1780-1804
Newspaper offers early glimpse
The July 9, 1793 Fayetteville Gazette reported the nation's 17th Fourth of July celebration.
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The story, dated Tuesday, July 9, 1793, carried this simple headline: "American Independence." The article in the Fayetteville Gazette detailed the 17th anniversary of the nation's birthday on July 4, 1776.
The Fayetteville celebration included the raising of a "Liberty pole" and of a flag that bore this motto: "where Liberty dwells, there is our country."
A formal ceremony complete with the firing of musketry, a dinner at Dekeyser's Hotel and no fewer than 15 celebratory toasts followed.
You can read all of this and more in this 1793 edition of the Gazette, which was Fayetteville's first newspaper.
The Gazette was established by Dr. John Sibley and printer Joseph Howard on Aug. 24, 1789, in time to cover the constitutional convention in town later that year.
Sibley was a transplanted New Englander who became the village's first postmaster under the new United States. The Gazette called itself proudly "A Town and Country Paper." It was printed on a press cast by a local blacksmith. The print shop of the newspaper was "at Franklin's Head in Green Street," meaning a sign carved in the shape of the profile of Benjamin Franklin, the historical patron of printing in North America. The newspaper announced "Subscriptions are three Hard Dollars per annum."
A review of editions from 1793 gives snapshots of life around town:
Business: James Hogg advertises for lease "the houses and lot on the north side of the courthouse square, now occupied by Mr. Peacock," and deemed suitable for a tavern.
Crime: William Vann, jailer, announces the escape of three prisoners, including "Maberry, a pale-looking fellow, rather lusty, and pretends to be a house carpenter."
Slavery: Vann, the jailer, announces that he has in custody two runaway slaves, including "George, a black, sensible negro, very much pitted with the smallpox, about 6 feet high, he reads and writes, and says he belongs to a Mr. Hendrickson, a Dutch carpenter, Society Street, Charleston."
Recreation: An ad for the "Chatham Races" near Pittsboro reflects the popularity of horse racing. The ad says the races are "free for any horse, mare or gelding" to enter.
The Gazette started a Fayetteville publishing tradition that continues today, more than 200 years later, at The Fayetteville Observer.
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