Goldsboro, North Carolina

Around 1787, when Wayne County was formed, a town named Waynesborough grew around the county's courthouse. In 1787, William Whitfield III (son of William Whitfield II) and his son were appointed "Directors and Trustees" for designing and building the town.[8][9] Located on the east bank of the Neuse River, the town became the county seat. Population growth in Waynesborough continued through the 1830s. However, this changed once the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad was completed in the early 1840s. By then, a hotel had been built at the intersection of the railroad and New Bern Road, which grew into a community after the train started to transport passengers from there.

More and more citizens soon relocated from Waynesborough to this growing village, named eventually "Goldsborough's Junction" after Major Matthew T. Goldsborough, an Assistant Chief Engineer with the railroad line. Later this was shortened simply to Goldsborough. In 1847, the town was incorporated and became the new Wayne County seat following a vote of the citizens of Wayne County. Local legend has it the Goldsborough supporters put moonshine in the town's well to encourage people to vote for Goldsborough.

In the following decades, Goldsborough's growth continued in part by new railroad connections to Charlotte and Beaufort. By 1861, the town's population was estimated to be 1,500. It was the trading center of a rural area that started with yeoman farmers. By this time, it had been developed as large cotton plantations dependent on the labor of enslaved African Americans, as the invention of the cotton gin had enabled profitable cultivation of short-staple cotton in the up-counties.

Because of its importance as railroad junction, Goldsborough played a significant role in the Civil War, both for stationing Confederate troops and for transporting their supplies. The town also provided hospitals for soldiers wounded in nearby battles.

In December 1862, the Battle of Goldsborough Bridge was waged, in which both sides fought for possession of the strategically significant Wilmington and Weldon Railroad Bridge. Union General John Foster arrived with his troops on December 17, aiming to destroy this bridge in order to put an end to the vital supply chain from the port of Wilmington. He succeeded on that same day, his troops overpowering the small number of defending Confederate soldiers and burning down the bridge. On their way back to New Bern, Foster's men were attacked again by Confederate troops, but they survived with fewer casualties than the enemy. The important bridge at Goldsborough was rebuilt in a matter of weeks.

Goldsborough was the scene of another Union offensive in 1865, during Union General Sherman's Carolinas Campaign. After the battles of Bentonville and Wyse Fork, Sherman's forces met with the armies of Schofield, their troops taking over the city in March. During the following three weeks, Goldsborough was occupied by over 100,000 Union soldiers. After the war was over, some of these troops continued to stay in the city.

In 1869, the spelling of the city was officially changed to Goldsboro. Wayne County was part of North Carolina's 2nd congressional district following the Civil War, when it was known as the "Black Second", for its majority-black population. This district elected four Republican African Americans to Congress in the 19th century, three of them after the Reconstruction era. The attorney George Henry White was the last to serve, being elected in 1894 and serving two terms.

The Democrat-dominated legislature established legal racial segregation in public facilities. To further this, in the 1880s it authorized a facility to serve the black mentally ill, the State Hospital in Goldsboro. In 1899 the legislature authorized an addition but did not appropriate sufficient funds.[10] This operated until after passage of civil rights legislation requiring integration of public facilities. In addition, the hospital was affected by the 1970s movement to de-institutionalize care for the mentally ill. Most states have failed to adequately support community programs to replace such facilities.

During World War II the North Carolina Congressional delegation was successful in gaining the present-day Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, which opened on the outskirts of Goldsboro in April 1942 as a US Army Air Forces installation named Seymour Johnson Field. From this point on, the city's population and businesses increased as a result of the federal defense installation. The base's name was changed to Seymour Johnson AFB in 1947 following the establishment of the US Air Force as an independent service.

The city is home to Goldsboro Milling Company, the 10th largest producer of hogs in the U.S., and also a major producer of turkeys.

The Borden Manufacturing Company, First Presbyterian Church, L. D. Giddens and Son Jewelry Store, Goldsboro Union Station, Harry Fitzhugh Lee House, Odd Fellows Lodge, and Solomon and Henry Weil Houses are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[11]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.8 square miles (64 km²), of which 24.8 square miles (64 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) (0.08%) is water.

The Neuse River defines the southern boundary of the city. Little River is a class WS-III river that provides the water source for Goldsboro. It runs through the west of the city, and joins the Neuse River about 2 miles (3.2 km) south of US 70.[15] Stoney Creek runs through the east of the city between downtown and the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.[16] As of 1982 the Goldsboro waste-water treatment plant accounted for 59% of total effluent discharged into the Neuse between Clayton and Kinston.[17]

The closest lakes to the city center are McArthur Lake, 3.3 miles (5.3 km) to the southwest, Cedar Lake, 4.6 miles (7.4 km) to the north and Quaker Neck Lake, 4.7 miles (7.6 km) to the west.[18] Quaker Neck Lake is an artificial lake that supplies cooling water to the H.F. Lee Energy Complex.[17] The closest reservoirs are Cogdells Pond, 2.6 miles (4.2 km) to the northeast and Wills Pond, 5.4 miles (8.7 km) to the west. Wills Pond is also known as Bear Creek W/S Lake Number Four.[19] Wills Pond impounds Old Mill Branch, a tributary of Bear Creek that flows east and enters Bear Creek near its headwaters.[20]

Goldsboro City Hall

Chuck Allen served as the city's Mayor, succeeding Alfonzo "Al" King in 2016 who succeeded Hal Plonk in 2002. As mayor, Allen was the official and ceremonial head of city government and presides at all City Council meetings. The mayor and the city council are elected to office for a four-year term. Goldsboro has a council-manager government. As of 2020, the city manager is Tim Salmon.[27]

In June 2021, Allen abruptly resigned citing health issues.[28]

Jerry Narron

• George Altman, baseball player for Chicago Cubs
• Christopher R. Barron, member of board of directors and co-founder of GOProud
• Curtis Hooks Brogden, 19th-Century politician
• Dan Bullock, United States Marine, Private First Class, Vietnam War
• Jimmy Graham, tight end for New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks
• Johnny Grant, radio personality, television producer and honorary mayor of Hollywood
• Andy Griffith, actor, lived in Goldsboro, teaching English, drama, and music at Goldsboro High School
• John W. Gulick, U.S. Army major general[35]
• Doris Jackson, née Doris Coley, founding member of the Shirelles
• John H. Kerr, III, state senator
• Clyde King, baseball pitcher and manager of Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees
• Jerry Narron, baseball catcher and coach, and manager of Texas Rangers and Cincinnati Reds
• Mark O'Meara, golfer who won 1998 Masters and British Open
• Jarran Reed, NFL defensive tackle
• Kenneth Claiborne Royall, Army general and last Secretary of War
• Dave Simmons, football player for four NFL teams
• David Thornton, football player for Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts
• Big Daddy V, former WWE wrestler. His real name was Nelson Frazier Jr
• Greg Warren, long snapper for Pittsburgh Steelers
• Joby Warrick, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes
• Thomas Washington, an admiral during World War I
• William Henry Washington, 19th-Century politician
• Coby White, NBA basketball player for Chicago Bulls

Government

• Official website

General information

• Geographic data related to Goldsboro, North Carolina at OpenStreetMap