Topics Related to This Day in North Carolina History

On March 4, 1911, Congressman Robert Lee Doughton launched a 42-year career in the United States House of Representatives. He served 21 successive terms in Congress before voluntarily retiring in 1953, just short of his 90th birthday.

On March 3, 1915, the General Assembly appropriated $20,000 to purchase Mount Mitchell. It would become the first of North Carolina’s state parks.

On March 3, 1923, Arthel Lane Watson, known to the world as “Doc” Watson, was born in Watauga County. The sixth of nine children, Watson developed an eye infection that left him blind as an infant, and he was sent to attend the Governor Morehead School in Raleigh.

On March 2, 1927, President Calvin Coolidge signed legislation authorizing the Kill Devil Hills National Monument. Five years later, a 60-foot granite monument was dedicated in Dare County.

On March 2, 1781, Patriot forces under Col. Henry Lee, local militiamen and Catawba Indian allies surprised the Loyalist mounted cavalry of Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton in a well-planned ambush near Clapp’s Mill in Alamance County.

On March 2, 1936, J. E. Winslow called to order the first meeting of the North Carolina Farm Bureau (NCFB) in Greenville.