Wayne County, NC - Heritage Series Reprinted with permission of the Mount Olive Tribune and cannot be reproduced without permission. Transcribed by Barbara Kawamoto. A Pilgrimage to Historic Kenansville "Our Heritage" By Claude Moore On Tuesday, I made a pilgrimage to Kenansville, went to the courthouse, townhall and drove around town to refresh my memory. The old houses, the beautiful trees, and the friendliness of the townspeople are impressive. Duplin County was carved out of the New Hanover County by an act of the Assembly in 1749 and the county seat was located west of Warsaw. Sampson County was created in 1784 and the Duplin Courthouse was built at its present location in 1785. It was named for General James Kenan (1740-1810). The first courthouse was replaced by the present courthouse in 1911. The new courthouse is built of yellow brick, which was popular for a short time after the turn of the century. For a long time, Kenansville was a small village peopled mostly by county office holders and persons connected with the schools. Today Kenansville has a population of 994 with a property valuation in excess of $9 million. The present mayor is Don Suttles, one of the jailers is formerly from the State of New York. The town board is made up of Earl Hatcher, Mark Vinson, Mrs. Betty Long, Jimmie Newkirk and Ronnie Bostic. Going to Warsaw from Kenansville on highway 24, ½ mile from Kenansville on the right stands (unoccupied) a handsome old Greek revival house in excellent architectural style. This house was built in the late 1830’s by Henry Moore, who was one of the contractors who built the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad. It is now known as the Murray house. On the right as highway 24 intersects highway 11 are the remains of an Indian mound. At the intersection on the right is the site of the Confederate Armory where swords, bowie knives, and knapsacks were made during the War Between the States. This factory was burned by the Yankees on July __, 1863. Directly across the street stood the home of Louis Froelich, the owner of the Armory. The first house on the left of the same street leading to the courthouse is the old home of Sheriff Hinson, built in 1850. Continuing on the left, the old Methodist Parsonage was built in 1858, the Dr. J. W. Blount House (later the house of Vivien Wells, clerk of the court of Duplin) was built in 1850. The old Dr. Chauncy Graham house was built in 1856. On the right of the same street is Grove Presbyterian Church, which was built in the 1850’s. The church may have been organized in 1736 and was located at the Rutledge Cemetery, one mile south east of the courthouse on highway 24. Next to the church is the Cowan Museum, which is located in the Kelly- Farrior house, built in 1848, in another location. This museum contains 1,100 items, which were collected and given to Duplin County by Mr. And Mrs. George Cowan of Beulaville in memory of their daughter, Jo Ann Cowan Brown, who died in 1973. Mr. And Mrs. Cowan are the curators and this is one of the finest collections of its kind in the South. Adjoining the Cowan Museum is Liberty Hall, the restored home of the Honorable Owen Rand Kenan, a member of the Confederate Congress whose three sons were all officers in the 43rd N.C. Regiment of confederate troops. The next house on the right is the Isaac Kelly House built a number of houses in Kenansville. On the vacant lot in front of Liberty Hall was the home of Captain James G. Kenan, one time sheriff of Duplin who married Annie Elizabeth Hill of Faison. The old Gavin house stood where Hardee’s is now located and was moved and is now Josef’s Restaurant. The Kenansville Baptist Church in the next block was organized in 1837 and the present building was erected in 1858. Highway 50 turns south near the courthouse square. Several old houses once stood on the street but only one remains and it is for sale. Turning to the southeast on highway 24 on the right is the Jones house built in 1839, and directly across the street is the Grimes house built in 1850. This was later the home of Mr. And Mrs. Albert Outlaw. Some distance on the left is an old Stroud house, which is unoccupied. Just opposite the courthouse on the north side is the old law office of the late L. A. Beasley which is now the law office and judicial headquarters for his grandson, Judge Henry Stevens III. On Seminary Street on the right is the beautiful old home of the late Rev. James Sprunt, D.D., pioneer Presbyterian minister, Registrar of Deeds and educator. James Sprunt Institute was located at the corner of Seminary and N. Station Street. For those interested in local history, culture, and town growth, I highly recommend a visit to Kenansville and more especially to Cowan’s Museum, Liberty Hall, and to see the drams, "The Liberty Cart." ============================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. The electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Barbara Kawamoto ==============================================================