Moncure, founded in 1881, is a small rural

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 southeastern Chatham County,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, 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 counte ...

(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 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 in the town of ...

. 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. 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, 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 List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

, 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, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, 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 (state-operated store selling alcoholic beverages). 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 , known colloquially as the Seaboard Railroad during its time, was an American railroad that existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime ri ...

. Benjamin Womble was a Confederate 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 are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

References

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