Gates County | |
|---|---|
 OldGates County Courthouse in Gatesville | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofNorth Carolina | |
 North Carolina's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:36°26′N76°42′W / 36.44°N 76.70°W /36.44; -76.70 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  North Carolina |
| Founded | 1779 |
| Named after | General Horatio Gates |
| Seat | Gatesville |
| Largest community | Gatesville |
| Area | |
• Total | 345.74 sq mi (895.5 km2) |
| • Land | 340.61 sq mi (882.2 km2) |
| • Water | 5.13 sq mi (13.3 km2) 1.48% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 10,478 |
• Estimate (2024) | 10,299 |
| • Density | 31.56/sq mi (12.19/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | gatescountync |
Gates County is acounty located in the northeastern portion of theU.S. state ofNorth Carolina, on the border withVirginia. As of the2020 census, the population was 10,478,[1] making it thefifth-least populous county in North Carolina. Itscounty seat isGatesville.[2] Gates County is included in theVirginia Beach-Chesapeake, VA-NC Combined Statistical Area.[3] It is part of theAlbemarle Sound area of theInner Banks.
As in other areas along the waterways, Indigenous peoples of the Americas lived in this region for thousands of years, with different groups leaving and new ones migrating to settle again. They created settlements, increasingly permanent, along theChowan River.[4]
At the time of European contact, theChowanoke were the largest tribe in North Carolina of the many in theAlgonquian language family and it occupied most of the territory along the river. After suffering dramatic population decreases by the early 17th century due toinfectious diseases from Europe, which they had no immunity to, most of the survivors were pushed out by encroachingTuscarora, anIroquoian-speaking tribe.[5]
In 1585, theRalph Lane Colony explored the Chowan River at least as far up as present-dayWinton.[6] In 1622, theJohn Pory Colony led an expedition from Virginia to the Chowan River.[7] (Pory was secretary of the Province of Virginia.) In 1629,Sir Robert Heath was granted apatent to settle Carolina. This patent embraced Gates County.[8]
The Chowanoke waged war against the encroaching colonists in 1644 but they ultimately lost.[9] During the 1650s, colonists from Virginia began to move increasingly into theAlbemarle Sound region. Colonel Drew and Roger Green led an expedition into the Albemarle area. In 1654, Francis Speight was granted a patent for 300 acres (1.2 km2) of land near Raynor Swamp. The first English settlement in Gates County was established near Corapeake in 1660. In 1670, Colonel Henry Baker ofNansemond County obtained a grant of land for 2,400 acres (9.7 km2) nearBuckland.
The Chowanoke renewed their effort to expel the colonists, warring from 1675 to 1677. Following the English defeat of these forces, in 1677 they created aChowanoke Indian Reservation, the first within the present-day United States. The 11,360-acre reservation was established at the Chowanoke settlement between Bennett's Creek and Catherine Creek in Gates.[9]
From 1684 to 1722 Gates County was a part of the Chowan precinct. In 1711, the Society for thePropagation of the Gospel established anAnglican school for Chowanoke and other local Indians at Sarum, with a Mr. Mashburn as the teacher.[10] During the 18th century, the Chowanoke lost most of their land, selling off portions to help the tribe survive. Men's names were recorded in tribal conveyances, and many descendants can trace their ancestry to these families. Some members began to intermarry with other tribes, such as the nearbyMeherrin people, as well as Englishmen and Africans.[9]
In 1738, local settlers created a mail route fromSuffolk, Virginia toCorapeake, North Carolina andEdenton, North Carolina. The stagecoach route crossed the Chowan River atBarfield.[11]
Gates County was organized in 1779 from parts ofChowan,Hertford, andPerquimans counties. It was named for GeneralHoratio Gates,[12] who had commanded the victorious American colonial forces at theBattle of Saratoga in 1777.
In 1806, white settlers established Middle Swamp Baptist Church as the firstBaptist church in Gates County. This accompanied theSecond Great Awakening revival inthe South after the American Revolution, which was led by Baptist andMethodist preachers. In 1811, Savages United Methodist Church was established, the oldest Methodist Church in Gates County. Both denominations preached both toenslaved blacks as well as white residents, and they accepted slaves and free blacks as members and sometimes even as preachers.[citation needed]
The Chowanoke Indians lost their last 30-acre plot of communal land in 1821. Although Gates County residents were mostly yeomen farmers who owned few slaves, the South overall still had a slave society which classified people as either black or white. However, the Native Americans managed to maintain their culture and absorbed people of other races in theirmatrilinealkinship systems. The Chowanoke were increasingly classified asfree people of color, as wherefree blacks andmulattos.[13] In the antebellum, Gates County—like several other North Carolina border counties—also became to home to a substantial number of free blacks who sought better treatment in North Carolina than in other states, with 361 recorded in the1860 census.[14]
In 1825, theMarquis de Lafayette travelled through Gates County and was entertained at Pipkin's Inn.[15] The town of Gatesville was incorporated in 1830.[14] Theold courthouse was built in 1836. Its oldest remaining component is its Federal-style bell, which the town had purchased in 1781.
According to the1850 census, only 15 of the county's 717 farms produced cotton. In 1851, the Reynoldson Academy was established.Free people of color, who were often of mixed race, organized New Hope Baptist Church in 1859.[citation needed]
County residents worked to develop better connections to major ports. From 1805 to 1822, they excavated the White Oak Marsh Canal or Hamburg Ditch (now known as Cross Canal), about three miles (4.8 km) south of the Virginia line. It was Gates County's water route to the major port ofNorfolk, running straight east for ten miles (16 km) through theDismal Swamp, from a landing on Daniels Road in Gates County to theDismal Swamp Canal[16] that led to Norfolk.
The Cross Canal is no longer a through route, as it was blocked by hurricanes that toppled trees and blocked access. Until the late 20th century, sportsmen in small boats used the Gates County end, at the site of the town of Hamburg, to enter the swamp.[16]
Prior to theAmerican Civil War, most of Gates County was covered with virgin timber. In 1861, A. J. Walton was chosen as Gates County's representative to the North Carolina secession convention. After North Carolina voted to secede, the "Gates Guard"company was formed raised to protect its borders. It was soon joined by a second company, the "Gates Minutemen". However, Gates County's greatest contribution was in supplying food to theConfederate States Army. GeneralWilliam P. Roberts would become the youngest general.[17] Brigadier GeneralLaurence S. Baker, another Gates County native, lost his right arm in the war.[18][14]
Jack Fairless of Gates County was dishonorably discharged from the Confederate army for stealing. He returned home and formed an outlaw band known as the "Buffaloes". Made up of draft dodgers, Confederate deserters, and renegades from both armies, Fairless's Buffaloes terrorized the old men, women, children who were trying to keep their farms going. Fairless was finally killed by his own men when they turned on him.[citation needed]
Fort Dillard was a Confederate post in Gates County, though the county was sometimes subject to Union raids. The story of the "Ellis Girls" is told even today. While fishing in the Chowan River, the sisters saw aUnion gunboat on its way upriver to attackWinton. Union soldiers from the gunboat seized the girls and kept them prisoner on until they had finished burning down the town.[citation needed]
In 1878, Jethro Goodman introduced peanuts into Gates County.Thad Eure, a Secretary of State, was born here in 1899.[citation needed]
On May 9, 1925, the first bridge opened across the Chowan River between Gates and Hertford counties. In 1925,U.S. Route 158 opened between Gates andPasquotank counties, constructed through theGreat Dismal Swamp.[19]
In the 1930s Gates County still had no paved roads and few people owned automobiles. Most families grew their own produce and some raised livestock. In 1935 during theGreat Depression, the Sunbury Ruritan Club was established, the first and oldest Ruritan chapter in the state. The civic organization of men was active in improving the town: "in its first three months..., the Sunbury Ruritan Club sponsored a Community Agriculture Fair; contacted NC DOT to place a stop signal at the Edenton-to-Suffolk Road; purchased school books for needy children; paid one-half the cost of new shades for the school; had the school piano tuned; and later made a contribution to the school's basketball team and sponsored a move to hire a police officer to serve the community."[20]
Beckford Junction was a train switch in the city that enabled trains to go to Suffolk, Elizabeth City, or Edenton. Beckford Junction was abandoned in 1940. The last passenger train serving Gates County ended service in 1954. That year the Gates County Historical Society was established.[21]
In 1973 A.B. Coleman donated 925 acres (3.74 km2) of land in the Millpond to the state. This was the basis of theMerchants Millpond State Park.[citation needed]
In 1984 atornado struck Gates County, killing two people and causing an estimated $500,000 to $5,000,000 worth of damage.Hurricane Floyd hit Gates County in 1999.[citation needed]
In September 2007 Gates County was chosen as a potential site for aUS Navylanding field in the northeastern part of the state.[citation needed]
In 2014 Delois Chavis, aChowanoke descendant, worked with other Chowanoke to buy 146 acres of the tribe's former reservation land near Bennett's Creek. She had grown up knowing of her Native American identity from her parents and grandparents, and is among those who want to revive the tribe. They have organized as the Chowanoke Indian Tribe, and plan to build a cultural center on the land to help their efforts.[9]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 345.75 square miles (895.5 km2), of which 340.61 square miles (882.2 km2) is land and 5.13 square miles (13.3 km2) (1.48%) is water.[22]
The counties of Gates, Perquimans, Camden and Currituck contain sixty percent of the Great Dismal swamp.[23] In 1973, Union Camp donated the land which it owned in the swamp tothe Nature Conservancy. The Conservancy next donated the land to the Department of The Interior, and theGreat Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge was created. The refuge consists of 107,000 acres (430 km2) of swamp andwetlands surroundingLake Drummond.[24]
In 1811, the Norfleet family built the first dam at the millpond. At that time, it consisted of around 750 to 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of water. The mill ground corn. In 1856 the Millpond was sold and became known as Williams Millpond.
In 1910, Charles Lawrence purchased the Millpond. It became known as Merchants Millpond. In the 1960s A. B. Coleman purchased the Millpond. In 1973, A.B. Coleman donated 925 acres (3.74 km2) of the land to North Carolina under the condition that it was to become a state park. Today Merchants Millpond occupies 3,200 acres (13 km2).
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 5,386 | — | |
| 1800 | 5,881 | 9.2% | |
| 1810 | 5,965 | 1.4% | |
| 1820 | 6,837 | 14.6% | |
| 1830 | 7,866 | 15.1% | |
| 1840 | 8,161 | 3.8% | |
| 1850 | 8,426 | 3.2% | |
| 1860 | 8,443 | 0.2% | |
| 1870 | 7,724 | −8.5% | |
| 1880 | 8,897 | 15.2% | |
| 1890 | 10,252 | 15.2% | |
| 1900 | 10,413 | 1.6% | |
| 1910 | 10,455 | 0.4% | |
| 1920 | 10,537 | 0.8% | |
| 1930 | 10,551 | 0.1% | |
| 1940 | 10,060 | −4.7% | |
| 1950 | 9,555 | −5.0% | |
| 1960 | 9,254 | −3.2% | |
| 1970 | 8,524 | −7.9% | |
| 1980 | 8,875 | 4.1% | |
| 1990 | 9,305 | 4.8% | |
| 2000 | 10,516 | 13.0% | |
| 2010 | 12,197 | 16.0% | |
| 2020 | 10,478 | −14.1% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 10,299 | [26] | −1.7% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[27] 1790–1960[28] 1900–1990[29] 1990–2000[30] 2010[31] 2020[1] | |||
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 6,705 | 63.99% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 3,022 | 28.84% |
| Native American | 64 | 0.61% |
| Asian | 21 | 0.2% |
| Pacific Islander | 10 | 0.1% |
| Other/Mixed | 455 | 4.34% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 201 | 1.92% |
As of the2020 census, there were 10,478 people, 4,638 households, and 3,205 families residing in the county.
At the2010 census,[33] there were 12,197 people, 3,901 households, and 2,933 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 31 people per square mile (12 people/km2). There were 4,389 housing units at an average density of 13 units per square mile (5.0 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 63.7%White, 33.2%Black orAfrican American, 0.5%Native American, 0.1%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 0.6% fromother races, and 1.8% from two or more races; 1.4% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 3,901 households, out of which 34.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.20% weremarried couples living together, 13.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.80% were non-families; 21.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.70% under the age of 18, 6.10% from 18 to 24, 29.10% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,647, and the median income for a family was $41,511. Males had a median income of $32,227 versus $21,014 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $15,963. About 14.50% of families and 17.00% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 17.90% of those under age 18 and 26.20% of those age 65 or over.
Gates County is run by acouncil–manager government.[34] The county is led by a five-member board of commissioners. Each member, while representing a single constituency, is elected at-large in staggered four-year terms. Presided over by a chairman elected by the commissioners from among their members for a one-year term, the board is responsible for adopting the county's budget, fixing the local property tax rate, and setting priorities for county government.[35] The county manager is responsible for overseeing most of county administration and executing the will of the board.[34]
Gates County is a member of theAlbemarle Commission regional council of governments.
Gates County had previously supported a Republican in federal elections only inRichard Nixon's 1972 landslide, but broke this tradition to supportDonald Trump in 2016, 2020, and 2024.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 95 | 10.65% | 618 | 69.28% | 179 | 20.07% |
| 1916 | 309 | 27.22% | 826 | 72.78% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1920 | 327 | 29.12% | 796 | 70.88% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 215 | 24.02% | 679 | 75.87% | 1 | 0.11% |
| 1928 | 558 | 49.38% | 572 | 50.62% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 89 | 6.91% | 1,198 | 93.01% | 1 | 0.08% |
| 1936 | 128 | 7.94% | 1,484 | 92.06% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 108 | 7.22% | 1,388 | 92.78% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 153 | 12.16% | 1,105 | 87.84% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 89 | 8.24% | 939 | 86.94% | 52 | 4.81% |
| 1952 | 364 | 22.59% | 1,247 | 77.41% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 341 | 21.51% | 1,244 | 78.49% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 385 | 19.91% | 1,549 | 80.09% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 556 | 24.62% | 1,702 | 75.38% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 406 | 14.58% | 1,151 | 41.34% | 1,227 | 44.07% |
| 1972 | 1,264 | 51.01% | 1,177 | 47.50% | 37 | 1.49% |
| 1976 | 722 | 23.84% | 2,291 | 75.66% | 15 | 0.50% |
| 1980 | 957 | 27.60% | 2,435 | 70.23% | 75 | 2.16% |
| 1984 | 1,694 | 43.10% | 2,225 | 56.62% | 11 | 0.28% |
| 1988 | 1,451 | 41.64% | 2,024 | 58.08% | 10 | 0.29% |
| 1992 | 1,158 | 30.20% | 2,206 | 57.54% | 470 | 12.26% |
| 1996 | 1,072 | 30.27% | 2,155 | 60.84% | 315 | 8.89% |
| 2000 | 1,480 | 42.95% | 1,944 | 56.41% | 22 | 0.64% |
| 2004 | 1,924 | 47.47% | 2,121 | 52.33% | 8 | 0.20% |
| 2008 | 2,547 | 46.99% | 2,830 | 52.21% | 43 | 0.79% |
| 2012 | 2,564 | 47.52% | 2,786 | 51.63% | 46 | 0.85% |
| 2016 | 2,874 | 53.30% | 2,385 | 44.23% | 133 | 2.47% |
| 2020 | 3,367 | 56.39% | 2,546 | 42.64% | 58 | 0.97% |
| 2024 | 3,538 | 60.29% | 2,268 | 38.65% | 62 | 1.06% |
Most of Gates County's revenue comes from property taxes on personal property, with a small percentage coming from commercial sources.
The main industries are agriculture and forest products. Heritage tourism and recreation are increasing in importance.
Gates County Schools has five schools ranging frompre-kindergarten totwelfth grade. Those five schools are separated into onehigh school (Gates County Senior High School), onemiddle school, and threeelementary schools.[37]
Gates County is quite prideful in its high school athletics. Gates County High School has won a state championship in football, in 1971. That team was led by legendary coach, Pete Smoak. Most recently, the football team has been successful in the Tar-Roanoke Conference, and winning the conference in 2010. The Red Barons galvanized the entire northeastern part of North Carolina, as it went on its improbable run, winning 11 games in a row, and going undefeated in the conference. This team was led by current head coach, Matt Biggy. In 2023 the Red Barons soccer team went undefeated in conference play[38] and set a school record for soccer wins in a season, led by head coach Dominic Ross.[39] It is home to many athletes, including Thomas Smith, formerly of the Buffalo Bills, and Walter Smith I, formerly of the Toronto Argonauts.
Rosenwald Schools were schools set up by money from theRosenwald Fund. This fund was created in 1917 byJulius Rosenwald, Chicago businessman and head of Sears Corporation to encourage construction of schools, mostly in the South, for rural black children who were underserved by the segregated public school system. The fund required communities to raise matching funds, including the use of public money and the support of school boards. At the time, the school boards were run by whites. Blacks had beendisfranchised throughout the South since the turn of the century, so services for them were typically underfunded.
Black communities strongly supported the schools, raising money, and sometimes contributing both land and labor. In effect they taxed themselves twice to support education. The schools were built to model designs developed byarchitects atTuskegee University, ahistorically black college. The Rosenwald Fund stimulated the construction of more than 4,977 schools and related structures for African-American children before the program ended in 1948 when the fund was depleted.
Seven Rosenwald Schools built in communities in Gates County. In some areas, such schools have been converted to community centers and other uses.[40]
Geographic data related toGates County, North Carolina atOpenStreetMapPlaces adjacent to Gates County, North Carolina | |
|---|---|
Municipalities and communities ofGates County, North Carolina,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Town |  | |
| CDP | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
