On Friday, July 4, 1913, an estimated 10,000 people gathered for Independence Day festivities described then as “the greatest and most successful celebration Morganton has ever known.” The grand parade was led by the Morganton Band, traveling from Walton’s Hill along West Union Street, Avery Avenue, and Lenoir Street. It featured decorated floats from Lazarus Bros., Kirksey Hardware, and the prize-winning Alpine Cotton Mill. The route ended at the Morganton Graded School, where a new U.S. flag was presented to the school. Festivities included speeches, a foot race, a bicycle race, greased pig races, and a fire hose reel race and tug-of-war between the City and State Hospital teams. Photographer L.E. Webb captured the parade scenes using a specialized speed camera. The day concluded with a grand fireworks display launched from the lawn of the Kistler residence. This image was submitted by J. Gordon Queen to Picture Burke.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.