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Topics Related to This Day in North Carolina History
On July 7, 1833, Sir Archie, arguably the greatest thoroughbred in North Carolina history, died at the age of 28.
John Ellis was elected governor in 1858 and 1860, and was in command at the onset of the Civil War when North Carolina seceded from the Union. On July 7, 1861, Governor Ellis died of tuberculosis and Henry Toole Clark was elevated to fill the position.
On July 6, 1896, textile industrialist J. Spencer Love was born in Massachusetts.Though Love’s family roots were in North Carolina, he remained in New England until finishing his studies at Harvard and serving a brief stint in the Army during World War I. After he was unable to find work in Boston, Love moved to Gastonia and joined his grandfather and uncle in the textile business.
On July 6, 1935, an ostrich race was held on Main Street in downtown Brevard.The race pitted two ostriches against each other. Each bird was ridden by a young woman. According to the Transylvania Times, a local newspaper, the two jockeys, Billie Dean and Amie Register, rode without a bridle, saddle or any other sort of equipment.
On July 5, 1916, widely-respected archaeologist Joffre Coe was born in Greensboro.Coe developed his interest in archaeology early, spending time exploring the outdoors with his paternal grandfather and corresponding with prominent anthropologists during his teenage years.After graduating from high school in Florida in 1933, Coe returned to North Carolina and helped form the Archaeological Society of North Carolina. He enrolled at Brevard College in 1934 and transferred to UNC shortly thereafter.
On July 5, 1865, ex-Confederate Governor Zebulon Baird Vance was paroled on his honor after imprisonment at the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C.
On July 4, 1937, The Lost Colony debuted on Roanoke Island. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paul Green, the symphonic play was the first outdoor drama.
On July 4, 1986, North Carolina’s first microbrewery opened.Weeping Radish Brewery in Manteo was the first in what is now a long list of craft breweries in the state.
On July 4, 1833, builders laid the cornerstone of the State Capitol on Union Square. The ceremony officially kicked off construction that would last for seven years and cost $532,000, a massive sum for the era. The Capitol that stands today was not the first in Raleigh. The original Capitol building, completed in 1794, burned in 1831.