By Bonnie and Bill Neely

We had not planned to stop for a North Carolina Capitol tour in Raleigh, but we decided to at the last minute, and we were so glad we did. This is one of the most interesting of the many state capitol tours we have experienced and a lovely place to spend an hour or more. The grounds are beautiful any time of year, and we had no trouble finding a parking place.

In the impressive rotunda is a most unusual statue of George Washington in the garb of a Roman general and holding a quill pen as if signing his farewell address as president. Plaques around the walls honor and give brief accounts of the lives of important people in the state's history. These include three signers of the U.S. Declaration of Independence and three signers of the Constitution. The governor's office and those of other state officials are around the rotunda, but these are not often on tour.

We found one of the most interesting features in the building at the base of the stairs as we headed up to see the House and Senate chambers — an old wooden wheelbarrow loaded with wood for an upstairs fireplace. In the 1800s slaves had to push the enormously heavy load up the marble staircase to build or replenish the fires in each office several times a day. The stairs have gouges in places where the wheelbarrow rubbed in difficulty. We tried to push it just a little way, but it was impossibly heavy. It was a good lesson in history and made as great an impression on us as it had the stairway.

Near the top of the staircase is a small office where, our guide explained, most of the legislative measures were passed or killed. Here the most important representatives or senators gathered around the warmth of the fireplace and shared drinks and cigars while convincing each other how to vote.

Upstairs, around the circular walls of the rotunda hallway, is an excellent exhibit of the many different kinds of faces and people who comprise the current population of North Carolina. Their portraits depict their lines of work or craft and represent everyone from woodsmen, teens, athletes and men to women, boys, girls, farmers, business people, leaders and workers. Information by each explains his or her talents and why that person was chosen for the display. By the time we left we felt like we knew the North Carolinians, and we respected that their state is making even the most humble of them important.

One portrait is of Abraham H. Galloway, an escaped slave who formed an African-American regiment for the Union army, led a group of abolitionists and wrote a book, "Fire of Freedom," which tells an insider's story about the Civil War. Another memorable portrait is of Lillian Exum Clement, the first woman to become a lawyer without male partners in this state. She was highly respected during the early 1900s.

The third floor houses the State Library and State Geology Room, both of which are kept much as they were when the state legislature met here until 1961. And save time to explore the grounds and the statues of important figures located there. You'll be glad you put this spot on your itinerary.

WHEN YOU GO

For more information: www.ncstatecapitol.org

This statue of the three presidents from North Carolina — Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk and Andrew Johnson — sits outside the North Carolina Capitol in Raleigh. Photo courtesy of Bill Neely.

Abraham H. Galloway is honored for his contribution to the state's history in an exhibit at the North Carolina Capitol. Photo courtesy of Bill Neely.

The legislative chambers in the North Carolina Capitol were once the meeting place of the state's House and Senate. Photo courtesy of Bill Neely.

Bonnie and Bill Neely are freelance writers. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

This statue of the three presidents from North Carolina -- Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk and Andrew Johnson -- sits outside the North Carolina Capitol in Raleigh. Photo courtesy of Bill Neely.