North Carolina Minute

Fourth of July Celebrations

The celebrations of the Fourth of July in Raleigh go back to 1798, six years after the town was established. To my knowledge there have been a celebration every year since that time. Some of the early celebrations stand out more than others.

The celebration of 1814 was one of the most outstanding of that era. The war of 1812 was over and people were in a very festive mood. The population of Raleigh was increasing by great numbers and business was bustling. The City's first public water works was nearly finished and this was for sanitation reasons a great advancement for Raleigh. Generally you can tell how popular these past years of celebrating were by the number of toast that was made at the annual dinner. In 1814 there were a total of 43 toasts made and these were just the ones on the printed program. Of course, after each toast the cup was lifted which contained moonshine or corn-whisky. Although the ladies would attend the dinners, they would excuse themselves, when the toast portion began.

In 1833 there was another celebration in Raleigh, for the main feature was the laying of the cornerstone of the present capitol building with Masonic ceremonies. The old State House as it was then called was destroyed by fire in 1831. Hundreds of people came from far and wide to this special undertaking.

In 1834, such progress was being made on the new capitol building that Raleigh and the State went "all out" with a celebration at the Governor's Palace, which was located at the foot of Fayetteville Street. Every window in the palace with a total of 250 squares of glass were illuminated, 300 lamps were placed about the palace lawn, over the main door was placed a giant star formed from 100 lamps of different color. A large band played on the upper portico of the palace. Dancing, games, speeches and plenty of refreshments were had. The first use of fireworks were in the celebration of 1812, however, they were used in 1836 celebration as the main farewell for a great celebration.

Colonel Thomas Ferebee and the Atomic Bomb

I'm never amazed as I read history when and where a North Carolina person or place might show up in the history books. One such name I found was the name of Thomas Ferebee who was born in Mocksville, North Carolina on November 9, 1918. Ferebee graduated from Lee-McRae College at Banner Elk, North Carolina. During his high school and college years he was very much involved in sports. He tried out for a position on the Boston Red Sox baseball team, but was not successful.

Being that his dream of playing baseball failed him, he joined the army, but because of a knee injury he was not fit for the infantry, so he entered flight school. Finishing flight school he became a bombardier in the European theater of war, completing over 60 bombing missions.

In 1944 Ferebee was selected to join the 509th Composite Group, which was a special group to deliver the atomic bomb. On August 6, 1944, with Colonel Paul Tibbets in command, the Enola Gay B-29 flew over the city of Hiroshima at which time Thomas Ferebee opened the bomb bay doors and pulled the cable dropping the first atomic bomb over Japan. On the ground the blast killed an estimated 130,000 people, with many more thousands dying from wounds and disease. Following the second atomic bomb drop on August 9, the Japanese announced their term to surrender on August 15, 1944.

After the war, Ferebee remained in the military until 1970 and upon retirement he lived in Florida until his death on March 16, 2000. After his death, his wife of 19 years donated all of his military records and objects to the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh.

Professionals form a baseball league

New York City, 1871 - The Philadelphia Athletics were perched atop the new league as the first season of the National Association of Professional Baseball Players drew to a close. The Athletics won the championship with a record of 22 wins and seven loses, followed by Chicago. Boston was favored to win it all, but injuries destroyed their chances. Other clubs in the league are the Chicago White stockings, the New York Mutuals, the Cleveland Forest Citys, the Fort Wayne Kekiongas, the Rockford City Citys, the Washington Nationals and the Washington Olympics.

The league was formed amid the noise and drinking of St. Patrick's Day at Colliers Café in downtown New York. James N. Kerns was elected president of the association. The Brooklyn Eckfords were supposed to join, but they felt the 10-dollar entry fee was too risky. However, the Eckfords joined the following year. Their record was so bad, they were the ones to coin, "wait until next year."

Veterans saluting the flag

Washington, D. C., July 28, 2007 - U. S. Senator Jim Inhofe (R0Okla.) praised the passage by unanimous consent of his bill (S.1877) clarifying U. S. law to allow veterans and servicemen not in uniform to salute the flag. Current law (USCode Title 4, Chapter 1) states that veterans ands servicemen not in uniform should place their hand over their heart without clarifying whether they can or should salute the flag.

Senator Inhofe said, "The salute is a form of honor and respect, representing pride in one's military service. Veterans and service members continue representing the military services even when not in uniform." Unfortunately, current U. S. law leaves confusion as to whether veterans and service members out of uniform can or should salute the flag. My legislation will clarify this regulation, allowing veterans and servicemen alike to salute the flag, whether they are in uniform or not. "I look forward to seeing those who have served saluting proudly at baseball games, parades and formal events. I believe this is an appropriate way to honor and recognize the 25 million veterans in the United States who have served in the military and remain as role models to other citizens. Those who are currently serving and have served in the military have earned this right, and their recognition will be an inspiration to others."

Not two, but there are three sets of Siamese twins with North Carolina connections

The first, which I believe most people know about, are the Siamese Twins, Chang Eng, who were born in Thailand in 1811. They traveled the world and were famous as the "Amazing Siamese Twins" with the P. T. Barnum circus. In 1839 they grew tired of the circus life and settled down in Wilkesboro, North Carolina where they married sisters and raised two families.

The other set of Siamese Twins were native born, Mille-Christine McCoy. They were born in Columbus County to a slave woman on July 11, 1852.

They also toured the world with P. T. Barnum, billing them as the "The Eighth Wonder of the World, The Two-Headed Nightingale." They retired in 1900 and returned to their home in Columbus County. They both died on October 12, 1912.

Out third set of Siamese Twins were the "Hilton Sisters," Violet and Daisy. They were born Brighton, England in 1908. The twin grew up around very violent surrounds. By the time they were three years old they were touring all over the world. They were known as "The United Twins." After years of abuse by their "owners" they broke away and went on their own. In 1932, they play themselves in the movie Freaks. The girls could sing, dance and play several musical instruments.

They made another movie Chained For Life, in 1950. For the next ten years they would perform in small town and at State Fairs. Hollywood reissued the film Freaks in 1960, which became a classic. They made personal appearances when the movie was shown throughout the United States.

In 1962 the twins performed at a drive-in theater in Charlotte, North Carolina. This was to be their last performance. Following the show, their manager made off with the night's proceeds and left the girls stranded in Charlotte. Luck would however, come to the girls again. The manager of the Park & Shop Grocery Store in Charlotte gave the girls a job as checkout girls. One would operate the cash register and the other would bag the groceries. The Hilton Sisters died on January 6, 1969 and are buried in Charlotte's Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Thought for the day: The nicest thing about the future is that it always starts tomorrow.

 J.C. Knowles is a traveling speaker, historian and antique expert. For more interesting North Carolina stories, visit www.heathero.com/ssg or apex.mync.com.