June 1, 2016
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Vol. 38 No. 24
Jamestown, North Carolina
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(Photos/Norma B. Dennis)
On Memorial Day, the Jamestown Veterans Committee sponsored a flag-raising and wreathlaying ceremony in front of the Jamestown Veterans Memorial at Wrenn Miller Park. The flag was raised,
Memorial Day flag and wreath ceremony then lowered to half-staff in memory of those whose lives have been lost while serving in the military. Dana Hughes, Gerald Peek and Jerry Snyder, left to right at the pole, handled the raising of the
flag. Trumpeter Bruce Nicholson played To the Colors. George Orfanedes joined the men and is shown with Hughes placing the wreath as Nicholson played Taps.
Welcome to Jamestown – Virginia By CAROL BROOKS Staff Writer If things had gone differently many years ago – 387 to be exact – the State of Virginia might have had two towns named Jamestown, one of those being part of our own little burg. A flyer published by the Piedmont Environmental Center promoting an old home sites tour on the property mentions that one trail intersection at the Center “sits directly on the 36 degree latitude line which would have been the state line between Virginia and N.C. if the original ‘Heath Charter’ of 1629 had been settled.” As a point of reference, PEC is located at 36.004055 degrees N,
79.953894 degrees W. Jamestown Town Hall is situated at 35.997684 degrees N, 79,935401 degrees W. That would make virtually everything within the town limits north of Town Hall fall above the Heath Charter line, and, therefore, in Virginia. In North Carolina: Its Geology and Mineral Resources, published in 1965, author Jasper Leonidas Stuckey writes, “On October 30, 1629, Charles I, King of England, granted to Sir Robert Heath, his Attorney General, ‘A certain Region or Territory,’ lying between 31 and 36 degrees north latitude, and extending from sea to sea which was to be incorporated into the ‘Province of Carolina’ (or Carolana). “ Those latitude numbers
P&R discusses flagpole at park entrance By CAROL BROOKS Staff Writer With work continuing at Jamestown Park on both the clubhouse and greens, the Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee will turn its attention to erecting a flag-
pole at the park’s entrance at the June 6 meeting. The matter came up last August during a P&R meeting and members expressed hope that local civic groups would step up to sponsor the flagpole. The flagpole was not included in renovation plans. Also on the agenda is a continuation of a comprehensive facility use policy and marketing plans. The P&R committee will meet at 6 p.m. on June 6 in the Council Chambers at Town Hall. The public is invited to attend. Carol Brooks can be reached at 336-841-4933 or jamestownnews@north state.net.
correspond to roughly 30 miles north of the current Florida state line to the southern edge of the Albemarle Sound in North Carolina. As for longitude, the boundary stretched from the Atlantic to Pacific oceans. Heath, however, did not do anything to attract colonizers to his land and in 1663 Charles II – Charles I was executed in 1649 – turned the land over to the Lords Proprietors. Charters come and go and in 1665, Charles II extended the North Carolina-Virginia boundary to 36.5 degrees N. This corresponded to a strip about 30 miles long, north-tosouth, and included all of what would be present-day Jamestown, N.C. Stuckey also notes that Virginians disagreed and claimed the 36 degrees line set in 1663 was the correct boundary. For many years, Virginia and North Carolina governments prohibited settlement in a strip about 15 miles long, northto-south, until state ownership could be determined. It’s believed, however, that
Friendly bears
people probably did settle there and would claim allegiance to North Carolina when Virginia came looking to collect taxes, and vice versa, thus paying nothing. “This dispute continued for over half a century before it was settled in 1728,” Stuckey writes. “This line was established approximately along the line of 36 1/2 degrees north latitude.” In The History of the Dividing Line betwixt Virginia and North Carolina, William Byrd II of Virginia wrote that many owners would be subject to two governments if the 36 degree line cut through their property. Byrd was one of the men who worked in the 1728 survey. He also wrote that many owners preferred to be included in North Carolina where “they pay no Tribute, either to God or to Caesar.” Virginia was not the only state North Carolina squabbled with over borders during the state’s early organization. Each state bordering the Tarheel State was included. Some squabbles continue. Just last week,
(Photo/Norma B. Dennis)
Colorful fabric combined with black and white checks was used to create bears for summer campers at the Victory Junction camp. The bears have no features on their faces. The only adornment is matching checkered bows. These bears were created by Louise Miller of Jamestown. See story, page A3.
(Courtesy Library of Congress)
North Carolina’s border has changed several times over the past nearly 400 years. Had the Heath Charter of 1629 been realized, the state line with Virginia would have put part of the Town of Jamestown in Virginia and the area on the map shown in white would have also been in Virginia. The Town of Jamestown would have been on the line above the letter “o” in North. GPS technology was used to realign the North Carolina/South Carolina border. With Jamestown, Va., settled in 1607 and the area around Jamestown, N.C., in 1752, one wonders what George Mendenhall would have called the new town
he named after his father. Perhaps after himself – Georgetown? Or Mendenhall Town? We will never know. Carol Brooks can be reached at 336-841-4933 or jamestownnews@north state.net.
(Photo/Leann Henkel)
Military transportation
Before the Memorial Day parade, members of the Jamestown Veterans Committee posed with military vehicles in front of the Jamestown Veterans Memorial in Wrenn Miller Park. In front is Jerry Snyder with a Korean War era ambulance. Behind him is Dana Hughes, left, and Bruce Dillon with jeeps. See parade pictures, page A8.