Editing Jacksonville, North Carolina (section)

==History==
The end of the [[Tuscarora (tribe)|Tuscarora]] wars in 1713 and the forced removal of [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] tribes was followed by permanent settlement of the regions between [[New Bern, North Carolina|New Bern]] and [[Wilmington, North Carolina|Wilmington]]. The [[New River (eastern North Carolina)|New River]] became a major production center for naval stores like [[turpentine]].  The downtown waterfront park is built on the site original site of Wantland's Ferry.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=History of Jacksonville {{!}} Jacksonville, NC - Official Website |url=https://www.jacksonvillenc.gov/103/History-of-Jacksonville |access-date=2022-11-06 |website=jacksonvillenc.gov}}</ref>

In 1752, a devastating hurricane destroyed the county seat of Johnston, and Wantlands Ferry, located further up the New River, at the present site of Jacksonville,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mercantini |first=Jonathan |date=2002 |title=The Great Carolina Hurricane of 1752 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/27570598 |journal=The South Carolina Historical Magazine |volume=103 |issue=4 |pages=351–365 |jstor=27570598 |issn=0038-3082}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> was chosen as the site of the new county courthouse. The area was later known as Onslow Courthouse. In 1842, the town was incorporated and renamed Jacksonville in honor of former U.S. President [[Andrew Jackson]].<ref name=":1" />  The town was briefly captured and occupied in November 1862 by a raiding party led by [[U.S. Navy]] Lt. [[William B. Cushing]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=New River, Battle of |url=https://www.ncpedia.org/new-river-battle |access-date=2022-11-06 |website=NCpedia.org}}</ref>

Jacksonville and Onslow County continued to rely on naval stores, lumber, and tobacco crops for industry. In 1939, Colonel George W. Gillette of the [[U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]] surveyed and mapped the area from [[Fort Monroe, Virginia]] to [[Fort Sumter]], [[South Carolina]] which included the Onslow County coastline and the New River. The map is believed to have fostered the interest of the War and Navy Departments in establishing an amphibious training base in the area. Congressman [[Graham Arthur Barden]] of New Bern lobbied [[United States Congress|Congress]] to appropriate funds for the purchase of about {{convert|100,000|acre|km2}} along the eastern bank of the New River. The establishment in 1941 of Marine Barracks, New River, later renamed [[Camp Lejeune|Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base]], led to the relocation of 700 families. While the landowners were compensated, many of the families displaced were sharecroppers who did not own the land on which their houses were built, and did not receive compensation for their structures. Some African American families were able to purchase property from Raymond Kellum and established the community of Kellumtown. Other displaced families established communities in Georgetown, Pickettown, Bell Fork, and Sandy Run. The latter communities have since been absorbed by Jacksonville. Colonel Gillette had planned to retire near the small village of Marine, ironically named after a local family whose surname was Marine, but lost his land to the acquisition, as well.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History |url=https://www.lejeune.marines.mil/visitors/history.aspx#:~:text=Near%20the%20end%20of%201942,Marines%20trained%20or%20based%20here. |access-date=2022-11-06 |website=www.lejeune.marines.mil}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Camp Lejeune |url=https://www.ncpedia.org/camp-lejeune |access-date=2022-11-06 |website=NCpedia.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Camp Lejeune, NC {{!}} History |url=https://www.camplejeunehousing.com/history |access-date=2022-11-06 |website=camplejeunehousing.com}}</ref>

Construction of Camp Lejeune caused a population explosion in the small town of about 800 inhabitants, as new workers migrated to the area. Growth continued to be fueled by both young Marine families and military retirees. Today, Jacksonville's primary industry is retail sales and services. The primary migration draw continues to be the [[U.S. Marine Corps]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jacksonville, North Carolina Employment |url=https://www.citytowninfo.com/places/north-carolina/jacksonville/work |access-date=2022-11-06 |website=citytowninfo.com |language=en}}</ref>

The [[Bank of Onslow and Jacksonville Masonic Temple]], [[Mill Avenue Historic District]], and [[Pelletier House|Pelletier House and Wantland Spring]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>

In 2016, Jacksonville became the first jurisdiction to adopt a paid holiday honoring the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which made slavery in the United States and its territories illegal.  The resolution of adoption mentions "the prevention of the modern slavery" which it describes as "human trafficking", including child labor and military service.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weston |first=Annette |date=2019-12-05 |title=Jacksonville may be first U.S. city to make anniversary of 13th Amendment a city holiday |url=https://wcti12.com/news/local/jacksonville-may-be-first-us-city-to-make-anniversary-of-13th-amendment-a-city-holiday |access-date=2022-10-08 |website=WCTI |language=en}}</ref>