7. Edgecombe County -- Tarboro -- 4/8/06

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgecombe_County%2C_North_Carolina

We headed out east towards Tarboro, and I noticed a big wooden chair that was laying in the westbound lanes of the highway. So I called highway patrol and told them there was a chair on the highway.

And the peasants rejoiced. Yay.

This was a really cool courthouse and a VERY cool town. I had never been to Tarboro before, and I have to say, I was very impressed. There are blocks and blocks of old, historic looking homes. It's not a streets-worth, it's BLOCKS. All with the southern charm with big trees with branches that droop over the yards, and an enormous village green with monuments and more old trees. The fountain behind us is kinda nasty, so we didn't swim in it. I know that's what you were wondering.

I also wanted to drive through Princeville, which is on the other side of the Tar River from Tarboro. Princeville is the oldest town incorporated by African-Americans in the United States. It was established by freed slaves after the Civil War and incorporated in 1885, built on an unwanted flood plain. If you recall, in 1999 Hurricane Floyd practically wiped this town off the map (yes! Stuff like Katrina has happened in NC, also! Just with fewer people). I wanted to see if the destruction was still apparent, and it was there. There were still buildings in shambles from the flood water, and it was a sad sight to see. But the townspeople have been rebuilding!