Wayne County, NC - Historic Reprinted with permission of the Mt. Olive Tribune and cannot be reproduced without permission. Dedication of Waynesborough State Park "Our Heritage" By Claude Moore 1985 On Friday, May 16th, the dream of many of us who love Wayne County history came to reality when the Waynesborough State Park was dedicated on the site of the old town. I was a guest of my good friend, Charles Norwood, who was the real father of this project. When I first remember, this site was a city dump for Goldsboro & even then, we thought that it was a desecration of the hallowed spot. This was not only the flourishing county seat from 1787 to 1847, but the leading churches of Goldsboro had their beginnings there. The Program began with a band recital by the combined bands of the Wayne County Schools. At twelve noon, there was the flag raising by the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Color Guard while the bands played the National Anthem. Ed Kelly was the master of ceremonies & the Reverend Isaac B. Hardin, D.D., gave the invocation. A welcome was extended by Goldsboro Mayor Hal Plonk & Joe Lancaster, Chairman of the Wayne County Board of Commissioners. Greetings were given by Charles Gaylor, President of the Historic Preservation Foundation, Dr. William W. Davis, the Director of the N. C. Division of Parks & Recreation & Senator Henson P. Barnes. The Wayne County Historical Association was represented by Mrs. Frances Andrews (President), Mrs. Judy Haverkamp, James L. Williams & Charles S. Norwood. The parking of cars was handled by Boy Scouts of the Tuscarora Council. Wayne County was created out of Dobbs County in 1779 which in turn had been created out of Johnston County. Johnston County was formed in 1746 from Craven County. Wayensborough was incorporated by the N. C. Legislature in 1787 & was named for General Anthony Wayne's estate near Chester, Pennsylvania. It was located on a bend of the Neuse River, east of where Little River runs into the Neuse. It became the county seat of Wayne & remained so until 1847 when Goldsboro became the county seat of government. Waynesborough was laid out on a 75 acre tract conveyed by Dr. Andrew Bass, the real founder of the town. William Whitfield of White Hall was appointed to lay out the town into one half acre lots. The original town commissioners were: Richard Bass, William McKinne, Sr, William Whitfield, Jr, Burwell Mooring, Joseph Green, William Fellows, William Whitfield, Sr, David Jernigan & William McKinne, Jr. The town became an important landing for flat boats, rafts & barges loaded with farm products, lumber, turpentine & tar. A courthouse, a Union (Community) Church & several taverns & hotels were built. Some of the leading county families built homes in the town. Presbyterian, Episcopal, Baptist & Methodist services were held at the Union Church. The town was located on the main stage road running from Wilmington to Halifax & from New Bern to Raleigh by the way of Smithfield. The town was flooded several times by the overflow of the two rivers. In 1836 when the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad was laid out, the engineers avoided the low lying town by building the railroad one mile to the east. Goldsboro grew up on the railroad & in 1847, the citizens voted to move the town to the new location. A county courthouse was built in Goldsboro in 1850. Among those who operated stores & enterprises in Waynesborough were: Mathew Albritton (carriage maker, later moved to Mt. Olive), John Wright, Arnold Borden, General James Rhodes (son-in-law of Dr. Andrew Bass), Phillip Hooks, Richard Washington, Francis L. Caster, J. E. Everett & Charles J. Nelson. After Goldsboro became the county seat, many houses were moved from Waynesborough to Goldsboro. The town had declined by the time of the War Between the States. After the war, a brickyard was built on the site, but the Bass-Rhodes & Cogdell graveyards were preserved. Goldsboro later purchased & used the site as a landfill. The site of the old town has been landscaped & trees & grass have been planded. A boat landing has been established. Along with the Cliffs of The Neuse & Aycock Birthplace, this will be another site for local people as well as tourists to enjoy & appreciate. This is truly another landmark in the preservation of Wayne County history. (Note to the reader: Today, the park is filled with historic homes that have been moved to the site & restored by the Waynesborough Commission. Inquiries may be directed to: Waynesborough Commission Visitor's Center 801 Hwy 117 South Goldsboro, NC 27530 919-739-9989) ============================================================== 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 Guy Potts ==============================================================