Columbia

History

Tyrrell County was Named for Sir John Tyrrell, one of the Lords Proprietors of the Carolina colony. Tyrrell County's boundaries originally stretched westward from Roanoke Island to near present-day Tarboro. In 1870, the territory was divided and resulted in what is now known as Tyrrell, Martin, Washington, and Dare counties. Elizabethtown, later renamed Columbia, was established on the banks of the Scuppernong River in 1793, and became the Tyrrell County seat in 1799. Somerset Place State Historic Site, a representative antebellum plantation dating from 1785, is located near Columbia. Beginning in 1829, this was home to two generations of the Collins family-Josiah Collins III, his wife Mary, and their six sons. It was also home to more than 300 enslaved men, women, and children of African descent whose lives and work are interpreted here as well. Somerset Place offers an insightful view of plantation life during the antebellum period. The earliest newspaper in Columbia is known as the Eagle and its last known issue is from April 1, 1943. Columbia's archaeology and National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

The Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula is located in northeastern North Carolina, inshore of Nags Head and the Outer Banks in the Inner Banks region. The peninsula is framed by Albemarle Sound to the north, Alligator River to the east, and the Scuppernong River to the west. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  1,783
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,675
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,624
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  1,386
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,284
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  1,270
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,151
• Yellow-rumped Warbler

  Setophaga coronata (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,126

Largest nearby schools

• Columbia High
  High · Columbia · 199 students · 12.4:1 ratio
• Tyrrell Elementary
  Elementary · Columbia · 189 students · 11.1:1 ratio
• Columbia Middle
  Middle · Columbia · 111 students · 15.9:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2014-02-11
  7 km NW of Hobucken, North Carolina