In 1900 he was elected governor and dedicated himself to improving public education in North Carolina. By the time he left office four years later, one school had been built for each day the governor was in office. Free Admission.
Until the last few months of the Civil War, Fort Fisher kept North Carolina's port of Wilmington open to blockade-runners supplying necessary goods to Confederate armies inland. When Ft. Fisher fell after a massive Federal amphibious assault on January 15, 1865, its defeat helped seal the fate of the Confederacy. Free Admission.
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.
See the early home, factories, and farm where Washington Duke first grew and processed tobacco. His sons later founded The American Tobacco Company, the world's largest tobacco company. Admission is free, but donations are welcome.
Founded in 1902 by Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown, Palmer Memorial Institute transformed the lives of more than 2,000 African American students. Today visitors can explore this unique environment where boys and girls lived and learned during the greater part of the 20th century. Free.
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.
The Battle of Bentonville, fought March 19-21, 1865, was the last full-scale action of the Civil War in which a Confederate army was able to mount a tactical offensive. This was the largest ever battle fought in North Carolina. Admission is free, but donations are welcome.
In April 1865, Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston and Union Gen. William T. Sherman met at Bennett Place, where they signed surrender papers for Southern armies in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida. Admission is free, but donations are 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.