October 3, 1960 | The Andy Griffith Show first aired. The town of Mayberry was modeled after Griffith’s hometown, Mt. Airy. In all, there were 249 episodes.
October 4, 1777 | Brigadier General Francis Nash was mortally wounded at Battle of Germantown—a cannonball cut his leg off at the thigh. Nash County is named for him. The second governor of North Carolina, Abner Nash, was his brother.
October 5, 1751 | James Iredell, Sr., was born. He later became a Revolutionary War pamphleteer and one of the first Justices on the U.S. Supreme Court. He has been only one of two Tar Heels to hold that office.
October 6, 1963 | Author Inglis Fletcher’s house, Bandon, burned down. The Edentonian had written the“Carolina Series,” a 12-novel collection depicting colonial and eastern North Carolina.
October 7, 1780 | Patriots won a victory over the British at Battle of King’s Mountain. British Brigadier General Patrick Ferguson had threatened to subdue the mountain region of North Carolina. The “Over Mountain Men” met that challenge. They defeated the Tories.
