"Esse Quam Videri"
("to be rather than to seem.")
The Tar Heel State
Origin: In North Carolina's early years, tar was one of the state's major products. There are two contradictory stories about the origin of this nickname. Both stories concern Civil War battles in which North Carolina troops were involved. More here.
The Old North State
Origin: In 1710, Carolina was divided into northern and southern sections. The southern section was called South Carolina and the northern section was called North Carolina. "The Old North State" is a reference to the northern section.
North Carolina's official flag was adopted in 1885. The upper date, May 20th, 1775, commemorates the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence (named for Mecklenburg County, where North Carolina citizens met to declare their freedom from Great Britain, although the original document was destroyed and some people have questioned its existence). The lower date, April 12th, 1776, commemorates the adoption of the Halifax Resolves (this was the first official action by a colony calling for independence from Britain).
A Brief History of North Carolina
English colonists, sent by Sir Walter Raleigh, unsuccessfully attempted to settle Roanoke Island in 1585 and 1587. Virginia Dare, born there in 1587, was the first child of English parentage born in America.
In 1653 the first permanent settlements were established by English colonists from Virginia near the Roanoke and Chowan rivers. The region was established as an English proprietary colony in 1663–1665 and in its early history was the scene of Culpepper's Rebellion (1677), the Quaker-led Cary Rebellion (1708), the Tuscarora Indian War (1711–1713), and many pirate raids.
During the American Revolution, there was relatively little fighting within the state, but many North Carolinians saw action elsewhere. Despite considerable pro-Union, antislavery sentiment, North Carolina joined the Confederacy during the Civil War. Some 40,000 North Carolinians were killed over the course of the war. North Carolina was admitted back into the Union on July 4th 1868.
Read more about North Carolina's History HERE
North Carolina's state capitol rises majestically on Union Square in downtown Raleigh, a city specifically created in 1792 to serve as North Carolina's permanent capital. Built between 1833-40, the granite building is one of the finest and best preserved examples of civic Greek Revival architecture in the United States. Relatively small in comparison to many other state capitols, this impressive structure has stood as a symbol of pride to North Carolinians for more than 150 years.
North Carolina is divided into three distinct topographical regions: the Coastal Plain, the Piedmont Plateau, and the Blue Ridge/Appalachian Mountains.
The Coastal Plain, bordered on the east by many beaches, offers opportunities for farming, recreation, and manufacturing. The North Carolina coast is protected by a slender chain of islands known as the Outer Banks.
The Appalachian Mountains--including Mount Mitchell, the highest peak in Eastern North America (6,684 feet)-- add to the variety which is apparent in the state's topography. More than 200 mountains rise 5,000 feet or more. In this area, widely acclaimed for its beauty, tourism is an outstanding business.
The Piedmont Plateau, though dotted with many small rolling farms, is primarily a manufacturing area in which the chief industries are furniture, tobacco, and textiles.
North Carolina is a state that embraces you with gorgeous mountains and hills, hundreds of lakes and rivers, waterfalls, and a very desirable climate.
Scubachick, a resident of Charlotte, told me that there are three things I must not forget to cover in my presentation of this state; they are:
North Carolina's Notorious Pirate,
"Blackbeard"
Click on Blackbeard's flag to learn more...
More Blackbeard links:
Twenty Seven Months Reign of Terror, Treachery and Theatrics
Blackbeard, the Man and the Myth
North Carolina Barbecue -
AKA - "Pig Pickin'"
"Perhaps North Carolina's finest contribution to international cuisine, the peculiar institution known as Barbecue is one of those Tarheel hotspots that is often misunderstood by folks outside our borders. Barbecue enjoys a long and distinguished history in North Carolina, and has come to be synonymous with political campaigns, church fund-raisers, and any celebration of merit. It has been celebrated itself in song, story, poetry, literature and electronic media. It enjoys as much a prominent place and regional distinctiveness as a 'state dish' as Steamed Crabs do in Maryland, Baked Beans do in Boston, and Salmon does in Seattle. Barbecuing is so competitive in North Carolina that the state boasts no fewer than twenty five annual cook-offs.
"There are two different styles of North Carolina Barbecue, Eastern and Western. In both cases the sauce is a vinegar-based concoction, heavily seasoned; the largest difference is that the Western, or Lexington style of barbecue adds a small amount of tomato-base to the sauce, and also roasts pork shoulders in preference to the whole hog. That's it. That's the difference. Yet these tiny differences have caused near blood feuds between proponents of the two different styles." - Terry Mancour.
North Carolina Barbecue - A Primer
The Barbecue Festival
Barbecue of the Carolinas
Thanks, Aquamarine, for your help researching NC Barbecue.
(It sure flung a cravin' on me, too!)
and, last but not least.......
State lawmakers in both chambers unanimously approved a resolution as part of their effort to protect a $1.5 billion racing industry that employs about 10,000 people in North Carolina. As the sport increases in popularity, so does the competition from other states to lure it away.
But lawmakers and others say North Carolina is the best place for a museum. Stock car racing started there and a few hundred race teams - NASCAR and otherwise - are located around Charlotte....
Lowes Motor Speedway
Yes, North Carolinians love racing
(almost as much as pig pickin')!
Click HERE for a list of North Carolina race tracks.
- The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill is the oldest State University in the United States.
- In 1903 the Wright Brothers made the first successful powered flight by man at Kill Devil Hill near Kitty Hawk. The Wright Memorial at Kitty Hawks now commemorates their achievement.
- High Point is known as the Furniture Capital of the World.
- Know as "Fish Town" in the early 1700's when Blackbeard frequented the coast, "Beaufort Town" was established as a seaport with the right to collect customs, in 1722.
- The Outer Banks of NC hosts some of the most beautiful beaches in the country.
- Whitewater Falls in Transylvania County is the highest waterfall in the eastern United States.
- Cape Hatteras is the largest lighthouse ever to be moved due to erosion problems.
- The University of North Carolina's mascot, the Tarheels, is also a nickname for North Carolinians.
- Charles Karault was born and raised in Wilmington.
- Havelock is home of Marine Base "Cherry Point." It is the largest air base in the Marine Corps.
- Harker's Island hosts the annual Core Sound Decoy Festival in December.
- Morehead City is home to the North Carolina Seafood Festival, held the first weekend in October every year.
- The World War II battleship 'North Carolina' is permanently berthed on the Cape Fear River at Wilmington. She was saved from the scrap heap in the 1960's by public subscription, including donations of dimes by schoolchildren.
- The first English colony in America, "The Lost Colony", was located on Roanoke Island. Walter Raleigh founded it. The colony mysteriously vanished with no trace except for the word "Croatoan" scrawled on a nearby tree.
- The first miniature golf course was built in Fayetteville.
- The Biltmore Estate in Ashville is America's largest home, and includes a 255-room chateau, an award-winning winery and extensive gardens.
- The Mile-High Swinging Bridge near Linville is 5,305 feet above sea level. The bridge actually hangs about 80 feet above the ground.
- Andrew Jackson, seventh President of the United States, was born in the Waxsaws area on the border of North and South Carolina.
- James K. Polk, born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, was the eleventh President of the United States.
- Hiram Rhoades Revels, born in Fayetteville in 1822, was the first African-American member of the United States Congress.
- The oldest town in the state is Bath, incorporated in 1705.
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If we hurry we can all meet on the Outer Banks for the
Saint Patrick's Day and
Polar Plunge Weekend!
St. Patrick's Day & OBX Polar Plunge Weekend, March 11-13, 2005, promises to be fun for all. The 8th Annual Polar Plunge, which raises funds for the "We Build People" scholarship fund that benefits children and families in need on The Outer Banks will be held Saturday, March 12th on the beach in Kill Devil Hills. Check-in time begins at 12:30pm. Prizes will be awarded in several categories with the Grand Prize for the "Out of Town Team" being a week's stay on The Outer Banks. So get your family and friends together and plan on making the plunge!
March 13th begins the St. Patrick's Day Weekend. Rain or shine comes the 16th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade, the largest parade in the State of North Carolina with over 1,000 people participating in the parade's 85-100 units, will take place in Nags Head. Be one of the 7,000 to 10,000 people that line the streets of Nags Head cheering an array of Outer Banks entertainment. Perhaps you would like to participate; well there is still time to secure a spot!
The following websites provided information
and graphics for this presentation.
The Insider - NC History
Chimney Rock Park
The 50 States
FOX News NASCAR
From the grandeur of the Great Smoky Mountains, and the beauty of the Blue Ridge Parkway, to the coast and the fragile islands of the Outer Banks, North Carolina has plenty to offer. And with her mild winters and comfortable summers, North Carolina is a great place to live, and a very attractive place to visit again and again.
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