"Manteo to Murphy"

"Manteo to Murphy" is a phrase often used in reference to the entire east-west width of North Carolina, particularly when describing a phenomenon that touches all regions of the state. The phrase was famously applied to the 1876 gubernatorial campaign between Zebulon B. Vance [2] and Supreme Court [3] Justice Thomas Settle Jr. [4], in which Vance's victory set off "rejoicing by Democrats [5] 'from Manteo to Murphy.'" This followed from the fact that Vance and Settle had toured the state in a series of debates that resulted in the largest Democratic majority (over 13,000) in any election between 1868 and 1900. The phrase is actually a symbolic and not literal rendering of the extreme east-west width of North Carolina, since neither Manteo (Dare County [6]) nor Murphy (Cherokee County [7]) is situated precisely at the state's borders.

Additional Resources:

McFee, Michael. "Back Home." The Napkin Manuscripts: Selected Essays and an Interview. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press. 2006. p. 5. http://books.google.com/books?id=-YMe426WjNkC&lpg=PR9&ots=cxUBXUGhbY&dq=%22Manteo%20to%20Murphy%22&lr&pg=PA5#v=onepage&q=Manteo&f=false [8]

"Thomas Settle, Jr. 1831-1888." North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program. http://www.ncmarkers.com/Markers.aspx?sp=search&k=Markers&sv=J-17 [4] (accessed August 17, 2012).

"Zebulon B. Vance 1830-1894." North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program. http://www.ncmarkers.com/Markers.aspx?sp=search&k=Markers&sv=P-2 [9]