Wadesboro is a town in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Anson County Anson County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,055. Its county seat is Wadesboro. History The area eventually comprising Anson County was originally occupied by Native Ameri ...

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. The population was 5,008 at the 2020 census. The town was originally found in 1783 as New Town but changed by the North Carolina General Assembly to Wadesboro in 1787 to honor Colonel Thomas Wade, a native son, state legislator, and Revolutionary War commander of the

Anson County Regiment The Anson County Regiment was authorized on September 9, 1775 by the Third North Carolina Provincial Congress. The regiment was engaged in battles and skirmishes against the British and Cherokee during the American Revolution in North Carolina, ...

History

Originally named Newtown, the town was renamed by the

North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, state government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...

in 1787 to honor of Colonel Thomas Wade after his service with the

of militia in 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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. In 1900, astronomers determined that Wadesboro would be the best location in North America for viewing a

total solar eclipse A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs approximately every six months, during the eclipse season i ...

. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, then based in Washington, D.C., loaded several railroad cars with scientific equipment and headed to the town. The

Boggan-Hammond House and Alexander Little Wing Boggan-Hammond House and Alexander Little Wing is a historic home located at Wadesboro, Anson County, North Carolina. The original section was built about 1787, and is a restored one-story frame Federal style structure. The house was built ...

United States Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal serv ...

, and Wadesboro Downtown Historic District 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 ...

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the town has a total area of , of which , or 0.20%, is water. Wadesboro is situated west of Rockingham, north of

Cheraw The Cheraw people, also known as the Saraw or Saura,Sebeok, Thomas Albert''Native Languages of the Americas, Volume 2.''Plenum Press, 1977: 251. were a Siouan-speaking tribe of Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands,Swanton''The Indians ...

, east of

Monroe Monroe or Monroes may refer to: People and fictional characters * Monroe (surname) * Monroe (given name) * James Monroe, 5th President of the United States * Marilyn Monroe, actress and model Places United States * Monroe, Arkansas, an unincorp ...

, and south of Albemarle.

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,008 people, 2,022 households, and 1,164 families residing in the town.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 5,813 people, 2,303 households, and 1,428 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,692 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 35.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 60.7%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.2% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.9% some other race, and 1.3% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.8% of the population. There were 2,303 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.1% were headed by married couples living together, 25.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.0% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40, and the average family size was 3.09. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.8 years. For every 100 females there were 81.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.5 males. For the period 2007–11, the estimated median annual income for a household in the town was $32,550, and the median income for a family was $34,522. Male full-time workers had a median income of $38,385 versus $29,297 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $17,055. About 19.0% of families and 22.8% 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 ...

, including 39.1% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Wadesboro is served by the Anson County School District.

Media

* '' The Anson Record'' Television stations available are from the Charlotte Designated Market Area, which Anson County and Wadesboro are a part of. Additionally, the local cable provider carries one station from Columbia,

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

WIS-TV WIS (channel 10) is a television station in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, affiliated with NBC and The CW. The station is owned by Gray Media alongside low-power Telemundo affiliate WTES-LD (channel 16). The two stations share studios ...

Notable people

Thomas Samuel Ashe Thomas Samuel Ashe (July 21, 1812 – February 4, 1887) was an American lawyer and politician who served in the Confederate Congress, and U.S. Congressman from North Carolina. Early years Born in Hawfields, Orange County, North Carolina, he at ...

congressman A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...

from North Carolina; practiced law in Wadesboro * Hugh Hammond Bennett, founder of the Soil Conservation Service, now

Natural Resources Conservation Service Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), formerly known as the Soil Conservation Service (SCS), is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that provides technical assistance to farmers and other private landowners and ...

, president of the

Association of American Geographers The American Association of Geographers (AAG) is a non-profit scientific and educational society aimed at advancing the understanding, study, and importance of geography and related fields. Its headquarters is located in Washington, D.C. The ...

* Risden Tyler Bennett, congressman *

Tom Brewer Thomas Austin Brewer (September 3, 1931 – February 15, 2018) was an American professional baseball player. The right-handed pitcher appeared in 241 games over eight seasons (1954–1961) for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. He was ...

, baseball player * John Culpepper, congressman from North Carolina *

Edmund Strother Dargan Edmund Strother Dargan (April 15, 1805 – November 22, 1879) was a U.S. Representative from Alabama, and then a representative to the Confederate States Congress during the American Civil War. Son of William and Frances Dargan, he was born ne ...

, congressman from Alabama and representative to the

Confederate States Congress The Confederate States Congress was both the provisional and permanent legislative assembly/legislature of the Confederate States of America that existed from February 1861 to April/June 1865, during the American Civil War. Its actions were, ...

during the American Civil War * Thomas F. Davis, fifth

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

bishop of South Carolina; deacon at Calvary Church in Wadesboro *

Ed Emory Edward Harrell Emory Sr. (April 14, 1937 – January 4, 2013) was an American football player and coach. He became East Carolina University's 14th head football coach in 1980. In 1983, he guided the Pirates to an 8–3 record and a #20 ranking i ...

, football player and coach *

Blind Boy Fuller Fulton Allen (July 10, 1904 – February 13, 1941), known as Blind Boy Fuller, was an American blues guitarist and singer. Fuller was one of the most popular of the recorded Piedmont blues artists, along with Blind Blake, Josh White, and Budd ...

, musician * John Gaddy, baseball player * Pryor A. Gibson, III, eight-term member of

* John T. Henley, member of the North Carolina House of Representatives and

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The Senate ...

Cedrick Holt Cedrick Leterris Holt (born December 30, 1983, in Wadesboro, North Carolina) is a former American football cornerback. He was originally signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at the Unive ...

, football player *

Timmy Horne Timothy Horne (born October 25, 1997) is an American professional football nose tackle for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Charlotte 49ers and Kansas State Wildcats. He went undrafted ...

, nose tackle for the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

Alvin Paul Kitchin Alvin Paul Kitchin (September 13, 1908 – October 22, 1983) was a U.S. Congressional representative from North Carolina. Early life Kitchin was born in Scotland Neck, North Carolina, in 1908, the grandson of former congressman William H. Kitc ...

, congressman from North Carolina; practiced law in Wadesboro * Leon Levine, founder of

Family Dollar Family Dollar Stores, Inc. is an American variety store chain founded in 1959 by Leon Levine in Charlotte, North Carolina. With over 8,000 locations in all states except Alaska and Hawaii, it was once the second largest retailer of its type in th ...

variety store chain * James A. Lockhart, congressman from North Carolina; lived in Wadesboro * Gary Porter, former driver of the

Carolina Crusher Carolina Crusher is a monster truck in the Feld Entertainment Monster Jam series. The first version of Carolina Crusher was built in 1985 by Gary Porter. Gary Porter and Carolina Crusher was one of the most popular monster trucks of the 1980s an ...

and Grave Digger Monster Truck * Sylvester "Junkyard Dog" Ritter, professional wrestler * Cornelius Robinson, member of Provisional Confederate Congress * Leonidas D. Robinson, congressman from North Carolina * Jerome Robinson, baseball player * Will Robinson, basketball player * Trinton Sturdivant, football player *

Hoyt Patrick Taylor Hoyt Patrick Taylor Sr. (June 11, 1890 – April 12, 1964) was the 21st Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina from 1949 to 1953. Early life Taylor was born in Winton, North Carolina on June 11, 1890 to Simeon P. and Kate (née Ward) Taylor. E ...

, 21st lieutenant governor of North Carolina; former mayor of Wadesboro * Hoyt Patrick Taylor Jr., speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives and 26th lieutenant governor of North Carolina *

William L. Terry William Leake Terry (September 27, 1850 – November 4, 1917) was an American attorney and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Arkansas's 4th congressional district from 1891 to 1901. Early life a ...

, congressman from Arkansas * John Threadgill, Oklahoma and Texas politician * Colonel Thomas Wade, Revolutionary War hero and legislator

In popular culture

Horror film ''

Evil Dead II ''Evil Dead II'' (also known in publicity materials as ''Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn'') is a 1987 American comedy horror film directed by Sam Raimi, who co-wrote it with Scott Spiegel. The second installment in the ''Evil Dead'' film series, i ...

'' was filmed in Wadesboro, and the Huntley House became the production office for the film. Most of ''Evil Dead II'' was filmed in the woods near that farmhouse, or J.R. Faison Junior High School, which is where the interior cabin set was located.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1783 establishments in North Carolina County seats in North Carolina Populated places established in 1783 Towns in Anson County, North Carolina