Smithfield was chartered in 1777; Selma came with the railroad

Ten months after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Town of Smithfield officially was chartered. However, the origins of the community date back to 1759 when John Smith, one of the area’s earliest settlers, petitioned to operate a ferry where the Neuse River cut through land he owned. The site became known as Smith’s Ferry.

In 1762, Smith’s son, John Smith, Jr., purchased 228 acres of his father’s tract, including the ferry. The younger Smith was 26 years old. In 1771, Smith and his wife took up residency on the land, building a home on a rise overlooking the river and the ferry. The home became a public house, providing overnight accommodations for travelers.

In that year, construction began on Johnston County’s third courthouse not far from Smith’s residence and soon the name Smith’s Ferry was replaced by Johnston County Courthouse. The Town of Smithfield came into being with the inaugural session of the General Assembly of the newly proclaimed State of North Carolina in 1777. Smith had agreed to provide 100 acres for the town and an additional 50 acres for a “commons” along the Neuse River south and west of his riverside home. The tree-shaded Commons is still preserved as a public park.

Growth did not come quickly for Smithfield. Its population remained around 500 until long after the Civil War. Although considered, it did not become the State Capital, so businesses which might have opened in the town went instead to Raleigh. Railroad builders of the mid-19th century bypassed the community, further impeding growth.

Two years after the Civil War ended, a settlement four miles northeast of Smithfield, known as Mitchener’s Station, became the Town of Selma.The town took its name from Selma, Alabama, which had become known as a rail center. The date was May 1, 1867, a day on which history reports lots were sold and a big barbecue dinner and dance were held at a new station on the North Carolina Railroad in Selma.

Johnstonians played important roles with both the War of Independence and the Civil War. One of the major battles of the Civil War took place at Bentonville in 1865.

From early in its history, agriculture has been an economic asset of the area. In the antebellum period, Johnston County was producing corn, wheat, oats, a considerable amount of cotton, and some wool. As the end of the century approached, the county became known for its tobacco production.The Smithfield Tobacco Market has operated for over 100 years and, Johnston County continues to be a strong agricultural county in North Carolina.

The development of the railroad in the nineteenth century brought the first wave of industrial development when textile mills took root. With the building of major highways in the 1950s and 1960s, a number of diverse industries located here.

The Smithfield-Selma area’s destiny seems to be increased urbanization, although agriculture will continue to be a basic means of economic livelihood. With two interstate highways and its proximity to the Research Triangle area, Smithfield and Selma are poised for quality economic growth well into the twenty-first century.

Photos: (Top Right) Raiford Street in downtown Selma in 1910. (Above Left) An artist's renduring of Smith's Ferry across the Neuse River, circa 1770, which eventually led to the creating of the town of Smithfield in 1777.