Sarecta, North Carolina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sarecta, North Carolina
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Formerly incorporated community
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Location of Sarecta circled on 1943 map
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| Country | United States |
| State | North Carolina |
| County | Duplin |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| Area codes | 910, 472 |
Sarecta was a very old town in Duplin County, North Carolina. It was the first town in the county to be officially recognized as a town, which happened in 1787.
The area where Sarecta was located became home to many settlers starting in 1736. These settlers were mostly Ulster Scots, also known as Scotch-Irish, and some Swiss Protestants. They moved to this region, which was then part of New Hanover County. They settled on a large piece of land between the Northeast Cape Fear River and Black River. This land was given to them by the Crown (the British government). Sarecta, which was first called Sorcata, was the very first settlement built in this part of the Northeast Cape Fear area.
Choosing a County Seat
In 1784, a new county called Sampson County was created. It was made from a part of Duplin County. Because of this change, Duplin County needed a new place for its main government offices, called a court house. This new court house needed to be in a more central spot.
Two places were considered for this important role: Sarecta and the area where Kenansville is today. General James Kenan, who Kenansville is named after, made the final decision. He voted against Sarecta, and so Kenansville became the new county seat.
Sarecta Becomes a Town
Even though Sarecta didn't become the county seat, it was still officially established as a town. This happened on January 6, 1787, by a special law from the North Carolina General Assembly. The town's name was spelled "Sarecto" in this law.
Sarecta was planned to be 100 acres in size. This included plots of land for homes and businesses, plus areas for public use, known as a "town commons." In the early 1800s, books that described towns and regions often called "Sarecto" the "chief town" of Duplin County. This meant it was seen as the most important town there at the time.
The Name and Its End
The town of Sarecta was named after Soracte Mountain, which is a famous mountain near the city of Rome in Italy.
Sarecta kept its official town status for a very long time. However, in 1984, the state of North Carolina checked on all its towns. They decided to remove the official status (called a charter) from towns that no longer had a working government. Sarecta was one of these towns, and so its town charter was removed.
Trade and Economy
In its early days, Sarecta played a role in trade. The town would send raw materials, like timber or farm products, to Wilmington. Wilmington was a larger port city where these materials could be shipped to other places.
