Skip to main content
NC DNCR logo NC DNCR

Topical Navigation

  • Home
  • Places to Go
  • Things to Do
    Things to Do
    • Field Trips, Group Visits & CAVS
    • Archives
    • Aquariums
    • Libraries
    • Museums
    • State Parks
    • State Historic Sites
    • North Carolina Symphony
    • Zoo
    • Events and Programs
    • Trips/Travel Ideas
    • Sightseeing Tours in North Carolina
    • African American Experience
    • America 250 NC
  • Things to Know
    Things to Know
    • Artist Opportunities
    • Conservation Assistance
    • Digital Collections & Online Exhibits
    • Family History & Genealogy
    • Mapping Resources
    • Publications
    • Records Management
    • Search Our Collections
    • American Indian Programs and Resources
    • Blogs
    • Grants Opportunities
    • Moonshine and Motorsports Trail
    • NCCulture Kids Videos
    • Podcasts
    • Advisory Council on Film, Television, and Digital Streaming
  • News
    News
    • Contacts for the Press
    • Press Releases
    • DNCR Marketing & Communications Team
    • Legislative Reports
  • About
    About
    • Arts
    • History
    • Libraries
    • Nature
    • Support Us
    • Employment
    • Special Programs
    • DNCR Strategic Plan 2021 - 2023
    • Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion
    • Featured Programs
    • Leadership
    • Public Participation Plan
  • NCLearn
  • Contact Us
  • NC.GOV
  • AGENCIES
  • JOBS
  • SERVICES
NC DNCR »   Home »   blog

Cross Burnings by Ku Klux Klan

May 28, 2016

Klansmen in robes with burning cross. Image taken from  the State Archives.On May 28, 1965, members of the Ku Klux Klan burned crosses on the grounds of courthouses and city halls in 13 North Carolina cities and towns.

Crosses were burned in places large and small across the Coastal Plain and Piedmont, including Burgaw, Currie, Elizabethtown, Henderson, Oxford, Roxboro, Salisbury, Southport, Statesville, Tarboro, Ward’s Corner, Whiteville and Wilmington.

The coordinated campaign of cross burning was part of a wider wave of violence undertaken by the KKK in reaction to the growing civil rights movement that was sweeping the nation and state.

Klansmen in robes at tent meeting. Image taken from  the State Archives.Just months later, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Un-American Activities Committee found that North Carolina had the largest Klan presence of any state in the Union, with more than 6,000 members organized into at least 112 local chapters and scores more sympathizers. The Klan had even set up a booth at the State Fair.

Despite the violence and tension, then Governor Terry Sanford continued to quietly lead business and other community leaders toward desegregation not by calling for changes in law, but by setting up programs like the Good Neighbor Council, which encouraged fair employment practices to improve race relations.

For more about North Carolina’s history, arts and culture, visit Cultural Resources online. To receive these updates automatically each day, subscribe by email using the box on the right and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Share this page:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

How can we make this page better for you?

Back to top

Contact Information

North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

109 E. Jones Street
Mail Service Center 4601

Raleigh, NC 27601

Recent Tweets

Tweets by@ncculture

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Flickr
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Employee Directory
  • Translation Disclaimer
  • TRAVEL POLICY
  • Accessibility
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Open Budget
NC DNCR
https://www.ncdcr.gov/blog/2015/05/28/cross-burnings-by-ku-klux-klan-fifty-years-ago