10 Things You Might Not Know About Rocky Mount, North Carolina

  10/8/2014 11:05 AM -   -   Rocky Mount Revitalization, Famous People from Rocky Mount -  

    The Name Rocky Mount

    The name "Rocky Mount" appeared in documented history in 1816. It was a derivation of the nickname, Rocky Mound, derived from the Rocky Mound at the falls of the Tar River. ​This is also the historic site of one of the first cotton mills in North Carolina.  
      Rocky Mount NC
    Rocky Mount, North Carolina is roughly     halfway between New York and Miami off of I-95.

     

    Martin Luther King, Jr. Spoke at Booker T. Washington High School in Rocky Mount, NC

    Rocky Mount race relations

 

    In 1962, Martin Luther King, Jr. addressed a crowd of nearly 2,000 people in the gymnasium at the High School. King used a number of expressions that made their way into his landmark “I Have a Dream” address at the Lincoln Memorial.

     

    An Actor on The Cosby Show was Born in Rocky Mount

    Earle Hyman, who played Russell Huxtable on The Cosby Show, was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Hyman is a distinguished African American actor with a 46-year-long career on Broadway. He was only eleven years older than Bill Cosby, despite playing Cosby’s television father.

    Famous Entertainers from Rocky Mount

    Entertainment Tonight host, Terrance J., went to school in Rocky Mount and worked at Soul 92 Jams.

    Historic RM Places

    Rocky Mount Mills is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s a local landmark for residents and tourists alike.

    Buck Leonard, Baseball Player, from Rocky Mount

    Buck Leonard and Rocky Mount Buck Leonard, one of the greatest baseball players of all time, was born in Rocky Mount, NC. Leonard played with the Homestead Grays of Negro Baseball League, where he earned a reputation as the "Black Lou Gehrig."

     

    Fire Museum in Station Built in 1924

    Fire Station No. 2 was built in 1924; this historical building now houses the Fire Museum and serves as the Life Safety & Emergency Management Complex for the City of Rocky Mount Fire Department. The Tar River walking and biking trail runs 3.9 miles along the Tar River.

    Apple Brandy, A Nash County Specialty
Rocky Mount Rail

Nash County was once famous for its apple brandy. In 1840, a train of cars en route to Wilmington stopped in Rocky Mount for the first time ever to import some "Old Nash" for special toasts at opening festivities.


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