by Andrew C. Cole (Author)
Carved out of the rural landscape of what was once New Hanover County, Duplin County has cultivated its own unique history. Originally home to Native American tribes such as the Tuscarora, by the 1700s the region would see the settlement of its first Europeans, the Welsh. By the time it was officially established in 1750, Duplin County would be home to people of English, Scots-Irish, Swiss, German, and African descent. The completion of the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad during the 19th century would bolster Duplin's economy and transform the landscape, with towns such as Warsaw, Wallace, Rose Hill, and Faison springing up along its tracks. An agricultural hub of North Carolina, many of Duplin County's residents have scratched out a living from its fertile soil, raising everything from tobacco and strawberries to cucumbers and livestock. The county's agricultural legacy has since been passed down to a new generation of farmers, with Duplin now being home to the Carolina Strawberry Festival and the Muscadine Festival.