Exploring North Carolina with KathieyV

UNC opened it doors to students on February 12, 1795. Wikipedia As I was researching this I found two other universities that claim this title.. The University of Georgia received its charter in 1785 but did not admit students until 1801. and The College of William and Mary ranks up there as one of the oldest schools. UNC does hold the distinction that it was the first to hold classes as a State University. All good to know. I hope they ask you this question at your next trivia game. KathieyV:-)

Were you aware that states have a designated state rock?  I know we have the state bird, and the state flower but I was not aware of the state rock.  I looked it up on Wikipedia and they have a list of   "U.S. State Minerals, Rocks, Stones and Gemstones."   So what is our state rock you ask? Our state rock is Granite. "The General Assembly of 1979 designated  Granites   the official Rock for the State of North Carolina." Quote from the Reference Desk I like to think that I am staying true to my home state of NC because I have granite countertops.  Full disclosure, when I purchased my countertops, I had no idea this was the state rock/stone:-) "The State of North Carolina has been blessed with an abundant source of "the noble rock," granite. Just outside Mount Airy in Surry County is the largest open face granite quarry in the world measuring one mile long and 1,800 feet in width. The granite from this quarry is unblemished, gleaming, ...

Now for a bit of North Carolina Trivia.   The Venus Fly Trap... Here is wikipedia had to say about the Venus Flytrap. "The  Venus flytrap  (also referred to as  Venus's flytrap  or  Venus' flytrap ),  Dionaea muscipula , is a  carnivorous plant  native to  subtropical  wetlands  on the  East Coast  of the  United States  in  North Carolina  and  South Carolina .  It catches its prey—chiefly  insects  and  arachnids —with a trapping structure formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves, which is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces."  Where can you go to see venus flytraps in the wild?   There is a  Flytrap Trail  at Carolina Beach State Park.  You could also go to the  Green Park Preserve .  So if you are playing trivia and the Venus Flytrap comes up here is what you need to know.  The follo...

In Jan 1716 the Blue Laws were instituted in North Carolina.  As I understand it these laws were rules that were established to observe the Sabbath.  It seemed to involve not doing business or buying alcohol on Sunday.  Thank goodness most of these laws are now off the books. I went to an online dictionary and found this definition of Blue Law a law prohibiting certain activities, such as shopping, on a Sunday. (in colonial New England) a strict religious law, particularly one preventing entertainment or leisure activities on a Sunday. Other NC Laws Reading about the Blue Laws lead me to site called "Big Government. Small Brains. Dumb Laws" .  So now I have to read some of the silly laws that may still be on the books in NC.  I will share a few that I found on this site. *It is against the law to sing off key.  I know many folks who would be in jail if this was enforced.  * Persons in possession of illegal substances mus...

A few weeks ago I took a trip to beautiful Lake Lure located in my state of NC.  Little did I know that there was a town called Buffalo under the Lake Lure waters.   I met a lady at a local restaurant that told me the town remains as it was, completely preserved under the water, an underwater ghost town.  On the Lake Lure pontoon boat adventure I took, I was told that Buffalo was burned to the ground just prior to the flooding. I went online to see what facts I could find about the town of Buffalo. Buffalo was a farming and mining community.  The population was approximately 150 people.  There was a church called Whiteside Valley Church of 1918 that had about 98 members.   The dam was built to generate electricity in the early 1900's, and just after the completion of the dam the town was flooded.    From what I could find online much of the town was torn down and relocated as were parts of the church.  The graves in the small grav...