One of North Carolina's earliest communities, Edenton is the home of many historic buildings including the first church built in North Carolina, St. Paul's. Edenton is also the site of the October 1774 "Tea Party" where 51 Edenton ladies pledged their support to the American cause in one of the first instances of political activity by American women.
On December 17, 1903, the small hamlet of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina witnessed history in the making when the Orville and Wilbur Wright successfully flew the first heavier than air craft. The dunes of Kill Devil Hill are now a national monument commemorating the Wrights' historic feat.
The first city to be formed in North Carolina, Bath has many historic buildings and a colorful past including an association with the feared pirate, Blackbeard.
Tryon Palace was built by Royal Governor William Tryon and stood sentinel to the revoltion of North Carolina from crown colony to indepedent state. The palace was the focus for political and social activity for North Carolina during this same turbulent time. Today the restored Tryon Palace is a monument to this historic past.
North Carolina Continentals and militia defeat loyalists troops seeking to join the British army and subdue the colony for the Crown. The battle at Moore's Creek Bridge and a following battle near Charleston, South Carolina postponed a British invasion of the southern colonies for two years.
A beautiful structure and gardens, Orton Plantation has ties to the early settlement of Brunswick County leading back to 1725. The site today is noteworthy for the ante-bellum house and the extensive gardens which are open to the public.
The USS North Carolina is a seasoned veteran of the Pacific Theater of World War II. The battleship is now moored in Wilmington, North Carolina and is open to the public as a memorial to those who served.
Known as the "Gibraltar of the South," Fort Fisher guarded the Cape Fear river and Wilmington, the last major Confederate port, until January 1865. The modern site preserves some of the original ramparts and relics from the blockade runners that found protection under Fort Fisher's guns.
Catechna was the seat of the powerful Tuscarora Indians who rose in a bloody war against the expanding European settlements along the coast of North Carolina.
In the years immediately preceding the American Revolution, central and western North Carolina farmers united in the Regulator Movement to protest unfair governing by the royal governor in New Bern. The Regulators flaunted the authority of government officials and eventually met Governor Tryon and his militia at the Battle of Alamance.
The largest Confederate Army in the field attacked the approaching army of Union General William T. Sherman at Bentonville in the last Confederate offensive of the Civil War.
In the climactic year of the American Revolution, Lord Charles Cornawallis and an experience army pursue the elusive American forces led by General Nathanael Greene. This chase concludes in the rolling Piedmont countryside near what would become Greensboro. Although winning the field, the British were so damaged at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse that they moved to Yorktown, Virginia and were defeated by Generals Washington and Rochambeau.
One of America's most popular authors, O. Henry was born William Sidney Porter in Greensboro, North Carolina. Here you may follow the dramatic life of O. Henry from his youth in Greensboro to his imprisonment and the birth of O.Henry.
Home to Washington Duke, the Duke Homestead was the center of life for the family that made tobacco the cash crop of North Carolina, and revived both Durham and the state through the reconstruction era.
The State Capitol of North Carolina has been a meeting place for historic events and a witness to change itself. The current Capitol is an ante-bellum construction replacing an earlier building which was destroyed by fire.
Creek Indians built an important social and religious center at Town Creek. This site continues to provide glimpses into the life of the native tribes of North Carolina before the European colonization.
The folksong and legend of Tom Dula and the murder of Laura Foster sink their roots in fact. The grave of Tom Dula in the mountains of western North Carolina marks the end of the tragic tale.
The Blue Ridge Parkway snakes its way through the Blue Ridge Mountains providing access to not only scenic overviews but also to overviews of North Carolina's past at places such as Cherokee and Mabry's Mill. The construction of the parkway began in North Carolina and leads from Tennessee into Virginia.
The tallest point in eastern North America rises 6,684 feet in western North Carolina. Trails and a road lead to the summit where scenic overviews offer far-reaching vistas of the North Carolina high country.
The noted author Thomas Wolfe spent his childhood in Asheville. Images of his home and life in the "Land of Sky" are found in Wolfe's novel, "Look Homeward, Angel."
The largest Native American community in North Carolina, the Cherokee preserve the history and heritage of a culture that predates European colonization by centuries.
Connemara, the home of Carl Sandburg for the last 22 years of his life, is located in the Flat Rock, North Carolina. While at Connemara, Sandburg continued his brilliant literary career by writing his autobiography, a Pulitzer Prize winning novel, and many poems. Connemara is now a national historic site and is open to the public.