Wayne County, NC - Heritage Series Reprinted with permission of the Mount Olive Tribune and cannot be reproduced without permission. A Visit To Halifax "Our Heritage" By Claude Moore Friday, April 16, 1993 Last Monday I attended the historic program at Halifax, North Carolina, commemorating the 217th anniversary of the signing of the Halifax Resolves which made North Carolina the first of the original 13 colonies to instruct its delegates in the Continental Congress to vote for independence from the mother country. The delegates from North Carolina were William Hooper of Wilmington, Joseph Hawes of Edenton & John Penn of Williamsboro in Granville County. The date of this event, April 12, 1776, is inscribed on the North Carolina state flag. I was principal of Aurelian Springs High School from 1958 to 1964 so I have been involved in the historic preservation at the town of Halifax for some 34 years. This year the program was of special interest to me because my good friend & cousin Betty Ray McCain of Wilson (formerly of Faison), who is the present Secretary of the Department of Cultural Resources of North Carolina, made the address. Monday was a beautiful & bright day & it was easy to make the walking tour from one historic building to another. I saw a number of my former students, parents & old friends even though I have been away for 28 years. Halifax County is located on the south side of the Roanoke River & north of Fishing Creek, a branch of the Tar River. The county was carved out of Edgecombe County in 1758 which was in turn created out of Bertie County in 1734. The town was laid out in 1758 on the banks of the Roanoke River & became the county seat. Weldon, northwest of Halifax, is the fall line of the Roanoke River. Historic Halifax is now a state historic site & many of the ancient buildings have been restored. The town never grew to be very large, but it had more distinguished leaders in early dates than any other town. This was the home of the great Willie Jones, the author of the North Carolina Constitution in 1776. This was the home of the Honorable William R. Davie, governor, congressman, Minister to France & above all, the "father of the University of North Carolina." In fact, Davie had charge of laying the cornerstone of old East Building in Chapel Hill on October 12, 1793. His wife, Sarah Jones Davie, is buried in the colonial cemetery near the site of the early Anglican Chapel. Halifax is the home of old Royal White Hart Masonic Lodge (still active) & on the grounds of the lodge is buried the Honorable Joseph Montford, the only Grandmaster of Masons for all English America. His old home has been rebuilt on the original brick foundation. The house in which the North Carolina Constitution was drawn up has been restored. Governor John Ashe of Rocky Point married & lived in Halifax. It was the Elizabeth Montford Ashe Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution which began the historic preservation in Halifax as early as 1916 & this year, the chapter attended the main program as a group. President George Washington visited Halifax on his southern tour in 1791, stayed overnight & was entertained by the Masons. In 1825 the Marquis de La Fayette visited Halifax & went to see Mrs. Willie Jones at the Grove Plantation. John Paul Jones, the father of the American navy, spent some time in Halifax with the Willie Jones family. Governor Hutchins G. Burton married Willie Jones' daughter & lived for a time in Halifax. Governor John Branch was a native of Halifax County as was his son, General L. O. B. Branch, a Confederate General. Brig. General Junius Daniel, C.S.A., was a native of Halifax. The restored area open to the public includes the Visitors Center, the Royal White Hart Lodge, the Colonial Inn, the Sally-Billy House, the Montford House, the early brick jail, the brick Clerk of the Court building, the Owens House, the Magazine Spring & the amphitheatre. Halifax is located between Enfield & Weldon & is just five miles off I-95. The official Halifax Day Ceremony was held at the amphitheatre & the presiding officer was Ray Wilkerson, television & radio farm commentator & the real power behind the restoration project. The address was made by Mrs. Betty McCain & she stressed the importance of preserving history & passing our heritage on down to future generations. ============================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. 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