Wake Wednesday - Railroads and Rebirth

Piggybacking on the post about the fiery destruction of Raleigh's first Capital building in 1831, I want to point you to this great article from NCpedia on the rebuilding and refocus of Raleigh that that followed. Forward thinking and the latest rail technology saved Raleigh's place in the history, politics and economics of our state and spared our state the former nickname of "the Rip Van Winkle of commonwealths."

"Despite its position as a state capital, in the early 1830s and with a population of barely 2,200, the city of Raleigh was small and underdeveloped and had been struck by a series of fires. One of these took the Capitol building in 1831 and along with it citizens’ collective morale. Without efficient transportation and communication to connect it with the outside world, the capital needed reinvigoration. That reinvigoration came, literally and symbolically, with the arrival of the Tornado, the first steam locomotive to enter Raleigh to inaugurate the state’s newly developing railroad..."

Please read the rest of the story here.

The first locomotive running in Raleigh in 1840, The Tornado.
source

Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website - Homepage | WCGS Events | Join WCGS | Publications | Wake Cemetery Survey Images | Society Surnames | Digital Resources | History Resources | More Links and Resources | Contact

Wake Wednesday - Hogg Dortch House

These photos certainly capture old Raleigh. Take a moment to appreciate the leafy grand entrance and oak filled lawn that graced the Hogg Dorch house in central Raleigh. The graceful old home sat on the block bounded by Wilmington, Lane, Blount and Jones Streets. If that location sounds familiar to you, it should. That is the location of the NC Archives building.

source

The home was built in 1850 by Dr. Thomsas Devereux Hogg. It originally filled the whole block.  The Union army may have housed officers here during the war while the troops camped on the grounds.

Descendants of the Hogg family lived here until Dr. Hogg's grandaughter, Sally, passed in 1951. In 1962 the grounds were razed when construction began for the Archives and History building.

Read more of the story at Olde Raleigh's Facebook page.

source

source

Hogg-Dortch home and grounds encompassed the full square

now occupiec by the State Archives, Freedom Park and the 

State Records Center.

See also, Goodnight Raleigh post.

Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website - Homepage | WCGS Events | Join WCGS | Publications | Wake Cemetery Survey Images | Society Surnames | Digital Resources | History Resources | More Links and Resources | Contact