Editing Tar Heel, North Carolina (section)

== History ==
This farming community has a history dating back to the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]]. Colonel [[Thomas Robeson]], for whom [[Robeson County, North Carolina|Robeson County]] was named, lived in the Tar Heel community. His home is located just to the east of the town. It is listed in the [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Bladen County, North Carolina|National Register of Historic Places]] as Walnut Grove.

The town of Mayville, no longer in existence, was on the Robeson and Bladen County line and was the village mentioned in the diary of Elizabeth Ellis Robeson (1847–1866).<ref>{{cite book|last=Robeson|first=Elizabeth Ellis |title=The Diary of Elizabeth Ellis Robeson Bladen County, North Carolina From 1847 to 1866 |edition=Paperback|year=1975|publisher=Bladen Co. Historical Society|OCLC=2924746}}</ref> Just when the village moved to what is now Tar Heel is unknown. During the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], Colonel Thomas Purdie and Captain Daniel Munn, residents of the Tar Heel area, led troops at [[Battle of Gettysburg|Gettysburg]] and [[Fort Fisher]].

The Town of Tar Heel was incorporated by the State of North Carolina in 1963.

The town was known for its landing on the Cape Fear River. The state operated a [[ferry]] at this landing, and it was a major loading point for vessels that transported agricultural goods to the market in [[Wilmington, North Carolina|Wilmington]]. The major product was barrels of [[turpentine]]. Tar Heel had several turpentine stills, and the remains of some of the old stills can be found in the area. The results of transporting the barrels of turpentine, leaking barrels, caused a tar-like material to be found around the landing and the access to the river. When the community people talked of going to the village, it was said they were going to get tar on their heels, thus the name [[Tar Heel]].

The town of Tar Heel is often confused with [[Chapel Hill, North Carolina]], home of the [[University of North Carolina Tar Heels]].

The [[Purdie House and Purdie Methodist Church]] and [[Walnut Grove (Tar Heel, North Carolina)|Walnut Grove]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>