unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
in
Brunswick County, North Carolina
Brunswick County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the southernmost county in the state. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 136,693. Its population was only ...
, United States.
The settlement is located on Highway 906, approximately south of
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
. "Half Hell Swamp" is located approximately south of Half Hell.
History
The settlement's name may have originated in the 1800s when settlers migrating south encountered dense swamps located there. Unable to cross, they settled at that location "halfway to hell". The name "Half Hell" may have also originated from the area's early reputation for illegal activities, particularly
moonshining
Moonshine is high-proof liquor, traditionally made or distributed illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of distilling the alcohol at night to avoid detection. In the first decades of the 21st century, commercial distilleries hav ...
. Finally, the name may have been a reference to the midway point—"half way to hell"—for local farmers traveling to
Southport
Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...
to pay their taxes.
Greenlands Farm is located in Half Hell. The Half Hell Folk Festival was held at the farm in 2015 and 2017.
Half Hell is also home to Half Hell's Horses and the Brunswick County Buckers youth riding club.