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Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina
Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina
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Source:  Tower Hill Marker, Kinston. Photo courtesy of Rusty Long

  • Monument Name

    Tower Hill Marker, Kinston

  • Type

    Marker

  • Subjects

    Colonial Wars

  • City

    Kinston

  • County

    Lenoir

  • Description

    The memorial on Tower Hill marked the spot that for four years during the Colonial Period was the seat of government for North Carolina. The monument consisted of a large boulder with inscription chiseled on it.

    Images: Inscription | View of Tower Hill Rd. (Hwy 1810) | View from Tower Hill Rd. (Hwy 1810)

  • Inscription

    TOWER HILL / THE APPOINTED CAPITAL / OF N.C. / 1758 – 1762 / ORIGINALLY OWNED BY / WILLIAM HERITAGE / 1707 – 1769 / CLERK OF THE ASSEMBLY / FOR THIRTY YEARS / ERECTED BY THE NORTH CAROLINA / SOCIETY OF COLONIAL DAMES / OF AMERICA. 1914

  • Dedication Date

    May 28, 1914

  • Decade

    1910s

  • Geographic Coordinates

    35.275220 , -77.534460 View in Geobrowsemap pin

  • Supporting Sources

      North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. "Tower Hill, F-13," North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program, http://www.ncmarkers.com, (accessed July 17, 2016) Link

      North Carolina Society of the Colonial Dames of America. "Unveiling of the Tablet at Tower Hill," (North Carolina: North Carolina Society of the Colonial Dames of America, 1914), (accessed May 25, 2012) Link

      “Marker On Old Tower Hill,” The Daily Free Press (Kinston, NC), April 28, 1914, 3

      “On Old Tower Hill,” The Daily Free Press (Kinston, NC), May 28, 1914, 1

      “Tablet Unveiling Thursday,” The Daily Free Press (Kinston, NC), May 27, 1914, 3

  • Public Site

    No

  • Materials & Techniques

    Stone

  • Sponsors

    North Carolina Society of Colonial Dames of America

  • Monument Dedication and Unveiling

    The dedication ceremony began at the courthouse in Kinston. The invocation was given by Reverend J.H. Griffith with the welcome address by Mayor F.I. Sutton. The keynote address was given by R.D.W. Connor of Raleigh. State president of the Colonial Dames Society Mrs. E.P. Baily of Wilmington presented the tablet. The courthouse portion of the ceremony ended with the singing of “The Star Spangled Banner” before moving to Tower Hill for the unveiling by Misses Grace and Doris Wooten, descendants of William Heritage. Reverend H.A. Humble pronounced the benediction before those gathered were served a basket dinner.

  • Location

    Newspaper descriptions of the dedication say it was on the home place of William Heritage four miles east of Kinston. It is located in the front yard of a private residence on Tower Hill Rd. (Hwy 1810), Kinston, NC.

  • Landscape

    The memorial marker stands on a front lawn with bushes and seasonal greenery around it.

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