Warrenton is a town in, and the county seat of, Warren County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 862 at the 2010 census. Warrenton, now served by U.S. routes 158 and

401 __NOTOC__ Year 401 ( CDI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Vincentius and Fravitus (or, less frequently, year 1154 ...

, was founded in 1779. It became one of the wealthiest towns in the state from 1840 to 1860, being a trading center of an area of rich tobacco and cotton plantations. It has a large stock of historic architecture buildings. More than 90 percent of its buildings are listed in the National Register of Historic Places and its National Historic District encompasses nearly half its area.

History and attractions

Warrenton was founded at the time when Bute County was divided to form

Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval Angl ...

and

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

counties. Named for Dr. Joseph Warren, a patriot and soldier who fell at the

Battle of Bunker Hill The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston in the first stage of the American Revolutionary War. The battle is named after Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts, which was peripherally involved in t ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, it was incorporated in 1779. William Christmas platted and surveyed the streets and lots, and public squares that year. He established one hundred lots of one-half acre each, convenient streets and squares, and a common area for the use of the town. Courthouse, Warrenton (22149214921)

The area was developed as tobacco and cotton plantations. Warrenton served as a regional center for trade and entertainment. Many early and mid-19th century houses have been preserved. The planters chartered private academies to educate their children, one of the earliest being The Warrenton Male Academy, formed in 1788. A girls' school was founded by Jacob Mordecai, a Sephardic Jew, whose son Moses became a prominent lawyer in Raleigh. Commercial and government structures in the town date to the late 19th century and early 1900s. In the 1850s, the town became a busy center of commerce when the railroad was built to improve shipping of the commodities of the rich tobacco and cotton fields to markets; it became the wealthiest town in North Carolina of the time. The well-known builder Jacob Holt lived here; he built Greek Revival style houses throughout the region and his workshop supplied millwork to builders even farther afield. Warrenton became one of the wealthiest towns in North Carolina from 1840 to 1860, with property owners building fine residences and commercial buildings, forming the core of its current historic architecture. They employed the prominent architects Jacob W. Holt and

Albert Gamaliel Jones Albert Gamaliel Jones (1812 – c. 1880) was a notable "house carpenter" from Warren County, North Carolina. He built "distinctive" Greek Revival plantation houses and college buildings. A number of his works are listed on the U.S. National Regis ...

, who designed and built houses in the Federal, Greek Revival, and

Italianate style The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian R ...

s. The Warrenton Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, and includes over 200 contributing buildings. The

Coleman-White House Coleman-White House, also known as Whitesome, is a historic home located at Warrenton, Warren County, North Carolina. It was built between 1821 and 1824, and is a two-story, three bay, late Federal style rectangular frame dwelling. It has a s ...

, Elgin, Liberia School, Reedy Rill, Shady Oaks, Sledge-Hayley House, Mansfield Thornton House, and John Watson House are also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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 off ...

, there were 851 people, 555 households, and 256 families residing in the town.

Notable people

* Richard Alston, former NFL and

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

player * Josiah Bailey, Democratic

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 power ...

from 1931–1946 * Braxton Bragg, senior officer in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

George Freeman Bragg George Freeman Bragg (January 25, 1863 – March 12, 1940) was an African-American priest, journalist, social activist and historian. The twelfth African American ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church of the United States, he worked aga ...

, an

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 ensla ...

priest, journalist, social activist and historian * Thomas Bragg, the 34th Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1855–1859 *

Eleanor Kearny Carr William Eleanor Kearny Carr (March 1, 1840 – March 29, 1912) was an American planter and political hostess who served as the First Lady of North Carolina from 1893 to 1897 as the wife of Governor Elias Carr. She was a charter member and librari ...

, the wife of N.C. Governor Elias Carr *

Saxby Chambliss Clarence Saxby Chambliss (born November 10, 1943) is an American lawyer and retired politician who was a United States Senator from Georgia from 2003 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a U.S. Representative fro ...

, Republican

representing the state of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

from 2003–2015 *

John O. Crosby John Oliver Crosby was an American educator and the first President of what is now North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, North Carolina. Early life and education John O. Crosby was born a slave in Crosbyville, ...

, an American educator who served 1874 as the minister for the first Colored Baptist church in Warrenton *

Micajah Thomas Hawkins Micajah Thomas Hawkins (May 20, 1790 – December 22, 1858) was a U.S. Congressman from North Carolina from 1831 to 1841. Born near Warrenton, North Carolina in 1790, Hawkins attended Warrenton Academy and then the University of North Carolina a ...

, a

U.S. Congressman The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from North Carolina from 1831–1841 * David Henderson, former NBA player *

Rick Hendrick Joseph Riddick "Rick" Hendrick III (born July 12, 1949), nicknamed "Mr. H", is an American businessman. He is best known as the owner of the NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports. He is also a co-owner of JR Motorsports and founder of the Hendrick Auto ...

, businessman, NASCAR team owner * Jacob W. Holt, an early to mid-19th century carpenter and builder-architect of Warrenton * John Adams Hyman, politician, state senator, and congressman; the first African American to represent North Carolina in the U.S. House of Representatives * Randy Jordan, former NFL player and current NFL coachRandy Jordan Stats
''Pro-Football-Reference''. Retrieved 22 March 2019. * Caroline Katzenstein, suffragist and author *

John H. Kerr John Hosea Kerr (; December 31, 1873 – June 21, 1958) was an American jurist and politician. Background Kerr was born in Yanceyville, Caswell County, North Carolina but lived most of his life in Warrenton, North Carolina. Kerr received h ...

, American jurist and politician * John H. Kerr Jr., served in the North Carolina State Legislature (both chambers) * John H. Kerr III, a Democratic member of the North Carolina General Assembly *

Anne Carter Lee Anne Carter Lee (June 18, 1839 – October 20, 1862) was the fourth child and second daughter of General Robert E. Lee and Mary Anna Custis Lee. She grew up at Arlington House on her family's plantation. During the American Civil War, she s ...

, daughter of

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

, died in Warrenton * Rachel Mordecai Lazarus, an American educator and correspondent with the children's writer Maria Edgeworth * Nathaniel Macon, former

and

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hunger ...

Chandler Owen Chandler Owen (April 5, 1889 – November 2, 1967) was an African-American writer, editor and early member of the Socialist Party of America. Born in North Carolina, he studied and worked in New York City, then moved to Chicago for much of his ...

, writer and editor * Chuck Rowland, 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), ...

player * Mary Tannahill, painter, printmaker, embroiderer and batik maker * Corey Terry, an American former professional football linebacker who played in the NFL for the Jacksonville Jaguars and

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

from 1999–2000 * Marvin Townes, an American football running back * Panthea Twitty, an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

photographer, ceramist, and historian * Joel Whitaker, an

ophthalmologist Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a medic ...

and college football player and coach

References

External links

Discover Warren County
{{authority control County seats in North Carolina Towns in North Carolina Towns in Warren County, North Carolina Populated places established in 1779 1779 establishments in North Carolina