Revolutionary Era: Cornelius Harnett
Before Poplar Grove belonged to the Foy family, the land was a second plantation home of Cornelius Harnett — a leading Revolutionary North Carolinian politician, purchased in 1767. Harnett was a central figure in North Carolina’s road to independence, from the Stamp Act defiance through the Continental Congress.
Captured by British forces, Harnett died in 1781. The property passed through Francis Clayton — later revealed as a Tory spy — before being sold and purchased by James Foy, Jr. in 1795.
North Carolina is “First in Freedom” for a reason. Explore the chapters of this Revolutionary story: the Stamp Act, the Regulator Movement and the Common Cause, the Spirit of 1776, the Letters of 1777, the campaigns of 1778–1779, and Harnett’s final days. (Detailed chapter pages coming soon.)