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. MAGNOLIA A CHARMING VILLAGE The little town of Magnolia does not have the commercial activity which it once had, but it is still a charming little village of friendly people who still take pride in their history. Mr. and Mrs. Paul BASS live in one of the fine old houses and she is the local authority on history and human interest stories about Magnolia. They own the site of old Beaverdam Church, which later was moved into town and became the Magnolia Baptist Church. This was also the site of the encampment of Confederate soldiers during the War Between the States, stationed there to guard the railroad and the supplies brought in for the Confederate Sword Factory in Kenansville. The bottomless wells are located about two miles west of Magnolia. The Wilmington and Weldon Railroad was completed in 1840 and it was about this time that Absolom STRICKLAND and his son, Richard STRICKLAND built and operated a store. The first station on the railroad was called Stricklands. A village was laid out and in 1855, it was chartered by the legislature and was named Stricklandsville. Soon thereafter, the name was changed by the legislature to Magnolia, named for Miss Maggie MONK, a local and beloved young lady who married Dr. C.H. HARRIS and lived in Savannah, Georgia. They were the parents of Major General P.C. HARRIS of World War I and the Honorable William HARRIS, Commissioner of Education of the United States. Magnolia and elm trees were planted all over the town and some remain today. Magnolia became for a time the most important town between Wilmington and Weldon. At various times there was always a good hotel. One was operated by the MONK family and one by the HANNAFORD family. Three crate factories operated at various times in the village and also turpentine distilleries and tar kilns. There was a furniture factory which was later destroyed by fire. Some of the early merchants, of the town were J.A. MATTHIS, H.E. NEWBURY, Henry HOLLINGSWORTH, a Mr. BRINKLEY, Miss Macy COX (local historian and Baptist lay leader) WAS A MILLINER (made and trimmed hats.) She first worked for Newbury and later she had her own store and hat shop. She was a good friend of our family and we visited her many times. She was also a writer, and among her writings was the history of the Duplin Agricultural Society. Mr. NEWBURY was the founder of the Magnolia Universalist Church which flourished for many years and then became inactive. Magnolia was the center of trade for southwest Duplin and southeast Sampson for several years from 1860 to 1910. Even now the rural mail routes from Magnolia extend as far as Delway in Sampson County. For a long time, Magnolia was the center for the bulb industry. Mostly tube roses, caladiums, and cannas. The large warehouses for storage and packing were still standing a few years ago. Bulbs were raised by the STRICKLANDS, Thomas RIVENBARK, John F. CROOM, and John R. CROOM. Later Magnolia became an outstanding strawberry market along with Rose Hill. There were several watermills in the Magnolia neighborhood including Beasley's Mill on Miller's Creek. During the War Between the States, the railroad shops of the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad were moved from Wilmington to Magnolia for fear that Fort Fisher would fall and then Wilmington. The shops were located south of the town and just last year I found the mounds on which the switches were built. The town once had many fine old houses but most of them have been torn down. The Paul BASS house, the J.C. HORNE house, the Louise CROOM house (built by Patrick MURPHY), the Jesse C. HORNE house and a few others, stand to remind us of the former prosperity of the town. The old brick depot was torn down two years ago. Much interest was aroused in preserving this building, but the railroad required that it be moved. The cost would have been prohibitive. The most interesting building in the town is the old Magnolia Male Academy, sometimes called the College, chartered in 1858. It is in American Gothic style with a tower, high ceiling, large porches, and inside is a perfect winding stairway. The first trustees were J.B.B. MONK, B.V. CARROLL, L.A. MERRIMAN, A.M. RACKLEY, and Dr. Milton DEVANE. The Academy had a male and a female department. Some of the early teachers were: the Rev. John N. STALLINGS, P.C. SHAW, Rebecca SHAW, Captain Abner ROBINSON and others. The Reverend Colin SHAW, a pioneer Presbyterian minister, once lived in Magnolia. Thomas GRYAR of Sampson County later owned a handsome old home north of Magnolia but it later burned. Today, Magnolia is a growing community and maybe with the building of I-40, there will be a revival of commercial activity. ============================================================== 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 ==============================================================