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JIMMY FLEMING'S

THE TYRRELL COUNTY "ENQUIRER"

A BRIEF HISTORY OF TYRRELL COUNTY

SINCE JANUARY 31, 1999

TYRRELL COUNTY, "A HEART'S DELIGHT"
Tyrrell County is one of the oldest counties in North Carolina. The area was first explored and mapped by John White and members of the Roanoke Island colony while on an expedition up the Albemarle Sound about 1585. In 1663, King Charles II of England granted the New World land known as Albemarle to eight of his close friends whom he called The Lords Proprietors. The area that we know today as Tyrrell County was part of the grant made to Sir Ashley Cooper, one of the Lords Proprietors. At this time the area now known as Tyrrell was a vast wilderness inhabited by the Secota Indians and known to the settlers of Albemarle as the South Shore.
As more and more settlers moved to the Albemarle area and it became harder to obtain land, interest increased in exploring the South Shore. About 1680, Thomas Miller and Joshua Tarkenton explored the South Shore area of Albemarle Sound and up the Scuppernong River (known to the Indians as "Quasqo" or winding and crooked). They were so impressed with the area that when they returned to their home across the sound they called the South Shore area a "Hearts Delight."
This exploration paved the way for settlers to come to the area and the first settlement was built on Alligator Creek about 1704 and was called Fort Landing. This settlement survived the Indian attacks during the Tuscarora War of 1711 and as the Indian threat dwindled more and more settlers began to arrive. On November 27,1729 the Colonial Assembly commissioned a tract of land 50 miles wide and 100 miles long to become the newest precinct of Albemarle. The new precinct was one of the largest in size and was named for Sir John Tyrrell, one of the Lords Proprietors.
The first courthouse in Tyrrell County was established at Lee's Mill near modern day Roper and the first deed was registered to Colonel Richard Buncombe when he made a large land purchase in 1736. The counties of Carolina fell out of favor with England and the King issued a Royal Order that abolished them including Tyrrell in 1754. The Colonial Assembly of Carolina and the King of England soon came to terms and Tyrrell Precinct and the other counties were reinstated. In 1774, the Colonial Assembly met in Edenton and made a decision that Tyrrell County was too large and therefore created Martin County from the western edge of the county.
The American Revolution began in 1775 and Tyrrell County sent a volunteer regiment under the command of Colonel Edward Buncombe. During the Revolution, it was decided that the county needed a more central county seat and courthouse. A new courthouse was built in 1777 at a location on the Scuppernong River known as Backlanding. This courthouse proved to be inadequate and in 1793 a new town was chartered to become the new county seat and site for the new courthouse. Land was acquired at a trading post on the east bank of the Scuppernong River known as Shallop's Landing and Elizabethtown was planned and built. The Colonial Assembly again decided that Tyrrell County was too vast and Washington County was carved from its western boundary in 1799. The third courthouse built in Tyrrell County was erected in Elizabethtown in 1801. After several years of confusion with another North Carolina town of the same name, Elizabethtown was changed to Columbia which honored Christopher Columbus and his discovery of America.
Growth and prosperity continued in Tyrrell County until the American Civil War brought death and destruction to the South in the early 1860's. Tyrrell County sent many of its men off to fight in the Civil War and the war came to our county in 1863 when it's told that Union troops sacked and burned much of Columbia. It is said that the courthouse records were saved from the Yankees because Thomas Alexander fled with them and hid them at his plantation. Tyrrell County and its citizens survived the War Between the States and began to rebuild and get on with life. In 1870, another chunk of land was taken from the county's eastern edge to form what is now known as Dare County. This was the final changing of the county's borders and Tyrrell County is bordered on the north by the Albemarle Sound, on the south by Hyde County, on the east by Alligator River, and on the west by Washington County. As Tyrrell County entered the 20th Century it underwent many changes as did the rest of the country. In 1903 the present courthouse was built on the corner of Main and Broad streets. In 1908, the Norfolk Southern Railroad laid track across the Scuppernong River and built a depot in Columbia. With the coming of the railroad the county began to prosper even more and the people of Tyrrell County began to see an era of modernization. From 1910 to 1930 the county witnessed its first moving picture show, the first highschool and its first graduation, electric lights, telephone service, first public library, motor cars, and the first bridge to span the Scuppernong River. The residents of Tyrrell County also faced a serious medical challenge during this time when an outbreak of Spanish Influenza in 1918 reached epidemic proportions and sickened and killed many.
Tyrrell County's highest reported population was during the 1940 Federal Census when more than 5000 residents were reported. In 1948, a terrible blow was dealt to Tyrrell County when the Norfolk Southern Railroad discontinued service to Columbia and closed the depot. Tyrrell County went through an exodus of sorts during the next 20 - 30 years with many residents both young and old having to leave the county to find work elsewhere. The population has leveled off at about 3800 people over the past 10 years but has shown little tendencies toward growth. During the late 1950's and through the 1960's the county saw a new high rise bridge built across the Scuppernong River, a new lane of NC 64 bypassing the main street of Columbia and creating an area for more business, and a new bridge completed across the Alligator River that connected Tyrrell and Dare Counties and replaced the old ferry service.
From the 1970's to the present there have been many changes and several new buildings built in the area. The old hospital was closed but later became the new Columbia Medical Center. The East Carolina Bank and United Carolina Bank each have very nice offices in Columbia. Tyrrell Elementary School and Columbia High School have renovated their campuses recently and are school systems that should make all of us proud. Tyrrell Hall has served many people as well as organizations as a great place to hold meetings and events. There is a new public library, county office building, town hall, and Carolina Sprint Telephone building in town. The newest editions to the town and county are the Veterans Memorial Park, the Scuppernong boardwalk, The Tyrrell County Visitors Center, water and sewage treatment plant, and a new state prison facility that should be completed shortly. Tyrrell County has a very rich and honorable history that we should all be proud of, but today's Tyrrell County has a charm and a personality that we should all cherish and enjoy.

The following sources were very helpful in the development of this article:

  1. "The History of Tyrrell County" a book by David E. Davis
  2. "Swamproots" a series of publications by Columbia High School students
  3. "A Brief History of Tyrrell County" an article by May Cahoon Carawan

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