Official Name: | Tar Heel, North Carolina |
Settlement Type: | Town |
Mapsize: | 260px |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | United States |
Subdivision Type1: | State |
Subdivision Name1: | North Carolina |
Subdivision Type2: | County |
Subdivision Name2: | Bladen |
Government Type: | Mayor–council government |
Leader Title: | Mayor |
Leader Name: | Sam Allen |
Unit Pref: | Imperial |
Area Footnotes: | [1] |
Area Total Km2: | 0.60 |
Area Land Km2: | 0.60 |
Area Water Km2: | 0.00 |
Area Total Sq Mi: | 0.23 |
Area Land Sq Mi: | 0.23 |
Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.00 |
Population As Of: | 2020 |
Population Total: | 90 |
Population Density Km2: | 149.87 |
Population Density Sq Mi: | 387.93 |
Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
Utc Offset: | -5 |
Timezone Dst: | EDT |
Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
Elevation Ft: | 131 |
Coordinates: | 34.7339°N -78.7908°W |
Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
Postal Code: | 28392 |
Area Codes: | 910, 472 |
Blank Name: | FIPS code |
Blank Info: | 37-66740[2] |
Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
Blank1 Info: | 2406713 |
Tar Heel is a town located in Bladen County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 117.[3]
Tar Heel is home to the largest pig processing plant in the world, which opened in 1992, operated by Smithfield Foods and is located just north of the town limits.
Tar Heel is located on the banks of the Cape Fear River. Its major highways are NC 87 and NC 131. Fayetteville is to the north, Elizabethtown is to the southeast, and Lumberton is to the southwest.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.4km2, all land.[3]
This farming community has a history dating back to the Revolutionary War. Colonel Thomas Robeson, for whom Robeson County was named, lived in the Tar Heel community. His home is located just to the east of the town. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as Walnut Grove.
The town of Mayville, no longer in existence, was on the Robeson and Bladen County line and was the village mentioned in the diary of Elizabeth Ellis Robeson (1847–1866).[4] Just when the village moved to what is now Tar Heel is unknown. During the Civil War, Colonel Thomas Purdie and Captain Daniel Munn, residents of the Tar Heel area, led troops at Gettysburg and Fort Fisher.
The Town of Tar Heel was incorporated by the State of North Carolina in 1963.
The town was known for its landing on the Cape Fear River. The state operated a ferry at this landing, and it was a major loading point for vessels that transported agricultural goods to the market in Wilmington. The major product was barrels of turpentine. Tar Heel had several turpentine stills, and the remains of some of the old stills can be found in the area. The results of transporting the barrels of turpentine, leaking barrels, caused a tar-like material to be found around the landing and the access to the river. When the community people talked of going to the village, it was said they were going to get tar on their heels, thus the name Tar Heel.
The town of Tar Heel is often confused with Chapel Hill, North Carolina, home of the University of North Carolina Tar Heels.
The Purdie House and Purdie Methodist Church and Walnut Grove are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The town of Tar Heel is governed by a mayor/council governing body. The mayor and council are elected to four-year terms. The town's council meets monthly. In July 2011, the town of Tar Heel made world news when it was announced that no one was running for any of the four positions on the town board.[5] [6] The town held the election and Roy Dew was elected mayor of Tar Heel by write-in votes in November 2011. Also elected to the town's council by write-in votes were Angela Hall, Sam Allen, and Derek Druzak (2013).[7] The Town Mayor is now Sam Allen; he was selected to serve the remainder of Dew's term, after the latter passed while in office. In 2021, Allen was elected to a full term as Mayor with Hall and Druzak re-elected to the town council by write-in, as well as Steve Dowless who was the only listed candidate for town council.
The services provided by this small rural community are:
Public schools, part of the Bladen County School system, in the Tar Heel area:
The greater Tar Heel community is home to these churches:
As of the census of 2010, there are 117 people, 60 households, and 34 families residing in the town. The racial makeup of the town is majority White (93.2% or 107 persons). 5.1% (or 6 persons) are Mexican; and 3.4% (4 persons) are Native American with 2 people identifying solely as Native American and 2 others identifying as also White. There are 0.00% African American and 0.00% Asian or Pacific Islander.[12]