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Roclunrjhara
Center of Mill Activity,
Richmond County
Agriculture and Peach Culture.
One Year
Six Months
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ROCKINGHAM, N. O, WEDNESDAY" AFTEBNOON JULY 30, 1952
VOL. 35 No. 38
ISAAC S. LONDON, Editor and Prcprfitci
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High
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MANY OF THE ORIGINAL LOTS IN 1788
MAP OF ROCKINGHAM WAS OWNED BY MRS.
MOURNING RAIFORD ROBARDS PICKETT.
Mourning Raiford tyas born about 1733 in old Bertie coun
ty; the family shortly moved to Edgecombe county and about
1749 moved to Cumberland county where she married William
Robards. He was prominent in the affairs of that county and
owned much property. He died in the fall of 1760 leaving three
small daughters and a sin. His widow early in 1761 married
Sheriff William Pickett Jf Anson county. Mourning and Wil
liam Pickett had two children Hannah married Walter Leak
in 1786 and they had eight children; and the son James Pickett
married Sarah Kimbrough.
Major and Mrs. Mourning Robards Pickett owned many
lots in the baby town of I Rockingham, and in her Will filed in
March, 1803, she left most of her property to her daughter Sally
Chiles (later divorced from Thomas Chiles and in her Will,
Mrs. Pickett directed that Thomas Chiles should not be allowed
to "intermmeddle with his wife's business affairs.")
James Terry was bprn Nov. 19, 1746, son of William and
Mary Raiford Terry, thep oldest son. He married in Anson
May 24, 1771, Anne Robards, daughter of William and Mourning
Raifords Robards, Anne b )rn Feb. 13, 1756 and died in Richmond
county March 22, 1801. James was a deputy in Anson under
Sheriff William Pickett 0 ho married his wife's mother Mourn
ing in 1761). James and Anne Terry moved to the baby town
of Rockingham in 1788 and bought Lots 26 and 29.
01F DCSKING!!! AM FILED AT GOUEITEIOU SE JULY 16, 1700
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Spots Rockingham 1784
1775-79 Flora Macdonald lived in upper part of county.
Feb. 1, 1779 County of Richmond authorized.
Oct. 23, 1779 Law passed dividing Anson.
April 19, 1784 County-seat authorized Rockingham.
April 1, 1785 Commissioners met and "bought 50 acres.
July 16, 1788 Map of new Town certified and filed.
Nov. 3, 1788 Act passed establishing Richmond Academy.
1797 Act empowering (Town to elect 3 Commissioners.
April 19, 1801 County orders Hitchcock Creek navigation.
1820 Act appointing si sven Town Commissioners.
Feb. 28, 1829 Rocking lam postoff ice established.
Nov. 4, 1833 4 p. m. Wake Forest College born at C.C. Church
Dec 1833 Richmond Cjotton Mill chartered (open 1837).
1845 Act incorporating Town and elect 5 Commissioners.
1887 Act amending incorporation, extending limits.
Sept. 1, 1924 New $225000 courthouse dedicated.
Nov. 14, 1930 Confederate monument unveiled.
Elevation Rockingham SAL Ry. depot (low point) 211.135 feet.
Rockingham incorporated 1845, (1861?) and 1887.
County bought 132 acres in 1851 for County Home.
Population Rockinghamj 1870: 454. 1950: 3356.
1929 Dec. 16 First Talkie movies Richmond Theatre.
No. 26 and 29 Back in
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2 . S0 AS.
ROCKINGHAM
Town Established
(By Isaac London)
On April 19, 1784 the General
Assembly passed an Act (Chap
ter XLV) for "establishing and
laying out a Town In Richmond
County by the name of Rocking
ham." (See elsewhere in this
issue for these various Acts in
full).
The late Mrs. Lillie Moore
Everett in her "Methodism"
Sketches as printed in the Post-
Dispatch of May 3, 1944, gives
the following sketch:
"The following seven men
were named Henry Wm. Har
rington, John Donaldson, Wil
liam Legate, John Cole, Robert
Webb, Robert Thomas, Richard
Pemberton ; and these were
"empowered to agree with
workmen for building a court
house, prison, and stocks at
such place as they, or a majority
of them should agree upon, as
near the center of the county
as possible, and purchase of the
owners of the land selected,
50 acres for erecting and build
ing those public buildings up
on." At the same time, a suf
ficient tax was also authorized.
The following report was
made in July, 1788: "John Cole
and William Henry Harrington,
Commissioners for laying out
the Town of Rockingham in the
County of Richmond in the State
of North Carolina, hereby cer
tify to the Court of said County
and to all others whom it may
concern, that they have laid off
said town agreeable to the above
plan in lots of little more than j
a half acre each, and have num
( Continued on page 2)
tans peqtmjbhg to nsGMcm
FDGr.! YEAil704 TO VEAM007
Boundaries of 1887 Listed in Act.
Incorporated in 1845 and in 1887.
Limits Enlarged in Year 1861 ?
n
1784
CHAPTER 45
An Act for Establishing and
Laying Out a Town in Rich
mond County by the Name of
ROCKINGHAM:
1. Whereas the establishing
and laying out of a town in
the county of Richmond ;6n the
public land at the courthouse
thereof would be of great ad
vantage to the inhabitants, and
be a considerable means of
raising money for building the
public buildings of said, coun
ty; -v
2. Be it therefore Enacted by
the General Assembly pf the
estate of North Caroiina,iand it
is hereby Enacted iby the au
thority of the same, THat the
commissioners heretofore ap
pointed for contracting for the
buildings of the publicl build
ings of Richmond county, or a
majority of them, be and they
are hereby authorized and em
powered to lay out all the pub
lic lands by them purchased
for the use of the public at
Richmond court house into a
town of half acre lots, with
proper streets, etc., which
shall be called and known by
the name of Rockingham; one
or more of the said lots to be
reserved for the use of the
public buildings, and-the other
lots id Jbedispose4i o . by; the
said commissioners f t 6 w a r d s
raising the money .for complet
ing the said public buildings;
and the said commissioners are
hereby authorized to make good
and sufficient titles in fee sim
ple to the respective purchasers
for the said lots.
1797
CHAPTER 72
An Act to Regulate the Towns
of Rockingham and Wades-
borough, in the Counties 'of
Anson and Richmond.
Be it enacted by the General
Assembly of the State of North
Carolina, and it is hereby enact
ed by the authority of the same,
That from and after the passing
ing of this act, the inhabitants
of the said towns of Rockingham
and Wadesborough, in the.coun
ties of Anson and Richmond, be,
and they are hereby empowered
to assemble themselves toge
ther, on the last Saturday in
January in each and every year,
to elect three Commissioners for
each of said towns; and such
persons so selected shall be
freeholders of said towns: and
after being duly elected, they
or a majority of them are em
powered to make such rules and
regulations for the good gov
ernment of the inhabitants of
said towns; as they may deem
necessary; which rules and re
gulations, when made, shall be
binding to all intents and pur
poses on the inhabitants of said
towns. PROVIDED, That such
rules and regulations shall not
be repugnant to the constitution
or laws of this State.
1820
CHAPTER 44
An Act to Appoint Commis
sioners for Town of Rocking
ham, in Richmond County.
1. Be it enacted by the Gener
al Assembly of the State of
North Carolina, and it is here
by enacted by the authority of
the same, That Walter Leak,
sen., James L. Vaughan, Charles
Robinson, Thomas Crawford,
William P. Leak, James Cole
and John L. Campbell be, and
they are hereby appointed Com
missioners for the town afore
said ; and that the said Commis
sioners, or a majority of them,
shall have power to make, or
dain and enforce bye laws,
rules and regulations, for the
government thereof; to levy, col
lect and appropriate town
taxes; and to do and perform
such other matters or things,
relating to the prosperity and
well being of said town, as they
in their discretion may think
proper, having a due regard to
the constitution and laws of the
state. ,
2. And be it further enacted,
that if any of the said commis
sioners should die, remove, or
refuse to act, the remaining
commissioners shall have power
to fill such vacancy by the ap
pointment of others in their
stead.
1845
CHAPTER 52
Jan. 4, 1845.
An Act to Incorporate
Town of Rockingham, in
the
the
County of Richmond.
Be it enacted by the General
Assembly of the State of North
Carolina, and it is hereby enact
ed by the authority of the same,
That it shall be the duty of the
sheriff of the county of Rich
mond, by himself or his lawful
deputy, on the first Monday in
February next, and annually
thereafter on the same day, in
the court house in the town of
Rockingham, to open polls for
the election of five commission
ers" in and for the said tbwhdf
Rockingham, who shall continue
in office for the term of one
year.
SEC. 2. Be it further enacted,
That any citizen of the age of
twenty-one years, who has re
sided within said town for one
year, shall be eligible as com
missioner; and every inhabitant
of said town entitled by the
constitution to vote for members
to- the House of Commons, is
hereby declared to be qualified
to vote for commissioners ; and
such elections shall be conduct
ed and regulated by ballot, as
elections for members of thO
Legislature are now conducted;
and in the event of a tie, the
Sheriff or his Deputy shall give
the casting vote.
SEC. 3. Be it further enacted,
That said commissioners, af
ter their election, and before
entering upon the discharge of
their official duties, shall take
an oath before some Justice of
the Peace of the county afore
said, faithfully and impartially
to perform said duties; and up
on so doing shall be constituted
a body politic and corporate, by
the name and style of the com
missioners of the town of Rock
ingham. SEC. 4. Be it further enacted,
That a majority of the commis
sioners snail constitute oi a
quorum to do business, and that
they shall have full power to
appoint a magistrate of police,
who shall be an acting Justice
of the Peace for said county,
and a town treasurer and cons
table, and to require the proper
bonds from the same, for the
faithful performance of their
duties; and to lay and collect
a tax on the person and prop
erty of the town, not exceeding
seventy-five cents on the poll,
twenty-five cents on the hun
dred dollars worth of property,
per annum; to appoint patrol,
to remove nuisances, to provide
against disease and fires, and to
enact and adopt all such bye
laws, rules and regulations as
they may deem necessary for the
good order and government of
said town, not inconsistent with
the constitution and laws of the
State or of the United States.
SEC. 5. Be it further enacted,
That the town constable afore
said shall be the collector of the
town taxes, under the direction
of the commissioners ; and for
that purpose shall have all the
3 snvo
This copy of the old Laws
of Rockingham and a britf
History of the Town is pre
pared by Isaac S. Lonlon, Editor-Owner
of) the Post-Dispatch;
and at left is Map of
the baby Town as filed July
16, 1788. ; Mr. London gives
this copy to you with hi
compliments and as a Histori
cal record. Isaac S. London.
powers and immunities of Sher
iffs in collection of police re
venue ; and said taxes, when
collected shall be applied to the
improvement and benefit of the
town.
SEC. 6. Be it further enacted.
That the author jty and Juris
diction of the commissioners
shall extend in every direction
to the limits of the plat of said
town as recorded in the Regis
ter's office of said county of
Richmond ; and on the west end
one hundred and fifty yards be
yond the limits of said town, as
represented by the plat of said
town in the Register's office.
SEC 7. Be it further enacted.
That this act shall be in force
from and after its ratification.
(Ratified the 4th day of Janu
ary 1845).
1887
CHAPTER 101
March 7, 1887.
An Act to Amend and Consoli
date the Acts Incorporating the
l own of Rockingham.
The General Assembly of
North Carolina do enact:
Section 1. That the town of
Rockingham, in the county of
Richmond, be. and the sacts is .
herebyncbrpdorated-jKids t
name and style of the town of
Rockingham; and that W. T.
Co vington, R. A. Johns on, J. IX.
Covington, H. C. Dockery and
J. S. Goldston, the present com
missioners of said town, and
their successors in office, shall
be and are hereby declared a
body corporate and public, with
successsion during the corpor
ate existence of said town, and
shall be styled "the commission
ers of the town of Rockingham,"
and as such shall have power to
sue and be sued, plead and he
impleaded, and have and use a
common seal, and acquire real
and personal estate to the
amount of thirty thousand dol
lars. That S. T. Cooper, the
present mayor of said town, and
the commissioners aforesaid
shall continue in office as such,
and perform all the duties per
taining to their offices of may
or and commissioners of said
town until their successors
shall be elected and qualified as
hereinafter provided.
Sec. 2. That the corporate
limits of said town shall be and.
are hereby declared to be in
cluded within and up to the fol
lowing boundaries, v to-wit : De
ginning at the northeast comer
of G. J. Freeman's lot, (now
Mrs. Ruby Burroughs Sedberry)
on Fayetteville road, and runs
due south to north Drone: of
Falling creek; thence down the
various courses of said creek to
Great Falls factory pond thence
down the various courses of low
water mark on the northern edge
of said pond to Falling creek
below the Falls ; thence with
said creek to Hitchcock creek,
thence up the various courses
of the southern edge of said
creek to the old Leak pond
thence with the southern edge
of said pond to the line of Pee
Dee village, thence with the
southern line of said village to
the southern edge of "Pee Dee"
pond, thence with the southern
edge of said pond to a point
from which a line due south
will strike the beginning, thence
from said point on Pee Dee pond
due south to the beginning." etc.
(The remaining twelve
page of this 1887 Act da
tail the duties of a Mayor
and five Commissionera. '
The Post-Dispatch has th
foregoing Acts on file, in
full, and wMl be glad to
show any one. ISL).