Topics Related to Early Settlement and Revolutionary Era

Roanoke Island Festival Park is an interactive family attraction that celebrates the first English settlement in America. Visitors board and explore the park's centerpiece, a representational ship, Elizabeth II.

In spring and summer, bright flowers surround this plantation house named for its location on a horseshoe bend in the Deep River. The house (ca. 1770) was owned by Philip Alston, whose band of colonists seeking independence from Britain was attacked here in 1781. Free, donations are accepted and appreciated.

Located on the Roanoke River, the town of Halifax developed into a commercial and political center at the time of the American Revolution. A self-guided walking tour of the site includes several authentically restored and furnished buildings including the 1838 Jail, the 1790 Eagle Tavern and the Underground Railroad Trail.

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Featuring 18th and 19th century history, North Carolina's second oldest town Edenton was one of the fledgling nation's chief political, cultural, and commercial centers. The state's first colonial capital, it was established in the late 17th century and incorporated in 1722.

European settlement near the Pamlico River in the 1690s led to the founding of Bath, North Carolina's first town, in 1705. By 1708, Bath had 50 people and 12 houses. Political rivalries, Indian wars, and piracy marked its early years but in 1746 Bath was considered for the colony's capital.

Ft. Dobbs provides a window into the tumultuous period of history known as the French and Indian War (1754-1763) or Seven Years War. As the only state historic site associated with the period, it represents North Carolina's link with a global war for empire that crossed five continents, lasted nearly a decade and sowed the seeds for independence. Free.

Glimpses into two of our nation's most pivotal wars can be found in one historic site within the city of Kinston. Here you will explore the celebrated life of Richard Caswell, the first governor of the independent state of North Carolina.

A major pre-Revolutionary port on North Carolina's Cape Fear River, Brunswick was razed by British troops in 1776 and never rebuilt. During the Civil War, Fort Anderson was constructed atop the old village site. Admission free, but donations welcome.

In 1771, an armed rebellion of backcountry farmers called Regulators battled with royal governor William Tryon's militia on land now preserved at Alamance Battleground State Historic Sites. Admission is free, but donations are welcome.