A free-black born circa 1801 near Emporia, Virginia, Thomas Day came to Milton in 1823. He had worked with his father in cabinet making, but soon showed such exquisite craftsmanship he became known as one of the top four furniture makers of his time in the state of North Carolina.  Now remembered as The Master Of Mahogany, Day’s reputation led him to produce woodwork for the area’s wealthy, as well as NC governor David S. Reid and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Day was so esteemed and well loved in the town of Milton, they rallied for him at the state government level to be allowed to bring his wife, who lived in Virginia at the time, across the state line, a prohibited act  before the Civil War. The story of Thomas Day and how he not only mastered a craft, but much of life during a time of slavery- an inspiring story surely worth noting in public and private education. A statue of Day (pictured) stands outside the Museum of History in Raleigh, NC.