Dempsey Burgess, Revolutionary Officer
Camden County, Camden County, North Carolina
Marker Inscription
Dempsey Burgess. Member of provincial congresses, 1775-1776; lieutenant colonel of militia in Revolution; Congressman, 1795-99. Grave is 7 miles S.E.
Erected by North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The Story
Dempsey Burgess answered the Revolution on two fronts — in the provincial congresses of 1775-1776 that guided North Carolina toward independence, and in the field as a lieutenant colonel of militia. After the war he served in the U.S. Congress from 1795 to 1799. His grave lies about seven miles to the southeast.
Why it matters
Burgess embodies the citizen-soldiers and statesmen who both fought for independence and then helped govern the republic they had won.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Food & drink
- Masala Bay Grill10.1 mi away · 1972 Caratoke Highway, Moyock, NC
- Frog Island Seafood Inc11.7 mi away · 3997 Caratoke Highway, Barco, NC
- McDonald's12.0 mi away · 2859 Caratoke Highway, Currituck, NC
- Pass The Salt Cafe12.0 mi away · 136 Courthouse Road, Currituck, NC
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Related people
- · Dempsey Burgess
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Isaac Gregory, Revolutionary General
Camden County, NC
Isaac Gregory served in the provincial congress of 1775 and rose to brigadier general of the militia during the Revolution, later helping shape North Carolina's future at the state conventions of 1788-1789 that weighed the new federal Constitution. His home stood about four miles to the southeast. His was a life given to both the fight for independence and the founding of a government.
McKnight's Shipyard
Currituck County, NC
Thomas McKnight, a colonial merchant and legislator, operated a large shipyard that stood near this Currituck County marker in the years before the Revolution. When war came he remained loyal to the Crown, one of many Loyalists whose fortunes and communities were torn apart by the conflict. His shipyard reflects the maritime commerce that made the Albemarle region a colonial trading crossroads.
John Harvey, Revolutionary Leader
Hertford, NC
John Harvey was a towering figure on North Carolina's road to independence, serving five times as speaker of the colonial assembly and presiding as moderator over the provincial congresses of 1774-1775 that defied royal authority. His leadership helped move the colony toward open revolution before his death in 1775. He lived about eleven miles to the south.
Edward Vail
Chowan County, NC
Edward Vail was a colonial statesman who served as a brigadier general of the Edenton District militia and sat on North Carolina's Committee of Correspondence in 1768 and again in 1773-74. Those committees knit the colonies together in the years of mounting resistance to British rule, placing Vail among the local leaders who carried the Revolution forward. He lived about two miles southwest.