See our America 250th insert today
With America celebrating its 250th year in existence, town leaders from acroos Sampson County took a moment to talk about what the semiquincentennial means to their municipalities and to look back at their history.
Autryville
Autryville was incorporated in 1891, named after Captain James Autry.
According to the town of Autryville’s website, Captain Autry “brought our town to prosperity through the Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Railroad Company and the transportation of goods from Autryville to places across the world.”
Mayor Grayson Spell said regarding Autryville: “As communities across the country commemorate America’s 250th anniversary, the Town of Autryville is pleased to take part in the celebration.”
Although the town is not hosting any official events, downtown has been decorated in patriotic colors to honor this historic milestone.
“The decorations serve as a simple tribute to our nation’s heritage and the generations of Americans whose dedication and sacrifice have shaped the country we enjoy today,” Spell said.
Autryville’s big celebrations throughout the year include its annual Christmas celebration, in addition to the annual Autryville Bunny Bash, an Easter egg hunt where 6,000 eggs are hidden near and around Autryville Town Hall.
Clinton
As the city of Clinton’s website states, the county seat “is the largest and oldest city in the county, having been incorporated in 1822.”
Mayor Lew Starling said what makes Clinton special is “the people,” and he talked about how there’s a sense of togetherness.“We have a very stable government. We have excellent city staff, our citizens are very supportive of each other, and it’s just a wonderful place to live.”
Mayor Starling said, “That is evidenced by our parks and downtown events we do that people come out for and support.”
Starling said he has lived here all his life, as did his father.
“It’s the people that make this a great place,” he remarked.
“It’s just a joy to work with our employees and staff and see how we have continued to be very professional in everything that we do. We have excellent water, as noted by our recent awards; we have a number of wells, and we’re blessed with fresh and plentiful water; we are working on our fourth phase of the downtown…all of which will help, but still, agriculture in the county is so large.
“We have a large agriculture base, we’re continuing to support that, and we’re also looking for other industries and other things.”
Starling said the goal of Clinton’s people, staff, and elected officials needs to be not only “that we’re a place where we can live, but that our children can and will come back and work in Clinton, and have somewhere to work that they like, to raise their children.”
Mayor Starling said, “That’s the ultimate compliment.”
Garland
Garland’s origins begin back as early as the 1700’s. English sailor William Cromartie had been given land grants located on both sides of the South River from the King of England. Traveling to the Carolinas with his wife and son, Cromartie took possession of the land. By the 1800s, in thanks to Dickson Sloan, who married Cromartie’s granddaughter, Catherine, Garland had developed into a community called Sloans Crossroads, propped up by a plantation that produced agriculture, lumber, and turpentine that was exported out to other cities, such as Wilmington, and used locally. In 1907, the town of Garland was officially chartered as a town.
“What America 250 means to the town of Garland is equal rights in freedom forever,” Garland Mayor Ralph Smith Jr said. “That’s what we’re trying to do as a country, and that’s what we, as a town, are trying to accomplish. We’re getting there. It’s been a lot hard road.”
At the halfway point in the year, the mayor feels that Garland has accomplished a lot so far.
“We’ve got a stage, we’ve already worked on the park by redoing our ball fields,” Smith detailed. “We’ve got some new businesses coming, so we’ve got it going on pretty good.”
While being at a good point halfway through the year, the mayor hopes to bring in more businesses and housing into the town as some of his goals going forward.
“We’re trying to improve on our infrastructure system, and we’ve done a lot in the last 12 months,” he said. “We’re going to do a lot more in the next 12 months; we’ll continue to grow and continue to do good things.”
Tying back into the origins of the town, Smith remembers Garland’s growth as a small farming community.
“We depended on lumber, industry, and textiles, and those were a big part of Garland,” he recalled. “A lot of those things have left Garland, but we’re trying to bring them back. We’re historically rich in that type of history along with farming. We also had Dr. Amos Neill Johnson and Buddy Treadwell. Buddy was one of the first physician assistants throughout the country, and he was born and raised right here.”
The mayor emphasized that while the town has reduced in size over the past couple of years, he, alongside town officials, have constantly been at work to reverse the trend to get back to where they were in years past.
“We’ll try as hard as we can to get there,” he emphasized. “We’ve been working on that last year, and we’ve made a lot of headway.”
Harrells
At one point, history almost forgot the origin of the town of Harrells. It is believed that a man named William Harrell once owned a store and christened the original name, Harrell’s Store.
The Sampson Independent wrote in 2017 that “the general belief is that William Harrell was a single man who lived here long enough to give it a name and then moved on to an unknown place.”
Kim Johnson, mayor of Harrells, wrote out a special note in honor of America 250.
“The Town of Harrells proudly celebrates the 250th Anniversary of America and the July 4th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence,” she wrote.
“Our citizens take pride in living in the greatest country in the world,” Johnson stated, “and consider ourselves blessed to be in the land of the free!
While the Town of Harrells does not have specific events slated for Fourth of July weekend or America’s 250th, Harrells held a ceremony for Memorial Day in which they honored all their servicemen and women who served and fought through the years for America. At the ceremony, Woodman Life presented the Town of Harrells with a special commemorative Betsy Ross flag designed for America 250.
Johnson wrote that Autryville continues to reflect on its heritage and celebrate the generations of its ancestors who fought to ensure their freedom.
“We look forward to the future years of our democracy continuing to build a bright future for generations to come,” she said.
Mayor Johnson closed by, saying, “God Bless the Town of Harrells and the United States of America!”
In Harrells reside the Lewis Highsmith Farm and Dr. John B. Seavey House and Cemetery, both of which are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Newton Grove
Chartered as a town in Sampson County in 1879, the town originally was named The New Town at the Grove, due to a prominent oak grove within the town, but was renamed to the Town of Newton Grove in 1935.
The town is home to two notable entries on the National Register of Historic Places, such as the Isaac Williams House and Thirteen Oaks, better known as the Lovett Warren Farm. The area is also home to the Monk House, the home in which Archibald Monk and his descendants lived within the area, following it being moved from Clinton in 1976. Monk was one of the most influential figures in the earliest beginnings of many municipalities within Sampson County. As of recently, town officials have launched a second attempt to restore the historical house to its former glory.
“We’ve always had a strong heritage here,” Newton Grove Mayor Craig Warren said. “The people here have always been close-knit; it’s family-oriented. Unlike a lot of places where people don’t know their next-door neighbors, in Newton Grove the people do. We’ve got families here that were around when the town was founded in 1879.”
The mayor feels, like every other small town, there are ups and downs, but the town direction overall has been going pretty well.
“We struggle at times, we’re good at times,” Warren added. “We’ve had some unexpected things like we’ve just had (regarding the recent water mains leaks), but I think, as a whole, we’re still moving forward.
As a resident, Warren grew up in Newton Grove and has lived there his entire life, like his father before him. He recalled the time when the circle, located at the heart of the town, was just a crossroad stretching out to six different places. As time has gone on, he’s seen the town progress. Going into the latter half of the year, he hopes to keep that momentum going.
“I’ve been working with the economic development within the county, the industrial park, and getting the Sheriff’s Department on board,” Warren explained. “Basically, it’s our same goals; we haven’t had anything major or new that’s popped up. We’ve got some projects, possibly a projected subdivision that’s in talks, but all that stuff is very slow, so we don’t have a set deadline on those kinds of things yet. We’re trying to spend our money cautiously, but we’re moving forward.”
Roseboro
The town of Roseboro was established as a town in 1891 by the North Carolina General Assembly, with its first-ever mayor of the town being Almond Butler. Built off the back of the lumber business along with farming, similarly to Garland, the first-ever drug store in Sampson County was established in Roseboro, Tart and West Druggist. The town also established the first automobile company (Underwood Motor) and bank of the county with the Bank of Roseboro, which opened in 1909.
As time has gone forward, Roseboro has also spearheaded a springtime annual event called BloomFest, beginning in 2018, created by Ali Strickland and currently overseen by Roseboro Mayor Alice Butler.
“I think America 250 is extremely important,” Butler said in an interview. “It’s the celebration of our country, which we’re very proud of.”
Currently, the town has been working on a couple of projects within the downtown area, along with recently opening the brand new fire station for the Roseboro Fire Department earlier in the year.
“We’re going to continue to work on our water and sewer project,” Butler explained. “We’re hoping that we will get some grant money so that we can update our wastewater treatment plant. Then, in December, we’re looking forward to our wonderful Christmas parade. We have the only nighttime parade in Sampson County, so I know that all our citizens and people from all around are looking forward to that.”
Butler emphasized for those in the community that haven’t had the chance to visit the multiple historical properties within the town, such as the Roseboro Heritage Trail and the Starling Brewer Clinic (now known as the Beatitude House), to do so. The town, itself, was recently recognized as a historic downtown.
Salemburg
The town of Salemburg was founded in 1894, officially becoming recognized as a municipality within Sampson County in 1905, with over 130 years of history behind it. With multiple educational institutions throughout the years, including the Salem Academy, Edwards Military Institute, Pineland College, and Southwood College, today the town is home to the N.C. Justice Academy for its Eastern Campus and the Tarheel Challenge Academy.
“It took the strong work, dedication, and sacrifice of many people to bring forth this nation of the United States 250 years ago,” Salemburg town officials said regarding the celebration of America 250. ” Those soldiers, leaders, and families who came to begin and establish our nation worked tirelessly. They never would have imagined where we would be as a great nation today, standing on the principles that were established so long ago. Though this nation has weathered many storms, it is all the more strong, and it is such a testament to “We the People”.
The town is also home to a mural dedicated to Willie Weeks, a world-renowned bass guitarist who is a native of Salemburg. The town is also nearing completion of its first-ever public park — the Love McDaniel Memorial Park. The park received funding from members of the community, such as Earl McDaniel, and a matching grant from the state of North Carolina.
Turkey
The town of Turkey was founded in 1913.
In 1986, the Cherrydale home and Hollingsworth-Hines farm, both located in Turkey, were added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Today, Turkey is also known for its place along the Barn Quilt Trail. Sampson County is known to some as the Barn Quilt Capital of North Carolina. As of July 4, 2026, there are five registered quilts along the trail in Turkey, including one quilt named “Turkey Tracks,” owned by the town of Turkey and located at 51 Market St.
Turkey got its name from the large number of turkeys that used to roam the area, Turkey’s town clerk, Teresa Frack, explained in a brief interview. Turkey’s mayor, Rudy Blackburn, was unavailable for an interview due to being on vacation during the time leading up to print.
Frack said perhaps the most unique thing about Turkey is that the town is in the shape of a turkey when viewed on a map.