Tar Heel

History

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). 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.

Geography

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 , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  728
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  713
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  639
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  602
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  563
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  545
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  517
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  499

Largest nearby schools

• West Bladen High
  High · Bladenboro · 701 students · 16.7:1 ratio
• Tar Heel Middle
  Middle · Tar Heel · 287 students · 19.1:1 ratio
• Dublin Primary
  Elementary · Dublin · 227 students · 16.2:1 ratio
• Plain View Primary
  Elementary · Tar Heel · 183 students · 15.3:1 ratio
• Bladen Early College
  High · Dublin · 139 students · 23.2:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2012-07-29
  7 km NNW of Wallace, South Carolina
• M 2.9 — 2011-03-21
  9 km S of Cordova, North Carolina
• M 3.7 — 2006-09-25
  7 km W of Rowland, North Carolina
• M 3.4 — 2006-09-22
  4 km WSW of Blenheim, South Carolina