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History (page 2)
(Page 1 | Page 2)
The gentlemen who operated the turpentine distillery and general store at old Raeford, located near what is known as the swimming hole on Rockfish Creek, wanted the post office in their store for the convenience of the townspeople. In order to choose a name for the post office, they took a syllable from each of their names...one being John McRae, and one being A.A. Williford...Thus the name "Raeford" was given to the town.
The first newspaper, Facts and Figures was published from March 1905 to early 1911 by D. Scott Poole and in 1911 F. P. Johnson bought the paper and published it until September 1913. He changed the name to The Hoke County Journal. On September 3, 1913, J.W. Johnson and other citizens organized and incorporated the Raeford Publishing Company, with Bion H. Butler as Editor. In January of 1915, D. Scott Poole rented the machinery and again became editor of the paper, which he continued to call The Hoke County Journal. In 1928, Paul Dickson, Sr., started another paper, The Hoke County News, and eventually consolidated the two papers as The News-Journal. Upon Mr. Dickson's death, Mrs. Dickson published the newspaper until 1946 when it was taken over by Paul Dickson, Jr.
In 1918 Little River Township, located in the northern part of the county, was separated from the remainder of Hoke County by the Ft. Bragg Reservation, and in 1958 the 20,000 acres of the township became part of Moore County.
It would be impossible to cover the entire history of all the events that have taken place to bring Raeford and Hoke County to their present level of growth and development. The community has grown and no longer resembles the town that grew out of a need for educating children and transporting cotton to market.
Industrial development has kept the economy alive in spite of the mechanization of farms that has driven many families from agricultural activity during the past thirty years.
Unilever USA-HPC, Burlington Industries, the House of Raeford, Inc., and Tar Heel Turkey Hatchery, are major industrial firms providing employment in Hoke County today. Other business and professional firms provide the bulk of non-farm employment.
New growth and progress are constantly being sought and achieved through the efforts of the Raeford-Hoke Chamber of Commerce and the Raeford-Hoke Economic Development Commission, as well as the progressive business and professional people and private citizens of the town and county.