North Carolina Governor Richard Caswell

Richard Caswell emerged during the Revolution as a vital leader of the Patriot cause. Though he was a loyal British subject who fought against the backcountry Regulator rebellion, he embraced America's revolutionary fervor. He represented North Carolina at the Continental Congress and bravely commanded troops at the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge. He supervised the writing of North Carolina's constitution and was elected the Old North State's first governor. After the Revolution, he again served as governor and became a leading spokesman for the ratification of the United States Constitution. Author and historian Joe Mobley chronicles the life of a man devoted to the public service of North Carolina and a new nation.

A biography of the first governor of North Carolina, emphasizing his role in the North Carolina colony, the American Revolution, and the organization of one of the original thirteen states.

Caswell County was born in 1777 during the American Revolution and named to honor Richard Caswell, the first governor of North Carolina. Lying in the north central part of the state, Caswell's rolling countryside abounds with soil well suited for many crops, particularly tobacco. It was tobacco and a slave-based plantation economy that generated substantial wealth and political influence before the Civil War. During a period in the early 19th century, both the speakers of North Carolina's Senate and House of Commons were from Caswell County. The resulting wealth and influence produced institutions and structures unsurpassed elsewhere in the state. This included the bank of the county seat, Yanceyville, which before the Civil War was one of the best-capitalized banks in the South. Fortunately, many of the historic buildings remain, and Caswell County today is a popular destination for heritage tourism. The county boasts two National Historic Districts, one national landmark, and numerous structures on the National Register of Historic Places.