Colonial North Carolina
John White (ca. 1540 – 1593)
Pre-1585
John White was an artist, surveyor, cartographer, and colonizer who attended the second and third expeditions to Roanoke Island in the late-1500s. During the first attempt to colonize Roanoke (1585-1586), White served as the expedition’s artist and cartographer. During the second attempt at colonization in 1587, White served as the governor of the colony. His granddaughter Virginia Dare was the first English child born in America. He returned to England to request aid, but his return was delayed. When he returned in 1590, the colony had disappeared. Today, it is today known as the “Lost Colony.”
What Is the Liberty Pole?
What does Julius Caesar have to do with North Carolina’s state seal and the Halifax Resolves? On April 12, 2026, The Halifax State Historic Site celebrated the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Halifax Resolves. Representatives from the site had put up a “Liberty Pole” as part of their festivities in celebration of the...
Fort Johnston and the American Revolution
In July 1775, Patriot militiamen carried out the first military operation of the Revolutionary War in what became the Tar Heel State. There was no pitched battle. No one died. But the Patriots made their point: Reasserting British control over North Carolina would be no easy task. Three months earlier, they’d forced Josiah Martin, the...
Charles Cornwallis: One General Among Several
There's a lot to learn about General Charles Cornwallis, starting with the fact that he was never overall British commander during the American Revolution.
Cleaning Up the Tar-Pamlico River Basin
In the 1980s, a group of North Carolina business and government leaders figured out a way to reduce water pollution when the Clean Water Act could not achieve it.
“Whistler’s Mother,” Anna McNeill Whistler
After the Virgin Mary herself, Anna McNeill Whistler may be one of the most recognizable mothers in all of art history. The Wilmington native is also one of the most famous moms to call North Carolina home.
Richard Etheridge
Richard Etheridge was the first African American to command a lifesaving station in the United States. Lifesaving stations on the Atlantic Coast were responsible for rescuing people from shipwrecks in the late 1800s. Etheridge also fought for the Union in the Civil War and continued to fight for civil rights for the African American community...
Elizabeth City State University
Located in Pasquotank County, Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) was formed in 1891 as a school to teach African-American educators.
Meherrin Nation
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.
Manteo
Manteo was a Carolina Algonquian who assisted the three English expeditions to Roanoke Island during the 1580s. Governor John White declared Manteo to be Lord of Roanoke in 1587. Manteo was the first person baptized in America into the Church of England.
John White (ca. 1540 – 1593)
John White was an artist, surveyor, cartographer, and colonizer who attended the second and third expeditions to Roanoke Island in the late-1500s. During the first attempt to colonize Roanoke (1585-1586), White served as the expedition’s artist and cartographer. During the second attempt at colonization in 1587, White served as the governor of the colony. His granddaughter Virginia Dare was the first English child born in America. He returned to England to request aid, but his return was delayed. When he returned in 1590, the colony had disappeared. Today, it is today known as the “Lost Colony.”
Global TransPark
The North Carolina Global TransPark (GTP) was envisioned as a bold experiment in rural economic revitalization, a 2,500-acre industrial and aviation complex in Kinston, North Carolina. Conceived in the 1990s as a state-backed hub for global shipping and logistical management, the project aimed to jumpstart economic growth in eastern North Carolina. With access to an...
Battle of Beaufort, N.C.
Most people consider the Battle of Yorktown as marking the end of the American Revolution, but some historians have called the Battle of Beaufort, North Carolina, the last battle of the war. (Beaufort is in Carteret County on Beaufort Inlet, across from Shackleford Banks and near Cape Lookout.) In early April 1782, a wily party...