Table of Contents

A sample from a colonial map outlining an indigenous tribe and their village, labeled "Catawbaw Town."
A detail from a colonial period map. This map was drawn in 1770 by John Collett and outlines the bounds of the Carolinas and Virginia. Image courtesy of the North Carolina Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Colonial Period Overview

Settlement

Early Settlement

Fort San Juan

Great Philadelphia Wagon Road

Roanoke Island: The Lost Colony

Roanoke Island: Fact and Fiction

Settlement of the Coastal Plain

Settlement of the Piedmont

Settlers of the Albemarle

Settlement of the Mountains, 1775-1838

People, Places, and Events

Bladen County in the 1700s

Culpeper's Rebellion

Edenton Tea Party

Forced Migration of African Americans

French and Indian War

Naming Places in Early Carolina

Regulator Movement

Trails and Trading Routes

Educator Resources:

Grades 9-12: Life in Colonial North Carolina (Primary Source Sets): https://archives.ncdcr.gov/educators/lesson-plans/life-colonial-north-ca...

Citation

"Colonial Period Resources." NCpedia. NCpedia. Accessed on June 3rd, 2025. https://www.ncpedia.org/history/colonial.