Hoke County nears 75th birthday
Racford, North Carolina is located
in Hoke County, North Carolina's
99th county. The bill establishing
Hoke County was enacted into law on
February 18, 1911, to become effec
tive on April 3, 1911.
The first officials of the new coun
ty were appointed by the governor to
serve until an election could be held.
Jeptha Poole and W.T. Covington
were appointees as Commissioners to
meet the County Commissioners of
Cumberland and Robeson Counties,
primarily to lay off boundaries of the
new county. Hoke had to assume its
per capita share of the Public in
debtedness of the parent counties,
and pending court cases were
transferred to the new county. These
actions were necessary due to the fact
that the new county had been formed
from land acres formerly within the
other two counties.
Raeford was designed as the county
seat. The Governor had the authority
to appoint the entire slate of first of
ficials, but chose to let a Primary
election by the people select the list.
W.B. McQueen became the first
Clerk of Court, J. Hector Smith, the
Register of Deeds; Edgar Hall the
Sheriff; W.J. McRaney, the
Treasurer and County Commis
sioners were elected as follows: J.W.
Johnson, Chr.; Surveyor, J.L. McFa
dyen; S.J. Cameron, and J. A.
McPhaul, Coronor, Dr. A. P.
Dickson; Supt. of Education, Prof.
J. A. McGoogan; Board of Educa
tion, N.A. McDonald, John A.
Hodgin, and Neill McKinnor; County
Attorney, J.W. Currie; State Senator
(1914) J.W. Johnson; and State
Representative (1914) Thomas
McBryde.
The county initially contained
268,000 acres with a population of
about 10,000. There were no paved
roads and the economy was strictly
based on cotton. The only high
school in Hoke County was Raeford
Institute, established by Dr. and Mrs.
A. P. Dickson who were highly con
cerned for the education of their 13
children. With the assistance of J.W.
McLauchlin and McRae family
donated four acres of land and the
school was founded in 189S. Marcus
J. Dew and J. P. Smith had charge of
the construction.
In the fall of 1903 the main
building burned, and the school was
moved to the Presbyterian Church,
and four months later was moved in
to a new building... later the number
of buildings for the Institute grew to
nine. In 1910 the school had an
enrollment of 325 students. Raeford,
which was charted in 1901, was com
posed almost exclusively of people
who moved to the community in the
interest of their children.
Raeford was formerly located on
the site of a cotton field, with those
few families who had settled there
making up the population in 1898. In
1899, the Aberdeen and Rockfish
Railroad was extended to the present
location, and the new Raeford was
started. When the first train came
down the track, it is said that the
teachers let the children from the in
stitute walk through the woods to
meet the train.
The gentlemen who operated the
turpentine distillery and general store
at old Raeford, located near what is
known as the swimming hole on
Rockfish Creek, wanted a post office
in their store for their convenience
and the town people also. In order to
choose a name for the post office,
they too a syllable from each of their
names. .one being John McRae, and
one being A.A. Williford...Thus the
name "Raeford" was given to the
town.
The first newspaper, "Facts and
Figures" was published from March
1905 to early 191 1 by S.D. Poole, and
in 1911 F.P. Johnson bought the
paper and published it until
September 1913. He changed the
name to Hoke County Journal. On
September 3, 1913, J.W. Johnson
and other citizens organized and in
corporated the Raeford Publishing
Company, with Bion H. Butler as
editor. In January of 1913, S.D.
Poole rented the machinery and again
became editor of the paper, which he
continued to call the Hoke County
Journal. In 1923 Paul Dickson, Sr.
started another paper, the Hoke
County Journal, and consolidated the
two pages as the News- Journal. Paul
Dickson, Jr. became publisher of the
News-Journal upon Mr. Dickson,
Sr.'s death.
In 1918, Little River township,
located in the northon part of the
county, was separated from tbe re
mainder of Hoke County by the R.
Brats Reservation, and in 19St the
20,000 acres of the township lien?
part of Moore County. ; ?
It would be impossible to com the
entire history of all the events which
have taken place to brim Radford
and Hoke County to their present
level of growth and development .The
community has grown and no longer
resembles the town that grew out erf a
need for ahoihg and
transporting cotton to market.
Industrial development has kept
the economy alive in spite of the
machination of farms that had driven
many families from agricultural ac
tivity during the past twenty years,
Faberge, Inc., Tex-Elastic, Corpora
tion; Raeford Turkev Farms, Inc.,
and the PadfK Mills division of Burl
ington Industries, Inc. are the four
major industrial firms providing
employment in Hoke County today.
In addition to these, the Upcharch
Milling Co., Raeford Lumber Co.,
Hoke Concrete Co., and Hoke Oil
and Fertiliser Co. offer needed sup
plements to the economy of the area.
Other business and professional firms
provide the bulk of non-farm
employment.
New growth and progress is con
stantly being sought and achieved
through the efforts of the Raeford
Hoke Chamber of Commerce and the
more progressive business and profes
sional people and private citizens of
the town and county.
ABERDEEN ROCKFISH
RAILROAD
"The Road of Persona! Service"
[BERDEEN
POCKFISH
AV RR CQ '
CALL 944-2341
or
WRITE P.O. BOX 917
ABERDEEN, N.C.
28315
Serving: Moore County
Hoke County
Cumberland County
Serving: Industry of N.C.
Serving: Ft. Bragg
and
National Defense
The A & R Railroad's diesel loco
motives move freight daily through
the finest industrial development
sites (in the N.C. Sandhills) between
Aberdeen and Fayetteville. President
Robert Veasey invites your inspection
of prime locations currently available
to serve your growth needs.
JOHN BLUE
ROBERT VEASEY
DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE