Dred Wimberly Historical Marker

This historical marker designates the former home of Dred Wimberly (1848-1937). Wimberly was born into slavery, and after the Civil War, he became a political leader. He served as a Republican in the State House of Representatives and as a State Senator. He spent his final years at this home.

Dred Wimberly was born in 1848 on a plantation belonging to James S. Battle. [2] Battle was a prominent planter, judge, and manufacturer who owned hundreds of slaves and nearly twenty thousand acres of land. He played a significant role in a Supreme Court case involving one of his slaves, State v. Negro Will. [1]

Leading up to 1865, Wimberly worked for Kemp Plummer Battle in the Tarboro/Battleboro area. After the Civil War, Battle told the slaves working on his plantation that they could leave or stay on as paid workers. Wimberly, due to his relationship with Battle and the practicality of staying to work in a familiar setting, chose to stay. [2]

Battle, who lived in Raleigh, placed Wimberly in charge of the supplies needed to run the plantation. One of his jobs was to deliver goods and supplies to Battle’s home. At some point, Wimberly decided to move to Rocky Mount. There, Wimberly was asked to run for the General Assembly by the Republican Party. Wimberly was quoted, in later years of his life, saying, "I got into it when I wasn't looking . . . I hesitated at first and asked them to look around a lot more. They nominated me anyhow and I was elected." [2]

Wimberly was elected into the General Assembly once again in 1887 before obtaining a seat in the Senate in 1889. He remained close to Kemp Battle and helped Battle secure funds needed for the University of North Carolina. Wimberlyexplianed "I voted for Dr. Battle's appropriation because Dr. Battle had said voting for the University would help everybody. It might somehow help the colored folks too." Wimberly and other Black legislators supported the motions to improve roads, highways, and establish the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts (known today as North Carolina State University). Decades later, Wimberly and his fellow Black legislatures were discussed in an editorial, in Raleigh’s News & Observer. “They upheld education when no one else did. They laid the foundation for the common schools where the schools had few or no friends." [2]

Wimberly retired from the legislature but remained active in his party’s politics. Before settling back down to spend the remainder of his life with his family in Rocky Mount, Wimberly did something quite interesting. He moved to Washington, D.C., for a couple of years, where he worked as a custodian in the House of Representatives. [2]

Dred Wimberly passed away in Rocky Mount in 1937. The historical marker here signifies the location of Wimberly’s home. 

[1] Battle, Elizabeth. Battle, James Smith, NCpedia. Accessed December 10th 2020. https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/battle-james-smith.

[2] Macfie, John. Wimberly, Dred, NCpedia. Accessed December 10th 2020. https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/wimberly-dred.