Editing Tabor City, North Carolina (section)

=== 1830s–1930s ===
The original community took its name from the first prominent church in the area, the Mount Tabor Baptist Church(now the Tabor City Baptist Church), which itself is named after the biblical [[Mount Tabor]], and was founded in 1838.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tcbaptist.net/about/|title=Tabor City Baptist Church|date=April 25, 2016}}</ref> A village coalesced around the area of the church which was organized as a town shortly after 1840.  The town officially incorporated in 1904.<ref name="columbusco.org" /> The church was originally located near the intersection of what is now Stake Road and East 5th Street.

Business activity started in Tabor City by the mid-1850s, with the development of a saw mill, [[turpentine]] still, grocery store and dry goods store. The [[Atlantic Coast Line Railroad]] located a station in the town in 1886. The turpentine industry was huge in the area throughout the 19th Century.  Many wagonloads of turpentine, rosin and pitch were carried to the rail station in Grist, NC,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mapquest.com/us/north-carolina/grist-nc-283435394|title=Grist, NC - Grist, North Carolina Map & Directions - MapQuest|website=www.mapquest.com}}</ref> for shipment to [[Wilmington, North Carolina]] and other environs. The town was officially incorporated in 1905.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090901/ARTICLES/909019983?tc=ar |title=Tabor City becomes center of media attention |publisher=StarNewsOnline.com |date=September 1, 2009 |access-date=April 22, 2014}}</ref> In 1906, William Fowler donated land for the Tabor City Baptist Church, at the site which has been in continuous use since the completion of the construction and is still currently in use, as of April 2023. The new church and sanctuary was completed in 1908.

Mt. Tabor residents were greatly affected by the [[American Civil War]].  Many volunteered when the war began and many more were conscripted to fill the ranks as the war decimated the combatants.  Men from the area were mainly in two different groups.  At war's beginning, eager young men joined Capt. John B. Stanly's Co.(Columbus Guards # 4), 10th Regt NC Infantry (Volunteers), which became Co D, [[20th North Carolina Infantry Regiment]], NC State Troops, which participated in most of the major battles in the [[Virginia]] theater.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://civilwarintheeast.com/confederate-regiments/north-carolina/20th-north-carolina-infantry-regiment/|title=History of the 20th North Carolina Infantry Regiment in the Civil War}}</ref><ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ncdcr.gov/about/history/historical-publications/roster|title=Civil War Roster &#124; NC DNCR|website=www.ncdcr.gov}}</ref>  At [[Gettysburg, Pennsylvania]], more than sixty-five percent of the regiment were casualties, either from wounds or death.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/civilwar/search-battle-units-detail.htm|title=Battle Unit Details - The Civil War (U.S. National Park Service)|website=www.nps.gov}}</ref>  Older men were later conscripted into Co. G, 51st NC Infantry Regiment,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://civilwarintheeast.com/confederate-regiments/north-carolina/51st-north-carolina-infantry-regiment/|title=History of the 51st North Carolina Infantry Regiment in the Civil War}}</ref> which performed garrison duty at forts in the [[Charleston, South Carolina]] area and [[Fort Fisher]].<ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto2"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.carolana.com/NC/Civil_War/51st_nc_regiment.html|title=North Carolina in the American Civil War - 51st NC Regiment (Infantry)|website=www.carolana.com}}</ref>  It also saw limited action in several of the campaigns in eastern Virginia.<ref name="auto"/>  Townsmen participated in most of the large battles of the Eastern Theater of the war, fighting in the Carolinas and [[Virginia]].<ref>https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2322/ {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}</ref>  
In 1865, [[William T. Sherman]]'s army passed through the area, with outriders foraging for foodstuffs and supplies. The blue columns crossed the [[Pee Dee River]], the [[Lumber River]], and the [[Cape Fear River]], with the cavalry scouting ahead.  Mt. Tabor was not spared by Sherman's foragers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ourstate.com/shermans-march/|title=Sherman's March to the Sea|date=February 6, 2015|website=Our State}}</ref>  Dozens of men never returned home. Widow's weeds were a common sight in this area.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1911763|title=FamilySearch.org|website=www.familysearch.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/widow%27s_weeds|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024132657/https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/widow%27s_weeds|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 24, 2021|title=WIDOW'S WEEDS English Definition and Meaning &#124; Lexico.com|website=Lexico Dictionaries &#124; English}}</ref>  Census records in 1870 and 1880 show many households run by widows in South Williams Township.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/populationschedu1131unit|title=Population schedules of the ninth census of the United States, 1870, North Carolina [microform]|date=January 26, 1965|publisher=Washington : National Archives and Records Service, General Records Administration|via=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/10thcensus0959unit|title = 10th census, 1880, North Carolina &#91;microform&#93;}}</ref>

Strawberries became an important crop in the 1880s when the development of the railroad enabled them to be shipped to markets in the big cities.  The Anderson Shingle Company made shipping containers for strawberries.  In 1910, Bishop Anderson sold out to W.B. Roberts and David James (Dave) Hughes, three years later Dave Hughes bought out Mr. Robert's interest and it became D.J. Hughes & Company "Manufacturers of Anderson Make Strawberry, Cantaloupe, Peach and Grape Crates, Boxes Made to Order, and Lumber," with a yearly output of 150,000 crates.

Cotton fell out of favor when boll weevils negatively impacted crop production. Tobacco became the golden crop and the Border Belt produced prime flue-cured leaf for tobacco companies around the world.  The first [[tobacco]] warehouse was built in 1909, which became a major industry for both the town and the surrounding area. By 1925, the town had several tobacco auction warehouses, two tobacco re-drying warehouses, and a tobacco prizery(a packing plant where tobacco was packed into hogsheads for shipment to tobacco companies in Virginia), all within a block of the railroad tracks.<ref name="auto4">{{Cite web|url=https://digitalsanbornmaps-proquest-com.proxy044.nclive.org/browse_maps/28/5255/25376/26459/337133|title = NC LIVE: Proxy server login}}</ref>  The dominance of tobacco in the community continued until the 1990s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nrcolumbus.com/when-tobacco-was-king/|title=When Tobacco was King|date=February 3, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/north-carolina/tobacco-historic-photos-nc/|title=These 15 Rare Photos Show North Carolina's Tobacco History Like Never Before|author=OnlyInYourState Staff|date=January 24, 2017|website=OnlyInYourState}}</ref>  By 2022, only a few largescale farmers still grow tobacco in the area.

The [[First World War]] took men from the town and deposited them in the trenches of France where they helped the Allied Forces achieve victory against the [[Central Powers]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2568864|title=FamilySearch.org|website=www.familysearch.org}}</ref>

Originally named 'Mt. Tabor', many would shorten the name to 'Tabor' when writing correspondence.  With mail delivery by the [[USPS]], Tabor would be confused with [[Tarboro, North Carolina]] due to the similarities in spelling. By 1935, US Postal authorities demanded a name change and since [[Tarboro]] was much larger, Mt Tabor was told to pick another name.  The town denizens picked [[Tabor City]] as they expected phenomenal growth for the future of this tiny village.<ref name="history">{{cite web |url=http://townoftaborcity.org/history/ |title=History |publisher=townoftaborcity.org |access-date=December 6, 2014}}</ref>

In May 1925, there were no paved streets, no fire department, nor a municipal water supply.  Businesses included: a crate factory, several tobacco industries, a power plant, churches, train station, US Post Office, a hotel, a telephone exchange, many businesses, a prizery(tobacco packing house), agricultural, commercial, and industrial warehouses, a grist mill, a concert hall, and schools.  Tobacco was the main industry.<ref name="auto4"/>

During the later 1920s, a [[boarding house]] opened, often the choice of traveling businessmen, tobacco buyers, and hunters. The owner of the business, would cook for her guests, leaving the pots on the stove for the boarders to serve themselves. A night's stay, including supper and breakfast was $2.00 per day. The business was operated by the family for three generations. The original buildings burned in 1971 and were rebuilt, operating with monthly rental units and a restaurant until 2018.  It is now an event venue under new owners.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wect.com/2018/10/25/tabor-city-restaurants-closing-leaves-residents-heartbroken/|title=Tabor City restaurant's closing leaves residents heartbroken|first=Caroline|last=Burkard|website=wect.com|date=October 26, 2018 }}</ref>

By February 1934, the face of downtown was formed.  A modern-day person would recognize many familiar buildings that appear on the Sanborn Fire Insurance Co. maps of the town for that year.  There was a municipal-owned water source from a deep well. A 75,000 gal elevated water tank on a 75&nbsp;ft steel tower rose above the town. There was one mile of 6" & 8" water lines, giving 45&nbsp;lbs of domestic & fire water pressure.  Businesses noted on those maps included: factories, commercial, and agricultural warehouses, churches, many commercial enterprises, schools, movie theatre, US Post Office, a town hall, a waterworks plant & water tower.  Tobacco was the main industry.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://digitalsanbornmaps-proquest-com.proxy044.nclive.org/browse_maps/28/5255/25377/26460/337134|title = NC LIVE: Proxy server login}}</ref>