Nicholas Williams Arrington
| Nicholas Williams Arrington | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 25, 1806 Nash County, North Carolina, U.S. |
| 💀Died | 1865 Nash County, North Carolina, U.S.1865 |
| 💼 Occupation | Planter; peace officer; gamefowl breeder |
| Known for | Master of The Cedars plantation; long-distance cockfighting mains, including a contest against Antonio López de Santa Anna |
| 👪 Relatives | Archibald Hunter Arrington (relative) |
Nicholas Williams Arrington (December 25, 1806 – 1865) was an American planter, local peace officer, and noted breeder of gamefowl in Nash County, North Carolina. He was master of The Cedars, a plantation near Hilliardston that was described as one of the largest agricultural estates in the antebellum South.[1]
Early life
Arrington was born at The Cedars on December 25, 1806, a descendant of English nobility through the colonial Arrington line. His grandfather, General Arthur Arrington, built the family house in 1747 and served as head of the Quartermaster Corps during the American Revolution, supplying Continental forces from Nash County.[1] Nicholas’s father and grandfather cleared and cultivated extensive tracts of land; upon the deaths of his father and older brother, he inherited a vast estate of property, slaves, and more than one hundred thousand acres distributed across North Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia.[1]
The Cedars plantation
The Cedars was a two-story white mansion approached by a cedar-lined avenue. Both the front and side porches had upper balcony porches with wrought-iron leaf-pattern railings imported from Europe. The house contained two winding staircases, marble fireplaces in every room, tall ceilings, carved paneling, and pastel plasterwork in differing colors. Furnishings included rosewood and cherry furniture, English silver and china, French crystal chandeliers, and imported tapestries and portraits in gilded frames.[1]
The plantation operated as a self-contained village, with barns, stables, smokehouse, carriage and spring houses, slave quarters, cotton gins, and a stillhouse. A large silver bell—reportedly cast from four bushels of coins—summoned enslaved laborers to work each morning. The estate produced cotton, tobacco, and wheat and was among the first in Nash County to cultivate tobacco commercially.[1]
Career and public service
Arrington was appointed Chief Deputy Sheriff of Nash County before the age of 21 and gained a reputation for apprehending criminals and maintaining order. He was respected locally as a peace officer, landholder, and sportsman.[1]
Gamefowl breeding
Arrington became famous throughout the southern United States as a breeder and trainer of gamefowl. He fought matches in North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and South Carolina and was nicknamed “the Traveling Cocker.” Contemporary sporting journals and Todd’s account record that he was never defeated in a main and that he once engaged in a celebrated international match against Antonio López de Santa Anna, former president of Mexico, which was advertised as “the greatest cock main ever fought on the continent of North America.”[1]
Later years and death
Arrington continued to oversee The Cedars and its related enterprises until his death on February 23, 1865.[1] Following the Civil War, his relative Archibald Hunter Arrington occupied the estate for several years but was unable to restore it to its earlier prosperity. The surrounding cedar groves were later cut down, and the mansion eventually disappeared from the landscape.[1]
Legacy
Arrington’s name remains associated with 19th-century southern sporting culture and with the development of Nash County agriculture. Descendants bearing the Arrington surname continued to live in the region, and gamefowl strains attributed to his breeding persisted under the name “Cripple Tony” or “Traveler.”[1]
See also
- Archibald Hunter Arrington
- History of Nash County, North Carolina
- Cockfighting in the United States
References
External links
- The Immortal Nick Arrington (full text at Archive.org)
- Digital NC entry for The Immortal Nick Arrington
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