North Carolina Facts They Don’t Teach in School

Sure, we all know North Carolina is the ‘Tar Heel State’ and home to the Wright Brothers’ first flight. But did you know it was also home to Blackbear and the largest home in America? Buckle up, because we’re diving into some fascinating facts about North Carolina that you didn’t learn in school!”

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North Carolina Has Its Own Lost Colony Mystery

The story of Roanoke is one of America’s greatest mysteries. The word “CROATOAN” carved into a tree is still baffling historians.

The Roanoke Colony was founded in 1585, but after a ship returned in 1590, the colonists had disappeared. John White led the second expedition in 1587 after Sir Walter Raleigh sent White to the Chesapeake Bay to establish the “Cittie of Raleigh.”

White went back to England, intending to return to Chesapeake Bay with supplies in 1588, but his return was delayed until 1590 due to the Anglo-Spanish War. Once he had returned, the words “CROATOAN” were found carved into the palisade (tree trunks or wooden stakes used as a defensive wall).

The fate of the 112 to 121 colonists remains unknown to this day.

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The World’s Largest Chest of Drawers is Here

In High Point, the “Furniture Capital of the World,” you’ll find a massive 38-foot-tall chest of drawers complete with dangling socks to honor the region’s hosiery industry.

Known as the Bureau of Information, the 19th-century dresser dates back to 1926. The dresser had a complete makeover and transformation in 1996 by Sid Lenger. After Sid Lenger died in 2003, a real estate developer had the socks repainted neon green and orange. The elegant wood finish was also repainted with a coat of gray. This caused a stir with locals who considered it disrespectful to Sid Lenger’s work.

The chest was eventually sold to High Point University in 2018 and Brian Davis, an artist and designer, jumped at the opportunity to restore Lenger’s original vision. The socks were repainted with purple and yellow on one and pink and blue on the other; a nod at the city’s University and minor league baseball team. 

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The Venus Flytrap Calls North Carolina Home

This carnivorous plant is native to the wetlands around Wilmington and doesn’t grow naturally anywhere else.

Despite being known worldwide, North and South Carolina are the only natural habitats for wild Venus flytraps. These areas are all within 100 miles of Wilmington and contain the necessary needs for the Venus flytrap such as sunny, nutrient-poor, and wet habitats.

Development around these areas has led to populations of flytraps being extinguished. Wide-spread developments such as golf courses, housing, and commercial areas are responsible for the loss of flytraps.

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The First Miniature Golf Course Was Built Here

Fayetteville is where miniature golf began in the early 20th century, paving the way for date nights and family outings everywhere.

In 1954, Don Clayton designed and built the first putt-putt course in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He wanted to create a more organized course that helped with putting skills. Clayton was frustrated with miniature golf courses that featured windmills and waterfalls. He set out to build courses using 3-by-5 cards.

He began with charging 25 cents for 18 holes and after a year, he was selling franchises. 

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A State Full of Superlatives

You may know the phrase “First in Flight,” but North Carolina is a place of many firsts. From the tallest brick lighthouse (Cape Hatteras) to the oldest state university (UNC-Chapel Hill), North Carolina is full of firsts and record-holders.

North Carolina holds the Guinness World Record for longest surviving double heart bypass patient. Bobby Brown of Gastonia North Carolina has a double heart bypass surgery in his mid 30’s. CaroMont Regional Medical Center in Gastonia performed the surgery and as of 2017, Brown was a sprightly 78-year-old.

In Cabarrus County, the nation’s first gold rush started in 1799. A 12-year-old boy, Conrad Reed, was spotted playing with a large nugget on his family farm. The 17-pound nugget was used as a doorstop for the family as the value of gold wasn’t commonly understood in their community. The nugget was purchased for $3.50 (equivalent to $74.53 as of 2023) but the true value would be around $3,600.

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The Pirate Blackbeard Called North Carolina Home

Blackbeard, one of history’s most infamous pirates, made his home along North Carolina’s coast. His ship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge, was discovered off Beaufort in 1996.

Blackbeard arrived on North Carolina’s coast in June 1718, settling in North Carolina’s first established town, historic Bath. He received the “gracious pardon” from colonial governor Charles Eden immediately upon his arrival.

It is believed that he resided on Plum’s Point. Members of the Bonner family, who resided in the house across the bay, claim that during storms, they could see a ball of fire sail back and forth from Plum Point to Archbell Point. 

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The Appalachian Dialect Is Like a Time Capsule

The Appalachian Mountains preserve a dialect with words and phrases from Elizabethan English, making it a fascinating subject for linguists.

The dialect came from settlers who settled in the Appalachians due to the abundant resources. By settling in the Appalachians, they cut themselves off from the rest of the country, creating natural isolation.

This allowed the language and dialect to remain alive without the influence of the European language. To this day, phrases are used in Appalachian Dialect that are no longer common in other areas across the country. 

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Lake Norman Is a Man-Made Marvel

Created by Duke Power in the 1960s, Lake Norman is the largest man-made body of water in North Carolina, spanning over 32,000 acres.

Lake Norman was originally dry land where people lived and worked up until a little over 60 years ago. In the 1890s it was proposed that a dam be built by an engineer working on the Niagra Falls dam. Duke funded what was then the Catawba Power Company to carry out the plans for the dam.

Lake Norman spans four counties and more than 32,000 acres of surface. Underneath the man-man lake, there are many remains of the town that once inhabited the area. There are remains of a 1938 summer camp and the site of the Battle of Cowan’s Ford from 1781.

Underneath the water, old gravesites, plantations, homesites, and highways can be found. In 2013, firefighters found an airplane using sonar.

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The Biltmore Estate Is the Largest Home in America

Located in Asheville, the Vanderbilt family’s Biltmore Estate has over 175,000 square feet of floor space and 250 rooms.

George Washington Vanderbilt, born in 1862, is a part of America’s wealthiest and best-known family. He visited Asheville in 1888 where he began to envision he could build his country home. He began purchasing land for what would become the Biltmore, hiring Richard Morris Hunt to design and build his new home.

Construction began in 1889 and officially opened to the Vanderbilt family in 1895. The Biltmore includes 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms and 65 fireplaces. Three years after the home opened, George Vanderbilt married Edith Stuyvesant Dresser and promptly returned to live at the Biltmore.

George Vanderbilt passed away in 1914 at 51 and was buried on their family estate in Staten Island. In 1930, George Vanderbilts daughter Cornelia and her husband John Cecil opened the Biltmore  House to the public. In 1963, The Biltmore was officially nominated as a National Historic Landmark under “Conservation of Natural Resources.”

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Now that you’re armed with some of North Carolina’s best-kept secrets, why not impress your friends with these fun facts? Or better yet, experience some of these places yourself