Articles by Shane Williams

Colonial North Carolina

Meherrin Nation

1664-1775

  The Meherrin are Native Americans who resided in northeastern North Carolina near the river of the same name.  As of 2011 there were approximately 900 members.

Education

University of Mount Olive

1946-1990

The University of Mount Olive opened its doors in 1952, after the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists approved the founding of a junior college named Allen Junior College.

Colleges and Universities

High Point University

1916-1945

t the start of the twentieth century, Reverend Joseph M. McCulloch of Greensboro conceived the idea of a church-affiliated-school and worked for almost a quarter century to realize this vision. In 1921, the Methodist Church voted in favor of his idea, and the city of High Point appropriated 60 acres of land and $100,000 to fund the school.

Colleges and Universities

Gardner-Webb University

1916-1945

Gardner-Webb University is a private Baptist university located in Boiling Springs, North Carolina.  The institution is named in honor of former Governor O. Max Gardner and his wife Faye Webb Gardner

Business and Industry

James Spencer Love (1896 – 1962)

1916-1945

  James Spencer Love was the founder of Burlington Industries, the biggest textile manufacturing company in the world by the mid-1950s. His entrepreneurship helped to expand the textile industry and provide funding for education.

Occaneechi

1664-1775

  The Occaneechi is a small tribe of American Indians residing in the Piedmont North Carolina and southern Virginia. Today, the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation numbers seven hundred and is the smallest tribe recognized by North Carolina.

Primary Documents

Fayetteville Observer

1836-1865

  The Fayetteville Observer is one of North Carolina’s oldest and largest independent newspapers.

Business and Industry

Family Dollar Stores

1946-1990

  Family Dollar is a discount store chain, with headquarters in Matthews, North Carolina. The company operates over 7,100 stores in 45 states and in Washington D.C. As one of the first discount stores, Family Dollar expanded to over 6,800 stores in 44 states and competes with large companies such as Costco, Dollar General, and Wal-Mart.

Flu Pandemic (1919)

1916-1945

  From Spring 1918 to early 1919, North Carolina experienced the deadliest flu pandemic in modern times. An influenza virus spread throughout Europe, then North America, and eventually the globe. By April 1919, the virus infected one million North Carolinians and among them, 13,600 died.   

Places

Currituck Beach Lighthouse

1866-1915

Currituck Beach Lighthouse is located on the Outer Banks in Corolla, North Carolina. It was put on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1973; the lighthouse is the last brick lighthouse built on the Outer Banks.

African American

Hiram Rhodes Revels (1827 –1901)

1836-1865

A North Carolina native, Hiram Rhodes Revels was the first African American to serve in the U.S. Senate and in U.S. Congress

Political History

Josephus Daniels (1862 – 1948)

1866-1915

Josephus Daniels was a prominent journalist and newspaper editor from North Carolina. He purchased the Raleigh News and Observer in 1894 and became a leading “New South” political commentator.  He was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson to serve as Secretary of the Navy during World War I.  He later served as ambassador to Mexico under President Franklin Roosevelt.