[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 307 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 307

 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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 2, 2004

 Mr. Edwards submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                     the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               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 the 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 County, 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'' alongside 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 on June 20, 1775, 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, and a considerable portion of the population, 
        especially Highland Scots, were staunchly loyal to the British Crown, 
        among them was the famous Scottish heroine Flora McDonald;
Whereas African-American people, both slaves and free citizens, were represented 
        in the early population of Cumberland County, and during the American 
        Revolution several of the county's free African-Americans 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, the towns of Campbellton and Cross Creek merged to become 
        Fayetteville, the first town in the United States named in honor of the 
        Revolutionary War hero, Marquis de Lafayette;
Whereas in November 1789, 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 
        chartered 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; it has 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; it 
        is now published daily and is 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 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 African-American citizens of Cumberland County paid 
        about $136 for 2 lots on Gillespie Street and formed the self-
        perpetuating Board of Trustees of the Howard School for the education of 
        African-American youth; this school later became Fayetteville State 
        University (FSU), which now offers 41 undergraduate programs, 22 
        graduate programs, and 1 doctoral program; FSU has 18 Central 
        Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) and 2 National Collegiate 
        Athletic Association (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; it is now known as Fort Bragg, home of the 18th Airborne Corps, 
        the 82d Airborne Division, and the United States Army Special Operations 
        Command;
Whereas 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 and remained part of the 
        Army Air Corps until 1947 when the United States Air Force was 
        established; it was 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 on November 1, 1956, 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, and awarded associate's, bachelor's, or master's degrees in 57 
        majors and concentrations; 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 more than 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, Spring Lake, Stedman, and 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 Senate honors the county of Cumberland, North 
Carolina, its municipalities, and other community partners for 
Cumberland County's 250th Anniversary Celebration.
                                 <all>