Pembroke is a town in
Robeson CountyRobeson County is in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2004, the county had a population of 126,469—an increase of 2.54% from the 2000 census. Robeson County was incorporated in 1787 from Bladen County, and was named in honor of Col. Thomas Robeson of Tar Heel, North Carolina for his...
,
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,399, at the 2000 census, 89% of which is
Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
. The town is the tribal seat of the
LumbeeThe Lumbee are a Native American tribe recognized by the state of North Carolina. The name "Lumbee" is derived from the region near the Lumber River that winds through Robeson County, North Carolina....
Indian Tribe of
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
as well as the home of The
University of North Carolina at PembrokeThe University of North Carolina at Pembroke is a public, co-educational, historically American Indian liberal arts university in the town of Pembroke in Robeson County, North Carolina....
.
Pembroke is located at (34.681949, -79.195765).
According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the town has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6.1 km²), all of it land.
According to the 2000
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
, there were 2,399 people, 961 households, and 611 families residing in the town.
Pembroke is a town in
Robeson CountyRobeson County is in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2004, the county had a population of 126,469—an increase of 2.54% from the 2000 census. Robeson County was incorporated in 1787 from Bladen County, and was named in honor of Col. Thomas Robeson of Tar Heel, North Carolina for his...
,
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,399, at the 2000 census, 89% of which is
Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
. The town is the tribal seat of the
LumbeeThe Lumbee are a Native American tribe recognized by the state of North Carolina. The name "Lumbee" is derived from the region near the Lumber River that winds through Robeson County, North Carolina....
Indian Tribe of
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
as well as the home of The
University of North Carolina at PembrokeThe University of North Carolina at Pembroke is a public, co-educational, historically American Indian liberal arts university in the town of Pembroke in Robeson County, North Carolina....
.
Geography
Pembroke is located at (34.681949, -79.195765).
According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the town has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6.1 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
According to the 2000
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
, there were 2,399 people, 961 households, and 611 families residing in the town. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 1,023.9 people per square mile (395.8/km²). There were 1,043 housing units at an average density of 445.1/sq mi (172.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was:
- 88.90% Native American
- 8.15% White
- 2.20% African American
- 0.54% Asian
- 0.00% Pacific Islander
- 0.53% from other races
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
- 0.70% from two or more races.
- Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.08% of the population.
There were 961 households out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.3% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 32.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the town the population was spread out with 34.8% under the age of 18, 11.5% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 75.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 64.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $18,355, and the median income for a family was $21,218. Males had a median income of $26,875 versus $21,510 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the town was $10,202. About 39.9% of families and 40.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 54.3% of those under age 18 and 34.1% of those age 65 or over.
Earliest Period
Archaeological excavations now being performed throughout Robeson County reveal a long and rich history of widespread and consistent occupation, especially near the Lumber River, or originally Drowning Creek since the end of the last
Ice AgeThe general term "ice age" or, more precisely, "glacial age" denotes a geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in an expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Within a long-term ice age, individual...
. The Lumber River, winds its way through Pembroke. Indeed, precursor settlements to what is now Pembroke sprung up alongside the river's banks, and artifacts found there have been dated to the early
Woodland periodThe Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures is to the time from roughly 1000 BCE to 1000 CE in the eastern part of North America...
. This suggests that
Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
settlements along the river were part of an extensive trade network with other regions of what is now the
SoutheastThe US Southeast is the eastern portion of the Southern United States, but the Census Bureau does not provide a standard definition of a "Southeast" region of the United States, and organizations that need to subdivide the US are free to define a "Southeast" region to fit their needs...
of the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. After colonial contact, European-made items, such as kaolin tobacco pipes, were traded by the Spanish, French, and the English to
Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
peoples of the coast, and found their way within Pembroke's reach long before Europeans established their settlements.
Swamps, streams, and artesian wells provided an excellent supply of water for Native peoples. Fish was plentiful, and the regions lush vegetation included numerous food crops. "Carolina bays," creeks,
swampA swamp is a wetland featuring temporary or permanent inundation of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a substantial number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types...
s,
pocosinPocosin is a term for a type of palustrine wetland with deep, acidic, sandy, peat soils. Groundwater saturates the soil except during brief seasonal dry spells and during prolonged droughts...
s, and
longleaf pineThe Longleaf Pine is a pine native to the southeast United States, found along the coastal plain from eastern Texas to southeast Virginia extending into northern and central Florida....
s continue to mark the distinctive
wetlandA wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with moisture either permanently or seasonally. Such areas may also be covered partially or completely by shallow pools of water. Wetlands include swamps, marshes, and bogs, among others. The water found in wetlands can be saltwater, freshwater,...
landscape of Pembroke.
In 1725, colonial English surveyors for the Wineau factory mapped a village of Waccamaw Indians on the
Lumber RiverThe Lumber River, also known as the Lumbee River, is located in south-central North Carolina in the flat Coastal Plain. The river's headwaters are known as Drowning Creek, and the waterway known as the Lumber River extends downstream from the Scotland County-Hoke County border to the North...
, a few miles west of present-day Pembroke. In 1754, North Carolina Governor Arthur Dobbs received a report from his agent, Col. Rutherford, the head of a Bladen County militia, that a "mixed crew" of 50 Indian families were living along Drowning Creek. The communication also reported the shooting of a surveyor who entered the area "to view vacant lands." These are the first written accounts of the
Native AmericansNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
from whom the
LumbeeThe Lumbee are a Native American tribe recognized by the state of North Carolina. The name "Lumbee" is derived from the region near the Lumber River that winds through Robeson County, North Carolina....
descend.
The Lowry War of 1861 to 1874, considered one of the most important and controversial events in North Carolina history, took place in and around Pembroke. Led by Henry Berry Lowry, a 17-year old Indian boy whose father and brother were murdered at the hands of the Confederate Home Guard, a clan of North Carolinian Indian, African-Americans and whites waged a seven year guerilla war against the Confederacy in the areas near Robeson and Pembroke. During the fighting, Lowry and many others, escaped into the surrounding swamps, a tactic that they would use over and over again and which would prove highly successful at helping them avoid capture. As the war dragged on, food became scarce as more outliers (including escaped slaves, Confederate deserters and Union prison escapees) fled to this sanctuary. As such, the rebel band were forced to change tactics and decided to live off the wealthy class of people instead of the poor. The band raided plantations and distributed food to the poor in Pembroke, North Carolina, which was known then as "Scuffletown" or "The Settlement". Toward century's end, the town would be named for railroad official, Pembroke Jones.
Pembroke Today
Pembroke is the tribal seat of the
LumbeeThe Lumbee are a Native American tribe recognized by the state of North Carolina. The name "Lumbee" is derived from the region near the Lumber River that winds through Robeson County, North Carolina....
Indian Tribe of
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
, the largest
Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
tribe east of the
Mississippi RiverThe Mississippi River is the second longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
, the ninth largest tribal nation, and the largest non-reservation, federally recognized without benefits, state-recognized tribe in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The
LumbeeThe Lumbee are a Native American tribe recognized by the state of North Carolina. The name "Lumbee" is derived from the region near the Lumber River that winds through Robeson County, North Carolina....
comprise roughly one-half the state of
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
's
Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
population of 84,000 with a population of 52,614, and live in
RobesonRobeson County is in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2004, the county had a population of 126,469—an increase of 2.54% from the 2000 census. Robeson County was incorporated in 1787 from Bladen County, and was named in honor of Col. Thomas Robeson of Tar Heel, North Carolina for his...
,
HokeHoke County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is part of the Fayetteville, North Carolina, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 33,646. Its county seat is Raeford.- History :...
,
ScotlandScotland County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 35,998. Its county seat is Laurinburg.- History :The county was formed in 1899 from the southeastern part of Richmond County...
, and
CumberlandCumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is part of the Fayetteville, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 302,963. Its county seat is Fayetteville.- History :...
counties.
Notables
- Chris Chavis
Christopher Chavis , is a Native American professional wrestler best known for his work with World Wrestling Entertainment as Tatanka from 1991 to 1996 and from 2005 to 2007...
, a LumbeeThe Lumbee are a Native American tribe recognized by the state of North Carolina. The name "Lumbee" is derived from the region near the Lumber River that winds through Robeson County, North Carolina....
Indian, is a professional wrestler better known as, "Tatanka" and "The War Eagle", and is a former member of the World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is a publicly-traded, privately-controlled integrated media and sports entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE).
- Rev. Mike Cummings, a Lumbee
The Lumbee are a Native American tribe recognized by the state of North Carolina. The name "Lumbee" is derived from the region near the Lumber River that winds through Robeson County, North Carolina....
Indian, former president of North Carolina's Baptist State Convention, and Director of Missions, Burnt Swamp Baptist Association.
- Henry Berry Lowrie
Henry Berry Lowrie or "Henry Berry Lowry" led an outlaw gang in North Carolina during and after the American Civil War. Many locals remember him as a Robin Hood figure, particularly the Tuscarora and Lumbee people, who consider him one of their tribe and a pioneer in the fight for their civil...
, an Indian from "Scuffletown," who, during the post-Civil War years, appropriated white Revolutionary doctrine to gain rights and freedoms that were being denied to Indians in the Pembroke area, as well as throughout Robeson CountyRobeson County is in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2004, the county had a population of 126,469—an increase of 2.54% from the 2000 census. Robeson County was incorporated in 1787 from Bladen County, and was named in honor of Col. Thomas Robeson of Tar Heel, North Carolina for his...
. The Lowrie gang received considerable support from the Indian community, and were popular among poor blacksThe term black people usually refers to a racial group of humans with skin colors that range from light brown to nearly black. It also has been used to categorize a number of diverse populations into a common group. Some definitions of the term include only people of relatively recent Sub Saharan...
and whites who believed Lowrie and his gang best represented their interests. Lowrie become a culture heroA culture hero is a mythological hero specific to some group who changes the world through invention or discovery. A typical culture hero might be credited as the discoverer of fire, or agriculture, songs, tradition and religion, and is usually the most important legendary figure of a people,...
, representing those cultural and political boundaries that marked the Indians of Robeson County as a community of self-determining Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
people. Henry Berry LowrieHenry Berry Lowrie or "Henry Berry Lowry" led an outlaw gang in North Carolina during and after the American Civil War. Many locals remember him as a Robin Hood figure, particularly the Tuscarora and Lumbee people, who consider him one of their tribe and a pioneer in the fight for their civil...
is the protagonist of the outdoor drama, "Strike at the Wind".
- David Maynor, a Lumbee
The Lumbee are a Native American tribe recognized by the state of North Carolina. The name "Lumbee" is derived from the region near the Lumber River that winds through Robeson County, North Carolina....
Indian, is a computer security researcher who founded Errata Security in 2006. He is best known for his alleged and highly controversial discovery of a method to take control of an Apple Macbook over its wireless interface.
- Malinda Maynor, a Lumbee
The Lumbee are a Native American tribe recognized by the state of North Carolina. The name "Lumbee" is derived from the region near the Lumber River that winds through Robeson County, North Carolina....
Indian, co-produced the documentary, In the Light of ReverenceIn the Light of Reverence is a documentary that was ten years in the making. Produced by Christopher McLeod and Malinda Maynor , the documentary was released in 2001, and features three tribal nations, the Hopi, the Winnemem Wintu, and the Lakota Sioux, and their struggle to protect three sacred...
in 2001. In 2006, she became the first of two Native American tenure-track professors at Harvard UniversityHarvard University is a private university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1636 by the colonial Massachusetts legislature, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and currently comprises ten separate academic units...
, and is currently finishing a book about LumbeeThe Lumbee are a Native American tribe recognized by the state of North Carolina. The name "Lumbee" is derived from the region near the Lumber River that winds through Robeson County, North Carolina....
identity and federal recognition in the first half of the twentieth century.
- Kelvin Sampson
Kelvin Sampson is an assistant coach of the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association. He previously was a men's college basketball coach at Montana Tech , Washington State University , University of Oklahoma and Indiana University .-Early life and coaching:Sampson was born in the...
, NBA assistant coach for the Milwaukee BucksThe Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They play in the National Basketball Association . The current franchise owner is Herb Kohl.- Early years :...
, former Washington StateThe Washington State Cougars Men's Basketball team represents Washington State University and competes in the Pacific Ten Conference of NCAA Division I...
, Oklahoma University-1908-1980:The Sooners enjoyed moderate success on the court during this era, posting only 16 losing records in their first 72 seasons. They were coached by 9 different coaches during this period, beginning with Bennie Owen , and ending with Dave Bliss in 1980...
and Indiana UniversityThe Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Indiana University . The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I of the NCAA. The Hoosiers play on Branch McCracken Court at the Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana on the IU...
head coach.
See also
- Lumbee
The Lumbee are a Native American tribe recognized by the state of North Carolina. The name "Lumbee" is derived from the region near the Lumber River that winds through Robeson County, North Carolina....
Indian Tribe of North Carolina
- The Lowry War
- The North Carolina Indian Cultural Center - operates a museum of local Native American
Native Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
arts and crafts in their Long House facility, and the recreation area where the restored Allen Lowrie cabin is also on display. Programs of the North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
Indian Cultural Center include the outdoor drama, "Strike at the Wind," pow-wows, seasonal festivals, musical shows, and other educational events.
External links