Louisburg, NC
| Louisburg, North Carolina | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 Location of Louisburg, North Carolina |
|
| Coordinates: 36°6′1″N 78°17′56″W / 36.10028°N 78.29889°WCoordinates: 36°6′1″N 78°17′56″W / 36.10028°N 78.29889°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | North Carolina |
| County | Franklin |
| Established | 1779 |
| Named for | King Louis XVI of France |
| Government | |
| • Type | Town Council |
| • Mayor | Karl T. Pernell (D) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.8 sq mi (7.3 km2) |
| • Land | 2.8 sq mi (7.3 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 220 ft (67 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 3,359 |
| • Estimate (2016) | 3,553 |
| • Density | 1,200/sq mi (460/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 27549 |
| Area code(s) | 919 and 984 |
| FIPS code | 37-39360 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0989040 |
| Website | http://www.townoflouisburg.com |
Louisburg is a town in Franklin County, North Carolina, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 3,359. It is the county seat of Franklin County. The town is located about 29 miles northeast from the state's capital Raleigh, North Carolina, and located about 31 miles south from the Virginia border line. It is also the home of Louisburg College, the oldest two-year coeducational college in the United States, and of one of the campuses of Vance-Granville Community College.
Louisburg was established in the 1770s and named in honor of King Louis XVI of France, who was aiding the American Revolution at the time. It is the birthplace of author Edwin Wiley Fuller, home of the International Whistlers Convention, and site of the last hanging in North Carolina, chronicled in the book The Day The Black Rain Fell, by William F. Shelton and James S. Warren. "Black rain" actually did fall in Louisburg in March 1900. Louisburg was the home of one governor of North Carolina, Thomas W. Bickett.
Louisburg has a rich history of struggle against racial inequality and injustice. In June 1965, the local newspaper and radio station publicized the names and addresses of African-American families who had applied to attend white schools in Franklin County. When questioned on his actions, the man who read the names on the radio stated that though he was not a member of the Klan, he approved of their activities. In part because of this disclosure, the families hoping to integrate the schools were attacked on numerous occasions by white extremists, who fired into the homes or destroyed the cars of families on the publicized list. The movement for integration persevered in the coming years, and so did violent opposition. Summer of 1966 saw a series of cross burnings perpetrated by the Ku Klux Klan in Franklin County, including one in front of the County Board of Education in Louisburg. One local African-American leader said in 1968, after gun shots were fired into his house, that his home had been firebombed on one occasion and nails left in his driveway no less than 20 times over the previous few years.
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