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The
two most important developmental forces
in Martin County, the arrival of
railroad transportation and the
proliferation of profitable lumber mills
combined to become major catalysts for
the birth of Parmele.
The
Wilmington and Weldon Railroad began
construction around 1890 to extend its
north-south line down through Martin
County on a location near the
Parmele-Eccleston Lumber mill. This
chosen tract of land centering on the
Albemarle and Raleigh Railroad developed
so rapidly after the line was completed
that on February 14, 1893 the General
Assembly incorporated it into the town
of Parmele. In 1895, a third railroad
line was extended from Parmele
southeasterly to Washington making this
newly-formed town the junction of
railroad lines leading in five
directions. By 1896 it had two lumber
mills, ten general stores, one
confectionery, and a population of 200
residents. A devastating fire in 1904
destroyed much of the town’s business
sections along the railroads and, along
with the declining available timber, may
have accounted for the closure of those
two lumber companies.
During the
1910s Parmele became noted as the
location of a very successful industrial
institute for African-American
children. Directed by Dr. William C.
Chance, the institute taught not only
academic learning but also agricultural,
mechanical, and home-making skills.
After a merger with the town’s public
school, the Parmele Industrial Institute
was moved into the first brick school
building erected for either race in
Martin County. The institute achieved
regional acclaim, eventually occupying a
six-building campus. Unfortunately, the
main structure was destroyed by fire in
1954 causing the school to be
consolidated into Robersonville’s public
school for blacks.
Parmele
still seemed to thrive on the commerce
brought to it as the juncture of three
railroad lines, and despite an
increasing reliance on automobiles and
trucks after the 1910s, the town’s
population grew or remained steady
during the mid-20th century,
peaking to 417 in 1940. Though improved
state highways soon avoided what was
left of the old commercial section, the
town continues to supply its residents
with basic goods through the presence of
a general store. The railroad tracks
serve as mute testaments to Parmele’s
railroad heyday.
Info
from Martin Architectural Heritage:
The Historic Structures of Rural North
Carolina County, edited by Thomas R.
Butchko. |
