Duplin County, North Carolina

Duplin County, North Carolina
Duplin County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,715. Its county seat 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, with other North Carolinians during the period of Indian Removal in the 1830s–1840s. There, he developed a successful cotton plantation. He called it Miccosukee Plantation, after one of the Seminole bands. (They are now a federally recognized tribe.)
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.67%) is 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
Stewards Creek
Adjacent counties
Wayne County – north
Lenoir County – northeast
Jones County – east
Onslow County – east
Pender County – south
Sampson County – west
Major highways
Major infrastructure
Duplin County Airport
Eagles Nest Airport
Henderson Field Airport
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 48,715 people, 21,466 households, and 14,504 families residing in the county.
2000 census
At the 2000 census, there were 49,063 people, 18,267 households, and 13,060 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 20,520 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 58.67% White, 28.94% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 10.87% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. 15.14% of the population were Hispanic 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 for the county was $14,499. About 15.30% of families and 19.40% of the population were below the poverty line, 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 the North Carolina Senate in the 10th district.
Duplin County is represented by Jimmy Dixon, a Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives in the 4th district.
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 County 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
Mount Olive (part)
Rose Hill
Teachey
Wallace (largest community; parts within Pender County)
Warsaw
Townships
Albertson
Cypress Creek
Faison
Glisson
Island Creek
Kenansville
Limestone
Magnolia
Rockfish
Rose Hill
Smith
Warsaw
Wolfscrape
Census-designated places
Bowdens
Chinquapin
Potters Hill
Unincorporated communities
Fountaintown
Kornegay
Murphey
Pasley
Hallsville
Sarecta
Notable people
Caleb Davis Bradham (1867–1934), American pharmacist, best known as the inventor of the soft drink Pepsi. Bradham was born in Chinquapin, NC.
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.
James Kenan (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.
Peter Weddick Moore (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.
Charles S. Murphy (1909–1983), American attorney who served as the White House Counsel to U.S. President Harry S. Truman from 1950 to 1953, and during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations as Under Secretary of Agriculture, from 1960 to 1965; and chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Board from 1965 to 1968. Springs was born on a farm in Wallace, NC.
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.
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.
See also
List of counties in North Carolina
National Register of Historic Places listings in Duplin County, North Carolina
References
External links
Duplin County Public Library
1750 establishments in North Carolina
Populated places established in 1750