Laurinburg is a city in and the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of
Scotland County,
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
, United States.
Located in southern North Carolina near the
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
border, Laurinburg is southwest of
Fayetteville and is home to
St. Andrews University. The
Laurinburg Institute
Laurinburg Institute is a historic African American preparatory school in Laurinburg, North Carolina. The school was founded in 1904 by Emmanuel Monty and Tinny McDuffie at the request of Booker T. Washington. Emmanuel McDuffie was a graduate ...
, a historically African-American school, is also located in Laurinburg. The population at the 2010 Census was 15,962 people.
History
![Laurinburg, North Carolina (circa 1910)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Laurinburg%2C_North_Carolina_%28circa_1910%29.jpg)
Settlers arrived at the present town site around 1785. The settlement was named for a prominent family, the McLaurins.
The name was originally spelled Laurinburgh and pronounced the same as
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
, though the "h" was later dropped.
The community was initially located within the jurisdiction of
Richmond County Richmond County may refer to places:
Australia
*Richmond County, New South Wales, a cadastral division
Canada
*Richmond County, Nova Scotia
United Kingdom
*Richmondshire, the original Richmond County in Yorkshire, England
United States
...
.
In 1840, Laurinburg had a saloon, a store, and a few shacks. Laurinburg High School, a private school, was established in 1852. The settlement prospered in the years following. A line of the
Wilmington, Charlotte and Rutherford Railroad
The Carolina Central Railroad, was a railway company in the United States. It was incorporated in 1855 as the Wilmington and Charlotte Railroad and was renamed the Wilmington, Charlotte and Rutherford Railroad shortly after. It was reorganized as ...
was built through Laurinburg in the 1850s, with the first train reaching Laurinburg in 1861.
The railroad's shops were moved to Laurinburg in 1865 in the hope they would be safer from
Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...
attack; however, in March of that year, Union forces reached Laurinburg and burned the railroad depot and temporary shops. The shops were later rebuilt.
[ Laurinburg was incorporated in 1877.] In 1894 the railway shops were moved out of the town and, combined with low cotton prices, property values in the area decreased and the town experienced an economic depression
An economic depression is a period of carried long-term economical downturn that is result of lowered economic activity in one major or more national economies. Economic depression maybe related to one specific country were there is some economic ...
.[
By the late 1800s Richmond County had a majority black population and tended to support the Republican Party in elections, while the state of North Carolina was dominated by the ]Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
. As a result of this, white Democrats built up a political base in Laurinburg and in 1899 the town and the surrounding area was split off from Richmond into the new Scotland County.[ The town was declared the seat of Scotland County in 1900 and the first courthouse was erected the following year.] As their influence in public affairs and share of public resources declined, local black citizens created the Laurinburg Normal Industrial Institute, later known as Laurinburg Academy, in 1904.[
Main Street in Laurinburg was paved in 1914.] Beginning in 1929, the Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
severely impacted Laurinburg, causing two banks to fail. A new courthouse was built in 1964. Laurinburg's downtown suffered an economic decline beginning in the 1980s when the Belk
Belk, Inc. is an American department store chain founded in 1888 by William Henry Belk in Monroe, North Carolina, with nearly 300 locations in 16 states. Belk stores and Belk.com offer apparel, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, home furnishings, ...
department store moved to a shopping center further away. The downtown was heavily impacted by Hurricane Florence
Hurricane Florence was a powerful and long-lived Cape Verde hurricane that caused catastrophic damage in the Carolinas in September 2018, primarily as a result of freshwater flooding due to torrential rain. The sixth named storm, third h ...
in 2018.
Historic sites
Several sites in Laurinburg are listed on the , including:
* John Blue House
* Mag Blue House
Mag Blue House is a historic home near Laurinburg, Scotland County, North Carolina. It was built in 1836, and is a -story, five bay by three bay, frame Coastal Cottage form dwelling, with Federal style decorative elements. It has a one-story gabl ...
* Central School
A central school was a selective secondary education school with a focus on technical and commercial skills in the English education system. It was positioned between the more academic grammar schools and the ordinary elementary schools where ...
* Dr. Evan Alexander Erwin House
Dr. Evan Alexander Erwin House is a historic home located at Laurinburg, North Carolina, Laurinburg, Scotland County, North Carolina. It was built in 1904, and extensively remodeled in 1939 in the Neoclassical architecture, Classical Revival styl ...
* E. Hervey Evans House
* Thomas J. Gill House
* Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church
Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church is a historic Presbyterian church near Laurinburg, Scotland County, North Carolina. The congregation was founded in 1797, and the current meeting house was completed in early 1856. It is a two-story, gable front ...
* Laurinburg Commercial Historic District
Laurinburg Commercial Historic District is a national Historic district (United States), historic district located in Laurinburg, North Carolina. The district encompasses 51 contributing buildings and 2 contributing structures in the central bus ...
* St. Andrews University
* Stewart-Hawley-Malloy House
* Laurinburg Institute
Laurinburg Institute is a historic African American preparatory school in Laurinburg, North Carolina. The school was founded in 1904 by Emmanuel Monty and Tinny McDuffie at the request of Booker T. Washington. Emmanuel McDuffie was a graduate ...
* Villa Nova
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the city has a total area of , of which 12.4 square miles (32.1 km2) is land and (1.27%) is water.
Laurinburg is located northeast of Bennettsville
Bennettsville is a city located in the U.S. state of South Carolina on the Great Pee Dee River. As the county seat of Marlboro County, Bennettsville is noted for its historic homes and buildings from the 19th and early 20th centuries—including ...
, east of Rockingham, west of Lumberton, and southwest of Fayetteville.
Climate
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 United States Census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, there were 14,978 people, 5,712 households, and 3,544 families residing in the city. The black population is concentrated in the northern section of the city.[
]
2000 census
As of the census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, there were 15,874 people, 6,136 households, and 4,221 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 1,280.2 people per square mile (494.3/km2). There were 6,603 housing units at an average density of 532.5 per square mile (205.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 50.54% White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 43.06% African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 4.23% Native American, 0.76% Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.03% Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 0.35% from other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 1.06% of the population.
There were 6,136 households, out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% were married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 23.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.6% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,064, and the median income for a family was $37,485. Males had a median income of $31,973 versus $25,243 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $16,165. About 19.7% of families and 23.6% of the population were below the poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 35.5% of those under age 18 and 18.6% of those age 65 or over.
The state Scotland Correctional Institution, located near the airport, opened in 2003.
Education
High school
* Scotland High School
Scotland High School is located in Laurinburg, North Carolina. It is a part of the Scotland County Schools district.
Athletics
Scotland is a member of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA). Their team name is the "Fighting ...
College
The city is home to St. Andrews University, formerly known as St. Andrews Presbyterian College.
Media
Laurinburg is served by the local newspaper, '' The Laurinburg Exchange''.
The local radio station is WLNC.
Notable people
* Russ Adams
Russ is a masculine given name, often a short form of Russell, and also a surname.
People Given name or nickname
* Russ Abbot (born 1947), British musician, comedian and actor
* Russ Adams (born 1980), American retired baseball player
* Russ ...
, former MLB
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
infielder for the Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
* Megan Brigman, former professional women's soccer player
* Brent Butler, former MLB
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
infielder
* Bucky Covington
William Joel "Bucky" Covington III (born November 8, 1977) is an American country music singer. He placed eighth on the 5th season of the Fox Network's talent competition series ''American Idol''. In December 2006, he signed a recording contrac ...
, country musician and ''American Idol'' Season 5 finalist
* Wes Covington
John Wesley Covington (March 27, 1932 – July 4, 2011) was an American professional baseball left fielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from through for the Milwaukee Braves, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Athletics, Philadelphia ...
, former MLB
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
outfielder
* Robert Dozier
Robert Lorenzo Dozier, Jr. (born November 6, 1985) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
College career
In the 2007–08 season, Dozier sta ...
, professional basketball player
* Lorinza Harrington
Lorinza "Junior" Harrington Jr. (born October 2, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player.
Pro career
The 6'4" (1.93 m) guard from North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United St ...
, former NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
player
* Joseph Roswell Hawley
Joseph Roswell Hawley (October 31, 1826March 18, 1905) was the 42nd Governor of Connecticut, a U.S. politician in the Republican and Free Soil parties, a Civil War general, and a journalist and newspaper editor. He served two terms in the Unit ...
, four-term U.S. Senator, two-term U.S. Congressman, Governor of Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
, and Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...
Major General
* Harriet McBryde Johnson, activist for the disabled
* Samantha Joye
Samantha "Mandy" Joye is an American oceanographer who is well known for her work studying the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. She is a professor (Athletic Association Professor in Arts and Sciences) at the University of Georgia in the Department o ...
, oceanographer known for her work studying the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
The ''Deepwater Horizon'' oil spill (also referred to as the "BP oil spill") was an industrial disaster that began on 20 April 2010 off of the coast of the United States in the Gulf of Mexico on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect, considered ...
* Terrell Manning
Terrell Manning (born April 16, 1990) is a former American football linebacker. Manning was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round, 163rd overall, in the 2012 NFL Draft. He played college football at North Carolina State.
He has ...
, NFL player
* William S. McArthur
William Surles McArthur Jr. (born July 26, 1951) is a retired United States Army colonel and NASA astronaut and a veteran of three Space Shuttle missions and one expedition to the International Space Station via the Russian Soyuz capsule.
Army ...
, former United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
colonel and NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
astronaut
An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...
* Bejun Mehta
Bejun Mehta (born 29 June 1968) is an American countertenor. He has been awarded the Echo Klassik, the Gramophone Award,http://www.gramophone.co.uk/awards/2014/contemporary Gramophone Awards 2014 Contemporary Le Diamant d’Opera Magazine, the Ch ...
, countertenor
A countertenor (also contra tenor) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally extending from around G3 to D5 or E5, although a sopranist (a s ...
* James Dickson Phillips Jr., United States Court of Appeals judge
* William R. Purcell
William Robert Purcell (born February 12, 1931 in Laurinburg, North Carolina) is a Democratic politician. He was a member of the North Carolina General Assembly representing the state's twenty-fifth Senate district, including constituents in Ans ...
, physician and politician
* Travian Robertson
Travian Jamal Robertson (born December 9, 1988) is an American football coach and former defensive end who currently serves as the defensive line coach for University of South Carolina. He was selected in the seventh round, 249th overall, by the ...
, NFL defensive end
* Kelvin Sampson
Kelvin Dale Sampson (born October 5, 1955) is an American college basketball coach, currently the head coach for the University of Houston of the American Athletic Conference.
Early life
Sampson was born in the Lumbee Native American community of ...
, college basketball coach
* Terry Sanford
James Terry Sanford (August 20, 1917April 18, 1998) was an American lawyer and politician from North Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, Sanford served as the 65th Governor of North Carolina from 1961 to 1965, was a two-time U.S. pre ...
, former Governor of North Carolina and U.S. Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
* Charlie Scott Charles or Charlie Scott may refer to:
Politicians
* Charles Scott (governor) (1739–1813), American Revolutionary War soldier and fourth governor of Kentucky
* Charles L. Scott (1827–1899), U.S. Representative from California
* Charles Freder ...
, NBA All-Star and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill player, Olympic gold medalist in 1968, and valedictorian at Laurinburg Institute
Laurinburg Institute is a historic African American preparatory school in Laurinburg, North Carolina. The school was founded in 1904 by Emmanuel Monty and Tinny McDuffie at the request of Booker T. Washington. Emmanuel McDuffie was a graduate ...
* Woody Shaw
Woody Herman Shaw Jr. (December 24, 1944 – May 10, 1989) was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, arranger, band leader, and educator. Shaw is widely known as one of the most important and influential jazz trumpet ...
, hard-bop (jazz) trumpeter
* Franklin Stubbs, MLB
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
player
* Hilee Taylor
Hilee Delano Taylor (born July 18, 1986) is a former American football defensive end. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at North Carolina. He was also a member of the ...
, NFL defensive end
* Leonard Thompson, PGA Tour
The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...
golfer
* Ben Vereen
Benjamin Augustus Vereen (born October 10, 1946) is an American actor, dancer and singer. Vereen gained prominence for his performances in the original Broadway productions of the musicals '' Jesus Christ Superstar'', for which he received a T ...
, actor, dancer, and singer
* Jacoby Watkins
Jacoby Watkins (born March 29, 1984 in Laurinburg, North Carolina) is a Defensive Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach at ASA-Miami College in Miami, Florida. He played college football and participated in track & field at the University of North Ca ...
, former NFL cornerback and North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
football player
* Zamir White
Zamir Alexza White, nicknamed "Zeus" (born September 18, 1999), is an American football running back for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia Bulldogs football, Georgia and was drafted ...
, NFL Running Back, Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West divis ...
Sister cities
Laurinburg has one sister city
A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties.
While there are early examples of inter ...
, as designated by Sister Cities International
Sister Cities International (SCI) is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between communities in the United States and those in other countries, particularly through the establishment of "sister cities"â ...
:
* Oban
Oban ( ; ' in Scottish Gaelic meaning ''The Little Bay'') is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William. During the tourist season, th ...
, Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute ( sco, Argyll an Buit; gd, Earra-Ghà idheal agus Bòd, ) is one of 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod (14 July 2020) ...
, Scotland
See also
* List of municipalities in North Carolina
North Carolina is a U.S. state, state located in the Southern United States. According to the 2020 United States Census, North Carolina is the List of U.S. states and territories by population, ninth most populous state with inhabitants, but the ...
References
Bibliography
*
Further reading
* Graham, Gael, "'The Lexington of White Supremacy': School and Local Politics in Late-Nineteenth-Century Laurinburg, North Carolina," ''North Carolina Historical Review,'' 89 (Jan. 2012), 27–58.
External links
*
Laurinburg-Scotland County Area Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control
Cities in North Carolina
Cities in Scotland County, North Carolina
County seats in North Carolina