STATE: - f.

ENTRY NUMBER DATE (Type all entries - complete applicable sections)

COMMON: Alamance Battleground State Historic Site ANDIOR HISTORIC:

STREET ANC' NUMBER! I Route 1. on Hiehwav 62, near intersection with s .. ·R .. 1129 CITY OR TOWN: Burlineton STATE I CODE ·I COUNTY! I CODE INor:th Qarolina I 37 I Alamance r oo1 [~.::: CLAS~fF:ICATION :.·, ·. ·.· ,:::· ;.:.::;:;-:.;:;::·:·::. .:.::::: · : (·:::::· t. :::::::::.,: :.. :(': r .:' :::~~·'' ·:· ::: '?\:\/::::.:':/ CATEGORY ACCESSIBLE OWNERSHIP STATUS ""' (Check One) TO THE PUBLIC z 0 District 0 Building !K) Public: Public Acquisition: ~ Occupied Yes: 0 R11utricted Kl Site 0 Structure 0 Private 0 In Process 0 Unoccupied 0 Unrutrlcted 0 Object 0 Both 0 Being Considered 0 Preservation work 6a ..... In progret!U 0 No

u PRESENT USE (Check One or More as Appropriate) ::;::) 0 Agricultural 0 Government ~ Park 0 Transportation 0 Comments 0::: 0 Commercial 0 Industrial 0 Private Residence 0 Other (Specify) ..... XJ Educational 0 Military 0 Religious 0 Entertainment CiJ. Museum 0 Scientific

""' '·· •.• ': .: . z · .. · ·. (:: :.:·.;. ·.:·:·· ~~-];.;,...-:.;.-.0?~._, ':; OWNER'S NAME: z State :Department of Archives and History ~S~T~R~E~E~T-A~N~D~N~U~M~B~E~R~:~~~~~~~~==~~~~~------~~g

I 109 East Jones Street o ·I be~I~T~V-O~R~T~O~W~N~:~~~~~~~------~S-T_A_T_E_t------~-C-0--D-E~~ I' Hal · noh North Carolina 5( ~ 1 ,..,.....,...,.[ ~#[tOC~JJPN . ·.~&.!... OF~GAkDESCRIPT!~_N ...... ,~,....,.,.--c.,-·,.,.~";'""'·~~·-· __ ~~~~~~~~-'~'~i~i~~0~K~·i~0~7~i:~2~:im0~d~·0~0~{;~y~p~: ...... ··,·.,·,''"~~~~~~~~~ .. ·.·.·.· ..·.:,·.: .. ·:··.·.·~·.·.:·,:·,·,. :,'···,_,'.'·:;·.:.:'':·,·.·..• ·.· .. ·.·.,·.:·:'·.'.·:'.:':··,,· .. ,· ·,:.... ·.·:··.,·:.,.·,·.:;·'· .. :','·.:'·,·.·.,::', ..:'.::·.::·',·.,:··.:.:''. !-1• COURTHOUSE, REGISTRY OF DEEDS, ETC: n ""' 0 ~Al~am__ an__ c_e~C~o_un __ t~~--C_o_ur __ th__ ou__ s_e ______~~ i STREET AND NUMBER! ~ ~

~~------~------~~~§CITV OR TOWN: STATE CODE Graham North Carolina 1-3-7---1 g jA,\kEf.lRESf:NTATIO~ JN ~XI sTING SDRvevst rrr TITLE OF SURVEY: z .... :u , < 0 DATE OF SURVt:::Yt 0 Federal 0 State 0 County 0 Local z ;Q b r:: P 0 S I T 0 H Y F 0 r~ S U r~ V t::: Y R E C 0 R D S 1 c z t "U !D rrr :u c"' STRri::ET AND NUMBER: "'m 0z r CITV OH TOWNI STATE: CODE 1--1- -< 0 )> .... f'l'f f : ------~------~------DESCRIPTION --~--~----~-~-"------~------~-~------~-~------...... --i (Cllock One) fi) E>

Alamance Battleground covers a 40-acre area of open fields and woods where, for two hours on May 16, 1771, the Regulators fought the militia under the command of , royal governor of North Carolina. Recent additions to the site include a visitor center hoUsing interpretive displays, a series of markers noting various aspects of the battle, and a large column with plaques commemorating the ReguJ.a tors. This column was moved to tre·present site in 1963 from its original site at Guilford Courthouse 1~ational Military Park where it was erected in 1901.. The John Al~en House, a typical late eighteenth century dwelling ·once owned by the brother-in-law of a Regulator leader, Herman Husband, was restored and

./ moved to the battleground in 1966 •

""" m ) t m

z V'& -t A» c

'i n l ...... ! l ! 0 .1 z """

1.....------___ , ______, __ -- . --··· ------..----·- -·· ~- SIGNIFICANCE

PERIOD (Check One or More as Approprlato) 0 Pre-Columbian/ 0 16th Century ({q 18th Century 0 20th Century 0 15th Century 0 17th Century L"J 19th Century

SPECIFIC OAT (lf Appl/cablo and Known)

AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE (Check One or More Bill Appropriate) Aboriginal 0 Education 00 Political 0 Urban Plonn,ing PrehimtOflc I 0 0 Englneoring 0 Religion/Phi. 0 Other (Specify) Historic 0 0 Industry losophy Agriculture 0 0 lnventi on L"J Science Archlh11c:ture 0 0 Landscape 0 Sculpture Art 0 Architocturo 0 Socia I/ Human· Commerce [] r.-, Ll loroturo I tnrlon Communi cot I on II 0 bd Military 0 Theater Conservation 0 0 Mu:lic 0 T rons portotion

STATEMENT ~F SIGNIFICANCE, Alamance Battleground is the site of the defeat of the Regulators by the North Carolina colonial militia under. the command of Royal Governor William Tryon.. This battle marked the climax of the which had disturbed the colony for several years.. , z 0 The Regulators sought to challenee the malpractices of judges, sheriffs, and other office holders, which included extortionate fees required by · local officials, unreasonable demands by tax collectors, and cases wherein much of the tax collected was kept by the official rather than being sent on to the government. The Regulators objected to the domination of the provincial government by the eastern planters.. These g:cievances, it should be noted, were against specific misuses of power by the governing officials, not against the government itself.. The Regulator leaders were, in fact, careful to pint out that they were in no way fighting for a change in the z J'Fohn or Mode of Government .. " .Another complaint was .the shortage of sp~ci~ (hard money). ·

w The Regulators at first tried to correct official corruption by legal w and peaceful means.. Led by such men as Herman Husband of Orange County and Thomas Person of Granville, the Regulators petitioned Governor Tr.yon, pre­ sented their grievances to the assembly, and stated their campla~nts in.a series of "Regulator Advertisements." These efforts were not effective, and eventually dissatisfaction.led to increasing outbreaks of lawlessness .. Alarmed-by the incidents of mob violence, the Assembly passed a riot act aimed against the Regulators.. The Regulators responded with threats of wider violence; the governor in turn called out the militia to suppress the insurgents.. On May 16, 1771, after brief and fruitles·s negotiations, Tr.yon's force of over 1,000 militia men attacked about 2,000 poorly-armed Regulators.. Within two hours the government forces were victorious.. Tryon lost nine men and had sixty-one wounded; nine Regulators were killed and an undeter.mined number wounded. '

Immediately after the battle·, one man was summarily hanged by Tryon 1 s J forces. Shortly thereafter twelve Regulators were tried and convicted of I treason; six were hanged, six pardoned by the governor.. A monument was erected in 1901 in memory of these men, naming; "James Pugh, Robert Matear, Benjamin Merrill, Captain Messer, and two'others whose names are now lI 11 ! Unknown, and recalling the words of Pugh, who was reported to have said before he was hanged, "Our blood will be as good seed in good ground, that I will soon produce one hundred fold. 11 ------·------·------~-----__. u N I I E u s l 1\ I L '• (l u '/\I; I I I I i. I h I L ; STATE NA fiONAL PAIH- 'oLI(YICE I North Carolina H T I 0 N A L R E G I S T E R 0 F ~II ST 0 R I C P L A C E S COUNTY Alamance INVENTORY · HOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER I DATE (Continuntion Sheet) I

( 8 ..

Governor Tryon offered clemency to all Regulators who would take an oath of allegianceo Within six weeks over 6,000 had done so. After the battle and the utter defeat of the Regulator movement, some Regulators left North Carolina "in despair of seeing better times .. 11

The Regulator movement was an expression of the growing pains of the young colony as settlement advanced westward. As with most of the large colonies whose expansion .was in one direction, there was a mounting tension between the long-entrenched landowners of the established coastal areas and .the small farmers of the Piedmont. Like the Regulator movement of South Carolina and Bacon's Rebellion in Virginia, the North Carolina Regulator move­ ment reflected the social and economic differences between the tidewater and inland regions as well as the common resentment of malpractices by corrupt government officials and the shortage of specie.. Thus Alamance Battleground was the scene of one of the conflicts which played an important role in the growth of th3 .PJnerican colonies. Boatner, Mark Mayo.III Enc clopedio. of tho .. New Yo David McKo.y Compony, Inc , 196

Lefler, Hugh Talmage, and Newsome, Albert Ray. North Carolina: The History of a Southern State. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1963.

---·--... - ... ___ _ LA 1'1 TUDE AM D LONG I TUDE COOROIN$1 TF.S DEFINING TI1E CENTEH POINT OF A PROPERTY Of" LESS THAN TF.N ACRES

Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Secondlll Oegre~i\1 Minuhu Seconds 79o 31• 15,. 0 0 79 ° 31 ' 8 .. 79 ° 31 . 8 .. 79 0 1 .

FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE

STATE: COUNTY m m

STATE: COUNTY:

sTATEs COUNTY: :z

STATE: COUNTY:

NAME AND TITLE: John B. ·Wells ervisor ORG IZATION artment of chives and Hist 0 z

As the des i.gnated State Liaison Officer for the Nu­ I hereby certify that this property is included in the tional Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law Nationa 1 Register. 89-665), 1 hereby nominole this property for inclusion

in the National Re~ister and certify that il has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the . The recommended Chief, OHice of Archeology and Historic Preservation level or significance of this nomination is: I 0 National ~~ole 0 Local Dale Name t;)[ / r~t_A--- Dre H. Q. nes ATTEST:

Tille Direct~tate Department of

Archives and History Keapor of Tho NatioHal RoQistor

D• t e 971 March 1), 1 Date ------/,

: ......

., ' 'r::r,·.

r.

"-' .

;!"\"\ \ .·-'

.. -1 "\\ "34 a h ,......

Allen House l '25 us 62 • Burlington, North Carolina ·~' .. North Carolina State Highway Commission Scale: 1 11 /1 mile July 1' 1966

Latitude Longitude degrees minutes seconds degrees minutes .:;;e C;.lii.dt: 11 36° 00' 33 79° )1 I ,611

"/...; .. ~i a /... / :J J L2

\ \ /

f ... , \-.. /I\\ / ,, ·., \ /~ 2365··. I) Ill ,\· ~ ,•,'

Alamance Battleground Stem Historic Site Highway 62 Burlington, North Carolina

North Carolina State Highway Commission Scale: 1"/ .. 5 mile January 1 , 1966 Latitude Longitude degrees minutes seconds degrees minutes sec0:. .::_.:;; 11 f 1C:" 36° oo' 31 . 79° - 31 •.-.I 36° oo' 31" 79° 31' 8'' 6 oo' 23" 79 31 I e~· 36° 1 36° oo' 23il 79° 31 I 15 ;

-· ..... fd/111'-