HALIFAX — To celebrate the 233rd anniversary of our nation’s independence, Historic Halifax is presenting a day of patriotic and family-friendly activities at both the state historic site and throughout the colonial-era town on July 4th. From 9 a.m.-9:30 p.m., visitors may enjoy historic building tours, colonial toys and games, a parachutist jump, rock music, a traditional fireworks display and even a lawn dance.
Families are encouraged to first stop at the site’s visitor center to pick up tour information and a site map. Entrance to this public July 4th celebration is free.
Beginning at 9 a.m. and continuing until 6 p.m., the site will offer guided and self-guided tours of 18th-century taverns, homes, a clerk’s office and a jail. Young people will even have a chance to see how colonial toys worked and to play old-fashioned games. Visitors may also buy lunch provided by local non-profit organizations beginning at noon.
At 6 p.m.., the celebration’s focus will shift to the grounds of the Halifax County Courthouse, where the Town of Halifax and various civic organizations will sponsor the evening’s activities. At 6:30 p.m., a parachutist will jump from a vintage biplane. Local rock and roll band Exit 173 will perform beginning at 7 p.m. Meanwhile, visitors may ease their hunger pangs and quench their thirst with tasty treats from local vendors.
At 8 p.m., actors from “First for Freedom” will perform a 15-minute excerpt from this outdoor drama about the adoption of the “Halifax Resolves” by North Carolina’s Fourth Provincial Congress. The resolves were the first state action for independence by any American colony.
No July 4th celebration would be complete without rockets, firecrackers or Roman candles, so at 9 p.m. the Town of Halifax will present a colorful and dramatic fireworks program. After this program is over, the festivities will continue with a lawn dance beginning at about 9:30 p.m.
Halifax’s first 85 years as a town are recalled in the state historic site’s preservation. The Owens House, which features a gambrel roof and is furnished as the home of a prosperous Halifax merchant, is the oldest building on site and dates from about 1760. Nearby Eagle Tavern and the Tap Room are also 18th-century.
The Roanoke River Valley’s prosperity during the 18th and 19th centuries is reflected in the many Federal-style plantation homes built here from the 1790s to the 1820s. A particularly elegant example is the 1808 Sally-Billy House. The two public buildings within the historic district — the Clerk’s Office and the Jail — were built by the same contractor.
Other site features reflect bygone days in Halifax. These include Magazine Spring, long a town water source; the cemetery; Market Square, formerly the town park, pasture and marketplace; and the river outlook, near the site of an early ferry landing.
Historic Halifax’s mission is to preserve and interpret the history of Halifax, where North Carolina first declared independence from Great Britain through a document now called the “Halifax Resolves.”
The state historic site is located in Halifax County, a little over five miles east of Interstate 95. Take exit 168 onto State Route 903 and follow brown historic site signs to the Historic Halifax Visitor Center. For more information call (252) 583-7191 or check the Web site at http://www.halifax.nchistoricsites.org.
Historic Halifax is an agency of the N.C. Division of State Historic Sites within the Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history and culture. Join the Cultural Resources 2009 theme observance of “Treasure N.C. Culture.” For more information, visit www.ncculture.com or call (919) 807-7385.