Wilkesboro, NC
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The tiny town of Wilkesboro in the Wilkes County of North Carolina (U.S.A.) manages to be famous and beautiful whilst still staying small. It is nothing short of a miracle really, considering that so many fantastic and amazing things have happened here in this tiny town. Only about three thousand people call Wilkesboro, NC home. And to the relief of most of the residents, Wilkesboro has still managed to remain a small and friendly town, where almost everyone knows each other, and everyone gets along.
The town of Wilkesboro has only existed for just over two hundred years. It was founded in 1800, and before long it was considered to be the county seat of Wilkes County – which is still is to this day. The situation of the town of Wilkesboro is particularly beautiful; set right on the edge of the Yadkin River, which is absolutely gorgeous. However, not all of the history of Wilkesboro, NC is happy and cheerful – the American Civil War brought division to the town of Wilkesboro as different families decided to fight on different sides. One really sad story that many people in the Wilkesboro town still remember is the decision that was made by Colonel Benjamin Cleveland, who was a patriot of the United States of America. He had discovered local Loyalist militia leaders hiding in the town of Wilkesboro, and he dealt very severely with them. In fact, he had them hanged from a large oak tree in the town, for supporting the British King. This oak tree has since been named the Tory Oak, and is still a very popular tourist attraction in Wilkesboro, NC.
Unfortunately, the sad stories do not end there. When the American Civil War started, almost all of the inhabitants of the town of Wilkesboro decided to stay loyal to the Union, and this meant that there was a certain amount of prejudice against those that decided to fight for the Confederacy. This prejudice probably contributed to the hanging of a man called Tom Dula, otherwise known as Tommy Dooley. Officially, Tommy Dooley was hung for the murder of Laura Foster, who he was engaged to be married to. On the other hand, at that time and in the time since, many people have been convinced that actually Tommy Dooley was completely innocent of the crime. The trouble was that Tommy Dooley had been meeting quite a few other girls on the side, and this made it almost impossible to tell who else had a motive for Laura's death.
After Tommy Dooley was hanged, a ballad was written about it – which was recorded as a top selling song by the Kingston Trio in 1958. The popularity of this song meant that Hollywood took notice, and in the following year, a film was made about the tragic story of Tommy Dooley. Michael Landon played the role of Tommy Dooley, and it was a great success. The town of Wilkesboro, NC is in a strange way proud of their involvement with the Tommy Dooley story, and every single year during the summer months, the Wilkes Playmakers put on a play that is based on the tragic story. These performances are very popular, and many people will travel across the country – and even from abroad – to come and witness this incredible performance.
As if all of that fantastic history was not enough, there is right now a quite a lot going on in Wilkesboro, NC. For a start, there is a huge amount of industry that is centered in the town of Wilkesboro, and the vast majority of residents depend on these commercial interests in order to support their families. The largest industry that can be found in Wilkesboro is the Tyson Foods poultry processing plant – considered to be one of the largest poultry processing plants east of the Mississippi River. It provides a livelihood for thousands of residents from Wilkesboro, NC. Without it, many of them would be completely out of work. Thankfully there are other sources of income, such as the textile and furniture factories. Carolina West Wireless is also based in Wilkesboro. Another huge employer is Lowes. The corporate office there employs around two thousand people, which is almost the entire population of the town of Wilkesboro! Obviously many people travel in to Wilkesboro, NC for work. Health insurance is another huge business industry that can be found in Wilkesboro, as many people that live there take their physical, mental, and emotional well-being very seriously. WNC Health Insurance / The Asheville Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC® Store is a great resource for health insurance plans and health insurance quotes.
If you are thinking of visiting the gorgeous town of Wilkesboro, there are certain times of the year that are much better than others. We have already spoken of the Wilkes Players and their performances in the summer that are based on the life of Tommy Dooley – but have you ever heard of MerleFest? Many people never have, which is actually a huge shame. It was first formed in 1988, and was founded by two great musicians, the Grammy-winning guitarist Doc Watson and the singer Bill Young. They called the festival MerleFest because they wanted to remember and commemorate Doc's son Merle, who tragically died in a tractor accident on the family estate. In order to bring his love of music alive, Doc and his friend started the festival which has since become the largest folk and bluegrass festival in the United States. Believe it or not, around eighty five thousand people flock to Wilkesboro, NC every year to listen to the absolute greatest bluegrass musicians and bands, as well as to hear some up and comers. MerleFest is always held on the campus of Wilkes Community College, and some of the proceeds of the festival always go back to the college. That means that over the years, MerleFest has raised over nine million dollars for Wilkes Community College – which is nothing compared to the millions of dollars that have been pumped into the economy of Wilkesboro itself.
There are some really famous names and faces that have hailed from Wilkesboro, or have decided to make their home there. Zach Galifianakis, the stand-up comedian and actor, was born here in 1969, and so was Deneed Graham who was the very first black woman to ever be crowned Miss North Carolina. Many politicians have been born and raised in the town of Wilkesboro, including Richard N Hackett, the Congressional Representative from 1907 to 1909, and Montford Stokes, who was a United States Senator and the Governor of North Carolina. Also of note were the twins Chang and Eng Bunker. Although they were born in Siam, they travelled the entire world and decided that Wilkesboro was the place where they wanted to settle and raise families. And why had they seen so much of the world? Because they were the very first example of Siamese twins.
Technically, of course, they are only the first example of conjoined twins that were able to live to adulthood, but they were still trailblazers in their own rights. Chang and Eng were born in 1811 in Siam, and lived a full life of just over sixty years. After being discovered by a British man in their home country, they were encouraged to start touring around the world. They became incredibly successful, and thankfully they were able to live almost completely normal lives – relatively – because the only part of their bodies that were attached were a part of their side. This meant that they had to go everywhere together, but were able to biologically support themselves.
Over time, of course, the touring life started to take it out of them a little bit, and they decided to settle down somewhere. After they had visited the beautiful little town of Wilkesboro, they declared that there was nowhere else that they would rather be, and so they bought some land there and fell in love . . . with two sisters! Chang married Adelaide Yates, and Eng married Sarah Anne Yates. Their life story shows that the truth is very often stranger than fiction! Chang and Eng had a huge bed built for four created, and despite being conjoined, they soon began to have children. Lots of children. Chang and his wife had ten children, and Eng and his wife had eleven – but over time, the happy household got less and less happy. Eventually, the two households had to completely separate. How? Each wife took her children to a new home, and Chang and Eng spent three days with one family, and three days with the next.
Be sure to visit Wilkesboro, NC soon, and enjoy all that it has to offer!
