Galvan Photos by Margarita
Eastern Piedmont Adventures
Historic M i llltCoounnty
Caswe Galvan By Margarita S nes ffrom Milton’s downtown block. Sce Milton’s old General Store is now an antique shop. Aunt Millie’s Pizza likes to leave Chri stmas decorations up as long as possible.
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ucked up on the North Carolina-Virginia border along the Dan River in Caswell County lies the little town of Milton with a population of fewer than 200 people. Referred to as “the museum without walls,” Milton has earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places and tells us that bigger isn’t necessarily better. In the span of Milton’s downtown block is a treasure of antique shops, an art studio, Aunt Millie’s pizzeria and historically important buildings.
Thomas Day The most noteworthy site in Milton is Union Tavern where the remarkable Thomas Day lived and worked. Born a free black man, Thomas Day (1801–1861) was able to live largely untethered by many of the legal and social burdens placed upon blacks at the time by virtue of his extraordinary talent as a fine furniture maker and the high demand for his work. In 1848, Day bought the Union Tavern in Milton as his workshop and home. As his business profited, he trained both free and slave apprentices. However, as slave apprentices were returned to their owners upon learning the craft, Day himself purchased slaves to keep up with the demands of his expanding business. By the mid century, Day produced one quarter of all the furniture in North Carolina and was the largest manufacturer in the state. His furniture was in demand from Virginia to Georgia. His many commissions included furnishing the interior woodwork for the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and among his clients were two North Carolina governors.
Day wielded great clout as the demand and respect for his craft soared. In 1830, in Virginia, Day married a free black Virginian woman, Aquilla Wilson, but a North Carolina law dating from 1827, which prohibited free black people from entering the state, made it illegal for Aquilla to move to Milton with her new husband. Day threatened to move his family and business to Virginia. Fearing the loss of Day’s economic and cultural contributions to Milton, prominent citizens, including the North Carolina Attorney General, petitioned a special bill to the North Carolina Legislature to exempt Mrs. Day from the 1827 law. The bill passed and Day maintained his place of work and residence in Milton.
Thomas Day House/Union Tavern Museum Tragically, the Union Tavern burned to the ground in 1989. The Thomas Day House Restoration, Inc., Committee has been painstakingly restoring the historical building as it receives donations. The project is converting the workshop and home into a “hands-on” museum honoring and preserving the memory of Thomas Day, his celebrated talent, entrepreneurial skill and social achievements. Currently, 13 pieces of Thomas Day furniture are featured at the Tavern, and the interior of the first floor is largely complete. The Thomas Day House museum hours are Saturday P.O. Box 1996 and Sunday 1–4 p.m., April Milton, NC 27305 through November. Call for (336) 234-7215 tour information.
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