The Old Salisbury Road Shootings are one of the worst tragedies in North Carolina’s history. On a dimly lit section of road in Forsyth County, North Carolina, on July 17, 1988 (some sources say the 18th), a man with a rifle started firing on passing vehicles. It seemed like a bad nightmare when the gunman,…
The 1993 Luigi’s Italian Restaurant Shooting Revisited
On August 6, 1993, an armed Fort Bragg soldier, Sgt. Kenneth Junior French, aged 22, walked into Luigi’s restaurant, 528 McPherson Church Road, around 10 p.m. in Fayetteville, North Carolina, with two shotguns and a rifle. French began to yell about politics, Bill Clinton, and homosexuality when he opened fire during the drunken killing spree….
The Worst Tornado Outbreak in North Carolina’s History
The worst tornado outbreak in North Carolina history occurred on March 28, 1984, resulting in 57 deaths and 1,248 injuries. On that day, 14 tornadoes were confirmed in the state, affecting mainly Eastern North Carolina, including two that measured over a mile wide. The outbreak also produced the state’s deadliest tornado, an F4 in Greene…
Blackbeard and The Golden Age of Piracy November 22, 1718
On November 22, 1718, Edward Teach met his fate in Ocracoke, North Carolina, during a bloody battle with Lieutenant Robert Maynard, 307 years ago, today. Some of you may know him better by his infamous nickname, Blackbeard. Teach had a long relationship with the Outer Banks, as it served as a base for his operations….
The Yogi Bear Graveyard
Some may remember the unintentional tourist attraction, dubbed the Yogi Bear Graveyard, that was located off I-95 in North Carolina. When Yogi Bear Honey Fried Chicken locations began closing across the Southeast, the fiberglass statues that once occupied those restaurants were purchased by the Jellystone Park Campground in Halifax. The statues welcomed travelers to the…
The Shelton Laurel Massacre in North Carolina
In January 1863, during the height of the Civil War, thirteen men and boys were killed by Confederates when they were suspected of Unionism. The historical marker stands at NC 208, at NC 212, west of Shelton Laurel in Madison County, North Carolina. It constitutes one of the most tragic events in North Carolina history….
The Ghostly Horseman of Charlotte, NC
The Battle of Cowan’s Ford was fought on February 1, 1781, in present-day Mecklenburg County. American General William Lee Davidson was killed in combat as British forces under the leadership of Lord Cornwallis claimed victory. Davidson’s men snuck back across enemy lines to claim the body of Davidson. The old battlefield now rests under Lake…
The Ghostly Legend of Naomi Wise
Naomi Wise was a young orphan girl who lived with the Adams’ family, just north of Randleman, North Carolina, in the early 1800s. The young Wise became smitten with a handsome fellow named Jonathan Lewis, who happened to live just a few miles from where she was living at the time. Naomi was warned about…
The Deadly Loray Mill Strike of 1929
Demands for higher pay and a 40-hour workweek ignited the Loray Mill Strike in Gastonia, North Carolina, in 1929. We often like to think that we have come a long way with better working conditions, higher wages, and even a work-life balance, but have we? Despite what is currently taught in our educational systems across…
The 1972 Durham family Triple Homicide
On February 3, 1972, on a cold, snowy night in Boone, North Carolina, the Durham family, who owned a nearby automotive dealership named Modern Buick, was murdered. The cause surrounding their mysterious slayings would haunt Western North Carolina for nearly fifty years. Weather conditions on that night were treacherous, with four inches of snow caked…