Topics Related to America 250 NC

During our Season of Discovery, we invite you to explore the themes of America 250 North Carolina through these ten unique holiday celebrations across the state.

North Carolina isn’t what it used to be. In 1920 the state was 75 percent rural, largely illiterate and experiencing a shift from an agricultural to a manufacturing economy. There were 2.5 million residents then and are 10.5 million today.

On December 19, 1777, the Continental Army, including the North Carolina Brigade, entered winter encampment at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.Among the North Carolinians present at the Pennsylvania camp was 19-year-old, Major Willam Polk. Polk spent much of the harsh winter recuperating. He had been shot through the mouth while shouting orders at Germantown that October—the ball that hit him knocked out teeth and shattered his jaw.

On December 14, 1786, Robert Howe, Continental army general, died on his way to Fayetteville to serve in the state legislature.Born in 1732 in New Hanover County, Howe inherited a considerable fortune and owned several large plantations in the region. When Brunswick County was formed, he was elected to the colonial assembly, a post he held for six terms. He also served as a militia officer and commanded Fort Johnston from 1769 to 1773.

On December 13, 1986, Ella Baker, civil rights leader and organizer of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), died. Called “the mother of the civil rights movement” by one scholar, Baker culminated a life dedicated to civil rights work by helping to establish SNCC at her alma mater, Shaw University, in April 1960.

On November 21, 1757, the town of Halifax was established by the colonial legislature, which was meeting in New Bern. The act called for the establishment of a town on the lands of James Leslie on the Roanoke River. The new town was named Halifax, in honor of George Montagu, the second Earl of Halifax.

On November 18, 1781, British forces under Maj. James Craig evacuated Wilmington. Previously, the town was threatened by the Loyalist campaign that culminated in the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge in 1776, and was afterwards briefly blockaded by a British fleet.Major Craig captured Wilmington, North Carolina’s major seaport, in January 1781. With less than 300 men available for duty, he could do nothing to expand British control of the area. He received little support from local Loyalists due to the small size of his command.

September 25, 1780, the “Over Mountain Men” met along the Watauga River before heading along the Yellow Mountain Road over the Blue Ridge Mountains.

On January 16, 1831, Peter Francisco, the “Virginia Giant,” died in Richmond, Va.Francisco was noted for his many feats of bravery during the American Revolution, especially during the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in what’s now Greensboro in March 1781.