by David Brown

It all began when Samuel Northington immigrated from Leeds, England, to Gloucester County, Virginia, in 1681, where he resided for the rest of his life. His grandson, Samuel Northington III, brought the Northington name to North Carolina around 1774, after the death of his first wife, when he moved from Sussex County, Virginia, to the Wake County area of North Carolina, where he resided for three years as a merchant.

In 1777, he moved to northern Cumberland County (now Harnett County) with his large family, where he served in the prominent position of Justice of the Peace and was also elected to three terms in the General Assembly, representing Cumberland County (1796–1803). His extensive land holdings were primarily on the north side of the Cape Fear River around Avent’s Creek, while his son, Jessie Northington, occupied a large amount of land south of the river, mostly east of Campbell Creek.

Between 1777 and 1792, the Northington families, and likely many enslaved people, constructed sections of what became Northington Road between Raleigh and Fayetteville. A law at the time also required all tax-paying males to work on the county’s road system one day each year, as part of his taxes. Crossing of the Cape Fear River was accomplished by taking the Northington Ferry at the mouth of Campbell Creek.

Colton’s 1864 Map. Northington Road highlighted in red from Raleigh toward Fayetteville, crossing the Cape Fear River at Northington Ferry.

The ferry would be propelled by pushing off the river bottom with long poles. Later versions could hold two wagons and four horses and would be pulled up in the mouth of Campbell Creek during periods of high water. After the death of his father in the early 1800s, Jessie followed in his father’s footsteps, serving as Justice of the Peace, taking over the ferry his father established, and operating three riverside mills and a store located near the ferry. Nearby was Jessie’s residence, apparently a two-story house. The story goes that Jessie was celebrating Christmas when he fell from his second-floor balcony with critical injuries. He lingered for a few days, but died on December 30, 1827.

Raven Rock State Park Master Plan photo of original headstone for Jessie Northington.

 By 1835, all of the surviving Northington families moved out west to Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Texas. Those who died, including Jessie, were buried in the Northington Family Cemetery located near the ferry. Enslaved and formerly enslaved people were buried adjacent to the family cemetery. Christy Williams is one long-lived member of the community whom we know was buried here, after she died in 1920 at the age of 101. Early interviews revealed that the cemetery was about two acres, and it currently appears to contain more than 50 graves. Others were laid to rest here from the local African American community, including Nathan Minter, who operated the ferry in 1909 and died on May 20, 1918. The last burial in this cemetery was believed to be in 1938. Many of the undertakers listed for these later burials were friends or neighbors.

A community called Northington appears on old maps as late as 1865, but by 1911, it became Norval, located just off the Northington Road. The second Norval post office operated from 1885 to 1908 and was located just inside the current Raven Rock State Park’s main entrance. After this time, Jessie’s wife, Ann, sold the land to Daniel McIver. Later it came into the possession of John Dobbins.

Ad to sell the late Dobbins Land in The North-Carolinian, Fayetteville, NC, Oct. 12, 1839.

The ferry was still in use at least until the Civil War. In 1903, local residents petitioned the county commissioners to operate the ferry. Rufus Lett was hired as the first ferryman. Another ferryman, Billy Smith, met a tragic end at the river. He was a champion turkey caller in the area, and it seems, while practicing his talent, he was mistaken by a hunter for a turkey and shot dead in 1916.

In 1900, the first bridge was built spanning the river in Lillington, but the ferry continued to operate up until the early 1920s. About seven miles south of Raven Rock State Park, the small community of “Norrington” (a common misspelling and mispronunciation of Northington) exists on Norrington Road, as does the Norrington AME Zion Church.

Today, the all the houses and the store have returned to the earth and are nothing more than a memory, leaving only the name to survive. The only signs of this once bustling area is a lone headstone marking the final resting place of Jessie Northington. The rest of the graves are marked with field stones, a couple of metal stakes on the more recent graves, or nothing at all. But if you venture out and hike down Northington Ferry Trail, you can follow the sunken roadbed, see the occasional wagon ruts, and walk in the footsteps of many before you on their journey along the Northington Road.

View across the Cape Fear River near the place where the Northington Ferry once crossed.

References

• Boddie, Mrs. John Bennett; Historical Southern Families, Chapter: Northington by B. C. Holtzclaw
• Colton’s New topographical map of the eastern portion of the State of North Carolina: with part of Virginia & South Carolina, from the latest & best authorities :: North Carolina Maps
• Hairr, John; “From Mermaid’s Point to Raccoon Falls: A guide to the Upper Cape Fear River”, 1996
• North Carolina’s Digital Heritage · DigitalNC , Historic Online Newspapers
• Raven Rock State Park Master Plan, 1974
• Raven Rock State Park Files, History:
• Harrington, Sion H; “If This Land Could Only Speak…..A guide to the Visible History of Raven Rock State Park”
• Individual interviews with area families
• Breeding, Seth; “Northington Family Since 1691” Manuscript