THE ROANOKE VALLEY: A REPORT
FOR THE HISTORIC HALIFAX
STATE HISTORIC SITE
PART I
by
Jerry L. Cross- May 31 , 1974
THE ROANOKE VALLEY
A REPORT FOR THE
HISTORIC HALIFAX STATE HISTORIC SITE
May 31, 1974
• TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part I. The Roanoke Valley: A History of a Region
A. Introduction
B. The Roanoke River
C. The First Inhabitants of the Roanoke Valley
D. Religion in the Roanoke Valley, 1740-1860
E. Politics in the Roanoke Valley, 1759 -1860
F. Education in the Roanoke Valley, 1760-1860
G. Entertainment in the Roanoke Valley, 1760-1860
H. Conmrunications and Transportation in the Roanoke
Valley, 1760- 1860
I. General Lafayette Visits Halifax
J. The Roanoke Valley and the War Between the States,
1861 - 1865: A Selected Bibliography
K. A Brief History of the Nonwhite Residents of the
Roanoke Valley in Two Sections
L. Notes on Industry and Agriculture in the
Present- Day Roanoke Valley
Part II. The Roanoke Valley: Individual Properties
A. The Playhouse
B. The Eagle Tavern
C. The Constitution House
D. The Owens House
E. The Sally- Billy House
F. The Clerk's Office -
More than a year ago Dr. H. G. Jones, Director of the Division of
Archive3 and History, asked several members of the staff of the Historic
Sites ani Museums Section to meet to discuss his ideas for the !llUSeum at
the Historic Halifax State Historic Site. Dr. Jones stated clearly that
he wished the museum to reflect regional history rather than the history
of the town and county of Halifax.
The Research Unit has concentrated its efforts on the general history
of the Roanoke Valley, as well as preparing detailed reports on the various
properties owned by the state. As always, other projects and work delayed
completion of the project for which a target date of April 1, 1974, had
been set.
The material was researched and written by Boyd D. Cathey, Jerry L.
Cross, and Elizabeth W. Wilborn. Other pertinent reports prepared by John s. ~
Duvall and Stuart C. Schwartz were added .
Sources have been cit~ so that if additional information is needed, it
will be readily accessible .
1b~~
Elizabeth W. Wilborn
Research Supervisor
May 31, 1974
--
PART I.
By
Elizabeth W. Wilborn
Boyd D. Cathey
Jerry L. Cross
A. INTRODUCTION
--
INI'RODUCTION
Before the Civil War there existed in the Roanoke Valley a group of
planters whose way or life was more similar to that or Virginia aristocracy
than to that or a North Carolina small farmer. In fact, many families l iving
in the val ley were originally from Virginia or had married Virginians. The
Long, Macon, Eppes, Jones, Smith, Burgwyn, Tyler, Gregory, and many other
families had their roots in southern Virginia. Intellectually, emotionally,
and po1ttically the people or the valley shared a common heritage . Nowhere
else in North Carolina was there such devotion to horse racing, cockfighting,
hunting, fishing, ani good food as existed along the Roanoke River. Gentle­men
gambled away fortunes ani devoted more hours to the breeding or fine
horses and dogs than they did to the growing or money crops . Even the con­servative
Nathaniel Macon hunted with abandon and his letters to his friend
and hunting companion, John Randolph or Roanoke, are filled with references
to the sport they both loved.
In Warren, Halifax, and Northampton counties there were racetracks, where
conviviality was the mode, followed by balls held in a tavern or hotel. Mem­bers
or this society intermarried; frequently cousins would marry, thus keep­ing
the land and money in the control or the same aristocratic group.
While it appears that the pursuit or pleasure was the raison d'etre, gen­tlemen
were often either attorneys or doctors, as well as planters. The Roanoke
Valley produced a number or leaders or statewide, if not national importance.
These men combined their public and mil itary service with their abilities
as planters or gentlemen-farmers with ease. While advertising and racing a
favorite stud or mare, or trying cases in the district court in Halifax, roen in
the valley conducted their plantation business, it not always profitably, at
least well. Corn, tobacco, and cotton were crops which prospered under the
slave system, then in effect. Estates papers of the period cite hundreds of
slaves disposed of as property. Often a humane note is introduced, stating
that "mother and children" or "husband and wife" should not be separated.
Frequently, house servants and horse trainers in the valley received their
freedom or a bequest in their master's or mistress' will.
Affluence was measured by a standard very different from that of the
twentieth century. ~ landowners in the valley owned thousands of acres ,
including lands in the western part of the state and lots in several towns
of the state. Planters shipped their produce down the Roanoke River or
ferried it across the water for sale in Virginia markets.
Women in the Roanoke Valley married young and reared large families,
nursed and cared for the children and Negroes, attended church, and enter­tained
the guests who were invited or who arrived unexpectedly. Such a
woman was Margaret Devereux Edmonston of Connoconara Plantation on the Roanoke.
Women attempted to lead exemplary lives, believing they could teach best by
example.
Letters of the period, like those of Samuel Johnston to his wife, are
spiced with observations on the social scene . Johnston did not find his
visits to the valley always pleasurable. But many others did en j oy the acti v­i
ties of the towns in the valley. The membership lists of the various Masonic
lodges are rosters of the prominent men in North Carolina. Governors, state
generals, and artisans joined the solemnity as well as the festivities
characteristic of the day.
It was customary for the men to attend court, business, and fraternal
meetings without feminine companions; however, balls, illuminations, Fourth
of July celebrations, suppers, and dinner parties were graced with wives,
daughters, and eligible young women. The North Carolina Journal, July 9, 1805,
described a tea party in Halifax "decorated with taste and elegance, adorned
by beauty and wit, [B.rt{J enlivened with vocal and instrumental music. • • 11
This party closed with a "sprightly dance. " other parties were held for
ladies only, with light refreshments and light conversations. For the middle
and poorer classes church services, camp meetings, weddings, and court days
offered a form of recreation or entertainment .
Gentlemen conducted themselves by a code of behavior as strict as that
of Lord Chesterfield. Those who failed to meet the standards were ostra­cized,
as was Robert Potter, who lost his seat in the House of Commons for
behaving in an 11 un~entlemanly" manner at a card game .
Ladies were the epitome of virtue, beauty, and wisdom and frowned on
any conduct that was gauche or lacking in refinement. Divorce was seldom
sought and frequently a wife's property was used to establish a business,
b~v a blooded mare, or was lost at a gambling table.
Women were apparently content to allow men to transact business; during
crises, such as the Civil War, some females demonstrated an ability to over­see
large plantations and to cope with rather hopeless situations.
In the area there were several mineral springs, visited b.y valley resi­dents,
as well as by outsiders. Shocco, Panacea, Jones, and Sulphur Spri~gs
were popular during the antebellum period and entire families frequented the
health spas . On weekends husbands and beaux left their work behind to join
those "taking the waters."
Life in the Roanoke Valley was never as sophisticated a s that of Charleston
or Richmon::i; however, it was satisfying to the people who lived there . The
studied pace ot daily living was well suited to the climate, and people
enjoyed the simple pleasure ot a bygone era.
--
..
B. THE ROANOKE RIVER ..
•
THE ROANOKE RIVER
The Roanoke Valley lies east of the piedmont in North Carolina running
northeaste.rly and bordering the state of Virginia. It has no definable
boundary for it touches Granville, Edgecombe, and Martin counties, but encom­passes
Warren, Halifax, Northampton, and most of Bertie. Once a center of
culture and enterprise, after 1840 the valley declined. Only recently has
there been a resurgence of the energetic and bustling life it once had .
The most significant geographical feature of the valley is the Roanoke
River, a mighty, wayward, and temperamental stream which plunges from the
northwest along the northeast corner of Warren County. It then "flows along
the Halifax-Northampton, Halifax-Bertie, Bertie-Martin, and Bertie- Washington
County lines into Bachelor Bay of the Albemarle Sound." Halifax County has
722 square miles and was formed in 1759 from Edgecombe, which was formed from
Bertie in 17 41. Halifax is bomlded by Bertie, Martin, Nash, Edgecombe,
Warren, and Northampton counties. The four principal counties in the valley
have a total of 2,400 square miles. Halifax is the largest with 722, Bertie
has 682, Northampton has 540, and Warren, the sma llest, has 443 square miles.
(Recorded figures of the number of square miles in these counties vary, in
part reflecting their river boundary.) Nearly all of the land is flat, except
for that near the Roanoke and the several streams that are its tributaries.
The river is now contained within its banks which are often steep. Where the
banks are low, swampy areas border the river.
Before the Roanoke was harnessed and controlled by the Buggs Island Dam
and the VEPCO Dam (Virginia Electric Power Company) at Roanoke Rapids, it often
rose 30 to 4 0 feet. From 1899 to 1950 the river flooded more than 200 times
and in 1940, the waters rose 58 feet at Weldon . The destructive force of the
river was sufficient to cause valley residents to consider flood control .
The Buggs Island Dam, now called Kerr Reservoir, was built t o keep t he
water level below 37 feet at Weldon, which is 6 f eet above low flood level .
At the latter level water leaves the banks of the river, but does not do
irreparable damage as it once did. Most older residents remember the awesome
spectacle of the raging, angry water as it spread across fields, meadows, and
roads carrying everything before it.
The Virginia Electric Power Company created a nine-mile long lake and
generates enough kilowatts of electricity to supply a quarter of a million
people.
In 1972 the "hundred year flood" occurred and both Kerr Lake and Lake
Gaston flooded, destroying highways and summer residences. Had not the dams
been constructed, it is difficult to imagine the devastation which would have
resulted.
For many years the silt of the rich bottomlands has produced superior
crops. While the river took away with one hand, it gave freely with the
other, for fertilizer bills were greatly reduced after floods.
Once known as the Moratuck or Moratoc, the Roanoke River has been feared
since it was first discovered by the Indians.
several years ago in reporting the fifth drowning in the Roanoke in five
months , the editor of the Roanoke Rapids newspaper wrote in an editorial:
The Roanoke is a treacherous river. It is especially treacherous in
this area. A sharp fall in the river, plus rocks , islands, shallow
and deep water, make it a dangerous river. The current in many places
is extremely awift. • • While at the river there was a discussion of
the meaning of the word Roanoke. One fellow mentioned that he had
always heard that Roanoke meant "the river of death," or the "red river
of death."
••• According to Mooney, the application of the name Roanoke (roanoke ,
ronoke, ronoak) , the Virginia and North Carolina term from Algonquian
dialect, which the records of Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina
constantly use to designate wampum. • •
._e By whatever name the river is known, it has a personality and character
unique in North Carolina.
Each of the counties in the valley has an economy based on agriculture.
In the past, the working of small farms has been conducted simultaneously with
the cultivation of large plantations. In recent years, young people have
sought employment in the large towns, such as Rocky Mount and Roanoke Rapids,
leaving the small farm lands to lie fallow or to be used as a range for beef
cattle.
There are numerous small towns in the valley which serve the local resi­dents,
including Weldon, Halifax, Warrenton, Roxobel, Colerain, Enfield,
Windsor, Littleton, Jackson, Rich Square, and Woodland .
Crops grown in the region are cotton, tobacco, corn, grain, and peanuts.
The area has developed into a leading producer of the peanut which is used as
food for man and hogs and also for a variety of other uses.
Following the Civil War, agriculture continued to dominate the economy
of the valley. Instead of slave labor, small tenant farmers and day laborers
performed the work necessary to prepare crops to be marketed in Virginia and
larger North Carolina towns. Railroads, completed before and during the war,
replaced waterways in the valley as trade routes and as a means of transportation .
Nowhere in America is there richer farming land than that found in
Northampton County. Cotton grows well on the plantations, some of which have
been owned and operated by the same families for 200 years.
Approximately 50 percent of the land of the region is in forest. Large
areas to the east and southeast are owned by the pulp companies which operate
in the valley and in nearby Virginia.
There is gr~at economic potential in the valley; however, there are only
a few industries to employ the inhabitants and the annual income is as much
as "from one-third to one-half below the state average."
•
There has been a steady decline in population in the eastern section of
the state for the past 20 years. There are according to the 1970 census,
114,221 residents in the Roanoke Valley compared to approximately 130,000 in
1960. Of the four counties in the valley, each has lost almost 4,000 citizens
during the past decade. Because of the scarcity of job opportunities in the
valley, the downward trend in population is expected to continue.
The largest fresh water herring fishery in the world is located in
Colerain. The seasonal work force swells to about 350 persons and is composed
primarily of farm workers. More than 10 million pounds of salt is used
annually. The salted herrings are frozen and marketed in the southeast.
Herring roe, considered a delicacy, is canned for a growing market. The Perry­Wynne
Company no longer fishes; fish are bought from individuals who take
their catches from the Chowan River and the Albemarle Sound. There are other
small fisheries; however, this industry, immortalized by David Hunt Strother,
has almost disappeared from the region.
Warren County is also an agricultural county, but its largest industry was
once its three resort springs. From 1810 to the 1930s one or the other of the
three large hotels were filled with people attempting to escape the heat and
"miasmas" of the coastal region. Jones' White Sulphur Springs opened first;
Shocco Springs operated from 1815 to 1875; Panacea Springs near Littleton was
the third, opening in 1885. The hotel at Panacea had 150 rooms and thousands
of gallons of the spring water were shipped by train all over the state.
The Roanoke Valley is an area where many plantation houses have survived.
Quite a few are maintained by the descendants of the men who built them. For­tunately,
the lack of "progress" has spared these fine old mansions along the
Roanoke River. The land of the valley has produced not only fine crops and
forests, but also a race of men and women proud of their corner of "the
goodliest soile."
C. THE FIRST INHABITANTS OF THE ROANOD VALLEY
THE FIRST INHABITANTS OF THE ROANOKE VALLEY
For centuries the Roanoke River has shaped the lives of the people in
the valley. Long before the first white settlers came, the Indians who lived
along its banks used the river for transportation and trade. Basically an
agricultural people, the largest tribe, the Tuscarora, planted their corn ,
beans, and squash in hills in the lowlands .
Historians disagree on the coming of the Tuscarora to the valley; however,
all agree that they possessed the land when the Roanoke voyages were made in
the 1580s .
Legends and myths of the Tuscarora state that the Sixth Nation was sent
to North Carolina by the Controller of Heaven . It is most likely that the
tribe wandered south seeking new hunting grounds. At any rate, the Indians
prosper ed, multiplied, and became a strong warlike nation. They formed a loose
confederation, controlling most of the eastern piedmont and the areas around
the Tar, Neuse, and Roanoke rivers . The Tuscarora had more than twenty towns
with perhaps between 5 , 000 and 6,000 warriors . This would mean that there were
approx imately 25,000 members of the tribe. They were enemies of the Creeks ,
Catawbas, and Cherokees and continued wars reduced the fighting str ength of
a l l o f the tribes .
There are a number of accounts of Tuscarora life in the seventeenth and
early eighteenth centuries. Among the better storE5 are those of John Lawson ,
who was killed by the Indians. Lawson traveled through much of the present
state of North Carolina in 1708 and reported that there were fifteen Tuscarora
towns at that time.
John Lederer, in July, 1670, passed through Tuscarora territory and was
impressed with the "fierce agressive nature" of the tribe. Lederer was convinced
that these Indians were enemies of all who passed through their lands .
Douglas L. Rights, in his The American Indian in North Carolina, wrote
As the white population increased, extending settlements steadily
inland, the Indians saw their former habitation and hunting grounds
rapidly diminishing. The land occupied by the settlers was usually
received under form of purchase, but surveys were indefinite and the
land deeds were not always approved by the various tribes that in­habited
the country. The Indians resented the steady encrouchment
upon their territory. They visited the settlements unmolested, some
finding employment with the colonists, and they enjoyed generally
friendly relations with their new neighbors, but they were people of
the forest and could not adapt themselves easily to the white man's
manner of living. Incursions into their territory and the clearing
of the land alarmed them and aroused in them ill will against the
newcomers.
Unscrupulous men of the colony were guilty of gross abuse
against the Indians, although the government sought to be friendly.
Instructions of the Lords Proprietors to the governor in 1676 read,
"Cultivate friendship with the Indians."
There are misconceptions concerning the Indians who occupied the col ony
and Rights attempts t.o establish facts in his general description . "Although
the Indians have been called Red Men, this title is not altogether correct.
Their color was more nearly brown ••• a deep tan with a blush." Frequent
use of dyes made from bear's oil and other material, continues Rights, caused
the skin to darken. The hair of their heads and bodies was plucked or burned
away except for the scalp lock. This they decorated with beads and feathers.
They were a well-shaped, clean-made people , chiefly inclined to be tall,
though statures varied. The Indians were very straight except in their old
age, muscula.r, and generally slender. They were lithe and agile, dexterous
with their hands and feet and deformities of any kind were rare. So rare, in
fact, that Lawson noted the one example he saw of a hunchback. In pureblooded
Indians the hair and eyes were black and the eyesight very keen.
Nails on the fingers and toes were allowed to grow and harden, as the
Indians considered them natural weapons. To cut them was to destroy man's
gift from the gods.
The Indians were capable of great endurance, were good rwmers, and could
engage in their strenuous dances for several nights in succession without
collapsing. They were also able to endure great torture without flinching and
were generally a stoic people. While it is difficult for the white man to
comprehend, the Indians accepted death without a "resentful murmur" and endured
their losses without pain.
The Indians had certain scientific information, which has often been
exaggerated. By observation they knew directions, the changing of the winds,
and could draw crude, but understandable, maps showing natural features . They
had their own names for the months of the year and knew the changes of the
moon. Hours of the day were reckoned by the height of the sun and their age
was determined by winters, regardless of when they were born.
The tribes occupying North Carolina differed in their style of dress,
some wearing feather coats for warmth, as portrayed by John White. These
coats were beautifully made with figures designed in certain colored feathers .
Women wore aprons of deerskins or some woven material as shown by White in
several of his drawings. Shells were used to decorate the women's hair which
was bound in a long roll on the nape of their necks. Women's tasks included .
the making of pots, baskets, and utensils for cooking. Fires, made by rubbing
two sticks together, served to warm their homes, as well as to cook their
food. Women sewed clothing and footwear, using needles made from the big
bones of deer or fowl.
Men had to pay for their wives and, if they could afford to, could have
more than one; however, tribal laws demanded that they support all of them.
Men hunted and fished for food, drying their surplus for the long months when
game was less plentiful.
•
The hunting season began in late fall and continued until late winter.
Men established themselves in "hunting quarte rs ," often leaving children and
the elderly in their villages. Frequently, the entire population of a village
would move for the hunt, returning only to plant their crops for the summer.
Lawson described the "Hunting Quarter" where there were 500 Tuscaroras. "They
had made themselves streets of houses built with Pine Bark, not with round
Tops , as they commonly use, but Ridge Fashion, after the manner of most other
Indians." The Indians gave Lawson and his party nothing but corn , "Flesh
being not plentiful," because of the great numbers of Indians. Lawson stated
that in spite of their skill as hunters, the Indians could not supply food to
so many from "one Range," which made venison very scarce. The tribes living
nearer "the Sea" were better supplied than others , perhaps because seafood was
so plentiful. Lawson remarked on the quality of the crawfish , thinking those
he ate were "as good as any in the World."
Most of the Tuscarora villages were located along streams , rivers, or
coastal waters. The more important towns had townhouses, larger than the
ordinary dwellings, where public affairs were conducted. Near here games and
dances were held. Adjacent to their villages were the planting grounds, where
corn, beans, squash , pumpkins , and potatoes were planted, these being the basic
food c rops . Corn was eaten roasted and dried and was stored in pots or baskets
for winter. Parched ·and pounded, it served as "Rockahominy meal" and could be
easily carried on travels. Wild fruits and berries, fresh or dried, supple­mented
the diet--persimmons, pawpaws, and the roots of various plants were
utilized. Fish were trapped in weirs, made of r ocks, which were placed across
stream beds .
The type of government differed with the tribes; however, besides the
Chief, there were usually a war captain , several counselors, and a shaman or
•
medicine man. Wealth was reckoned by roonoak (shell beads) or wamplUII , the
chief medium of exchange. Metal ornaments were used as necklaces and pearls,
found in coastal waters, were also used for ornamentation. The metal for
ornaments was obtained by the Tuscarora by trade as there were no mines along
the Tar, Neuse, and Roanoke rivers.
Playful, but crafty by nature, all Indians loved to gamble and frequently
lost their entire wealth in a game. The game they enjoyed most was similar to
crapshooting. They also played a rough game , known today as stickball, but
called chungke. Ritual dances, such as the corn dance or war dance, had
musical accompaniment and were endurance contests, lasting for many hours.
The Indian's knowledge of medicine has been exaggerated. Normally quite
healthy in their natural environment, the Indian was most susceptible to
European diseases. Smal lpox, in particular, killed hundreds , greatly reducing
the number of Indians in North Carolina. The medicine man was in some measure
a fake and used superstition and a form of witchcraft to control the people.
He also used to his advantage any fortuitous happening or event .
The Great Spirit and the Happy Hunting Ground that are associated with
Indians are principally the white man's interpretation of the Indian's religion .
They were a very religious people, but a study of the myths and legends of the
Tuscarora reveals little basis for belief in the Great Spirit. Every act of
the Indian was based on a belief but the belief was not in one god. Several
gods determined the weather, victory in wars, deaths, or success in hunting.
The mighty and powerful Tuscarora controlled the entire piedmont area
of North Carolina in agreement with their allies . To the far north (Virginia)
the POwhatan federation was pr eeminent and to the west the Catawbas and the
Cherokees posed a threat, but the Tuscarora held the lands where trade
flourished and served a.s a barrier to developing an east-west trade. Under
their warrior-kings they ruled more than a third of the present state, sub­duing
smaller tribes.
D. RRLIGION IN THE ROANOKE Vll.LEI, 1740-1860
REUGION IN THE ROANOKE VALLEY, 17 40-1860
Religion was an integral part of the li vee of the settlers of the Roanoke
Valley. Uke the colonists in other parts of America, the people who came and
settled on or near the banks of the Roanoke Ri. ver brought the desire for reli-gion
with them.
In most of the coastal areas imm::i.grants were accompanied by ministers or
pastors. It was much more difficult to do this in the hinterland. The dif-fusion
of settlers inland made it practically impossible in eighteenth century
North Carolina for pastors to be called or assigned to any one location for a
' great length of time. In some instances chapels were constructed in the middle
of vast areas to accoomodate the sparse population. A more popular method,
which came into vogue as the century progressed, was the "circuit ." A tra-veling
preacher or pastor would stop at several designated places in a parti-cular
district to preach and perform sacraments for the faithful gathered in
each place. The earliest circuit-riders usually held services nnder primitive
conditions, either outdoors or in the homes of the congregations. Small
houses of worship usually followed, being constructed when the need justified
construction.
The earliest settlers in the Roanoke Valley were probably members of the
Church of England or followers of one of the Baptist sects. In 17~ when the
county of Edgecombe was established, a new Anglican parish was likewise created
1 to encompass the new county. The new ~rish had no regularly assigned pastor
until 1747 when the Reverend James Moir, a missionary sent by the Society for
the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, came from New Hanover County
to assume responsibilities.
2
On ~ugust 18, 1747, one Stephen Gade, an
-
innkeeper, deeded to Colonel John Haywood and William Kinchen, Churchwardens
of Edgecombe Parish a tract c£ three acres ". • • being on the south side of
the road leading from Captain [Joseph] Lane's to the Court House [then at
Enf'i.eld]."3 On this site, near Conoconnara Swamp 1.2 miles east of Old Cro-well
Cross Roads, construction of a church was begun in 1749. In a report
dated May 2, 1749, the Reverend Moir announced that "the church is almost
finished. u4
After the division of the parish in 1756, the Reverend Thomas Burgess
succeeded the Reverend Mr. Moir as rector. Burgess served the parish until
the outbreak of the War f ·or Independence. Moir, afte~ serving the new
St. Mary's Parish split off from the Edgecombe Parish, went to St. George ' s
Parish in Northampton County.5
With the disestablishment of the Church of England in North Carolina in
1776, the old Anglican church near Conoconna.ra Swamp lost most of its con-gregation.
The church building fell into disrepair and ruin in the late
eighteenth century. This building was replaced in the early years of the
nine~eenth century by a general subscription; however, the new church was
constituted a "free church" and used only by Baptists. 6
An early Anglican Chapel in the area was Kehukee Chapel, constructed near
the town of Scotland Neck. The exact date of its erection is unknown, although
the building appears to have been constructed, at least partly, of brick. In
1828 Bishop Jolm Ravenscl'lOft, of the reco~stituted Protestant Episcopal Church,
preached a funeral service at this chapel, and he returned in 1829, on a jour­ney
which inc~uded a service in the town of Halifax. 7 A new structure was
built in 1832, and in 1854-1855 a third building was erected. This building,
8
Old Trinity Church, stands today.
The Great Awakening had its effects in the Roanoke Valley. During the
-
1740s missionaries visited the various parts or North Carolina, evangelizing,
converting, and ~ptizing the inland inhabitants. 9 Prominent aJ!l)ng the early
evangelists were the Baptists. Accord.ing to Lizzie Wilson Montgomery in her
Sketches of Old Warrenton, North Carolina, there was a Baptist congregation in
Warren County as early as 1745, eight miles southeast of Warrenton at Reedy
Creek.10 And Baptists appear to have existed contemporaneously with Anglicans
in what is now Halifax County. The Kehukee Baptist Association, one of the
earliest Baptist groups in the state, was formed in 1769. Lemuel Burkitt, a
prominent evangelist and leader ot the state's Baptists helped spearhead orga­nizational
efforts ot the association. In 1783 and 1790 the Kehukee Baptist
Association held general meetings at Davis' Meeting House, Halifax County,
11
near Conoconnara Swamp.
During the last years ot the eighteenth century and the first decades of
the nineteenth it was the Methodists who led missionary efforts in North Caro-lin&
and in the Roanoke area. Methodism, an evangelical outgrowth of the
Church ot England, was organized as a separate church only in 1784. Prior to
that year the so-called "Methodist circuit riders" maintained Anglican connec-tions.
The Anglican revivalist, the Reverend Devereux Jarrett, had regularly
visited the Roanoke counties between 1776 and 1783. The new Methodist bishop,
Francis Asbury, traversed the area periodically .12
Methodism was ideally suited to preparing the way for the Great Revival
of the early 1800s. Methodist ci.rcuit riders traveled the length of the state
preaching a simple message: "Our call is to save that which is lost. • • •
Whenever the weather will permit, LWiJ go out in God' s name into the public
places, and call all to repent arxl believe the gospel. 1113 In 1783, when
Methodist circuit rider Jesse Lee preached at Whitaker's Chapel in the Roanoke
circuit, "the congregation wept urxler the word preached !i-- 4 In 1788 Bishop
Asbury coJII!lented about Northampton County that "preaching and prayer is fjJ:i!
-
not labour here ••• their noise I heed not; I can bear it well when I know
that God and Christ dwell in the hearts of the people. n
15
Both Whitaker's Chapel and Eden Church in Halifax County joined the
Methodist reform movement around 1776. Both had been Anglican chapels deeply
affected by the missionary zeal of Methodist circuit preachers. Whitaker's
Chapel had been originally organized in the middle of the eighteenth century;
Eden Church, in about 1760. Whitaker's takes its name from Richard Whitaker,
who settled on a grant of land seven miles southeast of Enfield around 1740.
Until 1828 it was used by the Methodist Episcopal Church, when it became the
first Methodist Protestant Church in North Carolina. Like Whitaker's Chapel,
Eden Church al~o broke with the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1828.
16
This schism in the Methodist Episcopal Church had its roots in the con­tinued
revival spirit of the 1820s, which, among other characteristics, be-came
markedly "democratic" in outlook. Some members within the Methodist
community, subscribing to a kind of Jacksonian democracy not only in politics
but also in religion, advocated 1~ representation in the government of the
church and the elimination of the office of bishop. The result was the
formation of the Methodist Protestant Church, a major denomination, which
reunited with Methodist Episcopal bodies in 1939. 17
The revivals of the 1820s were important occasions for many inhabitants
of the Roanoke Valley. The Great Revival of. the first few years of the nine­teenth
century made the camp meeting popular, and it continued in vogue
throughout most of the century. An evangelist--sometimes several-would hold
forth in an open field or clearing, sometimes for ~s, preaching, singing,
baptizing anew the faithful. Individuals and families would literally "camp"
in the area during the revival. During two months of 1824, alone, the Halifax
Free Press reported the efforts of at least four major camp meetings in the
18 valley. Commenting on a camp meeting in Northampton County, eight miles
north of Hali-fax town, a "Friend to Camp-meetings" observed:
It is but justice to say, that the people in the neighborhood are
so well moralized and christianized, and so well acquainted with the
rules of politeness and good decorum, that it will be the height of
their ambition to suppress vice and promote virtue. Should a fugi­tive
make his appearance on the ground, they will be active in per­suading
him to withdraw from the encampment, or promptly take the
necessary steps to bring him to justice. Come up, ye minister s, ye
faithful heralds of the gospels of a risen Savior, whose breasts he
has made the peculiar deposite of genuine and substantial virtue.
Come up, ye men of Israel, and ye daughters of Zion, to the help of
the Lord. 19
Over in Bertie County a Baptist minister reported: "The revival of Re-ligion
in this co.unty is much greater than any we ever witnessed. Nearly 500
have been Baptized this year; some days 44 in a day, and some months more than
a hundred in a County. n
20
Beyond the organization of churches, the prevalence of camp meetings, and
the existence of a constant evangelization, the Roanoke Valley also experi-enced
the more literary aspects of revivalism. The sale of iibles and spiri-tually-
oriented books proceeded br iskly. Adam Clark ' s Commentary on the Holy
Scriptures was pr aised by the Halifax. Free Press in 1824 for its practicality. 21
And the same year witnessed activities of the Halifax Bible Society, formed
. 22
to place Bibles in the hands of anyone WJ.thout a copy.
In the towns of the valley the establishment and construction of churches
lagged. The first church in Halifax was built in 1793. The North Carolina
Journal, published there, reports: "ON Friday last was raised in this town the
frame of a CHURCH. The town of Halifax was incorporated in May, 1759, and the
first house of Vublic worship is attempted a.f'ter 34 years. The sum subscribed,
we are informed, amounts to about 400 il. The subscription is still open to those
who wish t o encourage this useful institution. n23 This building was used by
various religious groups in Halifax during its existence.
In 1829 the Halifax church was visited by the Methodist Episcopal ministers)
Hezekiah G. Leigh and William H. Hill, the Protestant Episcopal bishop John
Ravenscroft, and several other preachers of unlmown church connection. 24 Indi-vidual
Baptist and Episcopal churches were in existence before the War Between
the States in Halifax. The St. Mark's Episcopal Church congregation in the town
represents, along with Old Trinity Church near Scotland Neck , a survival of the
old Edgecombe Parish. The present structure was built in 1854-1855. 25
Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Warrenton was consecra&ed in 1824, and a
Presb,yterian structure was built on Front Street in 1827. 26 Presb,yterianism,
strong in Piedmont North Carolina, was weak in the Roanoke Valley. The found-ing
of a Presb,yterian congregation in the area owes much to the Plummer family
of Warren County. 27
Among the non-evangelical Protestants who settled the Roanoke counties
the Quakers are pro~nent. In 1760 groups of Friends from Hertford, Edgecombe
[including Halifax], and Northampton counties received permission from the
Perquimans Quarterly meeting to establish a Monthly Meeting at Rich Square.
The Rich Square Monthly Meeting of Friends, which continues today as a part
of the North Carolina Yearly Meeting of Friends (conservative) , dates from that
year, and enjoys a distinguished history.
28
The first meeting house was con­structed
in 1760. The charges for its construction amounted to "Five pounds,
eleven shillings, and eight pence. n
29
During the American Revolution, and later during the War Between the
States, most members of the Rich Square Monthly Meeting refused to bear arms.
Minutes exist which detail an appeal made by Colonel Allen Jones, requesting
"to have a list of all male Friends from the age of Sixteen to Sixty Years in
order that they may be exempted from being called on to act under the Mill tia
Law according to an Act of Assembly in that case made and provided. n3° Then,
too, the Quakers of the valley, like Quakers in other parts of the country,
generally opposed slavery. 31
The first Catholics in the Roanoke Valley arrived about 1820. Michael
Ferrall, who later . purchased the famous Eagle Hotel in Halifax, was probably
•
the first Catholic to practice the faith in the area. Ferrall came from County
Longford, Ireland, the first of several sturdy Irish Catholics who settled in
Halifax County. The small Catholic population assisted at Mass, first in a
room set aside in Ferrall' s tavern, and later, beginning in 1889, in the Church
of the Immaculate Conce~tion which still stands in Halifax. At first the ob­jects
of some prejudice, the early Catholic immigrants established themselves
firmly in the town, soon winning the respect of the local community and an
importance out of proportion to the number of cormnunicants. 32
Religion continues to play an important role in the lives of inhabitants
of the Roanoke Valley. Despite the various challenges of the last third of
the twentieth century, there is a religious continuity yet flourishing in the
region •
FOOl'NOI'ES
1. William L. Saunders ( ed.), The Colonial Records of North Carolina
(Raleigh: State of North Carolina, 10 volumes, 1886- 1890), XXTII,
164, hereinafter cited as Saunders, Colonial Records.
2. Saunders, Colonial Records, IV, 795.
3. Deed Book 3, p. 156. Halifax County Deeds.
4. Saunders, Colonial Records, IV, 923.
5. Saunders. Colonial Records, VI, 372; see also Stuart H. and Claiborne T.
Smith, Jr., The History of Trinity Pjrish , Scotland Neck, and Edgecombe
Parish, Halifax County (Durham, 1955 , 10-11, hereinafter cited as
Smith, Trinity Parish; and Henry W. Lewis, Northampton Parishes (Jackson,
North Carolina, 1951).
6. Smith, Trinity Parish, 18; see also Blake Pittman, Jr., 11 Scrap of History,
Old Conoconary Church." Unpublished manuscript, Halifax County Library,
Halifax.
7. Halifax Minerva, April 23, 1829.
8. Daily Herald (Roanoke Rapids), May 11, 1958 .
9. See Guion G. Johnson, "Revival Movements in Ante- Bellum North Carolina,"
North Carolina Historical Review, X (January, 1933), 21-43, hereinafter
cited as Johnson, "Revival MOvements."
10. Lizzie Wilson Montgomery, Sketches of Old Warrenton, North Carolina
(Raleigh: Edwards and Broughton, 1924), hereinafter cited as Montgomery,
Old Warrenton.
11. George Paschal, History of North Carolina Baptists (Raleigh: North Caro­lina
Baptist State Convention, 2 vola., 1930), I, 417, 488.
12. J ohneon, "Revival Movements," 24.
13. Johnson, "ReviTal Movements," 24.
14. Johnson, "Revival Movements," 24.
15. Johnson, "Revival Movements," 25.
16. Notes on Whitaker's Chapel and Eden Church, in the "Churches in Halifax"
file, Section of Historic Sites and Museums, Division of Archives an:i
History, Department of Cultural Resources, Raleigh.
17. Notes on Whitaker's Chapel and Eden Church, in the "Churches in Halifax"
file.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
Free Press (Halifax),
October 15, 1824.
Free Press (Halifax),
Free Press (Halifax),
Free Press (Halifax),
Free Press (Halifax),
September 3, 1824, September 10,
September 10, 1824.
October 15, 1824.
September 24, 1824.
November 12, 1824.
23. North-Carolina Journal (Hali.tax), June 26, 1793.
24. Halifax Minerva, April 23, 1829, and December 17, 1829.
1824, and
25. Joseph Blount Cheshire (ed.), Sketches of Church Histoty in North Carolina
(W11.m1ngt.on, 1892), 273; see also clippings in "Churches in Halifax" file;
and Roanoke News (Weldon), March 25, 1926.
26. MontgomeJ7, Old Warrenton, 175, 189.
27. Mont.gome17, Old Warrenton, 189-191.
28.
29. Littrell, Rich §Quare Meeting, 7.
30. Littrell, Rich Square Meeting, 21.
31. Littrell, Rich Square Meeting, 19.
32. See copies of papers o! the Gary family of Halifax, now in the
"Churches o! Halifax" !ile.
-
BmLIOGRAPHY
Allen, W. C. History of Hal.ifax County. Boston, 1918.
Cheshire, Joseph Blount (ed.) Sketches of Church History in North Carolina.
Wilmington (N.C.), 1892.
"Churches in Halifax," file, in Section of Historic Sites and Museums, Divi­sion
of Archives and Histor,., Department of Cultural Resources, Raleigh.
Daily Herald (Roanoke Rapids), 1958.
Free Press (Halifax), 1824.
Halifax County Deeds, Section of Archives and Manuscripts, Division of
Archives and Histor.y, Department of Cultural Resources, Raleigh.
Halifax MinerTa, 1829.
Johnson, Guion Griffis. "The Camp Meeting in Ante-Bellum North Carolina,"
North Carolina Historical Review, X (April, 1933), 95-110 •
• "Revival Movements in Ante-Bellum North Carolina,"
---::N:-o-rt:-:h--::C:-a-ro-:l~ina:---H:":"istorical Review, X (January, 1933), 21-43. ·
Lewis, Henry W. North.allpton Parishes. Jackson (N.C.), 1951.
Littrell, Mary P. A Histo of Friends,
1760-1960. Woodland
Mont gomer,., Lizzie Wilson. Sketches of Old Warrenton, North Carolina.
Raleigh, 1924.
North Carolina Journal (Halifax), 1793.
Paschal, George W. History of North Carolina Baptists. 2 vols. , Raleigh, 1930.
Pittman, Blake, Jr. "A Scrap of Histor,., Old Conocon.ary Church." Unpublished
manuscript, Halirax County Library, Halifax.
Roanoke News (Weldon), 1926.
Saunders, William L., Walter Clark, and others (eds.) The Colonial and State
Records of North Carolina, 1662-1790. 30 vols. Charlotte, Winston,
Goldsboro, Raleigh, 1885-1911.
Smith, Stuart H. and Claiborne T., Jr. The History of Trinity Pari sh, Scot­land
Neck, and Edgecombe Parish, Halifax County. Durham, 1955.
E. POLITICS IN THE ROANOKE VALLEY, 1759-1860
POLITICS IN THE ROANOKE VALLEY, 1?5<) - 1 nt·O
Dur ing the first seventy ;"e ars of American indPpen,Jence the • o~r o~e
Valley of North Carolina exercised an inordinate political influence , bot'"~
in the state and in the nation. In politics, it was in many wav s the
cradle of the American republic .
We must begin before 1?76, before the break with England . Halifax, the
central and most jmportant town of the valley, had been founded in 1757 , and
almost immediately had assumed prominence in the region. Situated on the
Roanoke River, Halifax could be reached by schooners and fl at- boats plying
the inland \'laters of the state. The old Pe tersburg-to~eorgia post ro,qd cros ­sed
the river there . Great tobacco and cotton plantations d otted the valley ,
funneling their products through the l ittl e town. Among t he great olanters
of the area there were a number of men who would help determine the su~se ­quent
history of the s tate of North Carolina and the new United St ate3 .
Before the War for Independence several Halifax me n had participated
prominently i.n the polttical lite of t h e col ony. One s nch i ndividual wa s
Joseph Montfort, the Provincial Grand Ma s ter of the Freemasons in North
America a nd an influential member of the Colonial Ass embl y . But it wa s
the revolutionary experience that first pro jected Halifax and the Ro anoke
Valley onto center sta ge .
When t he Provincial Congress convened in Ha lifax on An ril 4, 1776 the
issues were clear to the delegates. Already blood ha d been shed C'ln North
Caro l ina soil, at Mo ores Creek, where patriot militia had defeated a for ce of
two thousand Scots Highlander Tories in February of that year . Sentiment for
independence wa s practically unanimous . A special committee was appo in t e~ t o
d raft suitabl e resolutions. On April 12 Cornelius Harnett made the report
of the committee :
fteso 1 V P i, That the delegates for this Co 1 on v in the Co!:'lt; n~r:t.a 1
Congress re impovrered to COI'!Cur with the ti'e l egates of 0the!' Coi 01. · 3::;
i n riPclaring Independency, and forming fo rF' ign alliancP <> , re-s;-. • -· 5 ~
to this Co] on~r the sole and exclusive right of f orming a Cons !:: t•1tion
and laws for this Colony , and of appointing delegates from t~e to
time (tmder the direction of a general representation thereof), to
meet the delegates of the other Colonies for such purposes as shall
be hereafter pointed out .
This resolution. the first of its Yind in the American colonies . was
anoptert unanimously on April 12, and its recommendations were acteri upon
shortly thereafter by the Continental Congress meeting in Phil adelphia . On
July 4 , 177~. a national Declaration of Independence was ~ccepted Pmt o~yin g
the Halifax Resolves.
On Nove~ber 12 of the same year the Provincial Congress ass'e~ble'l jn
llal ifaY OI'Ce again, for the business of drawing up a bi 11 "f rights an:! a
state constitution . A committee was appointed by the Congress •·to f o47. anc!
1 a y before the Co ngre ss a Bi ll of Rights and the form of a Constitution . ,.1
~olonial Reco rrls, X, 9J~7 On this co~ttee served the brothers Allon an1
Willie Jones . Willie Jones, from the borough of Halifax , was the leading
spokesman for the more radical f act ion of the Congress , while his trot~er ,
Allen , of Northamnton County, was a leading conservative . After consi :iera't-}e
rin'bate. the rill of rights 'Na.S passed on December 17, l77f.., and the r,cr -
s titution, the 1ay after . It is generally agree·i that Willie Jones cx~• · C' ls ... _
a strong influence in the drafting of the bill of rights . The constitution ,
however, was co nsiderably more conservative , incorporating impo rtant suf.~.·rage
and office - holding reouirements that would remain unchanged for sixty yea""s .
Willie Jones , the delegate from the Town of Halifax, deserve: s o~e at -
tention in relation to these events . Perhaps no man was more important du1irg
the early years of North Carolina's independence . Born in 1741, the son of
11obin J ones and t he brother of Allen Jones, t·lillie Jones became , rt uring the
late colonial period, a leading plantAr of the Roanoke Valley. 1/'lhen Alle n
Jones established himself at "Mount Gallant " in Northampton County, ~villie
bu i 1 t T'f)e Gro v~'> House, an imposing structur"! outside Hal.ifax town . 2
Beginning in 1776 A-nd continuing into the 17o"'s .Torrs SQ!··-,.. ~ ir t t-. e
State Legislature, taking a lea-ling role in the direction of the :3tat ~ ' s
affairs. According to an important North Carolina historian he .,.n~ "the
recognized leader of men who really controllerl public affairs in Hort'1 C;:ro ­lina
. "J In 1787 he was elected a delegate t o the constitutional convention
which met at Philadelphia to draft the Crmstitution . But Jones iecl.ined to
serve because of his strong anti-federalist principles. He opposed a central
government as staunchly as he favored political democracy .
In a spectacular manner Willie Jones led the opposition to the rat~fic~ti on
nf t'f)e national constitution b;v North Carol i na. In 1.787 Jones \·r.qs the acknov'­ledged
head of the anti-federal, anti-constitution forces in t he state . De ­spite
the efforts of vli.lliam R. Davie, James Iredell , Sanr...1el Jol-)nston, f? ichar 1
Dobbs Spaight, and other important Federalist leaders of the s tate, when the
ratjfication convention met in Hillsborough on July 21, 1788 , the anti- ferieral­ist
forces counted a majority of one hundred . Jones maneuvered his delegates
tactfully. When the vote was taken on ratification the measure wa s Qefeated
by a vote of 184 to 84 .
One of Jones' major opponents in the debate over the ratification of the
r.onstitution was another Halifax planter: WilJ iam Richardson Davie . !listori ­cally,
Davie merits even more attention than Jones . Born in Erglan~ in 175(,
Davie distinguished himself during the War for Independence . After t he war
he became a leader of the pro- federal faction in the state . In 1787. Davie
was a delegate from North Carolina to the Philadelphia convention, and by his
e l oouence and knowl .edge did his home state much credit during the det-ates . He
was instrumental in securing the compromise between the larger and the smalle r
states over representation.
Davie's activities d i d not e nd with the defeat of r atification efforts
in 1789 . In the following year, at Fayetteville, the Constitution was rati­rj
ed fina 11 v. And nruch of the credit nrust go t.o William r. . Davie .
Davie r ~ pr e sent ed the bo rough of Halifax in the Hous~ of Co '1ll'l1o ns du"·i np:
the late 1780s and the 1790s, laboring uncea singly for the e stablisbment o f a
state university. He secured, finaJlv, in 1789 the act of incorDora tion f or
the University of North Carolina . Davie was in a real sense the father of
the tmiversity, laying the corner stone of the first buil d ing in 17 Q3 .
In view of the probability of war with France in the days after the
French Revolution, Davie was appointed, successively, Major-General of t h e
State Mi l itia, by Governor Spaight and Brigadier-General of the United States
Annv, by President John Adams . He was confirmed in 1798 by the United States
Senate. In this same year he was elected Governor of North Carolina .
In 1799 Governor Davie, "experienced il'1 public office, successful in
business affairs , conservative in politics , eminently respecta~le, and re­presentative
of the best in North Carolina public life,"4 was one of three
men appointed by President Adams to draw up a treaty with the French govern­ment.
The successful Convention of 1800 with France owes much to his diplo­matic
skill.
President Thomas Jefferson appointed General Da vie commissioner in 1802
for the United States government t o settle claims between the State of hor th
Carolina and the Tuscarora Indians remaining in the state . In June, 1803, t he
Tuscaroras removed to New York.
That same year saw Davie make his last appea rance in a public capacity.
He stood for the United States House of Representatives against Willis Alston ,
Jr . , of Halifax. Alston was an anti- federalist , and Davie was narrowly defeateri .
Retiring to a South Carolina plantation, he spent the rest of his life in re­tir
ement, declining an appointment as Major-Gener al in the United States Army
during the \iar of 1812.
-- Wi 1 J is J\ lston, Jr., the victor over William F.. Davie , represent"' ·! the
Halifax district of the Roanoke Valley in Congress for twenty- two years .
Alston was a follower of Thomas Jefferson, and, as such, reflected the ~ vr r ­whelming
opinion of his constituents.
But even more significant in the history of the valley was Nathaniel
Macon . Macon, during his long and notable political career, personifie1 the
old-fashioned, planter republicanism of the Roanoke region. It trul y can be
said that no North Carolinian has ever en,io:ved as much national influencP. .
From 1791 until 1828 Macon represented the state in t he House and in t he Senate :
a tota 1_ of thirty- seven years. From 1800 onwards he was, in addition to ~ i s
national prominence, the acknowledged leader of the North Carolina Congressional
delegation.
Macon was born in Warren County in 1758, and attended Princeton College
at an early age. He saw service in the Continental Army and read l aw in his
home county. In 1783 he married Hannah Plwnmer, their romance being the su.b,4ect
of a famous North Carolina love story. Macon and his wife establ i shed thems~lve3
modestlv, at Buck Spring, not far from the Roanoke River. Tragica1l.y, Hannah
Macon died in 1790, leaving Nathaniel a widower the rest of his lif ?! .
In 1791 Macon was eJected to the United States Congress , short 1 v tl~ere ­after
establishing hi s reputation for honesty and frugality . With elec~ior of
Thomas Jefferson as President in 1800, Macon became speaker of the House of
Representatives. In 1803 he was instrumental in the purchase of the Louisiana
Territory. During these years he developed an intimate friendship with the
illustrious John_ Randolph of Roanoke. The two of them would often leave :·!ash­ington
for the southside of Virginia or for the Roanoke Valley to snend days
fox~hunting . Randolph was often a guest at Buck Spring, as was James Monroe
in l.ater years .
By 1807 Macon had drifted away from President Jefferson, l arge1 y t-eca~1se
he f elt the president had compromised too often in matters of republic~n
princi-ple. In that year he gave up the speakership. Macon, RandoJ.ph . and
s~veral ot'l1er "strict" republicans became known as the ''Tertium ":uids;'' the
third group in the House, in addition to Jeffersonian Republicans and Fe~eral -
. t 5 l.S S. But he never had to worry about his popul.arit;v back home.
elected continuously.
He was
With the onset of the War of 1812, Macon was once again in the l imel ight .
Reconciled to President James Madison, he played a leaciing role i n the Congres-sional
maneuvering that led up to the war.
In 1815 ''the Father of the House," as Macon was cal leci by his fellow
Congressmen, was chosen by the North Carolina General Assembly to represent
the state in the United States Senate, where his conservative fiscal policies
and his strict constructionism soon brought him into confJ ict with Henry Clay
and the young John C. Calhoun, and other proponents of a comprehensive system
of internal improvements. During these Senate years his principled opposi -
tion to the Missouri Compromise, his unhappiness with the expanding rol e of
the Supreme Court in State affairs, and his renewed friendship with 'i'homas
Jefferson in the last years of Jefferson' s life, i ncreased hi s s t ature in his
home state and among a rising generation of Southern representatives . ln1~eJ,
despite the epithet "old foggy" hurled at him by his Whig detractors , Nacon
was universally respected for his honesty and his probity of character.
During the 1820s Macon was considered a potential presidential or vice-presidential
candidate. Despite his disavowals, he did receive support from
Virginia and Georgia on at least one occasion.
In 1828, l1acon resigned from the Senate. He was seventy years oli, but
his political career was not over. The State Constitutional Convention of 1835 .
which modified the 1776 constitution, called him to the fore once again. He
served as its president, exercising a moderating and conservative influence
over that body . Macon's death in 1837 marked the end of an era. He was as
Jeffersnn ohrased it. ''the last of the Romans . 11
The i mprovement of Roanoke River navigation and the c omin g o; the r.;j 1-
roads in the l8JOs wa s largely the work of men who woul d tecome the ro~c ~ rs
of North Carolina's Whig Party. As the valley had been the stronghold of th~
old Jeffersonians early in the century, so it would produce as we l l a number
of prominent Whig leaders in the 1830s and 1840s. Co lone 1 Andrew Joyner stan ~l s
out as the leading Roanoke businessman of those years. A Whig Senator repre ­senting
Halifax County from 1835 until 1852, Joyner was an earnest advocate
of internal improvements. He was an early promoter of steamboat lines on the
river, and was later pr esident of the Weldon and Portsmouth Ra ilroad. Bartho­lomew
F. Moore, another supporter of internal improvements in the vall e~r,
served as State Attorney General under Governor William A. Graham.
Yet, the most important Whig leader produced by the Roanoke Va lley--in
fact, one of the founders of the state and national party the early 18JOs-­was
not really cut from the same commercially-minded cloth that gave the s tate
men like Joyner and MOore . This man was John Branch, Governor of North Caro ­lina
and later . of the Territory of Florida, United States Senator, Congress­man
from the Halifax district, and Secretary of the Navy under President
Andrew Jackson. who with Nathaniel Macon, is one of the two most significant
political leaders in the history of the Roanoke Valley.
A shrewd and successful Governor of North Carolina from 1817 until 182 0 ,
Branch was elected to the Senate in 1822. His constantly expressed devotion
to "republican principles" and his general opposition to internal improvements
won him wide approval back home. His support of President J ackson gained for
him in 1829 the position in the president's cabinet of Secretary of the Navy .
Branch's role in the "Peggy Eaton affair" would shatter this consistency .
Jehn Eaton, Jackson's Secretary of War, was also a native of Halifax County, ,e but at the time of his appointment, was living in Tennessee . Eaton ha1 r ecent-ly
married a widow, about whom there were some uncomplimentary rumors . As a
-- conseouence Mrs. Eaton was not received by Washington society, a fact rescnt.:· t
by Presici~ nt Jackson. Jackson's efforts to secure social harmon•· r esul t-1':1 in
Branch's resignation from the cabinet and the beginning of an anti -Ja ch~on
hosti 1 ity which soon gave rise to the fo·rmation of the \\'hig Part ~' .
But Branch would not remain with vlhigs. The new part;v, while anti­Jacksonian
in nat ure , was an odd combination of ex- Federalists and commercial ­ists,
supporters of state nullification, and others . In 1838 Branch left the
party, running for the governor sh ip once again, wit h the blessing of the
Democratic Party. He was unsuccessful . In 1843 he was appointed by President
Tyler as Governor of the Territory of Florida . He died in Enfield in 1863 .
With t he part i sa n politics of the 1820s and the 1830s>the area witnessed
one of the more interesting political feuds in North Carolina history, the
famous conflict between Jesse A. Bynum and Robert Potter. The two were able
and learned in politics, diametrically opposite in politics, and popular ~dth
the ladies . Both men had shor t tempers . Bynum, who wa s elected to Congress
in 1834 from the Hal i fax d i str ict, gained notoriety by fighting two duels while
in Congress. Potter e nded his life in immorality, suffe~ing a s sassination by
vigilantes in Louisiana . In 1825 both me n had cont ested for the Halifax
borough seat in t he General Assembly . So warm did the campaigning become
that on election da y the voting was broken up by street brawling by surporters
of the two candida tes .
The 1830s we re important years in t he Roanoke Va lley . Both John Branch
and Nathaniel Macon were delegates to the State Constitutional Convention of
1835, called to revise the 1776 constitution. This assembly marks a turning
point i n the hi story of the state . The 1835 changes, although not very radical
i n nature , did tend to shift political power to Western and Piedmont North
~ Carolina counties , away f r om the Eastern and the Roanoke Valley counties .
Int ernal improvements and newer and better roads , while aiding the mate -
• ria1 progress of the whole state, tended to help the Piedmont proportionatel y
more than they d id the East. When to this is added popula tion stagnation in
li'.astern co,mties and healthy growth in the '·!est , what rtevPlops js r.tC'rr: t.haP .,
ricture of simple politicaJ changes. The old Roanoke Vall.cy and Sout',-:iir::
Virginia dnrn:i.nation of nationa 1 politics had e nd ed ,:ith Andretor Jacksor,' s
trinmph . On the state level, economi c and social expansion and the Co.rver ­tion
of 1835 and what it symbolized could not help but transfer imrortancP. .
The War Between the States only aggravated this condition.
The valley did not die . On the contrary, it continueci to produce i t s
share of influential North Carolinians . Lawrence O ' B~n Branc~ Junius J anicl ,
Spier Whitaker, and the famous Kitchin and Ransom families have attest e~ to
this. But , although the Roanoke Valley has never recaptured the impo"tance
that it once enjoyed in the days of Willie Jones and William R. Davie, or
Nathaniel Macon and John Branch, it can lay claim to many of t he more
i llust rious pages of North Carolina and American history.
FOOTNarES
1. William L. Saunders ( ed . ) , The Colonial Records of North Carolina
(Raleigh: State of North Carolina, 1 0 volumes, 1886- 1890), X,
918, and other pages for certain documents from the congress.
2 . The Grove House no longer stands. Willie Jones provided in his
will that the grove of large trees near the house not be cut . Un ­fortunately,
with the coming of the railroad and property deve l op­ments
in this century, the old grove has ceased to give its former
appearance.
3. J. Moore , History of North Carolina (Raleigh: A. Williams and Co. , 1880), I, 239 .
4. A. R. Newsome, "North Carolina Ratification of the Federal Consti­tution,"
North Carolina Historical Review, XVII (October, 1940),
288.
5. Political party classifications became fairl y clear by 1800. The
party of Thomas Jefferson, the anti-Federalists or republicans, were
basically agrarian, strongly localiet, ani committed more or less to
a democratic order guided by a natural aristocracy. The Federalists,
as the name implies, were committed to a stronger central government,
l ess democratic and more commercially oriented. Most Federalists
were New Englanders or from Middle Atlantic states. The South, a
stronghold of republicanism, produced few federalist leaders in
comparison. In North Carolina, New Bern and Fayetteville .and other
commercial centers were also centers of federalism. The Roanoke
Valley very early waa dominated b.r anti-federalism.
--
•
BIBUOORAPHY
Allen, W. c. History of Halifax County. Boston, 1918. Although this volume con­tains
errors and is, at times, confusing, it remains the best single source
for the history of this important Roanoke Valley county. Esoecially help­ful
are the biographical sketches included .
Ashe, Samuel A. Biographical History of North Carolina. 8 vols. Greensboro,
1927. Ashe remains basic, especially for handy and condensed sketches of
important North Carolinians. Willie Jones, Nathaniel Macon, W. R. Davie,
and John Branch have entries here.
Connor, R. D. W. History of North Carolina. 6 vols. New York, 1911. See in
particular, volumes I and II.
Crabtree, Beth G. North Carolina Governors. 2nd revised edition. Raleigh, 1968.
Cunningham, Noble E., Jr. The Jeffersonian Republicans , 1789-1801. Chapel Hill,
1957. This is the first volume of Cunningham's detailed account of the for­mation
of a "Jeffersonian" party. There are :marJY reference{:~ to North Carolina.
Chapel Hill, 196.3.
The Jeffersonian Republicans in Power, 1801 - 1809.
--~-~~~-~~-· "Nathaniel Macon and the Southern Protest Against National
Consolidation," North Carolina Historical Review, XXXII (July, 1955), 376- 384 .
Dodd, Willian E. The Life of Nathaniel Macon. Raleigh, 1903 . This is still the
best "life" of Macon. Dodd's "democratic" pre .1udices shine through, but the
volume continues to hold interest.
Gilpatrick, Delbert. The Jeffersonian Republicans in North Carolina, 1789- 1916.
New York, 1931. This is helpful in understanding the dominance of old repub­lican
forces in the Roanoke area.
Hamilton, J. G. de Roulhac. Party Politics in North Carolina, 1835-1860. James
Sprunt Historical Publications, Vol. 15, nos. 1- 2, Chapel Hill, 1916. HamLlton
illustrates some of the changes in Eastern politics during these years due to
economic changes and the 1835 convention.
Hoffmann, William s. "John Branch and the Origins of the Whig Party in North Caro­l
ina," North Carolina Historical Review, x:x::t:V (July, 1958), 199- 315 .
Johnson, Guion G. Ante-Bellum North Carolina: A Social History. Chapel Hill,
1937. The chapters on agriculture and the North Carolina town are helpful
in getting some idea of daily life in the Roanoke Valley .
Ketcham , Earle H. "The Sources of the North Carolina Constitution of 1776," North
Carolina Historical Review, VI (July, 1929), 215- 236 •
Lefler, Hugh. The History of North Carolina.
partic~lar volume I.
4 vols. New York, 19)o .
McRee Griffith J. Life and Correspondence of James Iredell. 2 vols. New York,
is5S. Iredell's relationship to various personalities from the Roanoke
Valley is interestingly delineated.
Nash Frank. The North Carolina Constitution of 1776 and Its Makers. James Sprunt
'Historical MOnographs, Vol . II, No. 2, Chapel Hill, 1912.
Newsome, A. R. "North Carolina Ratification of the Federal Constitution, 11 North
Carolina Historical Reyiex, XVII (October, 1940), 287-301. Newsome carefully
illustrates the respective roles of Jones and Davie in the ratification of the
U.S. Constitution.
Ris,1ord, Norman K. The Old Republicans: Southern Conservatism in the Age of Jef­ferson.
New York, 1965.
Robinson, Blackwell P. William R. Davie. Chapel Hill, 1957. Robinson's study is
a mine of material on Davie, Willie Jones, and prominent Roanoke Valley poli­ticians
of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
• "Willie Jones of Halifax," North Carolina Historical
--=R-evi-=-e-w-, -:XVI==II::----,("'"=January, 1941), 1-26; and XVITI (April, 1941), 133-170. This
is the best thing available on Willie Jones.
Saunders, William L., Walter Clark, and others (eds.). The Colonial and State
Records of North Carolina, 1662-1790. 30 vols . Raleigh, Winston, Goldsboro,
Charlotte, 1885-1911.
Wellman, Manly W. The County of Warren. Chapel Hill, 1959. A comprehensive and
helpful study of one of the more important Roanoke Valley counties. Good
sections on Macon, the Ransoms, and agriculture are given.
The Life and Times of Sir Archie. Chapel Hill, 1958. This
volume, the study of America's most famous race- horse, is an i nvaluabl e source
for local political life in Halifax, Warrenton, Scotland Neck, Jackson, and
other towns of the Roanoke region.
Wilson, Edwin M. The Congressional Career of Nathaniel Macon. James Sprunt Histo­rical
Monographs, vol. 2, Chapel Hill, 1900.
Note: This is not an exhaustive bibliography, but it does provide some
backgroum reading for a more comprehensive view of Roanoke Valley
politics during antebellum years.
I have not listed above any detailed studies of the 1835 convention. More
information may be had in Boyd D. Cathey, "Race, Representation, and Religion:
A study of the North Carolina. Constitutional Convention of 1835, 11 Masters Thesis,
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, 19?1.
P. EDUCATION IN THE ROANOKE VALLEY, 176D-1860
-
•
EDUC AT I ON IN THE ROAN OKE VALLEY , 1 7 ( O- l861.>
It is ~erhaps redundant to s ay t hat thP n ominant concepts of Ane rican
eriu cation in the twentieth century d i f fer subst a ntiall v fr om the i rieas a nd
oractice s of e i ghteenth or nineteenth cent ury r redeceRs ors . A.ft e r a 1.1 the
fir s t centurv of education in the United States had to manage witho ut the
currj cu1um changes of a President Eliot of Harvard University l)r behavorist
innovations of a John Dewev . The idea that enucation is littl e more t han
mass training to "fill a necessary role of democracy" would have s canri.::t li.7.ed
a nemocrat like Tho~as Jefferson or a teach ~ r like ~rk Horkins .
IJ f' a lmost to the end of t he nine t eenth century edu cation in i': 111erica wa s
thou~ht of in another fashion . The chief instruments were the T4tin gramma r
schoo l , academv, or seminary, and the traditional "Libe ral Arts " college or
unive rsitv . Practically all serious education ~ad to satisfv two reouj r e ­ments:
the student should be able to think, write, and spea~ logical l:r, and
he s hould do it gracefully. Finally, both propositions rested on the as­sumntion
that the end of education is preeminently a moral end . Ch ristian
vj rtue , decent manners and honest clean- 1 i ving we r e underlying ob.iecti ves of
the educational process . A humanistic curriculum, with em~hasis on c l a s sjcs
and rhetoric, woul.d serve as the base for this in mo s t instances .
To thjs pattern the schools and acad e~te s of the r~anoke Va llev rrese nt ~i
n o inconsistency . During the one hundred years from 1 7 6 0 until 18~0 , acad emies ,
s chools, and seminaries, for both b oys anti girls, dotted the s e veral counties
d rained bv the Roanoke. During the VPars 181 0 to 1840 , t he a r ea cou ld count
more than twenty- five distinct boarding school s , academies, or s eminarjes .
These ranged from schools t a ught by one teacher, at the teacher ' s res i de nce ,
for ah~ul of students, to rather elaborate affair s of several buildings ,
teach~rs in various subjects , and student bodies ranging uoward toward one
Pe corris concerning early e ducation in th(') va 11 e .• · a re s carce . .r; luc1t .i.o 1-
al facilities were few in the eighteenth century . Ha lifax, founded jn 1 75? ,
was the first rea 1 town of any note . Warrenton was incoroorated twenty -hro
years later, in 1.77 9 . And even by the end of the century places l:ike Scot -
land Neck and Enfield were no more than crossroads . The we~lthier planters
would send their s ons to Princeton or William and Mary, or--in pre- revolut ion-ary
t:imes- - perhaps to England, as was the case with .1\llen and 'Vlillie Jones .
One gathers the impression that a goodly portion of Roanoke society wa s
1 iterate .
Halifax was 1escril::ed :in 1778 as 11 amon g the mo st rolished ~n 'l culti vat~"l
/_town§_? in the State , 111 and it boasted of s ome of the state ' s most prornine"'t
individuaJ s . Unfortunately, little can be said about schooling w:ith any rl egr e;
of certainty until the 1790s . The North Carolina Jour~4l reports the existence
of a "dancing school 11 in 1792. 2 In 1795, 1797, and 1798 appear advertisements
for a Latin school run by a Reverend Wilson, f irst near Conoconary Church , t hen
"at the seat of Doctor Pont on, a small distance from Ha1ifax , " anrl finall:rr
1 ocat.ed 11at the beautiful sea t cal led Mount - Hope." The annonncement for
Anril 17, 1797, reads, i n part :
The orice of tuition for Latin scholars, is five rounds
Virginia currency per annum ~ for English , reading and writing,
three pounds 12s E per ann. or twenty ~hil lings per ouarter: and
for arithmetic, four pounds per annum, or twenty- f our shillinr,s
rer auarter . 3
It is certain that schooling of some sort existed in the area before 1 {~n .
probably on a ve~r small or localized scale. In 178( an act was rasse1 ~Y t he
General Assembly to establish an acadenw in Warrenton, a facility that l'!oul d
later become famous as the Wa rrenton Male Ac adell\Y.4
By 1800 apoarently there e xisted a ge neral concern about educa t ion . I n
1801. William fl . Davie, John Sitgreaves , and Robert Fenner advertis ed in the
North Carolina Journal for "A Schoolmaster Ca11A-ble of teaching hea--!ing . ·.JrHinr:;,
Arithmetic and English Grammar . The Falkener School for girls was eG-tahl:
isheri in Warrenton in 1802 . James B. Benson began t eaching 11an Engl ish
School" in Halifax in 1806. A.nd in January , J807 , the Halifax Classict'tl
School "where will be taught the Latin & English grarmnatical,ly, together with
writing, arithmetic, the mathematics, geography, and the use of Globes , "
opened in Hopkins' Tavern.6
During t he next several years academies and schools we r~ be~Jn t hrough-out
t he valley . Among the more important establ ishments wer'3: Vine Hi l l
.1\cadercy, Union Academ,,r, Sims' Latin and English School, Farrm-1ell Grove Academv,
Shady Grove Acadel'l\Y, Bradford's Female Academy, Nichol son's Grarranar School , C. A.
Hi l l ' s Pri vate School, Williarnsborough Academy, Littleton Select School, Shoccn
Female and Male Academv, Quankey Academy, and the Warrenton Female Acadeffi'lr .
Although the numbers of academies and schools for boys were proportionately
greater than those administering to girls , it is interesting to notP. the number
and Quality of female establishments . It is true that all- girl schools empha-sizeri
more the functional and the ornamental, subjects such as piano, cr0cheting,
dancing, and what were call ed "the domestic arts . " But it would be incorrect
to think r>f the female instHitutions as catering solel:~r to such domes t i c 11 0rna-mentation.
" Several of the better academies included , in addition to subjects
more fitted to serve the young lady, cr>urses in the basic Latin curriculum.
And it was not uncommon in mixed competitions to see t he girl s take first -pos i -
tion in some of the classical sub,iects. Several institut ions, such as Ouankey
Academ;y and Shocco Female and Male Academy, were coed •.
One of the more significant schools in the Roanoke Valley was the Warrenton
Female Academy.? Begun under the headmastership of Jacob tfurdecai in 1809, for
more than twentv years this boarding school would enjoy an unequaled reputation
in ladies ' education. Mordecai , an orthdox Jew, was original ly from Philarl el phia .
In 1792 he moved to Warrenton with his family . An authoritv in various schol-
arlv discinlj.nes, he was pr evai led upon by cit izens of the cornmunH y to 0Den
t he academy with t he ob.iect ''not merely to i mpart words and P.Y.h j hit t hjr.tt;s ,
but chjeflv t o form the mind t o l abour of thinking ll\'On and under standing
what j s taught ." He orovi.ded in his opening announcement t hat "the rl.omest ic
arrangement for an efficient accommodation of my Scholars , vril l be an ob.iect
of primar~r concern, and placed under the immediate insnection of N'rs . Norr:l.ecai --
believing it to be no small part of Education bestowed on Females , to culti-vate
a Taste for neatness in their Persons and propiety of Hanners: t hey will
be rlaced under a superintendance calculated as much as possible to alleviate
the solicitude of Parents ." The curriculum would include "the EngJish La.n-guage
. grammatical ly, Spell ing, Reading, Writing, Arithmet i c, Composition,
Hi story, Geography and the use of Globes . The plain and ornamental bran c ~es
of Needl e Work- Dra'\oring, Vocal and Instrumental Music , cy an approved Naster
of distinguished talents and correct deportment ." The tuition , r oom, and
board for the year would be one hundred and five doll ars, most of the girl s
8
residing at the academy .
In addition to his wife, Mordecai was soon obliged to employ his daught ers ,
Rachel and Elle~ in teaching capacities . The good reputation and jncrease i n
enrollment during the first few years of t he academy' s existence made some
diversification necessary. By 1809 two sons of Mordecai and a Mr . Alexander
C. t.fi 11 er had been added to the growing staf f . Mi l.ler t aught courses i n
music ; a Hr. Darrac was employed to instruct dancing . 9 The student enro 11 mert
stood at eighty for the term beginning in January of 181.0.10
The excel lence of Jacob Mordecai's efforts was attested by various con-temporaries
. The Raleigh Star editorialized in 1810:
We believe this to be an excellent Seminary . Its conduct ors
possess talents and a fine Literary taste . The beauties of such
authors as Addison and Pope are unfolded to the pupil s in so in­teresting
and engaging a manner that the taste is general ly chas­tened
and refined to the standards of Cl assick puritv . The mind is
elevated superior t o the enjoyment of silly Novels. which but too
-
oft'"'n 1P"'rav~ tl1P taste, corrul"'t t''le 'ieart <mi e nfeerle ~Le ur ler­stanUng.
'4usic an1 r aintir.g are ta,Jg'it by .rr . r.UllP.r. lli.s r ud1s
r:r bej ng taught 'c:oth to read ani comJ:·OSc l~usic are rna le to ·n i ~r~t~ n l
it . !lis nainters are coryjsts, 1::-ut th"Y copy only fro"" t,hc ':ol urc
of Nature f-1
The institutinn, in aidition to its r er,,tati o'l fo · t,l-e t)rr.a """'Ti ~-31 1.rtr: .
grar'i~r . reariing, writing, and arithmetic · . ..;e re taught side -~· - 5jJ-:. wit!J l.ati:-:
and Greek . Apoarently, the Mordecai fa:nily instructed in these ma! or subject- .
Among the reouireri texts empl oyeri were Snowcte n 1 s History of North a nd . Jf"Uth
~merica ani Goldsmith's Engl a nd and Greece in histo~r, Eutropiu ~ ' Latin h is-tories
, Erasmus a nd the Renaissance and An c) ent phj 1 osophers , and Sir \·:a 1 tr:r
Scott . Virgil. , Maria Edgeworth, and the Ararian Nights in literature . T"'le
tirls memnriozed portions of Hurray's Grammar, Blair's Ilh Ptoric , and otJ, er
t:or-kc; hv r o t"l, alth..,ugh the teachers attemr-t~1 to ins'..lre lhat nothi. I.P. ·,:a 3
m~E>morized without c omprehension . 12
The hig'i value accorded the moral basis of education may be seen in var i -
ous aspects of the \·Jarrenton Female Acadenw curriculum . T~e progran of in-struction
underlined an aphorism made fam:i1 iar 1 ater by Cardina 1 NP'.-.""'an, that
at the rase of all human ouestions there is the reJigious ouestion . Mo r~e cai,
like most of his contemporaries, in no way attempted to seoarate religion fro~
"'dncation . In recognizing the futility of s uch a course, he iemanie·l ~" t hit
girls th~ highest religious standards in class ann out of class . A.n extreme,~·
r eligious man , who constantly sought to reaffirm his own Judai sm, ~1orrJe cai
l"
rPouire1 that the girls attend churches preferred by their rarents .
The big events of the school year were the examinations , co~~n£ ~t the
end of Spring and Fall terms. During these examinations, noen to parents of
the enrolled and to the nublic in general, the students exhibit~ri t heir carac-i~
es in competitions, orations, and other public displavs . Com~ositions and
valeri ictories were read, ooetry and ~emorized ~ork recited and cxplain eri ,
and music rerforrnerl. Not only did such displays give the jnstructors a
chance to evaluate t he girls, but also it rrovided public proof of the ouality
of Jacob Mordecai 1 s worl< _ 14
In 1819 Jacob Morriecai anri his family sol_d their interest in the Warren-ton
Female Academy, settl ing on a farm nearby . The school building conti­nued
in use until 1834 when it was converted into a private dwelling. 15
The growth of the Warrenton Pemale Academy was paralleled by other
establishments in the Roanoke Valley . Several enrolled students f r om Virgin-ia
and western states . The Warrenton Male Academy and the Shocco Academy
were ~nown wide1y , with distingujshed faculties. The Quankey Academy, four
miles outside the t own of Halifax, advertized in 1829 a new principal , for-mer1y
a tutor in the University of Virginia, a Mr . Thomas J. Vaiden . It was
noted that "youth may he prepared t here for any College, and particularly for
the University of Virginia ...• "16
Vaiden 1 s out 1 ine of the Ouankey curriculum reads 1 ike a compendi.um of the
better Latin and Greek classics . A child or young teenager in this coed
school was expected to master such things:
. besides preliminary authors in both languages, will be read
in Latin, Caesar. Virgil, Sal Just, Cicero works, Horace, Juvenal,
Tacitus, &c . In Greek, Xenophon 1s Cyropedia and Anabasis, Homer,
Euripictes, Herodotus, Aristophanes and the appropriate studies, as
Ancient Geography and History-In the Hathematics , Arithmetic, Algebra,
Geometry, plain and spherical, Trigonometry- -Of the modern Languages ,
only the French at present unless an adequate class can be made up . • •
especial attention will be paid to compositions, English Grammar, &c . 17
The Quankey Academy had earlier operated under the direction of t he
Reverend Sidney Weller, a famous botanist and agriculturalist, who had also
done much to introduce the so- cal Jed 1Lancastrian11 or monotorial system into
18
education i n the valley. This system enabled academies and schools to
instruct more students at the same time by grouping them heterogeneously
under the supervision of teachers who could monitor their work by levels .
The great age of the private academy came to a close with the War
Between the States. Instititutions of learni.ng continued after the war,
but with lessening importance. The coming of the public schools, with
state resources to back them, acted as a death knell to all but the well­endowed
institutions . As in other areas, in the Roanoke Valley the rich
educational pluralism of the early nineteenth century gave way to the
uniformity of the twentieth.
I
FOOT NarES
l. Quoted in Blackwell P. Robinson, William R. Davie (Chapel Hill: University
of North Carolina Press, 1957), 143.
2. North Carolina Journal (Halifax), September 26, 1792, hereinafter cited
as North Carolina Journal.
3. North Carolina Journal, October 26, 1795, April 17, 179~ and JanUarY 15. 1798.
4. Stanley L. Falk, "The Warrenton Female Acadexey of Jacob Mordecai, 1809-
1818," North Carolina Historical Review, XXXV (July, 1958), 281, here­inafter
cited as Falk, "Warrenton Female Academy."
5. North Carolina Journal, December 14, 1801.
6. Halifax Journal, January 12, 1807.
7. See Falk, "Warrenton Female Academy."
8. Raleigh Register, August 25, 1808; see also Falk, "Warrenton Female Academy,"
287.
9. Raleigh Star, December 28, 1809: and Falk, "Warrenton Female Acadeti\Y," 293 .
10. Falk, "Warrenton Female Academy, 11 291.
11. Raleigh Star, March 15, 1810.
12. Falk, "Warrenton Female Academy," 296.
13 . Falk, "Warrenton Female Academy," 292.
14. See Raleigh Star, May 3, 1811, July 3, 1812, and December 11, 1812J for
announcements of examinations.
J 5. Fall<, "Warrenton Female Academy," 298.
16. Halifax Minerva, December 17, 1829.
17. Halifax Minerva, January 7, 1830.
18. See C. 0. Cathey, "Sidney Weller: Ante-Bellum Promoter of Agricultural
Reform," North Carolina Historical Review, XXXI (January, 1954), 1-17;
and Edgar W. Knight, "Interest in the South in Lancastrian Methods,"
North Carolina Historical Review, XXV (July, 1948), 377- 402.
•
LIBI.I~tflrHY
Cat.hev, C . 0 . 11 Sirlney ··/ellPr: Ante - B<>l lU'n frornoter of \gricultural
N0rth Carolina Historical fleview , X\.<I (January, 1954), 1 - 17 .
~ ,.. ., e ... nrm,
r oon , Charles L . "lo rth Carolina Schools and Academies , 17 90-184'~ . .i. iJor·t­mentarv
qistorv . Raleigh, 1915 .
F'al k, ~)tanl ey L . "T""te 1tlarrenton F €>mal P .\~aJe mv of Jacob f1ordecai . l8C9 -
1818 , '' ~Jorth Carolina Historical Re view, XXXV (July , l958) , 2e1 - 2Q8 .
Halifax Journal , 1807 . ( See also North Carolina Journal. )
1Ta1ifax J'.finerva , 1829- 1830 .
Ynight , Edgar W. "Interest in the South :in Lancastrian Hethoris , ''
Cn r olina Historical Review, XXV ( JQl~, 1048) , 377- 40? .
~Iort~ --
~'ontp:omer~r. Li-zz:ie ~'.'ilson . Sketches of Old '!Jarrenton, r.Jort11 Caroli'1a .
Raleigh, 1 924 .
N,rt h Carol :ina Journal (Halifax), 1792- 1798.
haleigh hegizter , 1808 .
l~lei gh 5tar, 1809- 1812 .
Robinson, Blackwell P. William n. Da vie . Chapel Hill , 1957 .
-
G. ENTERTAINMENT IN THE ROANOKE VALLEY, 1760-1860
ENTERTAINMENI' IN THE ROANOKE VALlEY, 1760- 1860
In m&ny ways the Roanoke Valley of North Carolina resembled neighboring
Virginia. This is evident in its Jeffersonian politics and its plantation
economy. The resemblance is even more remarkable in the various entertainments
and amusements which prevailed in the valley before the War Between the States.
The early establishment of the plantation system in the Roanoke region
made for a particular kind of social life. Towns were few and small in popu­lation.
The two most important centers in the valley, Halifax and Warrenton,
served both the commercial and social needs of the plantation gentry. As
seats of county courts and rendezvous for commercial purposes,these town deve­loped
early the variety of amusements intended to help the tobacco gentry pass
idle hours. Assorted gala balls, dances, and dinners, dramatic presentations,
horse racing, cockfighting, traveling circuses, and medicine shows all tended
to find favor with both the well-to-do and the not- so-well- to-do.
Visitors to Halifax often commented on its opulence and sophistication.
In 1778 Halifax society was described as "among the most polished and culti­vated
in the State . 11 Waightstill Avery, during his stay in the town in 1767,
reported that he had received "a courteous invitation to a splendid Ball in
the Evening, and was treated to great civility for 3 days. 111 Patriotic events,
especially July 4th celebrations, George Washington's birthday, and religious
holida~, were annually celebrated by dinners, balls, and parades in the ante­bellum
years. Washington's visit in 1791 and that of Lafayette in 1825 also
occasioned much festivity, as did the convening of county court or a good
horse race.2
Independence Day celebrations generally included parades, speeches, reli­gious
services, and an elegant dinner. The Halifax Minerva describes the 4th
of July, 1829, in this manner:
The 53rd Anniversary of American Independence was celebrated
in this Town, with the usual demonstrations of respect and j oy. A
procession of citizens was formed at 12 o'clock, at Academy square,
and proceeded to the church; when, after an appropriate prayer by
the Rev. Mr. Penn, the Declaration of Independence was read, in an
impressive manner, by Edmund B. Freeman, Esq. and a pertinent , ani­mated,
and truly eloquent Oration delivered by WILLIAM L. LONG, Esq.:
a copy of which we shall endeavor to obtain for publication. At half
past 2 o'clock the company sat down to a plain but excellent dinner,
at which the utmost hilarity and harmony prevailed throughout. The
foll owing regular toasts, i .nterspersed with the 11 cannon's roar" and
many excellent and appropriate songs, were drunk. We should not omit
to add, that the enjoyments of the ceremonies at the church were much
heightened by the occaeional introduction of some excellent airs from
a band of amateurs--whose services were not less politely rendered
than they were ~atefully accepted Lthere follow some twenty-two
separate toasty. 3
An elegant social gathering might well include vocal or instrumental
music and dancing, or some simple theatrical presentations. In the 1790s
several troupes of performing actors visited Halifax, offering their talents
to the inhabitants. Performances were given in taverns, which apparently were
able to accommodate such productions. On January 1 , 1794, the North Carolina
Journal announced the appearance in Halifax of "The Messieurs Sullys" who
would "exhibit their feats in LOFI'Y TUMBLI00. 114 Later that year in
"Mr. Barksdale 1 s Ball-Room11 wa.s featured
• • • a GRAND and MISCEu.ANIDUS ENI'ERTAINMENI' OF ACTIVITY.
In Four Parts . By JOHN W. ROBERTS. Part First A variety of
entertaining equiposes on the slackwire . Among many other
surprising feats, he will stand on his head on the wire, on
a quart bottle, with the wire in full swing . Part Second.
A horn-pipe among a dozen of eggs, blindfolded. Part Third.
Will be performed Harlequin's Masquerade, or the Power of
Magic. To which will be added a representation in transpo­sitions
of the School for Scandal. Part Fourth. Will con­clude
with surprising exertions on the slack cord."5
In 1798 Colonel Tabb's tavern was graced by the 11 Charleston Comedians."
The announcement read: "This Evening, (July 16) will be presented the favorite
Comedy of the CITIZEN Maisa, Mrs. Tubbs. Between the Play and Farce, the popu­lar
Sea Song of the 'heaving of the lead,' by Mrs. Tubbs. After which the
- admired Farce of THE VILLAGE LAWYER. Doors open at half past six, and to
begin at half past 7 ."6
Halifax also witnessed some of the first circuses to appear in North
Carolina.. A circus under the direction of a "Mr. Brown" appeared in the town
on at least two occasions in the 1820s. 7 In February, 1830, the Yeoman Circus
announced its appearance in this manner:
The ladies and Gentlemen of Halifax and its vicinity are re­spectfully
informed the Yeoman Circus will be open in the town three
days only, to commence on Monday 15th Feb. when will be brought fore­ward
a variety of pleasing Gymnastic, Equestrian and Theatrical per­formances.
The manager natters himself that from the combined tallents
~ of the company, aided by the much admired and celebrated perfor­mances
of Mrs. Smith (formerly Miss Yeoman) will be given . Doors will
be open at half past 12 o 1 clock, performances to conmence at one P . M.
also a~ 7 o'clock P . M. Admittance 50 cents, children under 12, half
price.
Halifax newspapers often carried news of out-of-state entertainments.
Various kinds of lotteries appear to have enjoyed popularity in the early
nineteenth century. One "Literature Lottery" offered a chance for some
lucky soul to win up to $20,000, if his literary efforts were judged the
9
best among the entries.
A very popular entertainment in the Roanoke Valley was cockfighting. A
simple sport which required no elaborate set- up or preparation, a "main of
cocks," with bets placed on favorites, was a common event in the area. Early
newspaper accounts detail cockfights in 1793 and 1797 in Halifax, and in the
1820s notices of fights abound. Cockfighting was often held at Northampton
Court House, Enfield, Crowell's Cross Roads, William P. Little's tavern in
Warren County, and James Young's tavern in Scotland Neck. 10 Under the heading
"SPORTS OF THE PIT," the main at Young's tavern was adverti~Sed with the advice:
"Those who are fond of such sport will do well to attend, as the show will be
great. 1111 Betting on mains often reached one hundred dollars. And a main of
cocks fought in Enfield in 1827 featured a prize of $450.oo.12
Hunting-in particular, fox hunting--was a pastime for some Valley gentry.
The sport found special favor with Nathaniel Macon, who from his home at Buck
Spring, Warren County, would often spend days away on the chase with his close
friend, John Randolph of Roanoke. The two of them, Macon, the much older man,
-
a widower, am Randolph, the tall, gaunt, and eccentric Virginian, accompanied
only by their s1avee am foxhounds, became something of a legend in the
Roanoke region.
Along with Randolph, Gideon Alston wa s a constant hunting companion to
Macon. In 1819 James Monroe visited and hunted at Buck Spring. Macon wrote
Randolph in 1830: "My dogs have caught 15 foxe~ this season ff}hey have not
been hunted as much by me, because I was kicked by a horse on the left leg,
which prevented mw going out for a month, it is now I hope well, at least it
ie so, that I have been at the catching of 5 or 6 foxes since the kick, two
on last thursday. u1 3
Both Macon and Ramolph maintained an interest in that most manly of
sports, horse racing . It was the racing of good horse flesh that really
colored the lives of so many notables of the antebellum Roanoke Valley. No
other sport, no other entertainment, was as important or as popular. By no
other measure could a real gentleman be better distinguished than by his
racing horses.
Before the War Between the States the Roanoke Valley was the leading
area for racing in the nation. Some of the most famous American Thoroughbreds
were foaled there, and Roanoke Thoroughbred blood flows in the veins of a
goodly portion of present-day champions. 14
Early in the eighteenth century horses were transported to Virginia and
the Carolinas. The horse was a necessary animal to the colonists and settlers,
for travel and as a beast of burden. But also, like their English ancestors,
the early inhabitants of tidewater Virginia and North Carolina valued the horse
for its capabilities on the track. Horses of English racing stock were imported
before the War tor Independence by leading planters. Care ful genealogies and
breeding records were kept by these men, am track records became an important
source for conversation and controversy.
-
While Virginians led the way in the sport in the late eighteenth century,
planters in the Roanoke Valley participated as equals with their Virginia
cous i ns. Most early racing tracks were located in Virginia; however, the
Roanoke area was not without its share. And b,y the early 1800s the valley
would displace its neighbor as the center for the sport.
Early newspaper records reveal a strongly developed interest in breeding
and racing in the Halifax area. Already Py the 1780s and the 1790s a Halifax
race course was in full operation. Not far from the town a course existed
near Conoconnara Swamp.15 Breeders seasonally advertised champion Thorough-bred
stud horses. On April 1, 1790, the North Carolina Gazette of New Bern
announced that the Thoroughbred Hyder Ali would stand the season for breeding
purposes, a notice repeated several times by the North Carolina Journal of
Halifax over the next few years. 16 The notice reads :
THE NOTED HORSE HYDER ALI IS now in high order, and will stand
at the Plantation of Mr. THOMAS BARNES, on Roanoke river, sixteen
miles below the town of Halifax, being the very same place where the
stud horse Old Janus formerly stood, in order to cover mares at one
half joe the season--five dollars the leap, or two half joes to ensure.
In cases of mares condng for the leap, it is expected that the money
will be sent with them, as otherwise the charge will be made for the
whole season. As this is the first time Hyder Ali has stood in this
part of the country. I am induced to let him cover this season at a
much lower rate than he ever did before.
HYDER ALI is a beautiful dark bay, upwards of fifteen hands high .
He was got by Old Mark Anthony, his dam by the imported horse Bajazet,
and his granddam by Crowford. --The mares that are put to this horse
will have the advantage of good pasturage gratis--but the subscriber
will by no means be answerable for any accident or escape.
N.B. Half a dollar to be~id at the stable-door to the Groom.
LSigned by owner Wilson Bloun~~7
other horses advertised for breeding in the 1790s included Huntsman of
Elias Fort, Young Mouse Trap of William Pope, Roebuck of John Baptista Ashe,
Brilliant of James Tabb, King David of Samuel Pittman, Medley of Willie Jones,
and Lazarus of his brother, Allen Jones. To list such horse breeders is to go
through a 1790 social register of the valley.
Willie Jones, a leading political figure of the area, owned one of the
finest stables in the South, and many of the early races w~re run on his
private race track near Halifax. Blackwell Robinson adds that Jones "is said
to have constructed the first bay- window in America in order to watch the
races he no doubt was the leading spirit in fostering this form of
t · H 1·f "18 spor l.Il a 1 ax.
As the sport grew in popularity in the Roanoke region, there were more
races. By the 1820s three major racetracks were attracting horses of inter-national
reputation. New Hope course, to the north of Halifax, Warrenton
course in Warren County, and Scotland Neck course at Scotland Neck, each
evoked a romantic vision of aristocrats of the turf making or losing fortunes
by a neck or a nose .
Ra ces usually endured at a course for a three or four day period in
Spring and Fall . Individual races were for one, two, three, or four-mile
lengths. Each course was patronized and supported by a jockey club, and
sometimes, at the better known tracks, club houses were opened for patrons.
Occasionally, there were elegant balls.19 William M. West, the proprietor of
the New Hope course, announced the Fall races of 1829, informing interested
horsemen that the three-day affair would commence on November 18:
lst Day Jockey Club purse, four mile heats, $300 money up at
the usual discount--$20 entrance; 2nd Day 2 mile heats, for the
balance of the Jockey Club subscription (in tickets_ supposed to be
worth about $300-Entrance $15. 3rd Day Proprietor 1 s purse 2 mile
heats, $100-Entranee $15 . The rules of the course to govern in
all cases as usual.
It is earnestly requested by the club, that all will be pre­pared
to pay up their contribution-- such as a r e unable to attend
will please remit the amount of their subscription .
By order of the CLUB . Oct. 22.
The New Hope House will be open and prepared for the re­ception
of gentlemen who attend the races where every exertion to
make the time pleasant and agreeable will be made as heretofore.20
Ra.ees gave the racing aristocracy a chance not only to see the best
Thoroughbreds of the region in action, but also to talk; and oftentimes to sell
or trade horses. Shortly before the New Hope Fall Races of 182~a sale was
a nnounced for the secom day of the competition: 11 0ne mare the dam of Henry
with a full brother of Henry by her side--one two year old Filly by Marion,
out of the sister to Henry--one two year old Colt by Marion out of the dam
Henry--one two year old colt by Marion out of the dam of Henry--one stud
horse, called Marshal Ney; and the noted stallion so well known by the
name of MARION. n 2 l
This notice was signed by Mark H. Pettway and John D. Amis, both prom-inent
in the history of racing in the Roanoke Valley. Amis became well-known
through his ownership of perhaps the most famous racing Thoroughbred
ever to compete on the American turf, Sir Archie.
Sir Archie came from a distinguished English line of Thoroughbreds,
including Godolphin Arabian, Darley Arabian, and Byerly Turk, through Casti-anira
of John Tayloe of Virginia. Owned very early in his raci.ng career by
the well- known breeder, William Ransom Johnson of Warren County, Sir Archie
proved himself at an early age to be the best horse on the four- mile course . 22
His first several races impressed all who saw them, in particular, General
William R. Davie, who knew good horse flesh when he saw it. In 1809 Davie
paid Johnson $5,000 in cash for Sir Archie. It was an impressively large
sum of money for a horse.23
Johnson accompanied the sale with an admonition to Davie :
I have only to say, that in my opinion Sir Archie is the best
horse I ever saw, and I well know that I never had anything to do
with any that was at all his equal and this I will back, for if any
horse in the world will run against him at any halfway ground, f our
mile heats, according to the rules of racing, you may consider me
five thousand dollars with you on him. He was in good condition
this fall and he's not run with any hors~4that could put him at half
speed towards the end of the race ••••
William R. Davie, North Carolina's most prominent Federalist leader, left
the state shortly after the purchase of Sir Archie. New Hope, his home two
miles from Halifax, and his newly acquired Thoroughbred, he gave to his son,
Allen Jones Davie, who would possess both the horse and the house until 1816.25
In 1810 Davie announced that Sir Archie would stand, covering mares at forty
dollars the season, and he added: "As a racer or blood hors e, Sir Ar chie is
inferior to no horse ever bred or trained in this or any other country.
At New Market Lthe course near Petersburgl and elsewhere he has beaten the
following famous horses: Wrangler, Tom Tough, Pallafox, Minerva, Gatiun,
&c .
Six years later Sir Archie was sold to William Amis of Mowfield Plantation
in Northampton County, and through William Amis went to his son, John D. Amis.
His reputation as a racer secure, Sir Archie settled down to a life of America's
most illustrious stud horse. As a stallion he fathered such winners as Sir
'
Charles, Henry, and Timoleon.
Timoleon was foaled in 1813, during his lifetime winning thirteen out of
fifteen races. His only two losses may be attributed to bad luck. Through
his famous s on Boston, Timoleon continued what is probably the noblest strain
of the Sir Archie line. Boston 1 s descendarts include Lexington and Man-o 1 -War,
champions of a later era.27
One of the most famous races ever to be held pitted Henry, a Sir Archie
product, and Eclipse, a Northern Thoroughbred, at the Union course on Long Isl and,
New York. Over 60,000 spectators witnessed the spectacle: three four-mile
heats between the horses, with Southern and Northern money riding on each race .
After a powerful first race, Henry was edged in the second and thtrd encounters
by Eclipse. But no one could fault the performance of either horse. 28
Undeniably, Roanoke Valley society exhibited elegance and polish in the
pre-War Between the States years. The stories of Thoroughbreds and hunts and
opul ent high l ife seem almost legendary in the fast-paced twentieth century .
Yet practically all legend has a base in reality. Figures like William R. Davie,
Nathaniel Macon, and William R. Johnson, and their various activities help to
confirm the real sophistication which once existed along the banks of the
Roanoke.
l.
2.
3 .
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9 .
10.
1.1.
12.
13.
FOOI'NCYI'ES
Quoted in Blackwell P. Robinson! William R. Davie (Chapel Hill : University
of North Carolina Press, 1957), 142-143', hereinafter cited as Robinson, Davie.
See the unit in these Halifax reports on Lafayette's visit for a full
description.
Halifax Minerva, July 9, 1829.
North Carolina Journal (Halifax), Janua.ry 1, 1794, hereinafter cited as
North Carolina Journal . Concerning the existence of a playhouse in
Halifax, see the report of John Duvall for the Section of Historic Sites
and ~seums, Division of Archives and History, Department of Cultural
Resources, Ra l eigh • ·
North Carolina Journal, May 21, 1794.
North Carolina Journal, July 23, 1798.
Halifax Minerva, November 5, 1829; the announcement of Brown's circus
mentions that it had traveled to Halifax previously.
Halifax Minerva, February 4, 1830.
Free Press (Halifax), June 16, 1827, hereinafter cited as Free Press .
See North Carolina Journal, March 6, 1793, May 1, 1797, and Free Press,
May 19, 1827, March 7, 1828, May 16, 1828, and June 6, 1828. There is
a good article with drawings taken from the May,l857, Harper's New Monthly
Magazine : see B. W. C. Roberts, "Cockfighting: An Early Entertainment in
North Carolina, " North Carolina Historical Review, XLII (July, 196 5) ,
306-314. Roberts says of cockfighting in Warrenton (pp. 3ll- 312): "In
warrenton, a town widely known for its festive occasions, cockfighting
was thoroughly enjoyed. Some cockfights would last a full week with the
event somett.es continuing through the night. Before 1850 pits for cock­fights
were maintained in Warrenton on a vacant l ot ad.1 oining the town
commons. One account of early life in Warrenton tells of a Frenchman who
bought dead or badly wounded roosters from the cock pit and cooked them
or resold them to others . " See also, Lizzie W. Montgomery, Sketches of
Old Warrenton, North Carolina (Raleigh: Edwards and Broughton, 1924), 25-39.
Free Press, June 6, 1828 .
Free Press, May 19, 1827.
Quoted in Elizabeth G. McPherson, "Letters from Nathaniel Macon to John
Randolph of Roanoke," North Carolina Historical Review, XXXIX (April, 1962),
209 and 202 . In a letter to Rarxiolph, dated January 1, 1829, Macon de­clares
(p. 202): " I went yesterday a hunting, continued traili ng one or
more foxes, till I got in the afternoon with Mr. G{.f.deoriJ Alston • • • this
-
morning coming home, was j oined by several of his neighbors & caught a
fox, after an agreeable chase, it was not the less agreeable, as one
of my dogs was generally considered the best." Macon kept approximately
one dozen pureblooded foxhounds; that he was devoted to his hounds is
shown in his correspondence: (McPherson, 208) "Last month Spot wao sick
a day or two, it wa~ d iscovered in the morning by the old man that feeds
him, he was much swelled in his body; a dose of lard rel ieved him; since
which he has been a little lame in one of his fore l egs, no cause f or i t
has been di~covered, he ha~ been hunted only twice, no fox started either
time /I[/e is now well. 11
14. See Elizabeth Amis Cameron Blanchard and Manly Wade Wellman, The Life and
Times of Sir Archie (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1958),
hereinafter cited a~ Blanchard and Wellman, Sir Archie.
15.
16 .
17.
18.
19 .
20 .
21.
22.
23.
24 .
25 .
26 .
North Carolina Journal, August 1, 1792, October 1, 1794, and August 14, 1796.
North Carolina Gazette (New Bern), April 1, 1790 ; North Carolina Journal ,
February 27, 1793 .
North Carolina Journal, February 27, 1793.
Robinson, Davie, 146 .
Free Press, November 5, 1824; Free Press (Tarboro), March 31, 1827 .
Halifax Minerva, October 29, 1829.
Halifax Minerva, November 5, 1829.
Blanchard and Wellman, Sir Archie, 48-50 .
Blanchard and Wellman, Sir Archie, 50.
Quoted in Blanchard and Wellman, Sir Ar chie, 50.
Blanchard and Wellmlm, Sir Archie, 68.
Quoted in Blanchard and Wellman, Sir Archie, 52.
27. Blanchard and Wellman, Sir Archie, 83 .
28. Blanchard and Wellman, Sir Archie, 94-106.
-
BIBLIOORAPHY
Blanchard, Elizabeth Amis Cameron, and Manly Wade Wellman. The Life and
Times of Sir Archie. Chapel Hill, 1958.
Free Press (Halifax and Tarboro), 1824 -1827.
Halifax Minerva, 1829-1830.
McPherson, Elizabeth G. "Letters from Nathaniel Macon to John Randolph of
Roanoke," North Carolina. Historical Review, XXXIX (April, 1962),
195 -211 .
Montgomery, Lizzie Wilson. Sketches of Old Warrenton, North Carolina.
Raleigh, 1924.
North Carolina Gazette (New Bern), 1790.
North Carolina Gazette (Halifax), 1793-1798.
Roberts, B. W. C. "Cockfighting: An Early Entertainment in North Carolina.,"
North Carolina Hi8torica1 Review, XLII (July, 1965), 306-314.
Robinson, Blackwell P. William R. Davie. Chapel Hill, 1957.
H. COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORTATION IN THE ROANOKE VAU.EY,
1760- 1860
-
•
- COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORTATION IN THE ROANOKE VALLEY, 1760-1860
In the history of the Roanoke Valley the river plays a central role . The
Roanoke drains and irrigates the valley emptying into the broad Albemarle Sound .
Navigable for much of its course, the Roanoke River allowed explorers and later
colonists to ascend its waters in search of newer and fresher lands. · The to­bacco
and cotton region which is now included in War r en, Northampton, Halifax,
Bertie, and Martin counties was opened, and the river permitted the planters
to export their products by boat .
The non~stence of good commercial roads or railroads (until the 1830s),
made river transportation a necessity. Schooners and small ships could ascend
the Roanoke to Halifax without serious problems. The most awkward drawback
came after a vessel had descended the river: the inlets connecting the North
Carolina sounds and the Atlantic Ocean were shallow, dangerous, and few in
number. Furthermore, as long as these inlets remained so unstable and change­able,
no real Atlantic port could be established in the area with the certainty
of consistent inland transshipment .
Lower North Carolina, with good ports at Wilmingt on and Beaufort and with­out
shifting sand banks, did not face this problem. But northeastern North
Carolina was too distant to utilize either of these two ports without rapid
overland connections. As a result , Norfolk, Virginia, became the real com­mercial
center for this area.
Periodic attempts to open a passage between the Albemarle Sound and the
ocean in the vicinity of Roanoke Island came to no avail. Acts were passed i n
the North Carolina General Assembly in 1787 and 1789 authorizing the raising
of subscriptions for such an outlet. A deep-water outlet wou.ld have diminished
the area's dependence on Norfolk; however, in 1791 North Carolina had to forego
her attempts to cut the outlet.l Further efforts were equally unsuccessful.
-- Virginia's desire to garner most of Roanoke Valley commerce was closely
linked to the completion of the Dismal Swamp Canal. Early in the 1780s there
was discussion of a canal connecting the Chesapeake Bay with the Albemarle
Sound. George Washington and other prominent Virginians urged the Dismal
Swamp route, a company toward that purpose being incorporated by the state
of Virginia on December 1, 1789.2 North Carolina, despite its objections that
the canal would divert Roanoke Valley commerce northward into Virginia, ap­proved
the project in 1790.3 Work on the canal was slow, reaching completion
by 1814.4
The improvement of the Roanoke River likewise followed a somewhat desultory
course. Proposals for better navigation on the river were put forward after the
War for Independence. In 1783 and 1784 trustees were appointed to oversee
improvements in the waterway. Nothing was done to actually fulfill this pro ject
until the per iod following the War of 1812.5
Interest in Roanoke improvements, however, continued strong. The North
Carolina Journal of January 12, 1794, carried an interesting open letter from
11 P. H .• 11 of Rockingham County, to a "friend 11 in the town of Halifax, on t he
advantages of river improvements. In part it reads:
It is needless to suggest the advantages your town will derive,
and the county of Halifax in general, from the circumstance of its being
the place of deposit of all the produce of such an extent of rich country
which that river meanders through--they are too evident to need illust­ration,
though it is highly necessary that you should believe the ob­stacles
to this desirable end are mere trifles, and a simple belief
of their being so, is more than half the task of removing them. You
cannot conceive the facility with which these batteaux shoot through
swift water, and where no perpendicular falls intervene, no water can
be so rapid, if not too deep, as to be impassible.
I have ever understood that no such falls are in the river about
Mush-Island, or indeed any where in the shoaly water above; if this is
a fact, I will venture to assert, the mere labour of these people who
live near the river, prompted by a hearty zeal, is equal in two reasons,
to the removal of all rocks and the opening of a suitable sluice; but,
Sir, as t he interest of the merchant, as well as the planter, are com­bined
with the policy of the project, we hope so beneficial an under­takin~
will receive pecuniary aid from the mercantile part of your
town .
-
This letter details efforts expended to upgrade navigation on the upper
reaches of the Roanoke, in particular the Dan River branch . The use of bat-teaux,
or flatboats, appears to have been an important way of transporting
goods . With impr ovements in the river course, these boats could unload their
cargoes in Halifax:
These boats when full freighted with twelve hogsheads of tobacco,
draw only fifteen inches of water, and are as easily governed as a
canoe; and the boatmen say, that if they can get eighteen inches water,
and a sluice 15 or 20 feet wide it is all they ask--is it not practi­cable
to effect such a one at your falls? One of the batteaux-men who
has viewed them, says it is. 7
North Carolina chartered the Roanoke Navigation Company in 1812. Previous-lv,
the company existed under the private auspices of 11 A Number of Gentlemen
who are desirous of promoting the navigation of Roanoke river. • • • 11 In
1795 they employed a Mr. Wade-the same man who had directed improvement s on
t h e Dan-" to make an actual survey of the Falls, 11 which obstructed passage. 8
In 1797 the company was organized as a public stock company with representat i ve s
in Halifax, North Carolina, and Danville, St. Taminy, and South Boston, Virginia.
Thomas Amis, Willie J ones, and Goodorum Davis managed the compan,y' s interest in
Halifax, Jones serving as first company president. Stock went for one hundred
dollars per share . 9 other supporters of the venture included General William
R. Davie, Allen Jones, Josiah Co~ins, Starling Marshall, and Samuel Johnston,
all of North Carolina, and John B. Scott, Robert Payne, James Colquhoun, Samuel
10
Good, Charles Bruce, Samuel Hopkins, and Paul Covington, of Virginia.
In 1798 John Barnett 'WaS hired by the company to survey around the falls:
Resolved, that J ohn Barnett be employed to trace out the line of
navigation from the mouth of Stonehouse creek to the falls opposite
Ma j or Eaton 's mill, and make report to the President as soon as con­venient;
particularly stating the distance, depth and fall, and d esig ­nating
the property, whether public or private, the terms of purchase
on composition, where required; with proper estimates of the expense ;
and may receive proposals from any person or persons willing to under­take
any part of the work which shall be laid before the next meeting
of the Board, with t h e whole report and estimate ••• • 11
These plans, however, were not accomplished. The company ran into financial
trouble and was forced to postpone indefinitely its surveys and plans of
improvement until a later date.
12
The chartering of the Roanoke Navigation Company by North Carolina i .n
1812 served as a ma j or impetus in the renewed efforts toward full use of the
river. Beginning in 1815 both states gave serious consideration to Roanoke
development. Reorganized in 1815, with capital from both private and state
sources, the company began work on locks connecting the upper river into the
basin at Weldon and general improvements on other sections. By 1828 work
could begin on locking the canal from the basin to the lower river, a task
not completed until 1833.13
In either case, the port of Norfolk was the undeniable beneficiary. With
shoals below Weldon barring direct ascensions, much cargo had to be carted
northward; with navigation unimpaired by the use of locks and canals, commerce
would still now northward, by way of the Dismal Swamp Canal.
In 1829 th~newly organized Virginia and North C&ro1ina Transportation
Company placed the steamboat Petersburg and eight sixty-ton barges in operation
between Norfolk and Weldon. It was only after the completion of the locks below
Weldon that a vessel could fully utilize the river •14 Despite this problem,
the Norfolk Herald editorialized, endorsing the new service, that 11 t he opening
of the Dismal Swamp Canal /Jor coastal navigatio!!l, and the establishment of
the Transportation Company11 had "entirely changed the prospects, and given the
advantage to the planters and farmers, and the getters of lumber and naval
stores. 1115
In reality, the new company tied the Roanoke Valley all the more closely
to Virginia. Various prominent North Carolinians had already admitted the
futility of creating a rival commercial center to counter Norfolk without first
cutting an outlet to the ocean, or connecting the region by canal to the
southern ports of Beaufort or Wilmington.l6
Be that as it may, the prospect of cheaper and faster water transportation
to a deep-sea port was met by Roanoke Valley planters with great expectation.
Severa] Norfolk commission merchants took immediate advantage of the better
connection. James Gordon, of Norfolk, announced in October, 1829:
The subscriber takes this method of announcing to the public
that he has made arr~ments for the transportation of Cotton, and
produce of all descriptions, from Weldon and Halifax to Norfolk, by the
use of boats that go all times over the shoals, and meet the Steam Boat
Petersburg below the shoals. • • • The charges will be as follows:
For receiving and delivering Cotton at Halifax, 15 cents,
At Edward's and Anthony's ferry, 12! cents,
Freight and Canal toll to Norfolk, one dollar,
Storage at Norfolk, per month, 10 cents,
Commission on sales, 2! per cent.
Freight of a sack of salt from Norfolk to Halifax, or Weldon,
Canal toll included, 38 cents,
Barrel of Sugar, 50 cents,
Bag of Coffee, 200 weight, 50 cents,
Other articles in the same proposition,
My agents are in Weldon, Colonel Joyner, Halifax, Nathaniel Smith,
Edward's Ferry, Dr. Whitehead, Anthony's Ferry, Jas. H. Smith.
The lighters I use are to take produce down the river, on the moment
of its arrival; it will be received by Steam Boat and immedi­ately
proceed to Norfolk . 17
Boats arriving in Halifax or Weldon would discharge cargoes of dry goods,
grocery articles, and rum, in turn transporting shiploads of cotton, flour,
and hogsheads of tobacco to Norfolk. Weekly or monthly schedules were often
listed in the press . The Halifax Minerva of January 7, 1830, announced recent
arrivals and departures:
ARRIVED: December 20. Schr. Independence, Capt . Jas. H. Jones with
Goods to Hawkins and Harris. J. L. Simmons and others. On the 3rd
Inst. Steamer PETERSBURG with the transportation boats DAN, SI'ANI'ON &
ROANOKE. DEPARTED: Sehr. Meherrin, Capt. Ashby, with cotton, Flour,
&c. for Norfolk. Schr. Elizabeth, Capt. Simmons with cotton, Flour,
&c. for Norfolk. On the 26th Schr. INDEPENDENCE, Capt. Jones. ~
the 5th Inst. Steamer PETERSBURG with Cotton for Elizabeth City.
Improvements in Roanoke River navigation were finished in 1833. Ironi­cally,
this year also saw the completion of the Petersburg Railroad Company
to Weldon. The impact upon river commerce was immediate and considerable.
Philip B. Rice states that
. • • Norfolk-bound flour on the Dismal Swamp Canal dropped from
10,778 barrels in 1833, to 2,911 in 1835, and 2,546 in 1836 .
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The tobacco trade took an even greater relapse, decreasing from
2,113 hogsheads in 1833, to 202 in 1835. By 1837, the Petersburg
Railroad Compan.y was carrying approximately fifty- two percent of all
flour transported down the upper Roanoke and probably all of the
2,975 hogsheads of tobacco.l~
Valley products were diverted northward through Weldon. For all practical
purposes the Roanoke River would never regain the edge in transportation.
North Carolina attempted to regain some of the lost commerce in the late
1830s with the construction of the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad, connecting
the river at Weldon with the port of Wilmington . Construction on the road
was completed in 1840. A third line, the Raleigh and Gaston, linked Weldon
with the North Carolina state capital. Neither of these lines substantially
a1 tered the Northeast's dependence on Virginia ports, however. A fourth rail­road,
the Portsmouth and Roanoke line, was the finishi.ng blow. 20 The Roanoke
River and its tributaries became feeders for the railroads.
Colonel Andrew Joyner, who had earlier been associated with the develop-ment
of the river as president of the Roanoke Navigation Company, was also a
driving force in railroad construction in the Roanoke Valley. As president
of the Portsmouth and Roanoke, which afterward became the Seaboard, he directed
the company's business from Weldon for many years. Confederate General Lawrence
0 1 Bryan Branch, a nephew of Governor John Branch, was also involved with rail­roads.
During the 1850s he served as president of the Raleigh and Gaston. 21
Until the railroads brought importance to Weldon, the town of Halifax was
the most important commercial center in the Roanoke region. Situated on the
river at the point where the major north-south Petersburg-to~eorgia road was
intersected, Halifax was one of the first few North Carolina towns to gain
postal service. A post office--the seventh in the state-was established in
Halifax in 1792. 22 Announcements of mail service were carried in the North
._e Carolina Journal in November of that year. The ''N orthern Mail," coming by post
rider from Petersburg, stopped in Halifax on Saturday of each week; on Thursday,
the "Southern Mail" from Fayetteville and Tarboro was scheduled; and every
other Tuesday the "Western Mail• would arrive from Salisbury, to depart the
23
following Thursday. In 1794 postal service was extended, with new routes
to Windsor and Edenton, Warrenton, Oxford, am Hillsborough. A note from
the Postmaster-General was appended to these changes, detailing the contract
basis of the service:
Note 1. The Postmaster-General may alter the times or arrival
and departure at any time during the continuance of the contracts,
he previously stipulating an adequate compensation for any extra
expence that may be occasioned thereby .
Note 2. Half an hour shall be allowed for opening and closing
the mail at all offices where no particular ti.ll.e is specified.
Note 3 . For every hour's delay (unavoidable accidents expected)
in arriving after the times prescribed in any contract, the contractor
shall forfeit one dollar; and it the delay continue until the departure
of any depending mail, whereby the mails destined for such depending
mail lose a trip, an additional forfeiture of five dollars shall be
incurred.
Note 4. News -papers as well as letters are to be sent in the
mails; and if any person making proposals desires to carry news-papers
other than those conveyed in the mail for his own emolument, he must
state in his proposals for what sum he will carry it with that emolument,
and for what without that emolument.24
Thaddeus Barnes was appointed Deputy Postmaster for Halifax, September 4, 1793.
Thomas Gloster was appointed to the position for warrenton later that same
year.25
In later years stagecoaches carried the mails. Before the coming of the
railroads, the system of stage transportation not only facilitated postal service,
but was the superior means of traveling across country. Such connections were
important to any town. Concerning a new line of stages between Petersburg,
Halifax, and Tarboro, the Halifax Free Press editorialized: "The establishment
of this line will facilitate our communication with those places fPetersburg
and Tarbori}, and afford to the man of pleasure or business a speedy and con-venient
mode of travelling. The enterprising proprietor has our best wishes for
its success."26 On May 21, 1824, Thomas Shore, the founder of this line,
advertised:
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The Subscriber has contracted with the General Post-Office to
carry the mail from Petersburg to Tarboro', twice a week, in a light
substantial, two horse Stage. Nothing shall be wanting on his part, to
render the travelling on this route both expeditious and comfortable.
Passengers arriving from Fayetteville, Georgia, &c. at Tarboro' to
breakfast Tuesdays and Saturdays, in Latimore's Line, will breakfast in
Petersburg the next morning, (110 miles) where they can take Porter &
Niblo's daily accommodation Stage to Richmond, or spend a few hours in
Petersburg, and take their mail Stage to Richmond, after dinner, or
take the steamboat to Baltimore, or Washington City, via Norfolk.--
The Subscriber does not believe he goes much out of his way to say,
that the road from Fayetteville, by Tarboro' and Hali£ax, to Petersburg,
ie a BOLLING GREEN.
This line will be in operation on Tuesday, the 18th inst.
The Stage will leave Petersburg Tuesdays and Saturdays, at 4
o'clock, A.M. and arrive at Tarboro' next day by 3 P.M.
Leave Tarboro' Tuesdays and Saturdays, 8 o'clock, A.M. and arrive
at Petersburg the next morning to breakfast.
Rates of Fare. From Petersburg to Tarboro', 110 miles, $9 . 00.
Baggage at the risk of the owners.27
The construction of railroads in the Roanoke Valley, as with river trans-portation,
was a serious threat to the stagecoach. Like the river, the stage
lines in the Roanoke region would be reduced to feeder operations, or re-stricted
to areas where the rails had not penetrated.
• FOOfNCYl'ES
1. Philip M. Rice, 11Ea.rly Development of the Roanoke Waterway - A Study
in Interstate Relation~" North Carolina Historical Review, XXXI (January,
1954), 55-56, hereinafter cited as Rice, "Development of Roanoke Waterway."
This article is an excellent summary of the efforts to improve navigation
on the Roanoke. See also, Clifford R. Hinshaw, Jr. 11 North Carolina
Canals Before 1860," North Carolina Historical Review, XXV (January, 1948),
l-57, hereinafter cited as Hinshaw, "North Carolina Canals."
2. Rice, "Development of Roanoke Waterway," 53, 55.
3 . Rice, "Developnent of Roanoke Waterway," 56.
4. Hinshaw, "North Carolina Canals, 11 22- 24.
5. Rice, 11 Development of Roanoke Waterway," 56.
6. North Carolina Journal (Halifax), February 26, 1794, hereinafter cited as
North Carolina Journal.
7 . North Carolina Journal, February 26, 1794.
8. North Carolina Journal, September 7, 1795.
9. North Carolina Journal, January 16, 1797.
10. North Carolina Journal, November 20, 1797.
11. North Carolina Journal, June 18, 1798.
12. North Carolina Journal, May 12, 1800, and October 13, 1800.
13 . Rice, "Development of Roanoke Waterway," 59, 64- 66.
14. Rice, "Deve l opment of Roanoke Waterway," 66.
15. Quoted in Halifax Minerva, December 17, 1829.
16. Rice, "Development of Roanoke Waterway," 167.
17. Halifax Minerva, October 29, 1829.
18. Halifax Minerva, January 7, 1830.
19. Ri ce, "Development of Roanoke Waterway," 70.
20. Rice, "Development of Roanoke Waterway, 11 71.
21. W. C. Allen, History of Halifax County (Boston: The Cor nhill Co . , 191~ ) ,
191 - 192 .
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22. Arthur Hecht, "Postal History of North Carolina," North Carolina His­torical
Review, XXXV (April, 1958), 127, hereinafter cited as Hecht,
"Postal History."
23 . North Caro li.na Journal, November 7, 1792.
24. North Carolina Journal , August 24, 1794.
25. Hecht, "Postal History," 133, 137.
26. Free Press (Halifax), May 21, 1824, hereinafter cited as Free Press.
27. Free Press, May 21, 1824.
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BIBUOORAPHY
Allen, W. C. History of Halifax County. Boston, 1918.
Free Press (Halifax), 1824.
Halifax Minerva, 1829- 1830 .
Hecht, Arthur, "Postal History of North Carolina," North Carolina Historical
Review, XXXV (April, 1958), 125 - 152 .
Hinshaw, Clifford R., Jr. "North Carolina Canals Before 1860, 11 North Carolina
Historical Review, XXV (January, 1948), 1-57.
North Carolina Journal (Halifax), 1792- 1800.
Rice, Philip M. "Early Developnent of the Roanoke Waterway - A Study in Inter­state
Relations," No