Joel Lane’s Plantation
ll was upon his land that the capital city of
North Carolina was built, luine, himself,
was one of the most prominent citizens of
his time and was outstanding in several
lines of service.
IN 1788 when a convention met
I at Hillsboro to consider whether
■ the new Federal Constitution
should be ratified, it took other im¬
portant action which included the
passage of an ordinance fixing the
capital of the new state and the
seat of the new government at
some point in Wake County, with¬
in ten miles of the tavern kept by
Isaac Hunter, and appointing com¬
missioners to carry into effect the
terms of this ordinance. This in¬
cluded not only laying out the city-
to-be. but erecting the state capitol.
a residence for the Governor and
other public buildings. The tavern
of Isaac Hunter stood upon a high
hill overlooking Crabtree Creek,
some two miles north of the pres¬
ent city of Raleigh, which was then
known as Bloomsbury.
This ordinance caused fierce pro¬
test and a long struggle which did
not end for many years, but not¬
withstanding this the commission¬
ers proceeded to carry out their
instructions and to select a site for
the new seat of government. When
the commissioners met to make
their selection, no less than seven¬
teen tracts of land were offered for
the required purpose, of which the
commissioners gave serious con¬
sideration to only two: a tract near
Neuse River owned by Colonel
John Hinton, and a plantation
owned by his son-in-law Colonel
Joseph Lane. The Lane tract was
selected and was conveyed to the
State April 5. 1792.
Originally From Halifax
The Lane family was originally
from Halifax County, but Joel
Lane lived upon the lands now oc¬
cupied by the city of Raleigh for
many years prior to the formation
of Wake County, which was named
in honor of the maiden name of the
wife of Royal Governor William
Try on. Joel Lane was one of the
wealthiest and most influential
citizens of the new county and
when in 1771 the first Court of
Pleas and Quarter Sessions was or¬
ganized for the new county, he. as
well as his brother Joseph, was a
member of that tribunal, on which
THE STATE. SlPTCMntR 20, 1043
By II. C. LAWRENCE
both sat until after the close of the
Revolution. Joel Lane was a close
friend and an ardent admirer of
that master politician of his gener¬
ation. Willie Jones of Halifax,
who was one of the commissioners
named to select a site for the new
citv. and it is barolv possible that
this friendship had something to
do with the selection of the Lane
site.
In the organization of the militia
for the new county. Lane's father-
in-law. John Hinton, was named
as Colonel, Lane himself being
commissioned as Lieutenant-Col¬
onel. In this capacity Lane partici¬
pated in the campaign undertaken
by Governor Trvon against the
Regulators: and the militia from
Wake formed a part of his force
when the battle was sought on
Great Alamance Creek the year in
which Wake County was estab¬
lished. But it must not be inferred
from this that Lane was a sud-
porter of the British, for when the
Revolution drew on he became one
of the outstanding Whigs of his
section.
When the Provincial Congress
met at Hillsboro in August 1775,
after the royal Governor Martin
had lain down the reins of govern¬
ment and fled to the protection of
a British vessel in the Cape Fear, a
provisional form of government
had to be adopted for the Colony.
Lane was not only a member of the
Congress, but when it elected mem¬
bers of the Committee on Public
Safety. Lane was chosen as a mem¬
ber of the committee from the
Hillsboro District, to which Wake
Countv was then attached. Lane
was also a delegate from Wake
County to the Provincial Coneross
which met at Halifax in April 1776.
where a vain attempt was made to
frame a Constitution for the newr
state.
It was at the Lane residence that
the Committee on Public Safety
met and took the necessary meas¬
ures to furnish aid and assistance
for the troops which were then
preparing to march against the
Cherokee Indians under the leader¬
ship of General Griffith Ruther¬
ford, the result of which was to
crush that once powerful tribe. In
1781, the legislature which had
been "boarding around," meeting
at Fayetteville. Tarboro, Smith-
field and other places, met at the
Lane residence and used it as a
place of meeting. This ancient resi¬
dence is still standing near the
western limits of Raleigh, where it
is preserved for its historic value.
The paper currency of that day
must have been badly inflated, for
when the legislature was about to
adjourn it voted to pay to Colonel
Lane fifteen thousand pounds in pa¬
per currency for two weeks rent
and for the use of his pasture for the
horses on which the members rode
to the meeting. At this time, the
bold bandit David Fanning had
recently made his famous raid on
Hillsboro, where he had captured
Governor Thomas Burke, the mem¬
bers of his Council and other pub¬
lic officials. Lane’s regiment of
militia was called out to guard this
legislature against being captured
and delivered up to the British.
Trustee of University
Colonel Lane was an original
trustee of the University, and
when the selection of a site for that
institution was under considera¬
tion, he offered to donate to it one
square mile of land located near
the present town of Cary, upon
condition that the new institution
be located there.
The importance of Colonel Lane
as a patriot and as a pioneer citi¬
zen of Wake may be gauged from
the fact that beginning in 1782 and
ending within the year of his
death. Colonel Lane was Senator
from Wake County, serving a total
of thirteen terms, and becoming
one of the most influential legisla¬
tors of his day.
It is rather singular that the
grave of so important a man should
(Continued on page 22)
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