Governor Charles B. Aycock Birthplace

Born in rural Wayne County, Charles B. Aycock became the fiftieth Governor of North Carolina in 1901. While Aycock has been traditionally celebrated by citizens and state leaders alike for expanding public education and constructing over 1,000 schools while in office, less attention was given to his involvement with the Wilmington Massacre and Coup of 1898, the violent Red Shirt movement of 1898-1900, or the newspaper propaganda which contributed to his “White supremacy” campaign for governor in 1900. Today the site interprets his legacy as a supporter of education, a segregationist, and a driving force behind the disenfranchisement of Black North Carolinians.

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