Wayne County, NC - Heritage Series Reprinted with permission of the Mount Olive Tribune and cannot be reproduced without permission. Transcribed by Sloan Mason. "Our Heritage" by Claude MOORE. Mt. Olive Tribune 7 July 1989 MAGNOLIA IN DUPLIN The Village of Magnolia, located between Warsaw and Rose Hill on Highway 117 is the oldest chartered town in Duplin. It was originally called Stricklandsville and was chartered in 1855. When the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad was completed in 1840, it soon became the largest and busiest town between Wilmington and Weldon. It was located in the center of a rich farming area and it became a market and shipping point for cotton, turpentine, tobacco, and much later for huckleberries, strawberries, and tube roses. The community was settled in the 1750's. Soon after the town was laid out, a depot and post office were located here. Several general merchandise stores were built and for a century the county merchants either bought their goods in Magnolia or they were brought in by train from the wholesale merchants in Wilmington. In the beginning, the residents of Magnolia attended church at Beaverdam Baptist church, Carlton's Chapel Methodist, Concord Baptist Church or Oak Plain Presbyterian Church. In 1865, the Rev. Henry LEE helped to organized the First Baptist Church of Magnolia. I well remember attending church service here once with Miss Mary COX, one of the leaders in the church and in the community. She operated a store in Magnolia, and had once been a milliner for Newberry's store in Magnolia. The name Stricklandsville was soon changed to Magnolia. Named for Miss Magnolia (Maggie) MONK, the daughter of a prominent resident. And too, she planted many magnolia trees at her place and in the village. She married Dr. C.H. HARRIS and moved to Savannah, GA. They were the parents of Major Gen. P.C. HARRIS of the U.S. Army, and the Hon. William HARRIS, U.S. Commissioner of Education. The Methodists in Magnolia had their beginnings at Carr Branch Church. Near the town but in 1856, Dr. Milton K. DEVANE gave a lot and the Magnolia Methodist church was built. At one time there was an Universalist Church in Magnolia, but it declined as the younger members moved away. The first school in the town was founded by the Rev. John Nick STALLINGS, a Baptist minister, and operated from 1877 to 1895. They built a very commodious building with a winding stairway. This building is still standing and was used later as a residence by the late John F. CROOM. During the War Between the States, the railroad repair shops were moved from Wilmington to Magnolia for fear that Fort Fisher might not hold out and that Wilmington would be occupied by the Union Army. The Confederate Arms factory was located in Kenansville and the bringing in of metals from Richmond and the shipping of arms was done by mule teams from Magnolia. A small contingent of Confederate troops were stationed here during the war. Even though many old homes have been torn down in Magnolia including the old brick depot. There are still a few old and interesting houses standing. The old home of Mr. And Mrs. Paul BASS is still standing as well as the Louise CROOM house, built by Patrick MURPHY, the J.C. HORNE house, and the Hosea MURRAY house. The Rev. Colin SHAW (1812-1904), a pioneer Presbyterian minister, once lived in Magnolia as did the Rev. F.J. MARABLI, D.D.; a Presbyterian minister. The late Mr. and Mrs. Thomas FRYER had a fine plantation house north of Magnolia. The Natural Wells are located two miles southwest of Magnolia, and may be as much as 600 feet deep. The future prospects for Magnolia are good since the trains are still running, a network of paved roads have been built, and fine farmlands will always be needed. ============================================================== 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 Sloan Mason ==============================================================