Topics Related to This Day in North Carolina History

Federal Comptroller John Steele of Salisbury

On November 16, 1764, early political leader John Steele was born in Salisbury.

Blue Ridge Parkway Project Approved

On November 16, 1933, the Blue Ridge Parkway project received approval.

Peter Stuart Ney Confesses to be Napoleon’s Closest Aide

On November 15, 1846, Peter Stuart Ney, a teacher from Rowan County, is said to have made a deathbed confession that he was, in fact, Napoleon Bonaparte’s most trusted commander, Marshal Michel Ney.

Movie Silent About Fate of Colonists

On November 15, 1921, Governor Cameron Morrison and a host of other state dignitaries gathered in Raleigh for the debut of the silent movie about the Lost Colony called “The Earliest English Expeditions and Attempted Settlements in the Territory of What Is Now the Unite

Fear Runs Rampant in Henderson, 1958-1959

On November 15, 1958, the Textile Workers Union of America called a strike at the Harriet-Henderson Mills in Henderson.

Charlotte Heist Foiled, 1933

On November 15, 1933, noted criminal Roger “The Terrible” Touhy orchestrated a mail truck robbery in the heart of the Charlotte.

Senator and Jurist A.S. Merrimon

On November 14, 1892, U.S. Senator and Chief Justice of North Carolina A.S. Merrimon died. Born in 1830 in Transylvania County, Merrimon studied law alongside Zebulon B.

Mystery of the Dare Stones

On November 14, 1937, a team of Emory University professors revealed the transcription of a message carved on a rock discovered by Louis Hammond in Chowan County earlier that year. The text of their transcription reads:

Andy Griffith’s “What It Was, Was Football” Recorded

On November 14, 1953, the Colonial label in Chapel Hill released Andy Griffith’s monologue “What It Was, Was Football.”

Gambling Comes to Cherokee

On November 13, 1997, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino—the first casino in North Carolina—opened in Cherokee on the reservation of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI).