Historic Sites & Markers
Andrews--Moore House (added 1998 - Building - #98001506)
95 Simon Collie Rd., Bunn
Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering
Architectural Style: Greek Revival, Georgian, Federal
Area of Significance: Architecture
Period of Significance: 1750-1799, 1825-1849
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Domestic
Historic Sub-function: Secondary Structure, Single Dwelling
Current Function: Domestic, Work In Progress
Current Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Baker Farm (added 1982 - Building - #82001297)
Also known as Perdue
SW of Bunn on SR 1720, Bunn
Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Event
Architectural Style: Greek Revival
Area of Significance: Agriculture, Architecture
Period of Significance: 1850-1874, 1875-1899
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Domestic
Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Current Function: Domestic
Current Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Cascine ** (added 1973 - Building - #73001342)
Also known as Cascine (Boundary Increase)
S of Louisburg on SR 1702, Louisburg
Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Perry,Dr. A.S., Perry,Jeremiah
Architectural Style: Greek Revival, Gothic Revival
Area of Significance: Agriculture, Architecture
Period of Significance: 1750-1799, 1850-1874
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Agriculture/Subsistence, Domestic
Historic Sub-function: Agricultural Fields, Agricultural Outbuildings, Single Dwelling
Current Function: Domestic
Current Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Cascine (Boundary Increase) ** (added 1985 - District - #85003114)
Also known as See Also:Cascine
N side of NC 1702, Louisburg
Historic Significance: Person, Event, Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown
Architectural Style: Greek Revival, Other
Historic Person: Perry,Algernon Sidney,et al.
Area of Significance: Agriculture, Architecture
Period of Significance: 1850-1874, 1875-1899, 1900-1924, 1925-1949
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Agriculture/Subsistence, Domestic, Industry/Processing/Extraction
Historic Sub-function: Agricultural Fields, Agricultural Outbuildings, Manufacturing Facility, Single Dwelling
Current Function: Agriculture/Subsistence, Domestic
Current Sub-function: Agricultural Fields, Agricultural Outbuildings, Single Dwelling
Clifton House and Mill Site (added 1980 - Building - #80002835)
SR 1103, Royal
Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown
Architectural Style: Italianate, Greek Revival
Area of Significance: Agriculture, Architecture, Industry
Period of Significance: 1825-1849, 1850-1874
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Agriculture/Subsistence, Domestic, Industry/Processing/Extraction
Historic Sub-function: Agricultural Outbuildings, Energy Facility, Manufacturing Facility, Single Dwelling
Current Function: Vacant/Not In Use
Cooke House (added 1975 - Building - #75001265)
SW of Louisburg near jct. of SR 1114 and SR 1109, Louisburg
Historic Significance: Person
Historic Person: Cook,Jones et al
Significant Year: 1841
Area of Significance: Religion, Military, Politics/Government
Period of Significance: 1825-1849
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Domestic
Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Current Function: Domestic
Current Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Davis, Archibald H., Plantation (added 1975 - Building - #75001266)
Also known as Cypress Hall
SE of Louisburg off NC 581, Justice
Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown
Architectural Style: Greek Revival
Area of Significance: Agriculture, Architecture
Period of Significance: 1800-1824, 1825-1849
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Agriculture/Subsistence, Domestic
Historic Sub-function: Agricultural Outbuildings, Single Dwelling
Current Function: Agriculture/Subsistence, Domestic
Current Sub-function: Agricultural Outbuildings, Single Dwelling
Dean Farm (added 1975 - District - #75001267)
6 mi. E of Louisburg on NC 56, Louisburg
Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Event
Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown
Architectural Style: Federal, Greek Revival
Area of Significance: Agriculture, Architecture
Period of Significance: 1825-1849
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Agriculture/Subsistence, Domestic
Historic Sub-function: Agricultural Outbuildings, Single Dwelling
Current Function: Agriculture/Subsistence, Domestic
Current Sub-function: Agricultural Outbuildings, Single Dwelling
Franklinton Depot (added 1990 - Building - #90001941)
Also known as Raleigh and Gaston Railroad Passenger Depot;Franklinton Woma
201 E. Mason St., Franklinton
Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Event
Architect, builder, or engineer: Winder,John C., Raleigh & Gaston Railroad
Architectural Style: Queen Anne, Italianate, Gothic Revival
Area of Significance: Architecture, Transportation
Period of Significance: 1875-1899, 1900-1924, 1925-1949
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Transportation
Historic Sub-function: Rail-Related
Current Function: Social
Current Sub-function: Clubhouse
Fuller House ** (added 1978 - Building - #78001954)
307 N. Main St., Louisburg
Historic Significance: Person, Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Jones,Albert Gamaliel
Architectural Style: Greek Revival
Historic Person: Fuller,Edwin Wiley
Significant Year: 1856
Area of Significance: Architecture, Literature
Period of Significance: 1850-1874
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Domestic
Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Current Function: Domestic
Current Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Green Hill House *** (added 1975 - Building - #75001268)
S of Louisburg near jct. of SR 1760 and 1761, Louisburg
Historic Significance: Person, Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Hill,Green
Architectural Style: Georgian
Historic Person: Hill,Green et. al.
Significant Year: 1788
Area of Significance: Architecture, Religion, Education, Politics/Government
Period of Significance: 1750-1799
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Agriculture/Subsistence, Domestic, Religion
Historic Sub-function: Agricultural Outbuildings, Single Dwelling
Current Function: Domestic
Current Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Harris, Dr. J. H., House (added 1975 - Building - #75001260)
312 E. Mason St., Franklinton
Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Whitfield, J.H.
Architectural Style: Queen Anne
Area of Significance: Architecture
Period of Significance: 1900-1924
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Domestic
Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Current Function: Domestic
Current Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Jeffreys, William A., House (added 1976 - Building - #76001323)
SE of Youngsville on SR 1101, Youngsville
Historic Significance: Person, Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown
Architectural Style: Federal, Other
Historic Person: Jeffreys,William A.,et. al.
Significant Year: 1842
Area of Significance: Architecture, Politics/Government
Period of Significance: 1825-1849
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Domestic
Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Current Function: Domestic
Current Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Jones--Wright House (added 1992 - Building - #92000149)
Also known as Polly Wright House
NC 1003 W side, 0.2 mi. S of jct. with NC 1252, Rocky Ford
Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown
Architectural Style: Georgian
Area of Significance: Architecture
Period of Significance: 1750-1799, 1800-1824, 1825-1849
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Domestic
Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Current Function: Domestic
Current Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Kearney, Shemuel, House (added 1975 - Building - #75001261)
1 mi. S of Franklinton on U.S. 1, Franklinton
Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Kearney,Shemuel
Architectural Style: Georgian
Area of Significance: Architecture
Period of Significance: 1750-1799, 1800-1824
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Domestic
Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Current Function: Domestic
Current Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Laurel Mill and Col. Jordan Jones House (added 1975 - Building - #75001262)
SW of Gupton at jct. of SR 1432 and 1436, Gupton
Historic Significance: Person, Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown
Architectural Style: Greek Revival
Historic Person: Jones,Colonel Jordan F.
Significant Year: 1860, 1850
Area of Significance: Architecture, Invention, Industry, Commerce
Period of Significance: 1850-1874
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Domestic, Industry/Processing/Extraction
Historic Sub-function: Manufacturing Facility, Single Dwelling
Current Function: Domestic, Industry/Processing/Extraction
Current Sub-function: Manufacturing Facility, Single Dwelling
Locust Grove ** (added 1975 - Building - #75001269)
Also known as Foster House
N of Louisburg on U.S. 401, Ingleside
Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown
Architectural Style: Georgian
Area of Significance: Architecture, Politics/Government
Period of Significance: 1750-1799
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Domestic
Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Current Function: Domestic
Current Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Louisburg Historic District (added 1987 - District - #87000041)
Also known as See Also:Williamson House;Main Building, Louisburg College
Roughly bounded by Allen Lane, Main and Cedar Sts., Franklin, Elm, and King St., Louisburg
Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Et. al, Jones,Albert Gemaliel
Architectural Style: Bungalow/Craftsman, Late Victorian, Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals
Area of Significance: Architecture, Education
Period of Significance: 1750-1799, 1800-1824, 1825-1849, 1850-1874, 1875-1899, 1900-1924, 1925-1949
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Domestic, Education
Historic Sub-function: College, Secondary Structure, Single Dwelling
Current Function: Domestic, Education
Current Sub-function: College, Secondary Structure, Single Dwelling
Main Building, Louisburg College ** (added 1978 - Building - #78001955)
Louisburg College campus, Louisburg
Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Jones,Albert Gamaliel
Architectural Style: Greek Revival
Area of Significance: Architecture, Education
Period of Significance: 1850-1874
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Education
Historic Sub-function: College, Educational Related Housing, School
Current Function: Education
Current Sub-function: College
Massenburg Plantation ** (added 1975 - Building - #75001270)
Also known as Woodleaf Plantation
Address Restricted, Louisburg
Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Jones,William
Architectural Style: Other
Area of Significance: Agriculture, Architecture
Period of Significance: 1800-1824, 1825-1849
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Agriculture/Subsistence, Domestic
Historic Sub-function: Agricultural Outbuildings, Single Dwelling
Current Function: Vacant/Not In Use
Massenburg Plantation (Boundary Increase) (added 2000 - Building - #00000225)
Also known as Woodleaf Plantation
821 NC 561, Louisburg
Historic Significance: Information Potential, Architecture/Engineering, Event
Architectural Style: Bungalow/Craftsman
Area of Significance: Agriculture, Architecture, Historic - Non-Aboriginal
Period of Significance: 1825-1849, 1850-1874, 1875-1899, 1900-1924
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Domestic
Historic Sub-function: Secondary Structure, Single Dwelling
Current Function: Domestic
Current Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Monreath (added 1975 - Building - #75001264)
S of Ingleside on NC 39, Ingleside
Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown
Architectural Style: Georgian
Area of Significance: Architecture
Period of Significance: 1750-1799, 1800-1824
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Domestic
Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Current Function: Domestic
Current Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Perry, Dr. Samuel, House (added 1975 - Building - #75001263)
E of Gupton on SR 1436, Gupton
Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Holt,Jacob
Architectural Style: Italianate, Greek Revival
Area of Significance: Architecture
Period of Significance: 1850-1874
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Domestic
Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Current Function: Domestic
Current Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Person Place (added 1972 - Building - #72000962)
603 N. Main St., Louisburg
Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Williams,William P., Milner,Wilson
Architectural Style: Federal, Georgian
Area of Significance: Architecture
Period of Significance: 1750-1799, 1800-1824
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Domestic
Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Current Function: Vacant/Not In Use
Person-McGhee Farm ** (added 1979 - Building - #79003343)
US 1, Franklinton
Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown
Architectural Style: Mixed (More Than 2 Styles From Different Periods)
Area of Significance: Agriculture, Architecture
Period of Significance: 1800-1824, 1875-1899, 1900-1924
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Agriculture/Subsistence, Domestic
Historic Sub-function: Agricultural Fields, Agricultural Outbuildings, Single Dwelling
Current Function: Agriculture/Subsistence, Domestic
Current Sub-function: Agricultural Fields, Agricultural Outbuildings, Single Dwelling
Portridge (added 1990 - Building - #90000351)
SR 1224, 0.3 mi. N of jct. with NC 56, Louisburg
Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown
Architectural Style: Georgian
Area of Significance: Architecture
Period of Significance: 1750-1799
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Domestic
Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Current Function: Domestic
Current Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Savage, Dr. J. A., House (added 1980 - Building - #80002834)
Also known as The Albion Academy
124 College St., Franklinton
Historic Significance: Person, Event
Historic Person: Savage,Dr. John A.
Significant Year: 1895, 1880
Area of Significance: Social History, Education, Black
Period of Significance: 1875-1899
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Domestic, Education
Historic Sub-function: Educational Related Housing, School, Single Dwelling
Current Function: Domestic
Current Sub-function: Multiple Dwelling
Speed Farm (added 1991 - District - #91001907)
W side NC 1436 between NC 1432 and NC 1434, Gupton
Historic Significance: Event
Area of Significance: Agriculture
Period of Significance: 1850-1874, 1875-1899, 1900-1924, 1925-1949
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Agriculture/Subsistence, Domestic
Historic Sub-function: Agricultural Fields, Agricultural Outbuildings, Processing, Secondary Structure, Single Dwelling
Current Function: Agriculture/Subsistence, Domestic
Current Sub-function: Agricultural Fields, Agricultural Outbuildings, Processing, Secondary Structure, Single Dwelling
Sterling Cotton Mill (added 1996 - Building - #96000568)
Also known as Franklinton Cotton Mill
SE jct. of Seabord RR tracks and E. Green St., Franklinton
Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Event
Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown
Architectural Style: Other
Area of Significance: Architecture, Industry
Period of Significance: 1875-1899, 1900-1924, 1925-1949
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Industry/Processing/Extraction
Historic Sub-function: Manufacturing Facility
Current Function: Vacant/Not In Use
Taylor, Archibald, House ** (added 1975 - Building - #75001273)
Address Restricted, Wood
Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Holt,Jacob
Architectural Style: Italianate
Area of Significance: Architecture
Period of Significance: 1850-1874
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Domestic
Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Current Function: Unknown
Taylor, Patty Person, House ** (added 1975 - Building - #75001271)
Address Restricted, Louisburg
Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown
Architectural Style: Georgian
Area of Significance: Architecture, Politics/Government
Period of Significance: 1750-1799
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Domestic
Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Current Function: Vacant/Not In Use
Vine Hill ** (added 1975 - Building - #75001259)
Address Restricted, Centerville
Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Holt,Jacob
Architectural Style: Italianate, Greek Revival
Area of Significance: Architecture
Period of Significance: 1850-1874
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Domestic
Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Current Function: Domestic
Current Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Williamson House ** (added 1975 - Building - #75001272)
401 Cedar St., Louisburg
Historic Significance: Person, Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown
Architectural Style: Greek Revival
Historic Person: Williamson, John H.
Significant Year: 1855
Area of Significance: Architecture, Black, Politics/Government
Period of Significance: 1850-1874
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Domestic
Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Current Function: Domestic
Current Sub-function: Single Dwelling
GREEN HILL PLACE
NC 56 (South Main Street) at Bunn Road in Louisburg
Site of first annual conference of Methodist Episcopal Church, 1785. One mile south.
Essay:
The Green Hill Place in Louisburg is associated with the birth of the Methodism in North Carolina. The house was built during the 1760s, and was known to Methodists as a landmark of the North Carolina circuit, the course of travel a pastor would follow in preaching throughout the state. The first Annual Methodist Episcopal Conference took place at Green Hill’s House on April 20, 1785.
Colonel Green Hill was a leading figure in the religious, martial, and political spheres of North Carolina life. From 1774 through 1779, Hill represented Bute County in various capacities, serving in the colonial Assembly in 1774 and the Second Provincial Congress in 1775. He also served as a Bute County magistrate beginning in January 1777.
Hill was active in the Methodist church, serving as a pastor in his community. It was in this capacity that he served as an Army chaplain in 1781. In 1785, Hill hosted Bishop Francis Asbury and representatives from Virginia, North and South Carolina in the first Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, held at the his house in 1785. Eleven years later Hill moved to Tennessee where he died at his home on Liberty Hill, a structure that closely resembles his house in North Carolina.
Built in the tradition of plantation style homes, the Green Hill House was renovated in 1988, but retains several features from the original design, such as brick chimneys and a tapered porch.
References:
Catherine W. Bishir and Michael Southern, A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Piedmont North Carolina (2003)
General Commission on Archives and History of the United Methodist Church, “Green Hill House” online at http://www.gcah.org/Heritage_Landmarks/Green.htm .
William S. Powell, ed., Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, III, 134-135—sketch of Green Hill Jr. by E. T. Malone, Jr.
W.L. Grissom, History of Methodism in North Carolina, From 1772 to the Present Time, Vol.1 (1905).
Thomas Neil Ivy, Green Hill (n.d.).
UNIQUE TOMB
US 401 at SR 1101 (Evans Road) south of Harris Crossroads
200 yards west, cut in a large granite boulder and covered by a marble slab, is the tomb of William A. Jeffreys, state senator, 1844-45.
THOMAS W. BICKETT
NC 39/US 401 (Bickett Boulevard) at NC 561 in Louisburg
Governor, 1917-21, first in state nominated by a Democratic primary, N.C. Attorney General, member state house. Home stands 1/2 mi. S.W.
Essay:
To Thomas W. Bickett, the first North Carolina governor to reach the office by way of a statewide party primary, fell the task of leading the state through World War I. The “War Governor” (one of several Tar Heel Chief Executives to share that nickname) was born on February 28, 1869, in Monroe to druggist Thomas Winchester Bickett and his wife, the former Mary Covington. His father died when young Bickett was thirteen years old. Educated in the public schools of Monroe and at Wake Forest College, where he graduated in 1890, Bickett himself taught in public schools in Marion and Winston-Salem before studying law at the University of North Carolina in 1892. The following year he was admitted to the bar and in 1895, after working briefly in Monroe and Danbury, he moved to Louisburg, where he joined an already successful practice. In 1898 he married Fannie Yarborough of Louisburg; only one of their three children survived infancy.
In 1906 Bickett was elected to represent Franklin County in the state House. In his single term he made his mark as the sponsor of the “Bickett Bill,” which set aside a half-million dollars to fund land purchases and building construction to facilitate care for the mentally handicapped. At the Democratic convention in Charlotte in 1908 Bickett drew acclaim for his speech nominating Ashley Horne for governor and was himself nominated for attorney general. In his two four-year terms in that office, Bickett successfully defended the state’s interests in almost 400 cases before the state Supreme Court and five cases before the United States Supreme Court, including a boundary dispute with Tennessee. In the 1916 Democratic primary for governor, the first held since the enactment of the primary law the previous year, Bickett defeated Elijah L. Daughtridge and in the fall defeated Republican Frank A. Linney.
Three months after Bickett’s inauguration the United States entered World War I. An exceptional orator, the Governor delivered speeches to lift spirits, sell Liberty bonds, and lead the war effort in North Carolina. In Ashe County in 1918 he took a direct role in solving a problem with local desertions. In his farewell address Bickett noted that 2,338 North Carolinians died in the war and stated that all of his achievements paled in comparison to the contribution of the 80,000 Tar Heels who had taken part in the conflict.
In his inaugural address in 1917 Bickett laid out a set of recommendations with attention given to moving farmers from tenancy to land ownership, to the importance of agricultural education, to the need for telephones in all rural homes, to an increase of the school term from four to six months, to the need for increased spending on public health, and to prison and hospital reform. Bickett’s initiatives met remarkable success with the legislature adopting forty of forty-eight proposals during his term.
The parole system was overhauled and the legislature, with the Governor’s endorsement, approved a $3 million bond program to permit expansion at state colleges and universities and increased funds for the charitable institutions. Tax reform measures modernized the state’s revenue structure. While not committed to an extensive program of road-building, Governor Bickett laid the groundwork for his successors by enlarging the duties of the State Highway Commission.
At the conclusion of his term in office Bickett set up law practice in Raleigh with Attorney General James S. Manning. On December 27, 1921, three weeks after he had attended the reception for Allied commander Marshal Ferdinand Foch in Monroe, the ex-governor suffered a stroke at his home in Raleigh and died the following day. His body lay in state in the Capitol before the funeral in Raleigh’s Christ Church and burial in Louisburg.
References:
R. D. W. Connor, ed., History of North Carolina: North Carolina Biography, IV (1919)
Sandra Sue Horton, “The Political Career of Thomas Walter Bickett” (M.A. thesis, University of North Carolina, 1965)
Santford Martin, comp., and R. B. House, ed., Public Letters and Papers of Thomas Walter Bickett, Governor of North Carolina, 1917-1921 (1923)
William S. Powell, ed., Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, I, 149-151—sketch by Nathaniel F. MacGruder
Proceedings of the Twenty-fourth Annual Session of the North Carolina Bar Association (1922)
(Raleigh) News and Observer, December 29, 1921
Robert Sobel and John Raimo, eds., Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, III (1978)
Mrs. Thomas W. Bickett Papers, North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh
MOSES A. HOPKINS 1846-1886
US 1A (Main Street) in Franklinton
U.S. minister to Liberia, 1885-1886; black clergyman. Founder & principal of Albion Academy which stood two blocks east.
Essay:
Moses Aaron Hopkins, educator and clergyman, was born into slavery in Montgomery County, Virginia, on December 25, 1846. During the Civil War he worked as a cook in Union camps. In 1866, at age twenty, Hopkins learned the alphabet, launching his lifelong interest in education. He attended Avery College, Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Lincoln University, also in Pennsylvania. Hopkins then enrolled at Auburn Seminary in New York. Completing his degree in theology in 1877, he was the first African American graduate of the seminary. Ordained by the Presbyterian Church in 1877, Hopkins moved to Franklinton.
In Franklinton Moses Hopkins founded Mt. Pleasant Presbyterian Church and Albion Academy. He led Albion through its formative years, which included the construction of an administration building, a shop, and a girls’ dormitory. Hopkins and his wife, Carrie, published a newspaper entitled The Freedmen’s Friend, the masthead of which designates it as “The Organ of Albion Academy and Our Race.” The only known issue is from August 1884. In 1885 Hopkins applied to the Democratic Party for a diplomatic post and was appointed Minister to Liberia on September 11 of that year. He reported to Monrovia within a month. Moses Hopkins died in Monrovia, Liberia, August 7, 1886. (Though most published sources list his death date as August 4, a researcher contacted the Department of State in 1950 to verify the date. The Chief of Historical Policy Research located a telegram dated August 9, 1886, sent to the American Colonization Society announcing that Hopkins died on August 7.) His place of burial is unknown.
The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, New York, New York, maintains the archives for Auburn Theological Seminary. The archives has a file on Hopkins that includes correspondence, newspaper clippings, and a copy of one issue of his newspaper, Freedmen’s Friend, Vol. 1, No. 4, dated August 1884.
References:
National Cyclopededia of American Biography, XII, (1904), 112-113
“Albion Academy, Franklinton, North Carolina,” in Cape Fear Presbytery, 1886-1986 (1986)
Correspondence between William S. Powell and G. Bernard Noble, February 8, 1950 and August 16, 1950, in Research Branch files, Office of Archives and History
G. F. Richings, Evidences of Progress Among Colored People (1902)
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/burke/archives/index.html
EDWIN WILEY FULLER
NC 39/US 401 (Bickett Boulevard) in Louisburg
Poet and novelist, 1847-1876, born in Louisburg. Wrote The Angel in the Cloud and Sea Gift. House is 4 blocks West.
Essay:
A native of Louisburg, Edwin Wiley Fuller is best remembered for his novel Sea-Gift, in which he depicted student life at his alma mater, the University of North Carolina. His Chapel Hill years commenced in 1864 but were interrupted by his father’s illness, which required his return home. Fuller completed his education at the University of Virginia, earning a degree in 1868. At Chapel Hill and in Charlottesville he published poetry. Back in Louisburg, he took over his father’s store and pursued his literary interests as a sideline.
Fuller’s first novel, Angel in the Cloud, appeared in 1871 and went through five editions by 1907. His novel Sea-Gift, which according to family tradition was written when he was eighteen, was published by E. J. Hale & Son in 1873. His works were widely read in his day. Sea-Gift is 348 pages long and takes its title from an incident described whereby a shipwreck off the North Carolina coast deposited the book’s heroine upon the beach. The “sea-gift” marries the other principal character, a former student at the University. Tales of romance and adventure ensue. The book in time was so popular among students at UNC that it was known at the “Freshman’s Bible.” In 1871 Fuller married Mary Elisabeth Malone and they had two daughters. He died at the age of twenty-eight.
References:
Edwin Wiley Fuller,Angel in the Cloud (1871) and Sea-Gift (1873)
Edwin Wiley Fuller Papers, Southern Historical Collection, UNC-Chapel Hill:
http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/inv/f/Fuller,Edwin_W.html
E.T. Malone Jr., “The University of North Carolina in Edwin Fuller's 1873 Novel, Sea-Gift,” North Carolina Historical Review (July 1976): 288-302
Robert L. Flowers, “Edwin W. Fuller,” Trinity Archive (March 1896): 332-343
Samuel A. Ashe, ed., Biographical History of North Carolina, VII, 107-110
William S. Powell, ed., Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, II, 248-249—sketch by E. T. Malone Jr.
JOHN WILLIAMSON 1846-1911
South Main Street at Mineral Springs Road in Louisburg
Former slave. Member, legislature, six terms; newspaper publisher & advocate of education. Grave is 1/2 mile west.
Essay:
Born into slavery in Georgia, John H. Williamson was brought to Louisburg by his widowed mother in 1858. Despite barriers to education, Williamson learned to read by the end of the Civil War and quickly became politically active. His first role was as a delegate to the state Freedmen’s Convention followed by appointment as Franklin County Registrar in 1867. Williamson eventually served six terms in the state legislature (1868-74, 1876-77, and 1887), more than any other nineteenth century African American. He served on his county Board of Education, as a Justice of the Peace, and as a delegate to Republican National Conventions in 1872, 1884, and 1888. While in office, Williamson advocated equal rights for blacks, proposing various legislative agendas to accomplish that goal. He also advocated the overall improvement of his race through education and personal improvement in order to earn a greater role in the political, economic, and social spheres.
Williamson recognized the power of the press and in 1881, the year he was elected Secretary to the North Carolina Industrial Commission, he founded The Banner, a paper dedicated to educational and industrial topics with the objective of promoting the Industrial Commission. With circulation across the state, The Banner was merged by Williamson with the Goldsboro Enterprise; he moved his printing operations to Raleigh in 1883. The Banner-Enterprise faltered and Williamson sold his shares to begin another, the Raleigh Gazette, in 1884. The Gazette became one of the state’s leading African American newspapers, sending its political, educational and industrial views statewide. The Gazette also saw growth in circulation to over 2,000, an impressive figure since most black papers had circulation numbers around 500. Counted as a friend by Josephus Daniels, Williamson was described as a man “pushing forward into new realms and bringing new conquests of glory” to his race.
References:
Eric Foner, Freedom’s Lawmakers: A Directory of Black Officeholders during Reconstruction (1993)
Henry L. Suggs, The Black Press in the South (1983)
R. K. Burkett, Black Biography, 1790-1950, II (1991)
John H. Haley, Charles N. Hunter and Race Relations in North Carolina (1987)
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