OurTown

February 27 & 28 | 9:00 AM
Special Board of
Commissioners Meeting:
Strategic Planning Budget
Retreat
March 1 | 8:30 AM
Beautification Committee
Meeting
March 7 | 8:30 AM
Tourism Development
Authority Meeting
March 12 | 4:30 PM
Board of Commissioners
Meeting
March 17 | 2:30 PM
Easter Egg Scramble
March 20 | 12:00 PM
Senior Lunch & Learn
March 21 | 5:30 PM
Planning Board Meeting
UPCOMI NG
Town of Burgaw Weekly Newsletter | February 19-23, 2024
Stay in touch...
Our T own
Happy Birthday, Burgaw!
145
th
SPECI AL EDI TI ON
Reflecting on Burgaw's remarkable journey over the past
145 years, we are a quaint town with a rich history, culture,
and a strong sense of community.
Since its incorporation on February 25, 1879, through an
act of the North Carolina General Assembly, Burgaw has
continually progressed and thrived as the county seat. Once an old
railroad town, we boast as one of the state's oldest depots, alongside
one of its oldest courthouses, home to several historic landmarks, a
beautiful downtown courthouse square, and the proud home of the
North Carolina Blueberry Festival.
We honor and reflect upon Burgaw's storied past, from its founding to its
present stature. With a renewed sense of pride and unity, we look
forward to the future as Burgaw remains a steadfast community.
Everyone is invited to share in the pride of being part of Burgaw's story.
Let's come together to celebrate our past, present, and future.
Burgaw, where we are a good town year-round.
Join us in commemorating the 145th anniversary of
the Town of Burgaw
Mayor Dawson

Our Town | Page 2
Burgaw was a railroad town in every sense of the word. It owed its very existence to the fact that the Wilmington &
Raleigh Railroad Company routed its tracks across the Burgaw Creek, where a small cross -roads trading post had
heretofore existed.
In October, 1836, the work was begun on the tracks of the Wilmington & Raleigh Railroad, later to be called
Wilmington & Weldon and Atlantic Coast Line/Seaboard Railroads. The original company was chartered in January,
1834, and when the last spike was driven on March 7, 1840, this railroad line was the
longest in the world, 161½ miles.
In January, 1854, the post office department began to call this location, Burgaw
Depot. The small trading post had heretofore been called simply “Cypress Grove.” A
more business -like name was used to push the community as far as the railroad
convenience to attract farmers, merchants and other industries. By 1859, the
Wilmington & Raleigh Railroad was renamed the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad.
During the Civil War, the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad served as a life -line of the Confederacy. It carried fresh troops
to the battlefields and brought back the sick and wounded. Military supplies and foodstuffs were carried from the port
of Wilmington to the fighting fronts in Virginia, etc. The depot at Burgaw saw much of the activity during the duration
of the war. The railroad and its depots quickly fell to the Union forces after the surrender of Wilmington on February
22, 1865.
During the reconstruction period following the war, the railroad depot served as a political meeting place and the place
to cast your ballots, which was often a hot time for local politicians which included carpetbaggers, scalawags and
southern sympathizers.
Pender County was separated from New Hanover County in February, 1875, and Burgaw Depot was destined to take on
a new importance. W.H. James, a civil engineer, who was employed by the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad, examined
the land lying between the railroad tracks and Burgaw Creek, and reported it to be a good place for the town and well
situated for drainage.
James laid off a plat containing seventy -three acres of land and divided it into lots and streets. The railroad offered a
deal that if the county courthouse was moved from South Washington to this new location that they would donate one
-half of the town lots to the county, one -fourth of the proceeds to the improvements of the streets, and the remaining
one-fourth for a railroad ticket office and other depot conveniences. Some lots were to be donated by the railroad for
schools and churches. Material for the county buildings would be transported on the railroad at cost and for individual
lot buyers 20% would be deducted the first year for the conveyance of building materials, etc.
On February 6, 1876, the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad Company deeded a plot of
land to the Pender County Board of Commissioners for the establishment of the town
and for the construction of the new courthouse. To honor the Wilmington & Weldon
Railroad and its officials, the county commissioners decided to name the new streets in
the new county seat for them. Bridgers Street was named for Col. R.R. Bridgers, then
president of the railroad; Fremont Street for Col. S.L. Fremont, who had been the
general superintendent of the railroad; Cowan Street also after a former president of
the railroad; MacRae Street for one of the railroad ’s directors, and Dickinson Street for
a prominent mover in locating the railroad where it was now located. Wright Street was named for William A. Wright,
who at the times was attorney for the railroad, and Ashe Street was named for another former railroad president.
The first lot to be sold in the new town of Burgaw Depot was in 1878 to Samuel P. Hand, Sr. By June 1878, seventy -five
lots had been sold in the town. The town was laid off in blocks of six half -acre lots with an alley running through each
block. In December, 1878, the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad Company deeded a lot on the northwest corner of
Fremont and Cowan Streets to the stockholders of the Burgaw Academy.
History of Burgaw
Source: History of Burgaw, N.C., Centennial Edition, by Bill Reaves, 1979
Continued on page 3

Our Town | Page 3
The town of Burgaw was incorporated by an act of the North Carolina General Assembly (Private Laws, Chapter 23) on
February 25, 1879, and on December 8, 1879, the name of the post office was changed from “Burgaw Depot” to just
plain “Burgaw.”
In 1880, J. Henry Moore, was the railroad agent in Burgaw, and John Williams, Jr. was the railroad pump operator. In
May, 1885, the railroad company was having an artesian well bored at the depot in Burgaw for supplying their water
tanks at that place. They bore a well 350 feet into the ground.
The Wilmington & Weldon Railroad engine no. 40, in July, 1886, hauling
a fast mail train, passed through Burgaw while making a record trip from
Weldon to Wilmington in three hours and nineteen minutes. The
distance was over 160 miles. The best run previous to this was made in
three hours and twenty-eight minutes.
In November, 1893, the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad Company
deeded a piece of property to the Burgaw Cemetery Company “to be
used only for a burying ground for the dead, and if at any time in the future shall cease to be used, as such, or is used
for any other purpose, the title to same shall revert to the town commissioners, or their successors in office.”
By 1896, a thriving trade center was developing around the railroad town of Burgaw. It was reported in the EVENING
DISPATCH newspaper of Wilmington, in March, 1896, that “the citizens of the town are largely farmers and truck
growers. This is a very lucrative business in this section of the country, as the soil is rich and well adapted to the raisin g
of all kinds of grain and vegetables. Strawberries are also raised in great profusion and made a specialty by many of the
farmers.” In April, 1898, fifty crates of strawberries were shipped from Burgaw via railroad to the north.
It was reported in the EVENING DISPATCH, April, 1904, that “Burgaw is an industrious community, full of life, tone and
morals. It is the center of a very rich trucking section and the market for strawberries and vegetables is fast becoming
an important one. ” The lumber industry came to Burgaw because of its location on the railroad in 1906 when the
Garysburg Manufacturing Company came to town. It operated until 1927.
In December, 1906, fourteen freight cars of holly were shipped from Burgaw to northern cities for the holidays. The
value of the shipment was about $3,000, which was a large sum at this time.
In April, 1907, again because of the railroad, the Union Brick and Tile Company was organized at Burgaw. They
developed the rich clay beds near Burgaw on the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, and they manufactured ordinary brick,
repressed brick, vitrified brick, tiles and other terra cotta products. The next month, another lumber company came to
town, named the East River Lumber Company.
On July 31, 1912, the North Carolina Agricultural train, operated by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, arrived at Burgaw.
It was conducted by the A. & M. College and the U.S. Agricultural Dept. Lectures were given on livestock, on drainage
and on improved agricultural implements and the importance of better cultivation. About 200 area farmers were in
attendance. The train was called “a college on wheels.”
A railroad stock car, full of cattle, was thrown from the track in October, 1913, while being shunted into a switch at
Burgaw. All the cattle were killed when the railroad car turned over.
The shipping of tobacco by railroad became a noted addition to the town ’s economy. In March, 1920, a large tobacco
warehouse was under construction. In September, 1920, the Burgaw tobacco market opened with several pounds of
the “weed” collected in two warehouses. Cotton was also shipped in bales from a warehouse in Burgaw.
In July, 1921, a 2,000 pound safe was blown open in the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad depot and cash and checks were
stolen. The station agent was Giles Kornegay.
Trucks began to come on the scene replacing some shipments by the railroad by 1923. State Highway No. 40, later U.S.
Highway 117, was constructed through the town of Burgaw.
Prepared by Bill Reaves, 1985
History of Burgaw continued

Our Town | Page 4
City Hall 1954
City Hall 1979
There is a time capsule located in
front of Town Hall that was
sealed at the Centennial
Celebration in 1979, to be opened
by the citizens of the town in
2079. Check out the list of items
sealed in the time capsule!
Did you know?

Our Town | Page 5
Take a stroll down memory lane...

The Town of Burgaw is currently
accepting applications for two (2)
vacancies on the Tourism
Development Authority. Please visit
the town website at burgawnc.gov
for more information and to download an application.
Applications may also be picked up at Town Hall, 109 N.
Walker Street. Completed applications must be submitted to
the Town Clerk at 109 N. Walker Street, Burgaw.
Now seeking members to serve on the
Tourism Development Authority
Our Town | Page 6
Get your tents and bags ready for a fun
“camping trip ” right here in your
hometown! Join Burgaw Police
Department and Burgaw Parks, Recreation
& Tourism staff for ‘Camp with a Cop’ April
19-20 at Rotary Park. The fun begins at
4:00 PM on Friday, April 19th and ends at 11:00 AM on
Saturday, April 20th. This family fun event will feature games,
activities, food, movies and s ’mores! Spots are limited and are
$60 per 20x20 space. Maximum of 6 people per space.
Registration is required; visit burgawnc.gov/camp.
Registration now open for Camp with a
Cop
easter egg Scramble
Save the date! March 17 | 2:30-5:00 PM
Join us for our Annual Easter Egg Scramble on March 17th at Pender Memorial Park! This
event is for families with kids ages 1 -10. Enjoy activities, inflatables, concessions and more
from 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM. Egg scrambles will begin at 4:00 PM with ages 3 and under first,
ages 4-6 will begin at 4:10 PM and ages 7 -10 will start at 4:20 PM. Don’t forget your Easter
baskets! For more information, contact 910-259-1330 or 910-300-6401. This event is hosted by
Town of Burgaw and Pender County Parks & Recreation departments.
NOTICE OF
SPECIAL
MEETING
The Town of Burgaw Board of Commissioners will be holding a special meeting on
Tuesday, February 27, 2024, and Wednesday, February 28, 2024 beginning at 9:00 AM
each day to hold a Strategic Thinking Retreat in preparation of the FY 2024 -2025 budget.
This meeting will be held at the Burgaw Town Center, 108 E. Wilmington Street, Burgaw. All
interested parties are invited to attend.

Burgaw Parks, Recreation & Tourism Presents
ARBORDAY
TREE CEREMONY & CIVEAWAY
Ee
wy
March 22: NC Arbor Day
Tree Planting Ceremony: 10:00 am
Hankins Park | 310 N Walker Street
Tree Giveaway: 3:00-6:00 pm
Courthouse Square | Town of Burgaw residents only
One tree per household | must bring copy of water bill
For more information contact (910) 300-6401
Our Town | Page 7

Mayor
Olivia Dawson
Mayor Pro Tem
James Malloy
Commissioners
Jan Dawson
Bill George
William Rivenbark
Michael Pearsall
Town Manager
James H. Gantt
Town Clerk
Kristin J. Wells
Town Attorney
Zachary Rivenbark
Town Hall
109 N. Walker St.
Burgaw, NC 28425
910-259-2151
mail@burgawnc.gov
www.burgawnc.gov
Office Hours
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday-Friday
PUBLIC WORKS EMERGENCY
RESPONSE NUMBER
PHONE # 910-470-0457
This phone is only answered after hours,
between 4:30 PM - 7:30 AM, and is for
water and sewer emergencies only. Unless
Public Works has been given prior notice
from Town Hall, Public Works cannot turn
your water on due to non -payment shut
off.
2024 RECYCLING SCHEDULE
EAST side of Railroad
Right-of-way
WEST side of Railroad
Right-of-way
“Railroad Right-of-way” is the Train
Depot at 115 S. Dickerson Street
Utilities
663-3445
Parks & Town Events
300-6401
Human Resources
663-3444
Permitting & Inspections
663-3452
Public Works Department
259-2901
Police Department
Non-Emergency
259-4924
Fire Department
Non-Emergency
259-7494
Elected & Appointed
Officials
Board of Commissioners Meetings
Second Tuesday of every month at 4:30 PM
Public Forum/Public Hearings at 5:30 PM
Planning & Zoning Board Meetings
Third Thursday of every month at 5:30 PM
Tourism Development Authority Meetings
First Thursday of every month at 8:30 AM
Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee
Meetings
Second Monday of February, May, August,
November at 5:30 PM
Police Advisory Board Meetings
Third Tuesday of February, May, August,
November at 5:30 PM
Beautification Committee Meetings
First Friday of every month at 8:30 AM
All meetings listed above are open to the
public; oral and written comments
always welcome. The meetings are held
at the Burgaw Town Center, located at
108 E. Wilmington Street, Burgaw, unless
otherwise posted.
Meeting agendas can be found on the
town’s website at BurgawNC.gov.
Notices for cancelations and special
called meetings will be posted on the
town’s website and weekly newsletter
when necessary.
For questions or assistance, please
contact the Town Clerk at 910-663-3441
or kwells@burgawnc.gov.
CURRENT MEETI NG
SCHED ULE
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