Topics Related to This Day in North Carolina History
On August 19, 1956, the first Grandfather Mountain Highland Games were held near Linville.
The Grandfather Mountain games were conceived by Agnes MacRae Morton and Donald MacDonald. Already active in with several Scottish-affiliated organizations in the U.S., MacDonald was inspired to start games in North Carolina after attending a similar event on a trip to Scotland. Morton heard of a similar gathering in Connecticut and thought that Grandfather Mountain would be the perfect setting to try something comparable in North Carolina.
On August 19, 1933, Black Mountain College was established in Buncombe County by disgruntled faculty from Rollins College in Florida.
On August 18, 1587, Virginia Dare became the first child born in the Americas to English parents. She was named in honor of the Virgin Queen of England, Elizabeth I.
On August 18, 1899, Erasmus Midgett single-handedly rescued the crew of the three-masted cargo ship Priscilla after it broke up while being driven ashore by the winds and waves of the San Ciriaco hurricane.
On August 18, 1590, Englishman John White returned to Roanoke Island to resupply the colony established on the island in 1587. White found the settlement abandoned. A single word “CROATOAN” was carved on a post in the fort.
On August 18, 1945, Caldwell County residents Otis Williams and Lillie Hendrix legally married in the state of North Carolina, ending a five-year battle against bigamy charges.
The saga began in 1940, when Otis, a married storekeeper, and his handyman’s wife, Lillie, traveled to Nevada to secure divorces from their respective spouses. After spending the legally required time as “residents” of the state, divorces were granted, and Williams and Hendrix married before returning to North Carolina.
On August 17, 1816, Revolutionary era political leader Samuel Johnston died.
Born in Scotland, Johnston immigrated to North Carolina as an infant. Trained as a lawyer, he represented Chowan County in the colonial assembly until the advent of the American Revolution.
During the Revolution, Johnston was a strong leader of the Patriot cause. He was a member of North Carolina’s Provincial Council, a delegate to the first four provincial congresses and worked as treasurer to fund and supply the war effort.
On August 17, 1937, the U.S. House of Representatives authorized the country’s first national seashore at Cape Hatteras.
North Carolina Congressman Lindsay C. Warren sponsored the bill that sought to preserve the distinctive barrier islands of the Outer Banks. Because support for the park waxed and waned over the years, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore was not officially established until 1953. The formal dedication ceremony was held in 1958.
On August 17, 1942, Frank Armstrong led the first daylight bomber attack by the United States. He flew over Axis territory in occupied France and earned the Silver Star, a military honor for valor.