Harris Teeter is a grocery store chain founded in Charlotte, North Carolina. As of 2012, Harris Teeter operated 208 stores in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Delaware, Maryland, Florida, and Washington, D.C.
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.
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.
Raleigh’s Central Prison opened in 1884 to house a growing inmate population that overwhelmed the county jail systems. Inmate labor built the penitentiary, and one of the head architects of the $1.25 million Gothic-style complex was W. O. Wolfe, author Thomas Wolfe’s father. As of 2012, the prison contains nearly 1,000 inmates with a staff of 700.
One of North Carolina’s most famous inventors, “Carbine” Williams was a native of Cumberland County. While in his early twenties Williams made moonshine. During a raid on his still, Williams shot and killed a deputy sheriff, so he was sentenced to prison for the murder. A trusted inmate, Williams spent his extra time working on gun inventions in the prison’s blacksmith shop. After his release from prison, Williams developed the prototype for the M-1 Carbine rifle, the military’s weapon of choice during World War II.
Born on June 1, 1926 in Mount Airy, Andy Griffith studied at UNC-Chapel Hill where he majored in music. Griffith worked as a teacher for several years before starting his career as an actor, starring in the play No Time for Sergeants, a Broadway show that opened in 1955. Five years later, Griffith starred in his most famous role as Sheriff Andy Griffith in The Andy Griffith Show. Griffith starred in several other television movies and shows, including Matlock before his retirement to Dare County. The actor died on July 3, 2012 from heart complications.
Born in Johnston County in 1922, Ava Lavinia Gardner became one of Hollywood’s most popular starlets in the 1940s and 1950s. She attended Rock Ridge High School and Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College), and in 1939 her big break in film occurred. While visiting her sister in New York a photographer took several pictures of Gardner who later sent them to the MGM talent office. MGM signed Gardner to a seven-year contract and her acting career began. Gardner appeared in several classic films including The Killers, One Touch of Venus, and the classic musical, Show Boat.
Lowe’s Companies is a North Carolina based chain of home improvement and appliance stores located in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Lowe’s is one of the nations largest retailers and serves over 1,400 customers a week with 1,710 stores in the U.S. and twenty in Canada.
Established in New Bern, The North Carolina Gazette was North Carolina’s first newspaper. The first issue was published on August 9, 1751.
Thomas Henry Davis was the founder of Piedmont Aviation, Inc., and innovator in commercial aviation. The company maintained facilities in Winston Salem NC, Greensboro NC, and Roanoke VA. Thomas Henry Davis’ management of the company led the airline industry in hub operations.