History of

Bladen County, NC

New 36 Page Illustrated Booklet

Early days in Bladen County, North Carolina, are recalled in this new 36-page spiral-bound booklet, comprised of excerpts from several vintage books, the oldest dating from 1851. These source materials include John Hill Wheeler's Historical Sketches of North Carolina; North Carolina, A Guide to the Old North State, a product of the WPA; and A New Geography of North Carolina.

The tri-color front cover is printed on 80# card stock and has been protected with a vinyl sheet. The text is printed single-sided on 60# opaque paper, with the print enlarged to fit the 8.5" x 11" paper and enhance readability.

Towns mentioned in the booklet include: Elizabethtown (the county seat), Bladenboro, Clarkton, Dublin, Kelly, Tar Heel, and White Lake.

Among the many subjects included are: Physical features; Origin of place names; Members of the General Assembly from Bladen County before 1851; Varied accounts of the Revolutionary War Battle of Elizabethtown in 1781 between friends of Liberty and Tories; Thomas Brown; Thomas Owen; General James Owen; Gov. John Owen; Early settlers; Tar and Turpentine; Agriculture; the Steamboat Era; Recreation and Resorts; Strange oval and elliptical pocosins (bays) and theories regarding their origin; White Lake; the River Locks; Bladen Lakes Forest; Religion; Schools; Ashwood-Oakland plantation, the Robeson Homestead and other noted mansions; an averted duel, a hidden palace, slave-owning ex-slaves, a prince who became a butler, and numerous other interesting bits of history and trivia.

Our North Carolina booklets, unlike some of our other offerings, do not include an abundance of specific genealogical and biographical data. They are, however, a good resource for learning about the history, geography and social climate of places you or your ancestors may have lived. Then, if you should happen to find an ancestor mentioned, consider it a bonus!

Wouldn't this make a unique gift?