress had enacted earlier in the year. The Tariff of Abominations imposed onerous duties on a wide range of imported goods.

December 18

2009-12-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

1775
A company of foot rangers raided Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, where Governor Campbell retained slaves and Loyalists.

1776
A constitution for the State of North Carolina was adopted.

1830
Montfort Stokes took office as North Carolina governor.

1859
South Carolina declared an "independent commonwealth".

1946
The movie, The Yearling, was released. It was based on a novel that was written in Banner Elk, North Carolina by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.

December 17

2009-12-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

1776
A Declaration of Rights in 25 articles was adopted for North Carolinians who opposed the king of England.

1903
Wilbur Wright with the help of his brother, Orville Wright, achieved the first plane in flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

December 15

2009-12-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

1754
Paul Henkell, a missionary of the eighteenth-century Lutheran Church, was born near Salisbury, North Carolina.

1795
The US Senate administered a stinging blow to one of the nation's most distinguished "founding fathers." By a vote of 10 to 14, it rejected President George Washington's nomination of South Carolina's John Rutledge to be Chief Justice of the United States.

1880
Oswald W. Kreinheder was born in Buffalo, New York. He graduated from Concordia Seminary in Saint Louis and served as pastor at Concordia Lutheran Church in Conover, North Carolina. He became president of Concordia College in 1918 until December 19.

1956
CBS affilliate, WRAL TV Channel 5, began broadcasting in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina.

1957

December 14

2009-12-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

1782
The British evacuated Charleston, South Carolina during the Revolution War.

1862
A small battle at Kinston, North Carolina ocurred during the Civil War. Union Brigadier General John G. Foster advanced to disrupt the Wilimington & Weldon Railroad at Goldsboro. The Confederates tried to stop them, but they were heavily outnumbered and were forced to withdraw.

1980
Same Aiken was born in Clinton, North Carolina and played as a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots.

December 13

2009-12-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

1979
A minor earthquake shook Wilmington, North Carolina. It was felt in South Carolina as well.

December 12

2009-12-12T06:00:00.001-05:00

1776
North Carolina submitted a Bill of Rights to the Provincial Congress in preparing a state constitution.

1780
Engagement occurred at Halfway Swamp, North Carolina. The British snuck away during the night, leaving their campfires burning to deceive the Americans.

December 11

2009-12-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

1789
America's first state university was chartered as the University of North Carolina.

December 10

2009-12-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

1718
Stede Bonnet, known as a gentleman pirate who operated in the waters of the coast of North Carolina, was caught and hanged on this day.

1832
President Andrew Jackson wrote a Proclamation regarding South Carolina's Nullification.

1862
During the Civil War an attack occurred on Plymouth, North Carolina.

December 9

2009-12-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

1840
South Carolina elected John Peter Richardson.

December 8

2009-12-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

1796
South Carolina elected Charles Pickney as governor.

1810
South Carolina elected Henry Middleton as governor.

December 7

2009-12-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

1801
Nathaniel Macon, a North Carolina representative, was elected as Speaker of the US House of Representatives.

1857
James L. Orr, a South Carolina representative, was elected as Speaker of the US House of Representatives.

1946
Billy and Benny McCrary were born and were listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's heavist twins at 328 and 338 kg. They lived and were buried in Hendersonville, North Carolina.

December 6

2009-12-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

1802
James Turner took office as the governnor of North Carolina.

December 1

2009-12-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

1875
The Currituck Lighthouse went into operation on the North Carolina Outer Banks.

November 30

2009-11-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

1864
Battle of Honey Hill, South Carolina occurred between a Union force under Major General John P. Hatch and a Confederate force under Colonel J. Colcock. US colored troops were involved. Hatch failed to capture Confederate entrenchments or cut the railroad.

November 29

2009-11-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

1777
Edward Vail wrote his last will and testament. He supported American Independence, serving on North Carolina's Committee of Correspondence to Great Britian. He represented Chowan County in the General Assembly and served as Colonel in the North Carolina State Militia. He helped to establish companies throughout North Carolina during the Revolutionary War and served as Brigadier General for the Edenton District.

1841
St. Luke Episcopal Churge began and is known as the "mother church" of the Diocese of Western North Carolina, the first Episcopal parish established west of the Catawba River.

1980
Ronnie Carr of Western Carolina made the first 3-point field goal in college basketball history.

November 28

2009-11-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

1777
Richard Caswell was the first governor of the newly independent state of North Carolina, and in his proclamation he declared this day to be a day of General and Solemn Thanksgiving. for General Horatio Gates and his army’s surprising victory over British forces at Saratoga, New York.

1871
The Ku Klux Klan trials began in US District Court in South Carolina as part of a federal effort to halt growing white violence in the former Confederate states.

1895
Sam Inman was honored for donating $50,000 to keep The Cotton States and International Exhibition from declaring bankruptcy. Govenors of South Carolina and Georgia were speakers of the day, including Inman.

1993
Entertainer and gameshow host, Gary Moore, died in Hilton Head, South Carolina at age 78. He was known for The Gary Moore Show, I've Got a Secret, and To Tell the Truth.

November 27

2009-11-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

1755
Joseph Salvador purchased 100,000 acres in southern Carolina near Forth Ninety-Six for the first Jewish settlement in America.

1825
Paul Henkel died near Salisbury, North Carolina, a Lutheran pioneer and theologian.

November 26

2009-11-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

1792
Sara Grinké was born in Charleston, South Carolina. Born into a wealthy slave holding family, Sarah joined the antislavery movement in the north. She became a public speaker and a well-known abolitionist and feminist. She was the author of the first developed public argument for women's equality in the United States. Letters on the Equality of the Sexes was published in 1838.

1876
South Carolina election board threw out the presidential results from two western counties, giving Hayes the lead in the state.

1969
The Black Student Union of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte was approved by the Student Legislature with the stated purpose of "creating an authentic understanding of the significance of black people and promoting a spirit of love an unity among blacks to enhance community development."

November 25

2009-11-25T18:00:00.000-05:00

1742

Henry Melchior Muhlenberg arrived in Philadelphia via Charleston, South Carolina and is considered the founder o the Lutheran denomination in America.

November 24

2009-11-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

1832
The South Carolina legislature voted to no longer collect the Tariff of Abominations and the Tariff of 1832. They passed the famous Ordinance of Nullification and threatened to pull out from the Union.

1944
The North Carolina Agricultural Foundation, Inc. was incorporated as a means of supporting agricultural research, extension and teaching activities at North Carolina State University.

1986
Leslie Frerking, president of the Southeastern District of the Missouri Synod died in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was sent as a missionary to the Southeast by the English District, as one the five leaders who pioneered the formation of the district in the late 1930's and founded over a dozen LCMS churches in the Carolinas and Georgia.

November 23

2009-11-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

1730
William Moultrie was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He became Major General in the Contenental Army during the Revolutionary War. He served in the South Carolina House of Representatives, Senate, and became governor.

1749
Edward Rutledge was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and served in the US Continental Congress and governor of South Carolina. He was Captain in the Militia Army in the Revolutionary War and taken prisoner by the British when Charleston surrendured.

1820
John Ellis, a successful lawyer, legislator, judge, and North Carolina governor, was born in present-day Davidson County, North Carolina. At the time it was Rowan County.

November 22

2009-11-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

1718
The notorious English pirate, Blackbeard was killed by Lieutenant Robert Maynard off the coast of North Carolina near Oacracoke Island where he was known to hide out. Before dying, he received 25 wounds.

1855
The first train pulled into the new railroad station in High Point, North Carolina.

November 21

2009-11-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

1775
A truce between Loyalists and Patriots ended 2-day fighting at the fortified settlement of Ninety-Six, South Carolina.

1780
North Carolina entered the Union of the United States of America.

1789
North Carolina was accepted into the Union.

November 20

2009-11-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

1805
South Carolina Governor Benjamin Franklin Perry was born in Pendleton District.

1847
A group of Jewish women in Charleston, South Caroina decried the death of British author Grace Aguilar as a national calamity.

1858
Chief Junaluska of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee died. He saved General Andrew Jackson's life in the Battle of Horshoe Bend in the War of 1812. But later in 1838, he was among the Cherokee who were driven from their homes and made to walk the famous Trail of Tears to Oklahoma. In 1842, he walked back to North Carolina on foot, returning to the land of his birth. The State of NC recognized the debt America owed him and gave him his citizenship and a tract of land in Robbinsville, Graham County, North Carolina.

1863
Federals began heavy bombardment of Fort Sumter, South Carolina during the Civil War. It continued for a couple of weeks.

1901
Nell Cropsey vanished in Elizabeth City, North Carolina and 37 days later she was found dead in the Pasquotank River. It is still one of the most famous murder mysteries in North Carolina.

1904
Former governor of South Carolina, Hugh Smith Thompson, died.

November 19

2009-11-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

1775
Fighting between Loyalists and Patriots began in the fortified settlement of ninety-six, South Carolina.

November 18

2009-11-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

1775
The new Secretary of State for America, Lord Germain, informed General Howe that 20,000 soldiers were to be supplied for spring and 5 regiments were to be dispatched to the Carolina's by end of November.

November 17

2009-11-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

1753
The Moravians settled Bethabara in Forsyth County, North Carolina. They were a group of German missionaries from Pennsylvania.

1802
The former governor of South Carolina, John Matthews, died in Charleston, South Carolina. He represented South Carolina in the Continental Congress.

1941
Eleanor Roosevelt visited East Carolina Teacher's College. She held a press conference at the home of the college president, had dinner on campus and gave a speech.

1993
Annie Proulx won the National Book Award for her novel The Shipping News. She lived in various North Carolina towns while growing up and wrote her first short story when she was ten-years-old, home sick with the chicken pox.

November 16

2009-11-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

1700
The Charles Town City Assembly of South Carolina established a tax-supported, free library, possibly the first public library in America.

1781
Battle of Tarrar Springs occurred in South Carolina during the Revolutionary War.

November 15

2009-11-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

1932
Clyde McPhatter was born in Durham, North Carolina. He later became a famous R&B singer who joined The Drifters before going out on his own.

1993
Howard Stern's radio show premiered in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on WYAV 104.1 FM.

November 14

2009-11-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

1970
The Marshall University's entire football team was killed when their chartered Southern Airways DC-9 crashed returning from a Southern Conference game against east Carolina.

November 13

2009-11-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

1860
South Carolina Legislature called a special session to discuss sucession from the Union.

1997
The first major casino opened in North Carolina on the reservation of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians.

November 12

2009-11-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

1701
The Carolina Assembly passed the Vestry Act of 1701, making the Church of England the official religion of the Carolina colony. Active opposition by Quakers, Presbyterians and other religious Nonconformists, who lived there, ultimately convinced the proprietors of the colony to revoke the act in 1703.

1776
North Carolina elected 169 delegates to the 5th Provincial Congress. Eight were chosen to draw up a Bill of Rights and Constitution.

November 11

2009-11-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

1857
North Carolina Governor, John Motley Morehead, decided to establish a port city. Six hundred acrews were purchased from the Arendell family. The Shepard Point Land Company was formed. On this day, the first lots were sold.

1918
Karen Hess was born in Nebraska. She authored Carolina Rice Kitchen: The African Connection, a story of how rice from Africa became a South Carolina Low Country staple, and how African cooks shaped the south.

1961
Members of Sigma Nu Fraternity of South Carolina, dressed like the Clemson football team, came out on the field did some calisthenics and then started dancing to the band. Clemson students entered the field and began beating them until the state police restored order.

1976
Bradley R. Hoover was born in Thomasville, North Carolina. He plays for the NFL Carolina Panthers football team.

November 10

2009-11-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

1791
South Carolina Govenor Robert Young Hayne was born in St. Paul's Parish.

1860
Both South Carolina Senators, James Chestnut and James H. Hammond, resigned their seats in the US Senate.

1898
The Wilimington Race Riot occurred in North Carolina. A statewide politcal campaign based on white supremacy came to a head. African American editor, Alex Manly suffered the burning of his newspaper press as a mob left an unknown number dead on the streets of Wilmington. Some estimates are as high as 60. Over 21,000 were estimated to have evacuated the area.

November 9

2009-11-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

1780
Revolutionary War action occurred at Fishdam Ford (Broad River) South Carolina. Casualties were light on both sides.

November 8

2009-11-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

1718
Alexander Armand, a pirate from Major Stede Bonnet's crew of the Royal James, was hanged at White Point, Charleston, South Carolina and buried in the marshes.

1910
Coleman Livingston Blease was elected to his first term as South Carolina governor without opposition.

November 7

2009-11-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

1918
Christian evangelist Billy Graham was born near Charlotte, North Carolina. After his conversion at a revival meeting at age 16, he began on a career of preaching and has become known worldwide.

November 6

2009-11-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

1930
Dixie Flying Service began passenger service with the first flight from Greensboro, North Carolina to Washington D.C.

November 5

2009-11-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

1860
Governor Gist of South Carolina sent a message to the Legislature that "...our institutions are in danger from the fixed majorities of the North..."

1918
The South Carolina gubernatorial election was held to select the governor of South Carolina. Robert Archer Cooper emerged from the crowded Democratic primary and ran unopposed in the general election to become the 93rd governor of South Carolina.

1934
President Roosevelt announced the members of a 23-member Advisory Council to the Committee on Economic Security, with Frank P. Graham, President of the University of North Carolina, as Chairman.

November 4

2009-11-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

1775
The Continental Congress agreed to underwrite the cost of raising 3 battalions for the defense of South Carolina and Georgia, and form a new government.

2008
North Carolina elected its first female governor, Beverly Perdue.

November 3

2009-11-03T06:00:00.001-05:00

1774
The Charleston Tea Party took place where three ladies emptied 7 chests of tea into the river in the presence of the Committee of Observation and the general concourse of people.

1979
Members of the Communist Workers Party (formerly known as the Worker's Viewpoint Organization) sponsored a rally at Morningside Homes, a housing project in Greensboro. Themed as a "Death to the Klan Rally," they spoke out against continued racial injustice in North Carolina. Members of the Ku Klux Klan and Nazis attended the rally and fired upon the crowd, killing five people and wounding nine. Much of the violence was captured on film by reporters who were covering the event.

November 2

2009-11-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

1795
President James K. Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.

November 1

2009-11-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

1859
Charles B. Aycock, North Carolina Governor was born and became known for his push for education.

October 31

2009-10-31T06:00:00.000-04:00

1754
Arthur Dobbs, a sheriff, Surveyor General and Parliament member of Ireland, arrived in North Carolina as the new governor.

2006
The 1841 restroed Lancaster Invincibles militia flag returned to Lancaster, South Carolina.

October 30

2009-10-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

1629
A charter was granted to Sir Robert Heath by King Charles I. The southern border of the charter is somewhere north of St. Augustine, covering most of present-day Georgia. The grant later became Carolina.

1862
Major General Ormsby Mitchel of the Union Army died from yellow fever in Beaufort, South Carolina.

October 29

2009-10-29T06:00:00.000-04:00

1824
South Carolina governor, Charles Pinckney, died. He served as a lieutenant in the SC militia. He was elected governor of SC for three terms.

1915
An earthquake shock was felt near Marshall and Asheville, North Carolina.

1923
Runnin' Wild opened on Broadway and introduced The Charleston, a dance named for the City of Charleston. The tune composed for the show became a huge national hit.

1998
A Statutory Amendment was signed into law, eliminating execution by lethal gas and making lethal injection as North Carolina's only method of execution.

October 28

2009-10-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

2007
A house fire at Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina killed 7 friends who were either still in high school or were attending college.

October 27

2009-10-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

1834
Joseph Pearson, a Congressional Representative from North Carolina died in Salisbury, NC. While in Congress he fought a duel with John G. Jackson of Virginia, and on the second fire wounded his opponent in the hip.

1863
The second major bombardment of Fort Sumter occurred. The 3 days of pounding artillery was the heaviest in the seige of Charleston, South Carolina.

1864
Confederate ironclad was sunk by a Union torpedo boat at Plymouth, North Carolina.

1984
The annual Lexington Barbecue Festival was launched, and has become one of the country's most popular food festivals. It's usually held on one of the last two Saturdays in October.

October 26

2009-10-26T06:00:00.000-04:00

1774
The ladies of Edenton, North Carolina and five nearby counties shared tea and wrote a declaration agains the high taxes levied on American colonists by the English throne.

October 25

2009-10-25T06:00:00.000-04:00

1836
Construction began on the Wilmington to Raleigh railroad in North Carolina.

October 24

2009-10-24T06:00:00.000-04:00

1911
Orville Wright remained in the air 9 minutes and 45 seconds in a glider at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, setting a new world record that stood for 10 years.

1989
Reverand Jim Bakker, a popular television evangelist, was sentenced to 45 years in prison and fined $500,000 for his conviction on 24 counts of fraud and conspiracy. As the founder of the Christian PTL Show (Praise the Lord), he built an empire theme park known as Heritage USA in in Fort Mill, South Carolina. In 1991, the appeals court reduced his sentence to 18 years, and in 1994, Bakker was paroled for serving only 5 years of his original sentence.

2004
A Beech 200 plane owned by Rick Hendrick of Hendrick Motorsports NASCAR racing organization crashed on its way from Concord, NC to the Martinsville, VA airport. All people on board perished, including Ricky Hendrick, John Hendrick, Jennifer Hendrick, Kimberly Hendrick, Joe Jackson, Jeff Turner, Randy Dorton, Scott Latham, Dick Tracy, and Liz Morrison.

October 23

2009-10-23T06:00:00.000-04:00

1750
South Carolina governor Thomas Pickney was born in Charleston, South Carolina.

1967
Moderately strong earthquake shocks occurred near charleston, South Carolina.

October 22

2009-10-22T06:00:00.000-04:00

1832
Governor Hamilton of South Carolina convened a special session of the legislature to vote on holding a convention on the issue of nullification following the presidential election.

October 21

2009-10-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

1837
During the Second Seminole War (1835-1842), under a flag of truce during peace talks, U.S. troops under General Thomas S. Jesup sieged the Indian Seminole Chief Osceola in Florida and sent him to jail in North Carolina, where he later died. Jesup's trickery outraged the American public.

1990
In Rockingham, North Carolina, Alan Kulwicki capped a string of five straight Ford victories by five different drivers (Bill Elliott, Geoff Bodine, Mark Martin, Davey Allison and Kulwicki.).

October 20

2009-10-20T06:00:00.000-04:00

1898
The first African American-owned insurance company, North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company was founded.

October 19

2009-10-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

1977
Northern Goshawks were observed at Long Beach, NC. This is the only NC sighting of multiple goshawks that is known.

October 18

2009-10-18T06:00:00.001-04:00

1758
The Presbyterian Church in the Upper Cape Fear Valley of North Carolina was organized with the signing of a contract with Rev. James Campbell by "Presbyterian Gentlemen" for “the sum of 100 pounds in good & lawful money of North Carolina . . . yearly.” Rev. Campbell preached to the Cape Fear Scots both in English and Gaelic.

October 17

2009-10-17T06:00:00.000-04:00

1775
In wilmington North Carolina, the colony's Committe of Safety orderd th sale of certificates proving one's loyalty to the American cause and that no business be conducted with any citizen of the county without it.

1986
Haig Point Light house was recommissioned during a gala in South Carolina.

October 16

2009-10-16T06:00:00.001-04:00

1759
Edmund Fanning received his license to practice law and moved to Hilsboro, North Carolina. He was appointed Crown Attorney in 1761. He later became clerk of Superior Court of Orange County, NC. He served as a Colonel in the British Army in the American War of Independence. Following the war, Fanning fled to Nova Scotia.

1762
Paul Hamilton was born in Saint Paul's Parrish, South Carolina. He fought in the American Revolutionary War of Independence. He then served as a state representative and state senator and South Carolina Governor in 1804. In 1809, President James Madison selected him to be the third Secretary of the Navy.

1868
B. F. Randolph, a black Senator of the South Carolina State Legislature during the Reconstruction period after the Civil Ware was murdered at Cokesbury in Abbeville, SC. He was also a preacher.

October 15

2009-10-15T06:00:00.001-04:00

1776
In Salem, North Carolina, it was the election day for the delegates to the Provincial Congress.

1863
South Carolina's Governor (1894-1897) John Evans Gary was born in Cokesbury, South Carolina.

The first successful submarine, the Confederate H L Hunley, sank during a second practice dive in the Charleston Harbor drowning its inventor and seven other crew members. It was raised and used to sink a Union ship, the USS Housatanic, in February. The submarine was raised in August 2000 and is on display in the Charleston History Museum.

1954
Hurricane Hazel went down in history as the worst hurricane to hit the North Carolina coast. Massive floods and huge wind gusts killed 19 people, injured over 200, over 15,000 homes and structures were destroyed, over 39,000 structures were damaged, and estimated $136 million in damages (in 1954 dollars).

1975
In North Carolina the Gaston County Art & History Museum was formed as a cultural project of the Gaston County Bicentennial Commission.

October 14

2009-10-14T06:00:00.001-04:00

1954
Hurricane Hazel hit North Carolina near Oak Island. At a category 4 strength, it is considered the worst storm to batter the NC coast.

1999
The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that the video poker machines in the state must be unplugged by June 30, 2000.

October 13

2009-10-13T06:00:00.001-04:00

1792
The cornerstone of the White House was laid. Congress selected a designer, James Hoban, an Irish immigrant of Charleston, South Carolina. He modeled it after the Leister House in Dublin, Ireland.

1827
South Carolina Governor, Thomas Bothwell Jeter, was born in Union District, South Carolina.

1864
The 2nd South Carolina Volunteer Infantry Regiment engaged in the Battle of Hupp's Hill, VA in the Civil War.

1893
Captain Davis, crewman Tucker Fultch of the Oak Island Lighthouse Station, and Keeper George Walker stayed at their posts and weathered a ferious hurricane on the North Carolina coast.

1941
The first United Services Organization (USO) was established in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

1988
WNCW 88.7 signed onto the airwaves from the tower of Clingman's Peak of Mt. Mitchell, North Carolina. It provided classical music and mountain blue grass, and classic radio dramas such as the Lone Ranger and Sherlock Holmes.

October 12

2009-10-12T06:00:00.001-04:00

1793
The cornerstone of Old East, the oldest state university building in the United States, was laid on the University of North Carolina campus.

1900
The Cole Manufacturing Company was incorporated in Charlotte, North Carolina, building seed planting equipment for farming.

1912
Alice Childress was born in Charleston, South Carolina. She was a black actress, novelist and a playwright.

October 11

2009-10-11T06:00:00.002-04:00

1863
The Civil War Walkers Battalion, Co. A, a North Carolina Confederate troop was attacked near Greenville, TN. Three times outnumbered, the Army fell back.

1933
Marion Williams, a 12-year-old boy of York, South Carolina wrote to the govenor that he has accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and feels called to preach. He requested a tent to hold his prayer meetings.

1959
Bob Inglis was born, South Carolina State House representative.

1965
An immature Swainson's Hawk was observed at Oregon Inlet, North Carolina.

2002
Hurricane Kyle made landfall as a tropical storm near Charleston, South Carolina and Long Beach, North Carolina.

October 10

2009-10-10T06:00:00.001-04:00

1679
Virginia banned the importation of Carolina tobacco on the grounds that "the importation of trash greatly injures the reputation of the Virginia manufacture." Carolina tobacco still was imported to Virginia and nothing changed significantly.

1764
William Tryon, of Norbury Park, Surrey, England, arrived in North Carolina at Cape Fear to become lieutenant governor of the province.

1953
The Victory Bell was given to East Carolina University in North Carolina by the Veterans Club to be rung after games won by the Pirates' football team. It was officially presented on this day.

October 9

2009-10-09T06:00:00.001-04:00

1814
Johnston Blakely of Wilmington, SC, became successful naval officer in the War of 1812. He commanded the ship "Wasp" which had many successes. The Wasp was last seen on this date by Swedish crew on the "Adonis", some 225 miles southwest of Madeira.

1837
A steamboat "Home" sank off Okcracoke Island, North Carolina killing 100 people.

1863
The 18th North Carolina Infantry engaged in the Bristoe Campaign during the Civil War.

1997
After 36 seasons, Coach Dean Smith, announced his retirement as basketball coach at the University of North Carolina. Smith left with a record of 879-255, and two national championships and 13 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament titles. His former players include: Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Phil Ford, Billy Cunningham, and Charlie Scott.

October 8

2009-10-08T06:00:00.002-04:00

1868
Coleman Livingston Blease waws born near Newberry, SC. He later became the governor of South Carolina for two terms and also in the South Carolina House of Representatives and Senate.

1997
A jury in South Carolina ordered Chrysler Corporation to pay $262.5 million to the parents of a six year old boy who was killed in a 1994 accident due to a defective rear latch.

October 7

2009-10-07T06:00:00.001-04:00

1780
Battle of Kings Mountain, South Carolina, Major Patrick Ferguson and his entire force of Loyalists were killed, captured or wounded. British General Cornwallis abandoned his invasion of North Carolina.

1873
Henry E. Hayne became the first black student enrolled in the University of South Carolina. As a result, 3 professers resigned. By the next day only 8 students were enrolled. The University of South Carolina holds the distinction of being the only state university in the south to admit and grant degrees to black students during the Reconstruction Period after the Civil War.

October 6

2009-10-06T06:00:00.001-04:00

1739
Pastor John Martin Boltzius recorded in his journal rumors of the fate of many Georgia colonists who had moved to South Carolina:
"We hear from Charleston in South Carolina that almost a fourth of the inhabitants of this populous city have died of spotted fever in a few weeks, and it is also said that most of those who fled there from our colony have perished miserably, some from lack of food and some from this epidemic. Many have moved from Savannah and other newly established towns in this colony to Carolina and Charleston because they do not wish to work and be satisfied with little; but there, too, they have not received something for nothing. . . ."

1936
Julius L. Chambers was born in Mount Gilead, North Carolina. He is a lawyer, civil rights leader, and educator.

October 5

2009-10-05T06:00:00.001-04:00

1880
The South Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts openned as part of the University of South Carolina. The department was later reorganized.

October 4

2009-10-04T06:00:00.001-04:00

1777
Brigadier General Francis Nash was mortally wounded while leading the North Carolina Brigade at the Battle of Germantown, PA.

1780
Men for the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War camped out at Gilbert Town, North Carolina. They wrote a letter to General Horatio Gates who commanded forces in the south for a Continental officer to command the troops.

1996
Larry Gene Bell was electrocuted in South Carolina for the murders of 17-year-old Sheri Fay Smith and 9-year-old Debra May Helmick. He became famous for forcing Sheri to write a Last Will and Testament and taunted her parents on the phone. He described the exact locations of their bodies and how they were murdered.

October 3

2009-10-03T06:00:00.001-04:00

1900
American Novelist, Thomas Wolfe, was born in Asheville, North Carolina.

1960
The Andy Griffith Show premiered on CBS-TV. Actor Andy Griffith based his show on the small town of Mayberry, North Carolina where he was born and grew up.

October 2

2009-10-02T06:00:00.001-04:00

1793
Robert Hett Chapman was ordained by the New York Presbytery. He became pastor of the Rahway, NJ, Presbyterian Church, and later served as president of the University of North Carolina from 1812 – 1816.

1993
The Isles of Palms Connector in Charleston, South Carolina was officially opened. The bridge was built with emergency relief funds from the devestation of Hurricane Hugo.

1997
A Navy F-14 Tomcat fighter jet crashed off the coast of North Carolina. One crew member was rescued, but the pilot remained missing.

2001
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina acquired PARTNERS National Health Plans of North Carolina, Inc. and ACS Benefit Services, Inc.

October 1

2009-10-01T06:00:00.001-04:00

1794
A post office began operating in Averasburg, North Carolina, which later became Averasboro.

1864
The Condor, a British blockade-runner was grounded near Fort Fisher, North Carolina.

1877
Reverand Kirkman George Finlay was born in South Carolina. He was the first Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of upper South Carolina.

1943
Marine Bombing Squadron 613 was commissioned at Marine Corps Air Station at Cherry Point, North Carolina. Captain Robert C. Woten assumed command.

September 30

2009-09-30T06:00:00.001-04:00

1780
The Council Oak at Quaker Meadows, North Carolina occurred. Brave men from the southern colonies met in a council and marched on to victory at King's Mountain, North Carolina during the Revolutionary War.

1864
The 7th Regiment of North Carolina fought the Battle of Squirrel Level Road during the Civil War.

September 29

2009-09-29T06:00:00.001-04:00

1739
By this day, according to the Security Act in a Charlestowne newspaper, all whites were to start carrying firearms to church on Sundays or be subject to a fine. This was in response to the white's fears of insurrection from slaves.

1895
Birth of Joseph B. Rhine who found the first parapsychology lab at Duke University in North Carolina.

1959
Hurricane Gracie made landfall at St. Helena Island, South Carolina.

September 28

2009-09-28T06:00:00.001-04:00

1959
Construction on the Cowans Ford Dam began. This dam is what blocks the Catawba River and forms Lake Norman in North Carolina.

September 27

2009-09-27T06:00:00.002-04:00

1792
Sarah Decrow was the first woman in the nation to be appointed postmistress in Hertford, North Carolina.

September 26

2009-09-26T06:00:00.002-04:00

1775
Edward Rutledg of South Carolina motioned to Washington to discharge all Negroes and slaves as freemen in his Army. The motion failed.

September 25

2009-09-25T06:00:00.001-04:00

1954
WCBD TV channel 2 in Charleston, South Carolina (ABC) begins broadcasting.

1970
Damon Pieri, a Carolina Panther player, was born.

September 24

2009-09-24T06:00:00.001-04:00

1789
President George Washington appointed John Rutledge to preside as chief justice of South Carolina.

The US Marshall office of South Carolina was established.

1875
William Walker died at Martin's Mills, South Carolina. He was a hymnist.

September 23

2009-09-23T06:00:00.001-04:00

1595
Led by Fray Juan de Silva, the Spanish began an intensive missionary campaign. Over the next 2 years, 1,500 Native Americans of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina were convertedto the Catholic faith.

1945
Joe Hackney was born in Chatham County, North Carolina and is a Democratic member of the North Carolina General Assembly and became Speaker of the House.

1946
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte) opened as a coeducational, research intensive university to serve the needs of returning WWII veterans.

1967
Tony Rice was born in Spartanburg, South carolina one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in Notre Dame history.

September 22

2009-09-22T06:00:00.001-04:00

1711
The Tuscarora Indian War began with a massacre of settlers in North Carolina following whites enslaving Indian children

1914
An earthquake affected Summerville, South Carolina of 78,000 square kilometers.

September 21

2009-09-21T06:00:00.002-04:00

1820
John Reynolds was born in Lancaster, PA. He became a brigade commander and served Cape Hatteras, North Carolina during the Civil War.

1872
John Henry Conyers of South Carolina became the first black student at Annapolis Naval Academy in Maryland.

1881
Henry Nau was born in Germany and became a missionary pioneer and president of Immanuel Lutheran College in Greensboro, North Carolina.

1907
James Henry Lane died. He served as Major and Lt. Col. of 1st North Carolina Infantry Regiment. He was appointed Brigadier General in November 1862 and commanded his brigade at the Battles of Fredricksburg, Chancellorville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, and Petersburg.

1927
The first load of dirt was dumped on the site Irmo, South Carolina to build the Lake Murray Dam about 10 miles from Columbia, SC. It floated over 50,000 acres of land, requiring over 5,000 to move from their homes, some were ancestral homes. Six schools, 3 churches, and 193 graveyards containing 2,323 graves were relocated. Many other graves remain under water.

1944
Hamilton Jordan was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He rain the election campaign that put Jimmy Carter in the US presidency and later became Chief of Staff.

1961
The US Army's 5th Special Forces Group was activated at Fort Bragg, North Carolina to organize and train guerilla bands behind enemy lines.

1989
Hurricane Hugo slammed into the South Carolina coast with a 12-17 foot wall of water rolling over Fort Sumter. At least 25 known historic buildings were damaged 80% of homes on Sullivan and Folly islands. Total estimates losses were $2.8 billion.

September 20

2009-09-20T06:00:00.001-04:00

1920
Ralph W. Ketner was born in Rimertown, North Carolina. He co-founded Food Lion in 1957 in Salisbury, NC. It later became the large food chain known as Food Lion.

1950
Actress Debi Morgan was born in Dunn, North Carolina.

September 19

2009-09-19T06:00:00.001-04:00

1778
William J. Gaston was born in New Bern, North Carolina. He was lawyer, politician, jurist, and later elected the the North Carolina Senate.

1902
The groundwork was laid for what is now known as First South Bank, an financial institution aimed at encouraging thrift and providing home ownership for citizens of eastern North Carolina.

1906
Cap Clark (John Carroll Clark) was born in Snow Camp, North Carolina. He made his major league debut on April 23, 1938 for the Philadelphia Phillies.