The Market House of Fayetteville, North Carolina

Born in New York, Pat Ann Terry Leahy is endowed with curious nature about whatever is front of her. As she recently commented, “I like to understand things.” Her interest in most categories of knowledge is reflected in her private near 10,000 tome library which includes rare and out of print volumes.

Pat is the only child of famed cartoonist, Paul Terry the founder of Terrytoons and creator of Mighty Mouse, Heckle and Jeckle among others characters. She is also cousin of Alex Anderson the creator of Rocky and Bullwinkle as well as Crusader Rabbit. Both Pat and Alex held their first jobs at Terrytoons together. Her family is in direct descent from John and Pricilla Alden of the Plymouth Colony having arrived in New England aboard the Mayflower, September 1620.

As a young woman she was a socialite member of New York’s famed Golden Ghetto a gathering of New York’s literati and a broad cross section of New York’s most interesting and accomplished bohemian residents. She moved to Fayetteville, NC in 1970 and quickly fell in love with her adopted city. Although educated in private schools in the northeast including receiving her two-year degree in Classical Literature at Finch College in New York City after moving to North Carolina she completed her four year degree at Fayetteville State.

And that is when she became curious about the Fayetteville Market House.

She became fascinated with the controversies surrounding the Fayetteville Market House and wrote this small book on its history hoping to find answers for herself. Remember she likes to understand things. The research included several trips to various North Carolina archives where she, her daughter and two fellow Fayetteville State students literally searched the historical records to count every sale of slaves made at the Market House. And, while she recognizes that no matter what the actual facts are the Market House will continue to be a place of controversy — representing a painful history for many Cumberland County residents and historical accomplishments noted and cherished by many others. History is after all viewed through the different lens of experience.

Pat, now almost 90 years old, continues to live in her beloved Fayetteville as a true individualist refusing to be held to social norms or type. She is outspoken, tells it as she sees it and lives as she wishes accepting no censure and asking none of others.