Stokes: The History of School, Church, and Agriculture

Stokes in Pitt County, North Carolina, can be understood through several historical themes: the naming of the town in connection with the railroad, the history of its schools and churches, and its agricultural buildings. Stokes was named after William Green Stokes, who opened a store along the railroad line in 1892. Historically, the town was the principal center and post office of Carolina Township.

Agriculture and Rural History

The Eastern Carolina Village and Farm Museum offers hands-on history experiences from the pre-Civil War era to shortly before World War II. Artifacts are preserved in authentic buildings, and costumed interpreters bring history to life. The complex includes an original one-room schoolhouse, a country store, a chapel, a log cabin, and the original barn from the County Home. Stokes is one of the communities featured by the museum in its regional rural history program.

The Thomas Sheppard Farm offers another glimpse into agricultural history, about four and a half miles east of the crossroads village of Stokes. It comprises a largely intact group of residential and agricultural buildings. The buildings were constructed at different times from the late 18th century through the 1930s. The farm focuses on the group of buildings and their long span of construction, while the museum also offers artifacts and costumed historical interpretation.

School and Memories

Stokes Elementary School was a segregated public school in Stokes, Pitt County, with a predominantly African American student body. Matthew T. Lewis was principal from 1952 to 1977. The first issue of the student newspaper The Stokes Pilot was published in April 1965. Its publication year falls within Lewis’s tenure.

The Matthew T. Lewis Papers include photographic prints of students, teachers, staff, and parents of Stokes Elementary School from 1944 to 1977. This period begins before Lewis’s tenure, which started in 1952, and extends through its final year. The newspaper and photographs add different temporal and personal perspectives to the school’s history.

Churches and a Historic Route

St. John Missionary Baptist Church is located at 2921 Briery Swamp Road in Stokes, North Carolina. The Missionary Church was completed in 1904. The church was later first named Piney Grove Baptist Church and then St. John Missionary Baptist Church. When the church was relocated in 2005, a 1.7-mile walking route led from the old church on Highway 903N to the new sanctuary on Briery Swamp Road. The records of Briery Swamp Baptist Church date from 1827 to 1902.

If you plan to visit St. John Missionary Baptist Church, please arrange access with the church in advance.

Discover more destinations: Greenville, Winterville

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