Outlying Area, Rocky Mount...

They came with crude bows and arrows, the aboriginal hunters who first discovered the "Rocky Mound." Thousands of years ago they migrated to the Great Falls of the Tar River seeking food and sustenance. Next, came the warring Tuscarora Indians who staked their claim on the region, rich in game and fish, hundreds of years ago. When the colonization was attempted by white settlers in the late 17th century, bloody battles ensued with the Indians. It was not until 1712-1713 when the Tuscaroras were defeated at the hands of white militia and friendly Indians from elsewhere, that serious settlement of the area could begin.

In 1816, the term "Rocky Mount" was first used to designate the location of the area's first post office.   By the mid-1700s sufficient settlement existed around the Falls of the Tar to support a local church body and grist mill. In 1777, due to populous colonial settlement, Nathan Boddie introduced a bill to divide Edgecombe into two counties; Nash County, named in honor of Revolutionary hero General Francis Nash, was formed.