On January 22, 1919, a fire consumed a majority of the buildings on the campus of Littleton College in Halifax County.
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.
On January 15, 1771, the legislature passed an act to establish Queen’s College in Charlotte. The act stressed the urgent need for educational opportunities in what was at the time the “backcountry.”
On January 21, 1891, Gov. Daniel Fowle declared “war” on northern fishermen poaching North Carolina’s deep-water oyster beds. The oyster “pirates” had already depleted the Chesapeake Bay’s rich oyster beds during the 1880s.
On January 21, 1959, Lamar Stringfield, the first conductor of the North Carolina Symphony, died in Asheville.
On January 15, 1865, Fort Fisher, nicknamed “Gibraltar of the South,” fell to Union troops.
On January 15, 1974, congressman and agricultural advocate Harold Cooley died from the effects of emphysema.
