Jones County, N.C., wears its rural heritage badge proudly

Jones County, N.C. is a place with a lot of elbow room and wide-open spaces. Breathe in, enjoy and appreciate.

 

With fewer than 9,000 human inhabitants spread over an area of 467 square miles, Jones has a scant density of 18.92 persons per square mile. This contrasts with its favorite neighbor, Carteret County, which has a density score of 137.44. 

Indeed, Jones has plenty of “nature,” which contributes to the “quality of outdoor life” that its residents savor. The Trent River meanders through the county from west to east; it’s a major tributary of the Neuse River. The White Oak River flows along the extreme southern edge of Jones County. 

The Croatan National Forest occupies a good chunk of eastern Jones, and the famous 79,000-acre Hofmann Forest straddles Onslow and Jones counties to the south. (This is America’s largest “laboratory forest,” once a unit of North Carolina State University.)

 

Woodlands cover about 65% of Jones County. Forests provide excellent environments for a rich variety of wildlife. Hunting is one of the most popular activities. Primary game are quail, dove, duck, goose, rabbit, squirrel, raccoon, otter, muskrat, deer and bear. 

In 1886, a fellow named Jonathan Haven promoted Jones as “a land inhabited by kind, hospitable and intelligent people. Land was cheap and fruitful. Tickle it with a plow and it will laugh with a harvest.” 

Jones is about as “rural” as it gets – still basically an agricultural county deriving most of its income from farming and timber activities.

 

Trenton, situated on the Trent River, became the seat of government of Jones County in 1784 by a decree of the state legislature. A few people were already living and working there. A grist mill, owned by brothers Lemuel and Anthony Hatch, began operating as early as 1758. (It’s now known as Brock’s Mill.)

 

During the colonial days, steamboats would travel regularly up the twisty Trent River from New Bern transporting people, crops and supplies. 

Jones County is one of the few places that can truthfully claim: “George Washington slept here.” It was April 22, 1791. 

One historian described the action: “As the first president of the new United States of America, Washington embarked on a tour of the southern states – a product of his desire to visit every state during his term of office.”

 

“He resolved to tour the country to observe the political climate and culture, to thank his supporters and to instill a sense of unity in the new country.” 

“Proceeding from Mount Vernon, Va., via Fredericksburg and Richmond into North Carolina, Washington crossed the Roanoke River into Halifax.” The president’s carriage tour took him to Tarboro, Greenville and New Bern. 

“Washington departed New Bern, after two full days of dining and dancing, headed toward Wilmington. He stopped in Trenton (on April 22) for a meal and then lodged” at a country inn owned by Col. James F. Shine located about 10 miles down the road from Trenton. 

“Upon rising the next morning, the president was asked how he slept. He remarked, “I slept in comfort.” The settlement that grew up around the inn was thereafter named “Comfort.” 

The second U.S. president to visit Comfort was James Monroe in 1819. He and Secretary of War John Calhoun were hosted by Col. Shine’s nephew, James Bryan Shine, at the Shine home. They were on a southern tour of the nation’s harbors and defenses.

 

Each presidential visit to Jones County has been worthy of a commemorative sign from the North Carolina Highway Historical Marker program.