Duplin County ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

. Retrieved 2013-01-31. is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,715. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

is Kenansville.

History

The county was formed in 1750 from New Hanover County. It was named for Thomas Hay, Viscount Dupplin (later 9th Earl of Kinnoull), as he was known when he served on the Board of Trade and Plantations in England in the 1740s. In 1784, the western part of Duplin County became Sampson County. John Miller, a merchant in Duplin, was appointed as postmaster. In the 19th century, he migrated to Leon County in the panhandle of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, with other North Carolinians during the period of Indian Removal in the 1830s–1840s. There, he developed a successful

cotton plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

. He called it Miccosukee Plantation, after one of the

Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...

bands. (They are now a federally recognized tribe.) He exploited the lives and labor of enslaved African Americans.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (0.7%) are covered by water.

State and local protected area

* Angola Bay Game Land (part) * Cabin Lake County Park

Major water bodies

* Doctors Creek * Goshen Swamp * Groove Creek * Island Creek * Limestone Creek * Little Limestone Creek * Maxwell Creek * Millers Creek *

Northeast Cape Fear River Northeast Cape Fear River is a long 5th order tributary to the Cape Fear River in southeastern North Carolina. Variant names According to the Geographic Names Information System, it has also been known historically as: * North East River * No ...

* Stewards Creek

Adjacent counties

* Wayne County - north * Lenoir County - northeast * Jones County - east *

Onslow County Onslow County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 204,576. Its county seat is Jacksonville. The county was created in 1734 as Onslow Precinct and gained county status in 1739. Onslo ...

- east * Pender County - south * Sampson County - west

Major highways

* * (Concurrency with US 117) * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Major infrastructure

Duplin County Airport Duplin County Airport is a county-owned, public-use airport in Duplin County, North Carolina, United States. It is located two nautical miles (4 km) northwest of the central business district of Kenansville, North Carolina. This airpor ...

- Kenansville * Eagles Nest Airport (6N9) - Potters Hill * Henderson Field Airport (ACZ) - Wallace

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 48,715 people, 21,466 households, and 14,504 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 49,063 people, 18,267 households, and 13,060 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 60 people per square mile (23/km²). There were 20,520 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 58.67%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 28.94%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.23% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.07%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 10.87% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.06% from two or more races. 15.14% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

or Latino of any race. There were 18,267 households, out of which 33.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.20% were married couples living together, 14.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.50% were non-families. 24.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.10. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.10% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 29.30% from 25 to 44, 22.10% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 98.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $29,890, and the median income for a family was $34,760. Males had a median income of $26,212 versus $20,063 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $14,499. About 15.30% of families and 19.40% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 22.50% of those under age 18 and 22.70% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Duplin County is a member of the regional Eastern Carolina Council of Governments. Duplin County is represented by Senator William Brent Jackson, a Republican member of North Carolina's 10th Senate district. Duplin County is represented by

Jimmy Dixon Jimmy Dixon (born 10 October 1981) is a Liberian football coach and former player who is assistant coach at Swedish club Assyriska BK. A defender, he spent most of his career in Sweden and Turkey. Between 1999 and 2012, he made 24 appearance ...

(R) in the North Carolina House of Representatives in the

4th district Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

Economy

Duplin County is important in raising animals for food. It has more hogs than any other county in the United States—2.2 million in 1998, which is greater than the hog population of most states. The county is also the home to a major chicken and turkey industry. Duplin is also home to Duplin Winery, the oldest winery in North Carolina and the largest winery in the Southeast.

Education

Duplin County is home to James Sprunt Community College.

Communities

Towns

* Beulaville * Calypso * Faison (part) * Greenevers * Harrells (part) * Kenansville (county seat) *

Magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendro ...

* Mount Olive (part) * Rose Hill * Teachey * Wallace (largest town, parts within Pender County) *

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

Townships

* Albertson * Cypress Creek * Faison * Glisson * Island Creek * Kenansville * Limestone * Magnolia * Rockfish * Rose Hill * Smith * Sarecta * Warsaw * Wolfscrape

Census-designated places

* Bowdens * Chinquapin * Potters Hill

Unincorporated communities

* Fountaintown * Kornegay * Murphey * Pasley * Hallsville

Notable people

Peter Weddick Moore Peter Weddick Moore (June 24, 1859 - April 15, 1934) was a North Carolina educator and the first president of Elizabeth City State University. Educated by Sampson County public schools and Shaw University, Moore later became an assistant principal ...

(1859–1934), North Carolina educator and the first president of Elizabeth City State University. Moore was born near Faison, NC, to Weddick and Alecy Thompson Moore, who were both enslaved African Americans. * Ruth Faison Shaw (1889–1969), American artist and educator who is credited with introducing finger painting into the United States education system. Shaw was born in Kenansville, NC. * Charles S. Murphy (1909 – 1983), American attorney who served as the

White House Counsel The White House counsel is a senior staff appointee of the president of the United States whose role is to advise the president on all legal issues concerning the president and their administration. The White House counsel also oversees the Of ...

to U.S. President Harry S. Truman from 1950 to 1953, and during the Kennedy and

Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...

administrations as Under Secretary of Agriculture, from 1960 to 1965; and chairman of the

Civil Aeronautics Board The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) was an agency of the federal government of the United States, formed in 1938 and abolished in 1985, that regulated aviation services including scheduled passenger airline serviceStringer, David H."Non-Skeds: T ...

from 1965 to 1968. Springs was born on a farm in Wallace, NC. * Dr. William Dallas Herring (1916–2007), North Carolina educator who was instrumental in the creation of the North Carolina Community College System. Herring was born in Rose Hill, NC. * Caleb Davis Bradham (1867–1934), American pharmacist, best known as the inventor of the soft drink Pepsi. Bradham was born in Chinquapin, NC. * Parker D. Robbins (1834–1917), American soldier, legislator, inventor, and postmaster. Robbins was of African and Native American descent and considered a "free black." In 1877, he moved to Duplin County and established a cotton gin, sawmill, and built a steamboat. Robbins was born in Bertie County, NC. *

James Kenan James Kenan (1740–1810) was an American military officer and politician who served as a brigadier general of the Wilmington District Brigade during the American Revolutionary War and commander of the North Carolina militia after the war. He was ...

(1740–1810), Colonial and state official; Revolutionary officer; founder of Kenansville, NC; and Sheriff of Duplin County. Kenan was born in Turkey, NC, at his father's plantation, The Lilacs. * Benjamin Franklin Grady (1831–1914), US Congressman. Author. Teacher. Farmer. Born near Sarecta, Duplin County October 10, 1831. Teaching mathematics and natural sciences at Austin College in Texas when the Civil War began. Superintendent of public instruction for Duplin County from 1881 to 1890. In 1891, he was elected for two terms as a United States Representative for the Third District of North Carolina.

References

External links

Duplin County government official website
{{coord, 34.94, -77.93, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-NC_source:UScensus1990 1750 establishments in North Carolina Populated places established in 1750