A failed attempt by northeastern North Carolina farmers to assassinate Gov. Richard Caswell in 1777 will be recognized with a state Highway Historical Marker.
The marker commemorating what is called the Gourd Patch Conspiracy and subsequent pardon of the uprising’s leader will be dedicated during a ceremony at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15, 14189 NC 42 in Tarboro.
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John Lewellen, leader of the plot, was convicted of treason, but received the state’s first pardon from Caswell.
A group of farmers from Martin, Tyrrell, Pitt, and Bertie counties organized themselves using secret codes, hand gestures, and signs and met in a pumpkin patch in Tarboro the summer of 1777 to plan what became a failed uprising against North Carolina’s Patriot government, according to the Highway Historical Marker Program’s website.
The program is a collaboration between the North Carolina departments of Natural and Cultural Resources and Transportation.
