I’m hoping this week’s “Where the Heel?” will be a little easier than last week’s, but still challenging enough that you have to think about it for a bit. Take a look at the slogan below and see if you know to where it is referring. As always, leave your guess as a comment.
Wide Awake … Wilson, NC…
Our esteemed colleague at the North Carolina State Archives is correct! I’ve heard this slogan before, but can’t say that I understand it. I’ve been through Wilson several times and didn’t catch any abnormal activity. Of course, I wasn’t through there at 3 a.m. when everyone was still awake. Does anyone know anything about the slogan?
off topic (unless theres a subcategory of ‘what the heel?’) but curious… tr doesnt have a lot of nc connections… speculation, anyone? …
check ebay for “Teddy Roosevelt Political Painting, North Carolina Pine’… (sorry, it’s not linking for me)….
I believe that the Roosevelt family owned a portion of Pine Knoll Shores on the Outer Banks where the Episcopal retreat, Trinity Center, is now located. But I don’t think this picture on Ebay has anything to do with that. I suspect that ‘North Carolina Pine’ might simply mean ‘none too sturdy.’ But I don’t know for sure.
I had to check my memory on the Roosevelt connection to the Outer banks. Turns out Teddy’s children bought the land from their aunt Alice Green. The finding aid for her papers, which are located at East Carolina University, reveals a fascinating story. See http://digital.lib.ecu.edu/special/ead/findingaids/0127/
I gotta get to work. . .
Wide Awake is a religious slogan – and also perhaps associated with a political movement. One speculates that Wilson was promoting itself with a religious refrain…
Your idea is a good one, Chris, but I think that in this case “wide awake” is actually more directly related to change and growth in the community than religion (or all-night activities). This emphasis is evident from the first line of the early-1960s brochure, which states: “Eastern North Carolina is emerging as America’s last frontier, and Wilson is spearheading this emphasis on progress.” The brochure also folds open to reveal photos of 6 different local companies, descriptions of the city’s commerce and industry, and a secondary slogan, “Geared to Grow!” Churches and religion do appear in the promotion, but only in an inclusive way; Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish congregations are all (very) briefly mentioned as being an important part of the community.
I wonder if the slogan was used more widely or if it was just this one publication. Does anybody know?
maybe wilson had taken offense at being called ‘sleepy’?
No longer a part of the Rip Van Winkle state?