ABSTRACT
Located in what is known by historians as the "Black Belt" of North Carolina, Tillery is a small community of people who come from largely farming backgrounds. Many here are now elderly settlers from Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal plan of the 1930s and 1940s, a plan that created more than 113 new farm communities throughout the country. This chapter reviews an historical journey through Tillery, identifying its many turning points: first, its historical geography; second, its history as a flourishing community; third, reasons for its decline; and finally, the challenges that this farming community has faced since the decline in Black owned and operated farms. The main economic base has always been agriculture. Major crops in the area are cotton and peanuts; followed by soybeans, corn and tobacco. The climate of the area is well-suited to this type of farming.
