State

HALIFAX DRAMA DESCRIBED: "First For Freedom" A climactic scene from Maiville Burt Williams' diomo “First For Freedom", scheduled July I -4 and 7-10 at the Joseph Montfor! Amphitheatre, in Holilo*. On July 4th, "Historic Holilo* Fun Fcstivol will also feature free tours, demonstrations, wagon trom rides, squorc dancing, ond о borbccued beef dinner. (See “Dotes & Events") By NORMA N. COOK A cool summer breeze sways the pines in ihc background, and slowly the lights focus on another time and place. The year is 1776; the place. Halifax. North Carolina. The town comes to life as the story unfolds a yesterday we have only read about. This historical outdoor drama poig¬ nantly reminds us of the price that was paid for freedom. “First for Free¬ dom.” written by Maxville Burt Williams, has been performed each summer since 1976. The drama is a historical account of the people and events involved in the creation of the Halifax Resolves, the first official and explicit declaration of independence from Great Britain. The amphitheatre stands pictur¬ esque amid tall pines approximately where the original town once stood, and not far from here, the mighty Roanoke River runs to the beat of the Indian drum. Tuscaroras were the first people to inhabit this wilderness and find refuge on these banks. The white man arrived around 1720. forcing the Indians northward. Halifax County was created from Edgecombe County in 1758 and named after the Earl of Halifax, the first Lord of the Board of Trade. The town of Halifax soon be¬ came the county seat and developed into a thriving settlement which re¬ mained in the forefront of political ac¬ tivity throughout the Revolution. The Drama “First for Freedom” combines fact and fiction in portraying the history of Halifax in the late 1700’s. The story centers on the Hamilton family. John Hamilton, a successful merchant in Halifax, chooses to remain loyal to the King, but his family has strong ties in Halifax. His daughter is in love with THE STATE. JUNE 1983 Sam Pickett who joins the Revo¬ lutionary cause and she chooses to re¬ main in Halifax when her parents and brother are forced to leave. Dudley’s Tavern houses the lighter side of the drama, a place where war is talked and argued about and then washed down with ale. The courthouse doors swing open: April I2. I776. The Fourth Provincial Congress is meeting here, and the del¬ egates representing the people across the state assemble to take the first for¬ mal stand for freedom — declaring separation from Great Britain. Months later, the Continental Congress in Philadelphia will incorporate these same ideas and principles into the Declaration of Independence. John Hamilton and Christopher Dudley are historical characters: the rest, products of a keen imagination. John Hamilton was a wealthy, well-re¬ spected merchant in Halifax. Though his friends urged him to join the patri¬ otic move toward independence, he strongly maintained his allegiance to the King. Hamilton continued his business in Halifax until the end of 1776, when the Governor called for all residents to take an oath of allegiance to North Carolina or leave the slate. When he fled the town, his property was confiscated. He joined the British forces and reached the rank of colonel within a year. Given command of the Royal North Carolina Regiment. Hamilton was with Cornwallis when he surrendered at Yorktown. After the Treaty of Peace, he sailed to England and lived for several years. Later he served as British consul at Norfolk. Virginia, and he often returned to Halifax to visit friends he had known since before the war. In November. 1776. the first State Constitution Convention, meeting at Halifax, drew up and adopted the first State Constitution. Although the State General Assembly transferred from Halifax to Hillsborough in 1783. pre¬ cipitating a decline in the activity and influence of Halifax, the town had won its rightful place in history. Historic Ground The Revolutionary heroes of 1776 are gone, but many named in the his¬ tory of the county lie buried in the Co¬ lonial Cemetery — on the hill next to this ampithcatrc where their lives arc portrayed. The names on the grave¬ stones. are fading and worn almost smooth by time and the elements. Yet many of the historical dwellings as¬ sociated with them remain. The Con¬ stitution House where the first State Constitution was written; the Clerk's Office where the State’s first records were kept; the old Gaol where Tories 27