Edgecombe County, in the coastal plains of North Carolina along the Tar River, was once home to the Tuscarora tribes and was founded by English immigrants from Virginia. The county swelled as an agricultural center in the cotton and textile industries, bolstered by a wealth of lumber and sustained by a thriving inland river port and railroad. Though the residents struggled through natural, industrial, and economic upheaval, their courage and fortitude endured these hardships and unified their community.