On November 2, 1795, James Knox Polk, the 11th president of the United States, was born on a farm just south of what is today Charlotte. Polk moved to Tennessee in 1806 but returned to his home state to attend the University of North Carolina.
Topics Related to This Day in North Carolina History
On November 1, 1945, the Lake Lure Rest and Rehabilitation Center in Rutherford County closed.
On November 1, 1838, the Cherokee Indian known as Tsali was captured. Tsali, also known as Charley, was among those who refused to leave North Carolina after a group of Cherokee leaders signed a treat ceding their tribal lands to the United States.
On November 1, 1859, the Cape Lookout Lighthouse was lit for the first time. Begun in 1857, the lighthouse took two years to construct, replacing a previous light built around 1812. The present tower, rising 208 feet, became the model for all subsequent lighthouse construction along the Outer Banks, especially the Cape Hatteras, Bodie Island and Currituck lighthouses.
On November 1, 1947, Durham police raided the Zion Tabernacle Church on Peabody Street and confiscated a copperhead snake being handled in a church service.
On October 31, 1765, angry Wilmingtonians held a mock funeral for Liberty the day before the Stamp Act was to go into effect. The Stamp Act placed taxes on most forms of paper in the colonies, including newspapers, letters, pamphlets and wills.
While Parliament intended to defray costs incurred from stationing British troops in the colonies at critical sites such as Boston, the imposition of the tax drove many colonies to the brink of rebellion.
On October 31, 1886, Commodore Council, inventor of the famous BC headache powder, was born in Chatham County. He and his family moved to Durham, where he later made his living as a pharmacist after being educated at Duke and UNC.
On October 31, 1754, Arthur Dobbs, the newly minted governor of North Carolina, arrived in the colony. He had previously been a very successful politician in Ireland. For the first few years of his tenure Dobbs was a successful governor. By 1764, with factionalism rampant, Dobbs asked for and received a leave of absence.
On October 30, 1629, England’s King Charles I granted much of what is North and South Carolina to his attorney general, Sir Robert Heath. The land was referred to as Carolana, meaning the “land of Charles.”