North Carolina Trivia & Tidbits - Page 3

Looking for North Carolina trivia? Try our list North Carolina little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

In the 1950s, trucking company owner Malcom McLean invented container shipping, whereby a tractor-trailer can be loaded directly onto a ship. Before his invention, the backbreaking and time-consuming work involved unloading and reloading crates of cargo by hand. McLean was born in 1914 in Maxton (pop. 2,551).

first appeared: 1/14/2007

—The Stompin’ Grounds, also known as the Clogging Capital’s Hall of Fame, is in Maggie Valley (pop. 607). Scottish immigrants brought clogging dances to the region.

first appeared: 12/17/2006

—The Elizabethan Gardens on Roanoke Island near Manteo (pop. 1,052) are a memorial to the first English colonists in the New World. Adopted as a project by the Garden Club of North Carolina in 1951, the gardens feature antique statues, period furniture, rose and herb gardens, and other native shrubs, flowers and trees.

first appeared: 12/3/2006

—Begun in 1988 as a tribute to musician Eddy Merle Watson (1949-85), MerleFest in Wilkesboro (pop. 3,159) has blossomed into one of the nation’s largest “Americana music” events, attracting 80,000 visitors and top entertainers each April. Merle was the son of musician Doc Watson.

first appeared: 11/19/2006

—The largest sanctuary for rare and endangered lemurs, outside their native Madagascar, is the Duke Lemur Center in Durham, established in 1966 as the Duke Primate Center by Duke University. The center houses more than 230 lemurs.

first appeared: 11/5/2006

—Opened in 2004, the North Carolina Baseball Museum in Wilson (pop. 44,405) highlights the baseball greats who played in the state, including Catfish Hunter, Hoyt Wilhelm, Gaylord Perry, Enos Slaughter, Rick Ferrell and Buck Leonard.

first appeared: 10/22/2006

—At Camp Flintlock in Four Oaks (pop. 1,424), young campers get to sample 1700s-style living by dressing in Colonial-era garb, shooting muskets, chopping wood, fetching buckets of water, throwing tomahawks and writing with quill pens.

first appeared: 10/8/2006

The geographical center of the state is in Chatham County (pop. 49,329), founded in 1771. The county is home to Jordan Lake, a reservoir that encompasses 46,000 acres.

first appeared: 9/24/2006

The newest classroom at Polk County High School in Columbus (pop. 992) is roofless and covers 10 acres. A community fund-raising campaign helped buy the land for an educational farm where students will get hands-on experience with livestock, gardening and even building.

first appeared: 9/10/2006

The Smithfield (pop. 11,510) Post Office became the Ava Gardner Post Office in March with President George W. Bush's stamp of approval. The name honors the North Carolina-born actress who appeared in more than 60 movies. Gardner, who died in 1990, is buried in Smithfield.

first appeared: 8/27/2006

Fliers can chill out in rocking chairs at the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. An airport art exhibit, Porchsitting, included the chairs and, when it came time to dismantle the exhibit, passengers petitioned the airport to keep the first-class seating.

first appeared: 8/13/2006

Begun in 1924 by Joe Hartley Sr., the "Singing on the Mountain" celebration is held every June at Grandfather Mountain near Linville. The event started as a family reunion, but today is the oldest ongoing old-time gospel convention in southern Appalachia.

first appeared: 7/30/2006

Lowe's, named for James Lowe, began as a small-town hardware store in North Wilkesboro (pop. 4,116), selling everything from horse collars to washtubs to boots. But partner Carl Buchan foresaw the post-World War II building boom and began specializing in building materials in the 1940s. Today, more than 1,250 Lowe's stores operate in 49 states.

first appeared: 7/16/2006

Fort Bragg (pop. 29,183) is one of the largest and busiest military complexes in the world, covering almost 251 square miles. About 43,000 military and 8,000 civilian personnel work at the post.

first appeared: 7/2/2006

The state operates two deep-sea ports for international shipping. One port is located on the east bank of the Cape Fear River in Wilmington and the other is operated at Morehead City (pop. 7,691).

first appeared: 6/25/2006

In 1973, Sandra Forcier Waldron became the nation's first paid female firefighter when hired as a public safety officer, with both police and fire duties, for the city of Winston-Salem. She later moved into a firefighting-only position.

first appeared: 6/4/2006

Held since 1924, the Fiddler's Grove Ole Time Fiddler's and Bluegrass Festival in Union Grove is the nation's oldest continuous old-fashioned fiddle contest. Workshops and contests promote traditional bluegrass at the Memorial Day weekend gathering.

first appeared: 5/21/2006

Dubbed "Korner's Folly," a house completed in 1880 by painter Jule Korner in Kernersville (pop. 17,126) has 22 rooms with ceilings ranging from 6 feet to 25 feet high, cubbyholes, trapdoors, pivoting windows and irregular-size doorways.

first appeared: 5/14/2006

Hurst Jaws of Life rescue systems are manufactured by Hale Products in Shelby (pop. 19,477) and are credited with saving thousands of lives. George Hurst invented the tool in the 1960s to rescue racecar drivers trapped in wreckage.

first appeared: 4/23/2006

Since 1928, Tryon (pop. 1,760) has been home to a giant rocking horse, a jumbo version of a popular toy built by the Tryon Toymakers and Woodcarvers. Today’s landmark steed is displayed in downtown Tryon and serves as a billboard for the Tryon Riding & Hunt Club.

first appeared: 4/9/2006

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