Historical Background & Geography 

for Martin County, NC

Martin County is located in the inner coastal plain region of North Carolina, and currently borders Washington, Beaufort, Pitt, Edgecombe, Halifax and Bertie Counties. Martin. ‘The Inner Coastal Plain, a higher, drier area, begins west of the Tidewater. The rich, sandy soil here is some of the state's best farmland. In the southwestern corner of the Inner Coastal Plain are the Sandhills, a subregion of rolling, sandy hills. This area has the highest elevation on the Coastal Plain, ranging from about 900 to 1,000 feet above sea level. Longleaf pines are native to this area.”[1]

The northeastern area of what was to become North Carolina was originally settled by European Americans living in Virginia. Being farmers and traders, they needed more fertile land to grow tobacco and wanted to trade with the Native Americans in the area.[2] In the 1600s, King Charles II gave the region south of Virginia to his Lord’s Proprietors.

In 1712, North Carolina and South Carolina were officially divided.[3] The proprietorships ceased in 1729 when King George II bought those lands back and made North Carolina a royal colony.

In 1774, Martin County was formed from Halifax and Tyrrell Counties, and named after the last royal governor, Josiah Martin.

In 1784, the lines between Martin, Edgecombe, and Pitt were established and in 1793, part of Martin was annexed by Edgecombe County. In 1805, part of Pitt County was annexed to Martin County, and in 1816, parts of Beaufort were annexed. An act in 1937 established the line between Martin and Beaufort.

The formation of Tyrrell, Halifax, Edgecombe, Pitt, and Beaufort Counties should be researched for records prior to 1774. [4]

The Newberry Library provides an interactive site detailing all of the historical boundary changes in North Carolina and all other U.S. States. [5]

North Carolina is number one in the nation for tobacco and sweet potatoes. In Martin County, tobacco, soybeans, cotton, and sage are now the primary crops.[6] Martin County has experienced a signific decline in businesses, property values, and quality of life over the last twenty-five years, caused in large part to the phasing out of tobacco as a cash crop and a loss of tax-paying residents moving to larger towns. The effort by the state to increase tourism has not helped the region either. Towns that were along the only route to the Outer Banks, have now been bypassed by interstate highways and are literally falling to ruins. These statements are based on the author’s personal experience and knowledge of Martin County.

[1] NCPedia, Our State Geography in a Snap: The Coastal Plain Region, Text (https://www.ncpedia.org/geography/region/coastal-plain : accessed 18 August 2024), Coastal Plain.

[2] Alan D. Watson, “Settlement of the Coastal Plain, 1650-1775”, Tar Heel Junior Historian (Spring 1995): NCpedia. (https://www.ncpedia.org/history/colonial/coastal-plain : accessed 15 January 2024).

[3] David Walbert, “Carolina Becomes North and South Carolina”, NCpedia (https://www.ncpedia.org/anchor/carolina-becomes-north-and :accessed 15 January 2024).

[4] David Leroy Corbitt, The Formation of the North Carolina Counties: 1663-1943 (Raleigh: State Department of Archives and History, 1950), 145-147.

[5] The Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, Interactive maps and data (https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/pages/North_Carolina.html : accessed 18 August 2024), North Carolina.

[6] “2022 State Agricultural Review,” US Department of Agriculture Statistics Service  (https://www.nass.usda.gov/Quick_Stats/Ag_Overview/stateOverview.php?state=NORTH%20CAROLINA :accessed 15 January 2024).