Freedom Hill, Marker E-97
Posted by: 
drmellow
N 35° 53.408 W 077° 31.844
18S E 271571 N 3974721
Community established here by freed blacks in 1865. Incorporated as Princeville in 1885.
Waymark Code: WMDCW
Location: North Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 05/24/2006
Views: 41
Text on marker:
Freedom Hill
Community established here by freed blacks in 1865. Incorporated as Princeville in 1885.
This historical marker is located on US 258 at NC 33 in Princeville. It was erected in 1988.
According to Linguistics at NC State, Princeville (Freedom Hill) is the oldest incorporated Black town in the United States:
Princeville, North Carolina is the oldest incorporated Black town in the United States. It is located in the Coastal Plain region of eastern North Carolina and lies just south of the Tar River from the county seat of Tarboro in Edgecombe County. Settled just after the Civil War in 1865, Princeville was originally called "Freedom Hill" by the freed slaves who had gathered on this Tar River flood plain seeking refuge at a Union Army camp that was located there.
One of the Freedom Hill settlers, Turner Prince, born a slave in 1843, was instrumental in the early settlement and would eventually have the town named after him. Like many others, Prince used the skilled trade he had learned in slavery, carpentry, to build a free community for his family and other former slaves. In 1873 he bought a half-acre lot and built a "modest" house for his wife, Sarah, and their children Ephraim, Sarah and Cora. Turner Prince symbolized the struggle to move from slavery to self-sufficiency and the deep reverence for land ownership and independence held by this freed-slave community. In 1885 Freedom Hill was officially incorporated and, in honor of the man involved in the building of so many of the town's homes, renamed by its citizens as Princeville.
Read more....
Additionally, wikipedia has an article on Princeville.
Visit Instructions:Photos of your visit to the marker are required, but PLEASE, no old vacation photos taken just because it was there!
Comments about your visit, interesting nearby areas and any significant information you may have on this waymark are encouraged.
Most of all, enjoy the History that North Carolina has to offer! From the Mountains to the Ocean .. it's all here!