Snow Hill

History

In its early history, Snow Hill was near the location of the final major battle of the Tuscarora War at Fort Neoheroka in 1713. There are several theories for the derivation of the town's name. One theory is that the town derived its name from the Contentnea Creek on whose banks Native Americans camped and called them "snowy white," which was translated into "snowy hills." It snows rarely, however, so the snowy white is more likely a reference to the white sands along the creek. Another theory was described by McLoud in the Goldsboro newspaper as being "loblolly pine is in water," and the most recent translation from the Tuscarora language offered was "as fish go by." Originally a community in central Greene County, the town of Snow Hill was chartered in 1828. The town almost became the capital of North Carolina and was originally a major trading depot on Contentnea Creek. At the time, Contentnea Creek was a main Wilson-to-New Bern trading artery. Contentnea Creek connects with the Neuse River at Kinston. It is believed Snow Hill is the smallest town in the United States to ever field a professional baseball team. From 1937-40, the Snow Hill Billies played in the Class D Coastal Plain League and won the league pennant in 1937. Future New York Yankees Aaron Robinson and Al Gettel began their careers with the Billies, as did Walter Rabb, who would serve as head baseball coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for nearly thirty years. In April 2011, a tornado struck the town and caused massive damage. The Greene County Courthouse, Neoheroka Fort Site, Snow Hill Colored High School, Snow Hill Historic District, and St. Barnabas Episcopal Church are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Snow Hill is located south of the center of Greene County on a low bluff on the south side of Contentnea Creek. U.S. Route 13 passes through the north side of town, leading northeast to Greenville and southwest to Goldsboro. U.S. Route 258 passes through the center of town, leading north to Farmville and south to Kinston. According to the United States Census Bureau, Snow Hill has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,635
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  1,324
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,290
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  1,267
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  1,173
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,082
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  996
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  941

Most recent

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