[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 215 (Friday, December 19, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1237-E1238]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNIZING AMERICA 250: INDIAN WOODS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DONALD G. DAVIS

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 19, 2025

  Mr. DAVIS of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, today, as part of the 
``America 250'' celebrations, I honor the rich tapestry of history that 
is Indian Woods and Bertie County, North Carolina. As the community's 
residents commemorate America's Semiquincentennial, let us reflect upon 
250 years of resilience, progress, and unity that have shaped the 
country.
  Indian Woods is a community with an extraordinary history that dates 
back hundreds of years, predating the arrival of Europeans in North 
Carolina. The residents of this roughly ten-square-mile area of 
southern Bertie County, situated between the Roanoke River and Roquist 
Creek, have fought in many of our Nation's historical conflicts, 
including the Revolutionary War, and lived through significant eras and 
transformations. It is one of America's original ``melting pots'' of 
Native American, European, and African peoples, which today form a 
single enduring community.
  In honor of this rich history and as part of the America 250 
celebrations, the Blue Jay Recreation Center hosted the historical 
educational event: ``Bertie's Forgotten Black and Native Patriots of 
the Revolutionary War,'' on October 3 and 4, 2025. In partnership with 
the North Carolina Department of Cultural and Natural Resources, the 
Indian Woods Historical Preservation Society, the Blue Jay Recreation 
Center, and North Carolina Central University, the event highlighted 
the Revolutionary War patriots from Indian Woods and Bertie County. 
Thanks to the deep research of Dr. Arwin D. Smallwood on the subject, 
the program featured reenactments of several historical figures whose 
ancestral lineage included Native Americans and African ancestors: 
William Lowry Woods (1758 to 1847), Jacob Braveboy (1759 to 1810), and 
Arthur Wiggins (1761 to 1830) to name just three of the over 29 
recorded from Bertie County.
  For the country's birthday, let us celebrate our past achievements 
and recommit ourselves to the ideals of unity, resilience, and progress 
that have defined the Union. Together, let us continue to write the 
next chapter of the county's story, guided by the enduring spirit of 
those who came before us. I wish a happy Semiquincentennial to the 
Indian Woods Community and Bertie County. I look forward to another 250 
years of heritage, community, and boundless possibility.

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