U.S. Presidents Used To Flock To These Tiny North Carolina Towns To Experience The Locals
By Carolyn Harmon|Published February 16, 2023
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Carolyn Harmon
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Under Brown Mountain Lights the Beast of Blandenboro wanders this magical land where lighthouses shine on kingdoms only accessible by ferries. A Lost Colony of legends and pirates revealed in historical sites and majestic mountains with views that make us weep. The home of handmade sculptures and scrumptious cuisine. North Carolina leaves this long-time writer and artist breathless with endless surprises, including the unlikely warmth a winter walk on the beach can bring.
Some say what brings U.S. Presidents to rural American towns is to give speeches and garner votes. While this may be true, it is indeed a prideful moment when they pick our airports to land Air Force One, our colleges to celebrate, our hurricane damage to witness, and our state fairs to enjoy. U.S. Presidents have historically flocked to these tiny, and some not-so-tiny, North Carolina towns, and whatever their reasons for coming we know they took back some of us with them — because who could forget us?
It is always exciting to see this Boeing 747-200B aircraft in our North Carolina skies.
And before the days of Air Force One, this president arrived in style in the "Sacred Cow," a C-54 Skymaster, to visit Raleigh at the 1948 State Fair. Imagine how impressed he was with our great fair.
On Oct. 12, 1961, JFK visited the 82nd Airborne Division at Pope Air Force Base at Fort Bragg, near Fayetteville, flying in on SAM 26000, a Boeing VC-137C. He is standing with N.C. Brigadier General William P. Yarborough, who in that same year was appointed commander of the U.S. Army Special Warfare Center/School for Special Warfare.
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Another visit on April 14, 1962, brought President Kennedy in his cool shades to visit Bogue Field and Onslow Beach, part of the U.S. Marine Corps Base at Camp Lejeune.
President Clinton was part of a celebration on Oct. 12, 1993, when he spoke at the Bicentennial Day 200th Anniversary of the University of North Carolina Ceremony.
Back on Sept. 20, 1999, President Clinton met with FEMA Director James Witt to discuss the flooding in North Carolina.
President Bush greeted U.S. Airborne and Special Forces troops following his remarks on July 4, 2006, during an Independence Day celebration at Fort Bragg.
This crowd listened as President Bush thanked the soldiers and their families that day for their service to the nation.
On April 25, 2010, this president made a visit to the late, great Rev. Billy Graham at Graham's home in Montreat.
Several years later, President Obama brought excitement as he stopped for candy and a soda pop at Mast General Store in Boone Oct. 17, 2011, during the American Jobs Act bus tour.
President Biden and his wife, Jill, spent part of Nov. 22, 2021, serving Thanksgiving dinner at Fort Bragg to show support for military families and service members.
Do you remember any of these presidential visits? Did we miss one? Please let us know in the comments below. And if you are interested in presidential history in North Carolina, see which presidents were born here. You can also visit the log cabin President Andrew Johnson lived in as a child, located in Mordecai Historic Park, along with a haunted mansion.
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