Duplin County, North Carolina

Duplin County Courthouse

I drove down to Duplin County to explore over the winter break, and had a fun time! Duplin County is a very rural county, and a pretty one. Duplin County was formed in 1750 from New Hanover County. (Later, Sampson County was created from part of Duplin County.) The county seat is Kenansville, named after State Senator James Kenan, a brigadier general in the Revolutionary War.

After a nice drive through the town of Warsaw, I found the town of Magnolia next. I enjoyed looking around Magnolia, and even found the library (which shouldn't be a surprise to those who
know me! Speaking of libraries and books, there's a book by a Magnolia native, Clara Baker McGrath, called Magnolia Girl's Adventures. After graduating from high school, she left Magnolia for Washington, DC, to work for the FBI.

Magnolia Cemetery

I also visited the Magnolia Cemetery, where I found a geocache.

Next, I visited the unincorporated community of Chinquapin. It's a small town with a rich history. It also has a couple of notable former residents. Caleb Bradham, inventor of Pepsi, was born there. Also, American author Randall Kenan spent time on the family farm in Chinquapin as a young child.

My last stop in Duplin County was in the town of Rose Hill. I stopped at the Duplin Winery, the largest winery in North Carolina. I didn't have take time for a tour that day, but I enjoyed a late lunch at the Bistro there. After lunch, I went down the street to visit The World's Largest [Operational] Frying Pan. It was covered up the day I was there. It would be interesting to see the frying pan in action!

World's Largest Frying Pan in Rose Hill

The rest of my Duplin County photos are here.