Topics Related to Firsts

The first railroad in the State was completed in 1833 from Petersburg, Va., to Blakely, on the Roanoke River, a short distance southeast.

Confederate atty. gen., secretary of war & of state; first Jewish U.S. Senator, 1853 (La.). Boyhood home was here.

Erected 1875-6. First house of worship built in North Carolina by the Jews. Congregation established in 1867.

The road from New England to Charleston, over which mail was first carried regularly in North Carolina, 1738-39, passed near this spot.

Governor, 1836-41, the first in N.C. elected by popular vote; first president of Wilmington and Weldon Railroad. His home stands 2 blocks W.

First student to enter the University of North Carolina, 1795. Civil engineer and legislator. Grave 300 yards east.

First battle of American Revolution fought in N.C. on Feb. 27, 1776. Was a Patriot victory. National Park Service Battlefield 5 miles SW.

First Jewish member of N.C. legislature, 1808. Delivered a landmark address on religious freedom. Lived here.

First African American Masonic lodge in N.C.; est. 1865. Erected in 1870, the building was moved here in 1920s.

First school chartered in N.C. Assembly levied a tax for its support in 1766. Present building was completed in 1810.