Page 278 - GRN18 Flip Book

AREA HISTORY 5
Greenville
Visit: www.greenvillenc.gov
Grifton
Visit: grifton.com
In 1755, the first settlers came to Grifton naming it Peter’s Ferry. About ten years later it was renamed Blount’s Ford, and in 1850 it was given yet another new name, Bell’s Ferry. In 1883, the town was incorporated but the name changed one more time in 1889, when it was named Grifton in honor of C. M. A. Griffin, who was a significant landowner and merchant. In 1951, the world’s first polyester plant opened just 3 miles from town, which caused Grifton’s population to triple by 1960. The town became known as the “fastest growing town in
the state.“ In 1971, the town held their first Shad Festival, which became an annual tradition. In 1999, tragedy struck as 481 of Grifton’s 2,554 residents died in the “Flood of the Century.“
Simpson
Visit: www.villageofsimpsonnc.com
This village is named after John Simpson, an early settler and general in the Revolutionary War. The community grew up around the Norfolk and Southern Railroad, which was built through the area in 1911. In 1916, a post office opened and in 1918, the community was incorporated. During the town’s early years, it was known as Chicod. During the 1960s, Simpson lost its municipal status. In 1975, the NC General Assembly incorporated the Village of Simpson again. Simpson is located in the Grimesland Township, Pitt County.
Winterville
Visit: www.wintervillenc.com
In 1887, a cotton farmer named Amos Graves
Cox bought 75-acres of land from two black men, Godfrey Mills and Arden Dawson, who were moving to Arkansas. Three years later Atlantic Coastline Railroad laid track near the property and soon there was a station with an agent and
a depot. In 1897, the Town of Winterville was incorporated. The town was unique in several ways, it was the “highest point in the county,“ and was also known for its excellent mineral water. Winterville also had the distinction of being the first town in Pitt County to have electric lights.
The history of Greenville began in 1771 when Richard Evans, a Pitt County legislator, was granted permission by the colony of North Carolina to divide his plantation to form a town. This town was named “Martinsborough“ in honor of the then royal governor, Josiah Martin. The newly chartered town on 100-acres was laid off into half-acre lots by seven appointed town commissioners who sold the lots by public auction. In 1774, the original town charter was amended, and Martinsborough became the county seat of Pitt County.
Martinsborough remained a small river village until the Revolution. After the war ended, by an act of the North Carolina General Assembly on January
8, 1787, Martinsborough became “Greenesville,“ in honor or General Nathanael Green, Revolutionary War hero.
During Greenville’s early years, the Tar River was a navigable waterway; and by the 1860s there were several established riverboat lines transporting passengers and goods. Cotton was the leading agricultural crop, and Greenville became a major cotton export center. Before the turn of the century, however, tobacco surpassed cotton and became the leading money crop. Greenville became one
of the State’s leading tobacco marketing and warehouse centers.
By the mid 1960s, the small college, East Carolina Teachers College, had become the third largest State–supported college and by 1967 it was renamed East Carolina University. At the turn of the century, enrollment at ECU topped the 18,000 mark, and current enrollment is over 27,500 students.
2018
General Nathanael Green
AREA HISTORY