Columbus County, North Carolina

Columbus County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Its county seat is Whiteville. At the 2020 census, the population was 50,623. Throughout the 19th century, the Waccamaw Siouan were seldom mentioned in the historical record. If descendants intermarried with whites and/or African Americans, their children were assumed to lose their Indian status, although they were often reared in Indian culture. Since North Carolina was a slave society, whites classified anyone with visible African features as slaves and blacks first.

Colonial settlement

As America was colonized by the British, the area encompassing Columbus County was first organized part of the Bath Precinct of North Carolina, established by the British Crown in 1696. In 1729, a southern portion was split off by the General Assembly to create New Hanover County, and five years later Bladen was formed out of part of New Hanover. In 1764, Brunswick County was formed out of Bladen and New Hanover. Throughout this time the area was largely forested and had few white settlers, though the General Assembly established two roads through the area in 1764. William Bartram, a botanist from Pennsylvania, journeyed to Lake Waccamaw to study the flora and fauna of the region in the 1730s, creating the first detailed written account of the area. At least two skirmishes of the American Revolutionary War were fought on Columbus soil: one near Pireway and another at Brown Marsh.

Creation

Columbus County was created by the General Assembly on December 15, 1808, to make it easier for local residents to conduct official business without having to travel to the seat of Brunswick County. Columbus was formed from parts of Bladen and Brunswick counties and named in honor of Christopher Columbus. The county's borders were modified several times by legislative act between 1809 and 1821. In 1810, a community was platted on land owned by James B. White for the purpose of creating a county seat. It was originally known as White's Crossing before being incorporated as Whiteville in 1832. The first courthouse and jail, made of wood, were built there in 1809.

Development

thumb|Farmers loading strawberries onto rail cars in Chadbourn

At the time of its creation, Columbus County was sparsely populated. A new brick courthouse and jail were erected in 1852. The construction of a railroad along the Bladen-Columbus border in the 1860s spurred growth. The laying of the Wilmington, Columbia and Augusta Railroad later in the decade connected Whiteville with Wilmington and supported the development of strong lumber and naval stores industries. The county also produced corn, wheat, cotton, and wool.

Most white men in the county fought during the American Civil War, while most free blacks and biracial individuals were exempted from service. The county was spared direct fighting, but the war demands stressed the local labor and food markets, and severe rains in 1863 diminished grain yields. Most residents resorted to trade via the barter system. After Wilmington fell to Union troops in February 1865, Union marauders sacked Whiteville. After the war Columbus' economy grew more heavily reliant on corn and cotton production. In 1877, part of Brunswick County was annexed to Columbus.

In the post-Reconstruction period, after white Democrats regained dominance in politics, they emphasized white supremacy and classified all non-whites as black. For instance, Native Americans could not attend schools for white children. Toward the end of the century, the U.S. Census recorded common Waccamaw surnames among individuals in the small isolated communities of this area.

Tobacco was introduced as a crop in Columbus in 1896, and that year a tobacco warehouse was established in Fair Bluff. It remained a marginal crop until 1914, and at the conclusion of World War I overtook cotton as the county's major cash crop. The county's first bank was opened in 1903. Strawberries were introduced at Chadbourn in 1895, and by 1907 Chadbourn had become one of the leading strawberry producers in the world. Another courthouse and jail were built in 1914.

Ku Klux Klan

In 1950, Thomas Hamilton, a South Carolina leader of a white supremacist Ku Klux Klan chapter, began a recruiting campaign to expand his organization's reach into Columbus County, focusing on the towns of Chadbourn, Fair Bluff, Tabor City, and Whiteville. In late July, they paraded through Tabor City, passing out handbills which exhorted white men to join them in resisting "Jews, niggers, and integrationist quacks". W. Horace Carter, the publisher of the Tabor City Tribune, issued an editorial the following day denouncing the Klan as a violent group and urging local residents to ignore them, leading to a threatening note being placed on his car the following day. The county hosted many Klan sympathizers and a Klavern was organized later that year in Whiteville. The FBI had received several complaints from local police officers and residents about alleged protection rackets run by public officials and election fraud. In early 1980, a former FBI informant moved to the county and reported that he was being told to pay bribes to ensure the smooth operation of his business. Taking into account the previous complaints they had received, upon being informed, the FBI initiated an undercover investigation into corruption in Columbus County, codenamed "Colcor".

FBI agents posed as corrupt businessmen with connections to the Detroit Mafia. They set up an illegal gambling club in Lake Waccamaw to make connections with locals the first time the FBI had ever tried to manipulate a public election. The U.S. House of Representatives and the North Carolina State Board of Elections were critical of the FBI's involvement in the vote-buying sting surrounding the liquor referendum in Bolton, with the Board of Elections ultimately nullifying the referendum.

Economic stagnation

The manufacturing sector in Columbus County began a decline in the 1990s. Between 1999 and 2014, the county lost about 2,000 manufacturing jobs. The number of local farmers also declined. The county was heavily impacted by Hurricane Florence in 2018.

Geography

Columbus County is located in southeastern North Carolina. It is bordered by Bladen County, Pender County, Brunswick County, and Robeson County in North Carolina and Horry County and Dillon County in South Carolina. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total land area of , of which is land and (1.77%) is water. It is the third-largest county in North Carolina by land area.

State and local protected areas

Columbus County Game Land (part)
Green Swamp Preserve (part)
Honey Hill Hunting Preserve
Juniper Creek Game Land (part)

The USDA hardiness zone for Columbus County is Zone 8B.

Demographics

thumb|2020 population density of Columbus County NC by census block

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 50,623 people residing in the county, representing a 12.9% decline from 2010. Compared to state averages, the county reported higher proportions of Black and American Indian residents and lower proportions of White, Asian, and Hispanic residents.

10.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 89.7% lived in rural areas.

There were 20,368 households in the county, of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 41.6% were married-couple households, 20.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

!Pop 1990

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020

!% 1980

!% 1990

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|34,170

|32,816

|34,380

|35,068

|style='background: #ffffe6; |30,019

|66.95%

|66.18%

|62.80%

|60.36%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |59.30%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|15,191

|15,122

|16,901

|17,587

|style='background: #ffffe6; |14,503

|29.76%

|30.50%

|30.87%

|30.27%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |28.65%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|1,175

|1,350

|1,665

|1,788

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,670

|2.30%

|2.72%

|3.04%

|3.08%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.30%

|Asian alone (NH)

|26

|51

|118

|143

|style='background: #ffffe6; |156

|0.05%

|0.10%

|0.22%

|0.25%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.31%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|13

|26

|style='background: #ffffe6; |10

|0.02%

|0.04%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.02%

|Other race alone (NH)

|33

|78

|style='background: #ffffe6; |143

|0.00%

|0.01%

|0.06%

|0.13%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.28%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|370

|746

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,509

|0.68%

|1.28%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.98%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|475

|242

|1,269

|2,662

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,613

|0.93%

|0.49%

|2.32%

|4.58%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.16%

|Total

|51,037

|49,587

|54,749

|58,098

|style='background: #ffffe6; |50,623

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

Inclusion of inmate population

Unlike the 2010 census, the population of incarcerated persons were included in the 2020 census. In 2020, Columbus County had an inmate prison population of approximately 2,500.

Demographic change

Between 2010 and 2020, Columbus County lost 7,475 residents, a population decline of 12.9 percent. The U.S. Census Bureau recorded declines in 12 of 14 reported communities. Census experts anticipate a further population decline between 2020 and 2030.

Government and politics

Government

Columbus County is governed by a seven-member Board of Commissioners. The county is represented in the North Carolina Senate in district 8 and in the North Carolina House of Representatives in district 46.

Judicial system and law enforcement

Columbus County lies within the bounds of North Carolina's 15th Prosecutorial District, the 13A Superior Court District, and the 13th District Court District. The Columbus County Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement services for the county as well as operating the Columbus County Detention Center.

There are two state prisons within Columbus County:

Columbus Correctional Institution in Brunswick
Tabor City Correctional Institution in Tabor City

2022 Columbus County Sheriff controversy

In November 2022, Sheriff Jody Greene was re-elected to office after resigning several weeks prior due to allegations of obstructing justice and racism. Immediately after his re-election, District Attorney Jon David filed a new petition for Greene's removal from office, including a request to permanently disqualify him from elected office in Columbus County. Greene would later resign from office for the second time in January 2023. As of January 2024, a federal investigation into the actions of Sheriff Jody Greene and the Columbus County Sheriff's Office was pending.

Politics

{| role="presentation"

After the Reconstruction era, Columbus County's politics fell under the domination of the Democratic Party. Through much of the 20th century, local primaries were the preeminent political contests, marked by intense intraparty competition. General elections often displayed low turnout. Throughout much of the 2000s, the county electorate regularly supported Republican presidential candidates and Democratic local and state candidates. Following the election of Democrat Barack Obama as U.S. president in 2008, Republicans' performance in local races markedly improved. Despite Democrats' registration advantage, only one unopposed Democrat was elected to a county office in the 2022 local general elections.

Economy

The economy of Columbus County centers on agriculture and manufacturing. Columbus farmers produce crops such as pecans and peanuts, along with soybeans, potatoes, and corn. Cattle, poultry, and catfish are other agricultural products in the county. Factories in the region produce textiles, tools, and plywood. Household products such as doors, furniture, and windows are also manufactured in Columbus. The county hosts two industrial parks and shares a third with Brunswick County. International Paper is the largest employer. According to census figures, over 14,000 Columbus residents commute to other counties for work, while about 7,600 residents work within the county. The North Carolina Department of Commerce classifies the county as economically distressed and it has regularly suffered from a higher unemployment rate than the state average. The R.J. Corman Railroad Group operates a shortline railroad in the county.

Major highways

(Clarkton)
(Tabor City)
(Whiteville)

Education

Columbus is one of the few counties in North Carolina that has two public school systems: one for the county, which mostly serves rural areas, and one for the city of Whiteville. Both are led by elected school boards. The county government maintains a system of six libraries. The county also hosts Southeastern Community College. According to the 2021 American Community Survey, an estimated 14.1 percent of county residents have attained a bachelor's degree or higher level of education.

Healthcare

Columbus County is served by a single hospital, Columbus Regional Healthcare System, based in Whiteville. According to the 2022 County Health Rankings produced by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, Columbus County ranked 91st in health outcomes of North Carolina's 100 counties, an improvement over recent years, as it was ranked last from 2010 to 2015. Per the ranking, 26 percent of adults say they are in poor or fair health, the average life expectancy is 74 years, and 17 percent of people under the age of 65 lack health insurance. Columbus County has been heavily impacted by the opioid epidemic and led the state in opioid pills per person from 2006 to 2012 averaging 113.5 pills per person per year.

Communities

thumb|300px|Map of Columbus County with municipal and township labels

Cities

Whiteville (named county seat in 1832 and the largest community)

Towns

Boardman
Bolton
Brunswick
Cerro Gordo
Chadbourn
Fair Bluff
Lake Waccamaw
Sandyfield
Tabor City (Incorporated as a town 1905)

Townships

Bogue
Bolton
Bug Hill
Cerro Gordo
Chadbourn
Fair Bluff
Lees
Ransom
South Williams
Tatums
Waccamaw
Welch Creek
Western Prong
Williams
Whiteville

Census-designated places

Delco
Evergreen
Hallsboro
Riegelwood

Unincorporated communities

Acme
Cherry Grove
Evergreen
Nakina
Olyphic
Pireway
Riverview
Sellerstown
Williamson's Crossroads

References

Works cited

External links

The News Reporter