State

WAYNE COUNTY Less Shouting, More Progress Л coastal region sticks to its knitting and builds with great selectivity and deliberation. By BILL SHARPE Wayne County seems to have all the marks of the central coastal plains — the flat terrain, the cash crop, the farm-owning townsman and the tenant occupant. But deft distinctions combine to set it apart. There is enough industry — small but numerous and surprisingly diversified — to modify its agrarianism. Its prosperity is not as seasonal as in most eastern counties. The people arc not as accustomed to the factory whistle as arc their Pied¬ mont neighbors, but they have serious work habits. They arc conservative in demeanor and in voting, but are solidly progressive, with many community landmarks to their credit. The more you look at Wayne, the more it has the appearance of a moderate and substantial county, cautious about demonstrating enthusiasm, but of de¬ pendability and stamina. It is in the cast-central portion, bounded by six great farming counties — Wilson on the north. Greene and Lenoir on the east, south by Duplin, and west by Sampson and Johnston. A fairly large county of 555 square miles, its surface is level to gently rolling uplands and broad bottoms along the rivers and some of the creeks. As the Ncusc leaves the county, it cuts a deep channel 20 to 40 feet deep. Unusual river bluffs occur in the vicinity of Seven Springs. In addition to the Ncusc, the county is drained also by Little River, the Wayne’s history. With Baron dcGraf- fenreid in 1700 he made a journey in a boat up the Ncuse as far as the falls of that river in Wake County. Later, he and the Baron were cap¬ tured by Indians on a similar journey, carried to Cotcchna (near Snow Hill) and there Lawson was horribly put to death, the Baron escaping. In 1730, there were only 30,000 white persons in the colony of North Carolina, and the territory now Wayne was still a wilderness. About 1750. trappers and hunters were in the area, and by 1760 the naval stores industry reached the river. Barrels of turpen¬ tine were rolled down to the Ncusc. Northeast Cape Fear, and numerous creeks. Along these waters there often arc low. poorly drained swamp areas. Wayne’s surface water is described as of good quality. John Lawson, that ubiquitous and ill-starred explorer, also appears in THE STATE. VoL XXI; No. 25. Entered a* sccond-clavi matter. June 1. 1933. at the i’ostomee at Ralelch. North Carolina, under the acl of March 3, 1819. Published by Sharpe Publishing Co., Inc., Lawyer* Bide., Raleleh. N. C. Copyright, 1953. by the Sharpe I'ubUshlng Co., Inc.