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1st Library
The first public library is established at bath with books sent from England by the Reverend Thomas Bray. The exact month and day of the opening is actually unknown - but it was the year of 1700. This is significant because books were made more available to NC citizens, which promoted the further spreading of education. (Bath later goes on to become the first incorporated town in North Carolina). -
Naval Stores Act
Parliament passes the Naval Stores Act in an effort to cut British dependence on foreign sources of tar, pitch, and other commodities badly needed for sailing ships. The act subsidizes the production of naval stores in the colonies by paying premiums of four pounds sterling per ton on tar and pitch, and six pounds per ton on hemp. North Carolina benefits substantially from this act, and the production of naval stores becomes one of the coastal area’s prime industries. -
1st Tobacco Market
The first tobacco market in North Carolina opens in Bellair, Craven County. The exact day and month is unknown, all that is known is that this happened in the year of 1723 -
Scot-Irish Immigration
Scots-Irish immigrants begin coming to North Carolina in large numbers, settling mainly in the Piedmont. Most are second-generation colonists moving south down the Great Wagon Road from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, but a few come directly from Northern Ireland.
Surveyors begin defining the North Carolina–South Carolina border. -
NC's 1st Printing Press
James Davis installs North Carolina’s first printing press in New Bern. His first publications are government documents. This helps the town flourish even further. -
Fort Dobbs
Fort Dobbs, built near Statesville to house settlers during times of war, is completed. The Moravians build a fort around the village of Bethabara. Only the year is known, not the exact month and day. Fort Dobbs still stands and is now a historical site. -
Queens College Chartered as 1st Official College
The assembly charters Queen’s College in Charlotte as the colony’s first full-fledged college. A bill to collect taxes to support the college passes, and classes begin before the colony learns that King George III refuses to approve the charter. The Crown does not approve of the college because most of the pupils will be Presbyterians or Dissenters of some sort rather than members of the Church of England. -
Invention of Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney invents the first commercially successful cotton gin near Savannah, Ga. The cotton gin eventually changes the agricultural face of North Carolina by making cotton a profitable cash crop. -
Discovered Gold: Gold Rush Begins
Gold is discovered on John Reed’s farm in Cabarrus County, starting North Carolina’s gold rush. North Carolina becomes the primary supplier of gold for the United States until 1849.
