North Carolina Timeline of History:
(1540) The Hernando De Soto expedition explores the area
(1584) Sir Walter Raleigh sends two ships to scout the area
(1585) The first English colony in North America is established on Roanoke Island, but the settlement failed
(1587) More ships and settlers arrive on the island, but the settlement is abandoned, with no trace of survivors
(1629) King Charles I of England “erected into a province,” all the land from Albemarle Sound on the north to the St. John’s River (now in Florida) on the south, which he directed should be called Carolina. The word Carolina is from the Latin word Carolus, meaning Charles.
(1658) The settlement at Edenton was built
(1663) King Charles II grants the Carolina lands to eight Lord Proprietors (close loyalists)
(1677) The short-lived "Culpeper's Rebellion" began, and was the first of its type attempted by the colonists
(1710) Carolina was divided in 1710, the southern part was called South Carolina and the northern, or older settlement, North Carolina. From this came the nickname the “Old North State”
(1718) The pirate Blackbeard was killed along the coast
(1729) The King bought out the Lord Proprietors, and the land was now under royal jurisdiction
(1752-53) Malachi Isley and family migrate to North Carolina
(1776) North Carolina is the first colony to officially decide to vote for independence
(1779) British forces, led by Lord Cornwallis, captured Charlotte during the Revolutionary War
(1789) 21 November 1789, North Carolina becomes the 12th U.S. State. North Carolina had originally rejected the United States Constitution because of the lack of necessary amendments to ensure freedom of the people.
11 December 1789: The University of North Carolina is chartered, becoming the first public university in the United States
(1790) North Carolina ceded her western lands which included Washington, Davidson, Hawkins, Greene, Sullivan, Sumner, and Tennessee counties to the federal government. Between 1790 and 1796 the territory was known as Tennessee Territory and was admitted in 1796 as the sixteenth state of the Unioin.
early 1800’s: North Carolina becomes known as the “Rip Van Winkle” state because it makes so little progress that it appears to be asleep.
(1861) Shortly after the Civil War began, North Carolina secedes from the Union on 20 May 1861, and joins the confederacy. Instead of voting to secede from the United States, as other states did, North Carolina voted to “undo” the act that had brought it into the United States.
(1861-1865) Some 40, 000 (have also seen another figure that only says 14,000) North Carolinians are killed over the course of the war. On 6 May 1865, the last Confederate troops in North Carolina surrender. North Carolina was not considered a wealthy state, but during the Civil War, North Carolina supplied more men, about 125,000, and materials to the Confederate cause than any other state and also suffered the largest number of causalities than any other Confederate state during the war.
(1868) On 4 July 1868, North Carolina rejoins the Union
(1870s) A long period of reconstruction began across the state. In 1877 the last federal reoccupation troops leave North Carolina
(1884) The state takes the lead in overall cigarette production
(1900) The economy is thriving, with cotton mills and furniture manufacturing leading the way
(1903) Orville and Wilbur Wright fly a powered airplane at Kitty Hawk
Historians have recorded that the principle products during the early history of North Carolina were "tar, pitch, and turpentine."
It was during one of the fiercest battles of the War Between the States, so the story goes, that the column supporting the North Carolina troops was driven from the field.
After the battle the North Carolinians, who had successfully fought it out alone, were greeted from the passing derelict regiment with the question: "Any more tar down in the Old North State, boys?"
Quick as a flash came the answer: "No, not a bit, old Jeff's bought it all up."
"Is that so; what is he going to do with it?" was asked.
"He's going to put on you-un's heels to make you stick better in the next fight."
Creecy relates that General Lee, upon hearing of the incident, said: "God bless the Tar Heel boys," and from that they took the name.
(Adapted from Grandfather Tales of North Carolina by R.B. Creecy and Histories of North Carolina Regiments, Vol. III, by Walter Clark).
