NRT Database

Location: Princeville, NC
State(s): North Carolina
Counties: Edgecombe
Longitude: -77.53739
Latitude: 35.88754

Driving Directions

Parking is available at Princeville Heritage Park (413 Mutual Boulevard) and the Princeville Museum Welcome Center (310 Mutual Boulevard).

Description

In 1865, at the end of the Civil War, freed slaves were drawn to an encampment of Union troops along the Tar River in eastern North Carolina. When the troops left, the settlers stayed, calling the area Freedom Hill. In 1885, they officially chartered the town, renaming it Princeville in honor of its earliest settler, Turner Prince.

The Princeville Heritage Trail, unveiled in 2002, commemorates the historical significance of this oldest city in the United States to have been incorporated by African Americans. The trail runs atop a grassy levee that follows the southern bank of the Tar River, providing scenic views of the waterway.

Less than a half mile from the trail’s western end, the Princeville Museum provides a place to learn about the community’s unique history. Built in 1935, the structure was once a schoolhouse and rests on an even older school site dating back to the late 1800s.

Additional Details

Width: 96 inches.
Primary Surface: Crushed rock, compacted
Secondary Surface: Crushed Rock
Soil

Elevation Low Point: 50
Elevation High Point: 50
Elevation Gain (cumulative): Not Available

Year Designated: 2001

Contact Information

For more information and current conditions, contact the trail manager (listed below). For questions, suggestions, and corrections to information listed on the website, contact American Trails.

Trail Management:
Bobby Hopkins
Town of Princeville
310 Mutual Blvd.
P.O. Box 1527
Princeville, NC 27886 -5230
(252) 641-6816