[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 517 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 517

 Honoring the County of Cumberland, North Carolina, its municipalities 
    and community partners as they celebrate the 250th year of the 
                    existence of Cumberland County.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 4, 2004

Mr. McIntyre (for himself, Mr. Hayes, and Mr. Etheridge) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Government 
                                 Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Honoring the County of Cumberland, North Carolina, its municipalities 
    and community partners as they celebrate the 250th year of the 
                    existence of Cumberland County.

Whereas for thousands of years before European settlers arrived, Cumberland 
        County's streams and forests were home to native peoples who lived in 
        the area, hunted, farmed, and buried their dead;
Whereas Cumberland, located at the head of navigation on the Cape Fear River 
        quickly became a strong area of trade between the port city of 
        Wilmington and the lower Cape Fear River to the southeast and the 
        Carolina back country to the west;
Whereas the upper Cape Fear Valley in present Cumberland County experienced an 
        early migration of Highland Scots beginning in 1739, many of whom 
        settled in the area known as ``The Bluff'' along side the Cape Fear 
        River 4 miles south of the Lower Little River;
Whereas in 1754 the area known as Cumberland County was formed from lands carved 
        from Bladen County and was named in honor of William Augustus, Duke of 
        Cumberland, third son of George II, King of England, an area which 
        reflected a mixture of ethnic and national backgrounds;
Whereas each municipality was individually chartered: Falcon in 1913; 
        Fayetteville in 1762; Godwin in 1905; Hope Mills in 1891, Linden in 
        1913; Spring Lake in 1951; Stedman in 1913; and Wade in 1913;
Whereas in 1775 on June 20th, 13 months before the Declaration of Independence, 
        a group of Cumberland County's active patriots signed ``The 
        Association'' later called the ``Liberty Point Resolves''; a document 
        that vowed to ``Go forth and be ready to sacrifice our lives and 
        fortunes to secure her freedom and safety''; a marker at the point lists 
        the signers of ``The Association'';
Whereas the period of the American Revolution was a time of divided loyalties in 
        Cumberland County, a considerable portion, especially Highland Scots 
        were staunchly loyal to the British Crown, among them was the famous 
        Scottish heroine Flora McDonald;
Whereas Black people, both slaves and free Black citizens were represented in 
        the early population of Cumberland County, and during the American 
        Revolution several of the county's free Blacks fought for the patriot 
        cause; among the notables was the midwife Aunt Hannah Mallet (1755-1857) 
        who died at the age of 102; she delivered hundreds of babies in her 
        lifetime, and she typified the courage and vital role of the early 19th-
        century African-American community;
Whereas in 1783 when the towns of Campbellton and Cross Creek merged to become 
        Fayetteville, named in honor of the Revolutionary War hero, Marquis de 
        Lafayette; the first American town named after him;
Whereas in 1789, November, the North Carolina General Assembly voted to adopt 
        and ratify the United States Constitution at the Market House in 
        Fayetteville then known as the State House;
Whereas in 1789, the University of North Carolina, the first State University 
        charted in the United States, was chartered by the North Carolina 
        General Assembly in Fayetteville, it being the first State university;
Whereas in 1793, The Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry Company was 
        organized in Cumberland County, with the distinction of being the oldest 
        military unit in the South in continuous existence;
Whereas in 1816, the Fayetteville Observer was founded as a weekly newspaper, 
        now published daily, it being North Carolina's oldest newspaper still in 
        publication;
Whereas in 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette visited the city named for him and 
        stayed in the McRae family home that once stood on the site of the 
        Historic Courthouse on Gillespie Street in Fayetteville;
Whereas in 1831, the Great Fire destroyed the State House (the Market House) and 
        many other buildings and actually caused more damage than the 1871 
        Chicago Fire or the 1906 San Francisco earthquake;
Whereas in 1865, General William T. Sherman brought the Union Army to Cumberland 
        County, destroying the Confederate arsenal and effectively bringing the 
        county back into the Union;
Whereas in 1867 7 visionary Black citizens of Cumberland County paid about 
        $136.00 for 2 lots on Gillespie Street and formed the self-perpetuating 
        Board of Trustees of the Howard School for the education of Black youth; 
        this School later became Fayetteville State University (FSU) now 
        offering 41 undergraduate, 22 graduate degree programs, and 1 doctoral 
        program; and FSU has 18 CIAA and 2 NCAA championships;
Whereas in 1914, Babe Ruth, the New York Yankee great, hit his first homerun as 
        a professional at the old ballpark on Gillespie Street in Cumberland 
        County, and in doing so, the 19-year-old ``babe'' so amazed the crowd, 
        that George Herman Ruth was forever known by the nickname, ``Babe'', 
        bestowed upon him while playing in Cumberland County;
Whereas in 1918, Camp Bragg was established from lands ceded from Cumberland 
        County; now known as Fort Bragg, home of the 18th Airborne Corps, the 
        82nd Airborne Division and Special Operations Command. Fort Bragg was 
        named for North Carolina native Lt. General Braxton Bragg; Fort Bragg 
        soldiers and their families continue to be an integral part of the 
        history and heritage of Cumberland County;
Whereas in 1919, Pope Army Airfield was established; Pope remained part of the 
        Army Air Corps until 1947 when the United States Air Force was 
        established, home to the 43d Airlift Wing and the 18th Air Support 
        Operations Group; Pope airmen and their families continue to be an 
        integral part of the history and heritage of Cumberland County;
Whereas in 1956, November 1, Methodist College was chartered as a senior 
        coeducational liberal arts college; it has grown to more than 2,100 
        students who hail from 48 states and 30 countries; graduated 8,145 
        students; awarding associate's, bachelor's or master's degrees in 57 
        majors and concentrations; and Methodist College NCAA Division III 
        athletic teams have earned 24 national championship titles;
Whereas in 1961, Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC) was founded as 
        the Fayetteville Area Industrial Education Center, with a faculty and 
        staff of 9 people serving 50 students, and has since evolved into a 
        comprehensive institution serving approximately 40,000 students 
        annually, offering over 121 programs;
Whereas Cumberland County's 6th courthouse, circa 1924, which is listed on the 
        National Register of Historic Places is being established and dedicated, 
        pursuant to the County's 250th Anniversary, as a gallery of early 
        prominent members of the local bar and elected county officials; and
Whereas Cumberland County and the municipalities of Falcon, Fayetteville, 
        Godwin, Hope Mills, Linden, Stedman, Wade along with civic groups, 
        private businesses and military partners are joining together to 
        celebrate 250 years of history, culture and diversity; the celebration 
        will take place March 26-28, 2004: Now, therefore be it
    Resolved,  That the House of Representatives honors the County of 
Cumberland, North Carolina, its municipalities and other community 
partners for Cumberland County's 250th Anniversary Celebration.
                                 <all>