Topics Related to This Day in North Carolina History

Eastern North Carolina Artist Francis Speight

On November 13, 1989, award-winning artist Francis Speight died at age 93 in his Greenville home.

State’s Confederate Vets Defend Their Honor, 1903

On November 12, 1903, the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association appointed a committee to investigate and report on the various claims made about North Carolina’s involvement in the Civil War.

P. T. Barnum Begins to Organize Circus

On November 12, 1836, Phineas Taylor " P.T." Barnum arrived in Rocky Mount after leaving Aaron Turner’s Traveling Circus.  Barnum convinced some of the Turner acts to join his own traveling circus.

Remembering Veterans

Each November 11, Americans celebrate Veterans Day, which was once called Armistice Day. The date marks the end of World War I, fought by America in 1917 and 1918.

Long-Delayed Dedication of NCSU Belltower, 1949

On November 11, 1949, the Memorial Belltower, a prominent landmark on the campus of North Carolina State University, was dedicated. Gov. Gregg Cherry was one of the many dignitaries in attendance.

Jesse Helms and “Viewpoint”

On November 11, 1976, WRAL-TV broadcast the last segment of Viewpoint, a nightly series of political editorials, which ran on the station for nearly 16 years.

Wilmington Coup

On November 10, 1898, the year’s white supremacy campaign culminated with a violent political coup in Wilmington, marking the onset of the Jim Crow era of segregation in the state.

Just Happy to Be Here: Donna Fargo

On November 10, 1945, Yvonne Vaughan, better known by her later stage name Donna Fargo, was born in Mount Airy.

James Murray and the Argyll Colony

On November 10, 1739, Wilmington merchant James Murray wrote his friend Henry McCulloh about the promising prospect for settlement by Scots in the upper Cape Fear region.

Drexel and the Furniture Maker That Took Its Name

On November 10, 1903, Drexel Furniture was founded by six partners in the small Burke County town of Drexel. One of the partners, Samuel Huffman, managed the business until his death in 1935. At that time, his son Robert took control of the operation.