Where the Heel?, Part X

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.

9 thoughts on “Where the Heel?, Part X”

  1. 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?

  2. 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)….

  3. 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.

  4. 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…

  5. 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?

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