Author Archives: dcreamer

By David Freeze

Excited to see more of N.C., I drove to Halifax. Having left Warrenton and its pre-Civil War history, I immediately arrived at the “birthplace of freedom” ahead of the Revolutionary War. Established in 1757, Halifax was named for George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax, president of the British Board of Trade from 1748 to 1761 and a friend of the Colonies. In January 1759, Halifax became the county seat of the new Halifax County. The town developed into a commercial and political center ahead of the American Revolution. North Carolina’s Fourth Provincial Congress met in Halifax in the spring of 1776, and on April 12 adopted the Halifax Resolves supporting the Continental Congress as it moved toward independence from Britain, the first colony to do so while encouraging other colonies to follow.

Halifax is located at the navigational head of the Roanoke River, making it an important colonial town. Its rich soil helped plantations flourish. By 1769, about 60 buildings had been built, making it one of the premier cities in the colony. Halifax County had a population of about 3,000, both black and white. Not all the Blacks were slaves, as some were freedmen and skilled craftsmen.

During the war, Halifax was a major supply depot for the Continental Army. Halifax Minute Men were involved in the battle at Guilford Courthouse, a hard-fought British victory. British Commanding General Cornwallis eventually brought his army of 1600 redcoats to occupy homes and plantations in Halifax and surrounding plantations. After about a week, the British army headed north to engage Washington before eventually surrendering on Oct. 19, 1781. Washington visited Halifax on his southern tour on April 16, 1791.

After a stop at the visitor center and a brief movie, I took a walking tour of the town and about 20 sites, noting that Halifax is very quiet with little traffic, which seemed perfect for such a history laden town. Several buildings are open for touring before 4 p.m. The imposing Halifax County Courthouse, finished in 1910, and a small business area offered a more recent perspective.

Next stop was Jackson, county seat for Northampton County. The very quiet and small town had little traffic and less information available. The town was called Northampton Courthouse until it was renamed Jackson in 1826 in honor of former general and then President Andrew Jackson.

By the time Jackson became the county seat, horse racing and breeding had brought Northampton County national attention. In 1816, the famous racehorse Sir Archie was brought to Mowfield Plantation just west of Northampton Courthouse. Sir Archie reportedly beat all other horses in his specialty four-mile races. His bloodline sired Secretariat, Seabiscuit and many other famous racehorses.

Revolutionary War hero French General Marquis de Lafayette visited Jackson in 1825 and was met by a state delegation here. The current Northampton County Courthouse was built in 1858, A small Civil War confrontation occurred here in 1863.

After spending the night in Ahoskie, I made the short drive to Winton, county seat of Hertford County. I found Winton to be very small with few vehicles moving in the early morning of June 10 and I didn’t expect much. The courthouse is huge and new but located just outside of town. I found a great story as I began my journey around town and immediately spotted a Civil War Trails sign pointing toward the Chowan River, incredibly still and beautiful on this early morning. A small park commemorates an interesting engagement in 1862 when eight Federal gunboats steamed up the river to Winton. A significant Confederate force and battery were waiting in town and fired on the gunboats, soon forcing them to leave. That evening, the Confederate forces were fed and celebrated in town. Their leader marched the troops out of town afterward, ahead of the Union gunboats returning to shell the town. Troops onboard the gunboats torched Winton, making it the first North Carolina town to be burned in the war. Only the Methodist church and two buildings owned by Union sympathizers were spared.

I found an interesting burial plot on the grounds of the municipal building that I suspect served as the old courthouse. About 20 gravesites, including at least two Civil War soldiers killed at Chancellorsville, were interred there among several monuments.

Gatesville, county seat of Gates County, was next. First known as Bennett’s Creek Landing, from 1779 it was known as Gates Courthouse until its incorporation in 1830 as Gatesville, being named for Horatio Gates, a commander in the American Revolutionary War. As commanding general at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777, he delivered one of the most damaging blows yet felt by English forces in the war. However, in 1780 Gates’ failure at the disastrous Battle of Camden transformed him from one of the Revolution’s most esteemed generals into one of its most controversial.

Timber and agriculture drive the economy in Gates County. I saw it written, “The pace of life is slow. Take time to stop and talk to the people, have a bar-b-que sandwich and soda at one of the family restaurants. Hang out for awhile and just generally stop and smell the flowers.”

Small county seats made up the day, which is fine with me. I love finding new places to visit and roads to drive. The day saw 6.2 miles running and walking brought back some great photos. We’re at 58 counties done, 42 remaining. See you back here soon for some of the Inner Banks counties.

By David Freeze

With the western county seats complete, I contemplated an out and back loop in the northeastern part of the state, beginning on June 8. My first stop was Roxboro, earlier called Moccasin Gap and Roxburgh. The county seat of Person County was incorporated in 1855 and remains the only municipality in the county. The Person County Courthouse, built in 1930 in the center of downtown had a long line out the front door.

Famous people from Roxboro include old-time baseball player, Enos “Country” Slaughter and World War I Medal of Honor winner Robert L. Blackwell. Blackwell got the award posthumously for volunteering to go for help after two others were killed doing so. Slaughter joined the St. Louis Cardinals in 1938 at age 22 and is now enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Next was Oxford, seat of Granville County, once the home of Indian tribes with the Tuscarora most common. Samuel Benton, the area’s representative to the state assembly, bought 1,000 acres in 1761 and called his home Oxford. Benton gave an acre for the courthouse, but the town was not incorporated until 1816.

Most notable resident John Penn was a landowner elected in 1775 to be a member of the Continental Congress. He was one of North Carolina’s three signers of the Declaration of Independence. Tobacco became king and until the Civil War, Granville was one of the five counties in the state that had 10,000 slaves. The sandy soil and tobacco’s heyday brought huge growth to Oxford’s merchant district and plenty of grand homes. After two centuries of agricultural growth, no longer is it significant to the town.

A critically acclaimed movie, “Blood Done Sign My Name,” told the story of a racial confrontation that killed Henry Marrow and starred Ricky Schroder. Civil Rights attorney Ben Chavis, nationally known Oxford resident, led the protests.

The Granville County Courthouse was built in 1838. The first Masonic orphanage for children in the United States was built in Oxford. It was originally established as St. John’s College in 1858, ceasing operations shortly after opening. In 1872 the community decided that the property should be repurposed to educate disadvantaged populations. In December 1873, the first residents were admitted to the Oxford Orphans Asylum, which is today known as the “Masonic Home for Children at Oxford.” The Orpheum movie theatre has survived as an event center.

Hungry as always, I stopped to see Tristane at Strong Arm Bakery. She didn’t have to flex her muscles to get me to buy my second ever whoopie pie, complete with a refreshing strawberry filling and a large oatmeal cookie. They had a bicycle library outside that allows visitors to check out a bike to tour town. Oxford was friendly, very interesting, clean, busy and full of historic architecture.

I then drove to Henderson, the Vance County seat. The first settlers’ residence was built in what is now Henderson in 1785 by Samuel Reavis Sr. Reavis called his farm “Lonesome Valley” which likely described the area at that time. Reavis’ son, Lewis Reavis, opened a store close to the stagecoach road in 1811 when he began to see an influx of settlers and the awakening of a city. In 1835, residents decided to call the city Henderson after Judge Leonard Henderson.

The railroad brought new businesses downtown, but two major fires in 1870 and 1885 destroyed most of the stores. The need for work helped rebuild the downtown quickly, incorporating the use of bricks in the historic area so that many of those stores remain. Tobacco fueled the post-fire economy with five tobacco factories and three warehouses, along with three cotton gins, 20 stores and two newspapers.

I found that Roses stores are still alive in this area and maintain several storefronts on Main Street in the historic P.H. Rose Building. Ben E. King, singer and composer of “Stand by Me” was born in Henderson.

I fell in love with Warrenton immediately. The county seat of Warren County was founded in 1779. One of the smallest towns that I will visit, Warrenton was named for Dr. Joseph Warren, a patriot killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill in the Revolutionary War. About 90 percent of its buildings, more than 200 in number, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Warrenton was considered the richest town in the state from 1840 to 1860 for its cotton and tobacco production. I was just in awe of all the history, especially with so many of the houses and buildings signed with the year of construction and first owner.

Confederate General Braxton Bragg and current NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick were born in Warrenton. The population of the town has varied little since 1850 and is still within 100 residents of the early figure at about 900. Warrenton was not served directly by railroad until November 1884. Another beautiful old courthouse was built on the site of two previous ones in 1906. Fans of old homes with well-kept yards could walk for hours in Warrenton.

Finally, Warrenton is the “town that owns itself.” The Hotel Warren was finished in 1922 but fell on hard times during the depression. A restaurant did OK, but the hotel portion was closed. In the 1950s, town residents got together and took a room each to renovate with the hotel able to reopen as apartments. It survives today, having just celebrated its 100th anniversary.

The excitement of the journey grew with each new town. I had 6.14 miles on my feet, then continued east for more. See you soon about those visits.