Nestled at a remote
crossroads in rural south-central Washington County, the early
architectural evidence of the community known as Wenona has largely
vanished from sight, but lives on in old photos and the memories of
the most senior citizens of the modern-day community. The hamlet was
established by A. E. Rice, a land agent for the Norfolk & Southern
Railroad in 1912, and grew rapidly as a result of his advertising
campaign in the North and Midwest; where it was touted as “cheap
blackland for sale”.
Many families moved to the area between 1912 and 1914, lured by the
rare attributes of the black sand loam soil including: very high
natural nitrogen content, deep tillable top layer three feet deep,
devoid of rocks, level with a good clay marl underneath for moisture
retention. However, it needed to be cleared and drained. Therefore,
a drainage district was organized, the land surveyed and canals
marked off one mile apart running parallel with the railroad. Within
two years, over 25 miles of canals had been completed. By 1914, the
area had grown to the point that it was necessary to build a school
for the children of Wenona, which was constructed as a two-story
multi-purpose building; the top floor accommodated classes during
the week and served as a church and Sunday School on the weekends.
The ground floor was the post office. Wenona maintained its own
school until 1929, when students began attending school in Plymouth.
The railroad was largely responsible for the birth and development
of the Wenona community, as it was the most reliable means of
transporting large commodity items such as logs and agricultural
goods to ports and terminals for processing and distribution. In its
heyday, Wenona even had a small inn to accommodate railroad
employees. In 1912, the NC Dept of Agriculture established the
Blackland Test Farm at Wenona on land donated by the N&S Railroad.
It served the community until 1943, when it was moved to its current
location near Roper and was renamed the Tidewater Research Station.
The Turnpike Road, which leads from Hwy. 32 to Wenona, has undergone
many improvements throughout the years. The road was first cut in
1846 with slave and prison labor, but proved largely unusable due to
the nature of the soil and high water in the swamps. In 1886, the
state utilized prison labor in an effort to reclaim the road and
make it more usable, but once again could not conquer the natural
rise and flow of the swamp water. In 1901, the road caught fire and
the peat under the road burned for a year or more, destroying a
large part of the road. In 1914, it was rebuilt with the aid of a
bond program. Problems continued, including the inability of school
buses to navigate the road for much of the year. Finally, in 1948
the road was paved and has become one of the busiest byways in
Washington County.
The early families of Wenona were truly pioneers, working and living
in what would seem impossible conditions by today’s standards. Giant
cypress trees greater than six feet in diameter were felled and sawn
into lumber to build houses, barns and a school. Stumps had to be
removed before the land could be drained and planted. Through the
generosity of the Furbee family, we have a collection of family
photos that capture this arduous land development process and the
fruit of their harvest. William Lloyd Furbee moved from West
Virginia to Wenona in 1913 where he descendants still live.
Some things haven’t changed. Wenona is still a favorite neighborhood
of the native black bears! As a matter of fact, they much prefer
corn, wheat, and soy beans to their diet of roots and berries.
Wenona borders the Pungo Unit of the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife
Refuge. Among those also appreciating and frequently Wenona in the
fall and winter are thousands of tundra swan and snow geese feeding
in harvested grain fields and fields planted in winter wheat. It is
an amazing spectacle to see these magnificent birds forming white
funnel clouds descending to feed or scattered on the fields of green
wheat sprouting.
Today, the community is well developed, thriving and most of the
residents are still living on land cleared and farmed by their
ancestors. There is a great sense of pride in the land, and the
stewardship heritage that comes with it. An early member of the
community said with pride, “So all good luck to Wenona and the
people who live here”. (Hortung)