3. Blue Ridge Road, located
in Raleigh, is the site of
the North Carolina
Museum of Arts.
Established in April of
1956, this museum was
the first state funded art
museum in the country.
4. The cardinal became the
official State Bird of
North Carolina in 1943.
Sometimes called “the
Winter Redbird” because
it is most noticeable
during the winter when
it is the only "redbird"
present.
5. The dogwood became
the official state flower in
1941. Three types of
dogwoods exist in North
Carolina, the alternateleaf dogwood, the gray
dogwood, and the
flowering dogwood.
6. The mile-and-a-quarter
road built by the
Experimental Railroad
Company of Raleigh in
1832-1833. As the first in
the state, it allowed
horse-drawn cars to
transport stone needed
for rebuilding the state
capitol.
7. In 1885 a new model for
the North Carolina state
flag was adopted and
this version has flown
unchanged over the state
since that year. April 12,
1776 represents the
official date North
Carolina was freed from
England.
8. Granite became the
official Rock for the State
of North Carolina in
1979. This granite has
been used for many
important structures in
United States such as the
Wright Brothers
Memorial, the gold
storage at Fort Knox, and
the Arlington Memorial
Bridge.
10. A zone in western North
Carolina, in which
milder temperature
provides longer growing
seasons than in
surrounding regions.
This usually happens on
mountains and foothills.
11. Located in Nags Head,
North Carolina, is the
tallest natural sand dune
system in the Eastern
United States. Its height
can range from 80 to 100
feet!
12. “Carolina” comes from
the word carolus, which
is the Latin form of the
name Charles. In 1629,
King Charles I granted
territory in America to
be named Carolina.
13. One of America’s oldest
unsolved mysteries
happened on Roanoke
Island off the coast of
North Carolina.
Sometime between
August 1587 and August
1590 the colony
disappeared! To this day
no one knows what
happened them.
17. As an important feature
of North Carolina and
the Southeast, pine trees
were mentioned in
nearly all diaries and
travel accounts of those
who passed through the
region during early
periods and gave rise to
the state’s nickname.
18. “Queen City” is the
nickname of the largest
city in North Carolina,
Charlotte.
20. The shad boat became
the State Historical Boat
in 1987. Created on
Roanoke Island, the
name comes from that of
the fish it was used to
catch - the shad.
21. This nickname derives
from North Carolina's
long history as a
producer of naval storestar, pitch, rosin and
turpentine-- from the
State's pine forests.
22. The University of North
Carolina was the first
public university in the
United States.
23. Virginia Dare was the
first English child born
in America. She was
born in Roanoke, North
Carolina in 1587.
24. The Wright Brothers
were the first people to
complete a successful
flight in a propelled
airplane over Kitty
Hawk, North Carolina in
December 17, 1903.
25. In 1896, Professor Henry
Louis Smith, in
Davidson, North
Carolina created an x
ray. This x-ray was the
first to be made in the
South and one of the first
in the United States.
26. This Piedmont language
developed as people
from the north, west, and
east spread into the
central portion of North
Carolina and mixed their
original languages.
27. Zebulon B. Vance
Birthplace, a North
Carolina State Historic
Site established in 1955,
serves as a memorial to
North Carolina's Civil
War governor and U.S.
senator Zebulon B.
Vance (1830-1894).
28. Takeiya M. Hudson is a native of
Elizabeth City, North Carolina. The
purpose of this book is to provide
historical information to students about
the state of North Carolina to meet the
NCSCOS Essential Standard for fourth
grade social studies. Standard 4.H.2
states “(the student must) Understand
how notable structures, symbols, and
place names are significant with the
state’s history.” This can be
accomplished by explaining important
buildings, statues, monuments, and
place names as well as the historical
significance of North Carolina’s state
symbols.
