Did you know that Bladen County is almost 300 years old? In the span of 290 years a lot can happen. Bladen County has had major changes, improvements, and many other things happen in the years. Let’s talk about how Bladen County was formed and how it changed over the years.
Bladen County was originally inhabited by the Waccamaw Indians. Then Bladen County was founded by the Scottish Highlands in 1734. The Scottish Highlands came to North Carolina seeking religious freedom and found themselves in the Cape Fear Valley. Bladen County was originally a precinct of Bath County and New Hanover County.
In 1754, Bladen County was originally Cumberland County, because Bladen was taken apart from Anson County. Then the remaining part of Bladen combined with part of New Hanover to make Brunswick County. Soon Robeson County was made and then part Bladen County and part of Brunswick County combined to create Columbus County.
Bladen County once was the largest county in North Carolina and was named the “Mother of Counties”. Then 55 counties were formed from Bladen County. This County was named after Martin Bladen, who was a member of the board of trade. Bladen County was a mix of different counties until 1808 when Bladen County became independent.
At one point, Bladen County also contained over 1,000 lakes. These lakes were known to be made by meteors over 100,000 years ago. This county is also known to be the 4th largest county in North Carolina with 875 square miles.
Now Bladen County has a population of almost 300,000 and contains 29 cities. Bladen County is a popular tourist attraction for its bodies of water, like lakes, rivers, etc. Elizabethtown is the “capital” or the county seat of Bladen County.
Bladen County is a great county of almost 300 years of age. It is now known as the “Mother of Counties” and went through many changes to be where it is today. Bladen County has a great history with a lot of information and is full of attractions. “In God we trust” – Bladen County motto.