Moncure, founded in 1881, is a small rural

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in southeastern Chatham 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 ...

, United States. Moncure and the neighboring community of Haywood form the Moncure

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...

(CDP), which had a population of 711 at the 2010 census. The community is located near the confluence of the

Deep Deep or The Deep may refer to: Places United States * Deep Creek (Appomattox River tributary), Virginia * Deep Creek (Great Salt Lake), Idaho and Utah * Deep Creek (Mahantango Creek tributary), Pennsylvania * Deep Creek (Mojave River tributary), ...

and Haw rivers, which form the

Cape Fear River The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The river is formed at the confluence of the Haw River and the Deep River (North Carol ...

. Moncure once served as the westernmost inland port in the state, linked to the Atlantic Ocean by steamships.

Geography

Moncure is located in southeastern Chatham County, at 35.622N latitude and -79.078W longitude, and at an elevation of approximately . It is bordered on the south by the Deep River, which forms the boundary with Lee County to the south. The Moncure CDP includes the village of Moncure, plus the smaller community of Haywood to the east; both are located along Old US Highway 1. The CDP extends as far east as the Haw River and as far south as the junction of the Haw with the Deep River to form the Cape Fear River.

U.S. Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making ...

, a four-lane expressway, passes through Moncure north of the village center, with access from Exit 79. US 1 leads northeast to

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

, the state capital, and southwest to Sanford. The area forms a salient or panhandle of Chatham County, lying between Wake and Lee Counties. 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 t ...

, the Moncure CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 4.61%, is water. The B. Everett Jordan Lake Dam is located just north of Moncure, and the area is home to much of Chatham County's heavy industry, including Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant to the east, and several plywood and lumber plants.

Demographics

Institutions

Moncure is home to a post office ( ZIP code 27559), two convenience stores and an ABC store. The Moncure Volunteer Fire Department provides fire protection for the area. The department was founded May 4, 1966. There are two stations: Station 8 in Moncure at 2389 Old US 1 and Station 14 on Corinth Road at the intersection of Highway 42. The Moncure Fire Department Ladies auxiliary is the only active auxiliary in Chatham County. Moncure and the nearby town of Pittsboro have an active artistic community. The defunct Moncure Museum of Modern Art is located within Moncure.

History

Moncure was founded in 1881 by Thomas Jefferson Moncure, Benjamin Gunter Womble (February 17, 1841 – February 15, 1916), Jake Wisseler, and James Everett Bryan. Thomas Moncure was an engineer for what became the

Seaboard Air Line Railroad The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad which existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, t ...

. Benjamin Womble was a

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

veteran, owner of the Womble Hotel, and first postmaster of Moncure for 30 years. The old post office now resides on the Womble property that has been continuously owned by his family.Pendergrass, Esther Womble, "History of Moncure", '' The Sanford Herald'', March 26, 1969. The Newkirk State (Site 3lCH366) and

Lockville Dam, Canal and Powerhouse Lockville Dam, Canal and Powerhouse is a historic dam, canal, and powerhouse located near Moncure, Chatham County, North Carolina. The dam was built in 1922 and replaced an earlier log dam built by the Cape Fear and Deep River Navigation Compan ...

are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Chatham County, North Carolina Census-designated places in North Carolina Populated places on the Cape Fear River