It's Time to Party!
The City of Greenville, NC is celebrating our 250th Anniversary in 2024!
Come out to First Friday on Fifth Street on October 4 from 5pm - 8pm at Five Points Plaza during the October Downtown Greenville First Friday ArtWalk and celebrate the City of Greenville's 250th Anniversary with our community!
Enjoy live music from the dickens band, food trucks, a beer garden, a local retail vendor market, and a $250 Giveaway EVERY HOUR during the event!
Food Vendors:
Travelin’ Toms, Curtis’s Mini Donuts, East Carolina Italian Ice, Pops & Pucker, Nash Hot Chicken, and Nothing Bundt Cakes
There will also be a family-friendly area with our Greenville, NC Recreation & Parks Rec-N-Roll truck as well as Touch-A-Truck opportunities with Greenville, NC Police Department and Greenville, N.C. Fire/Rescue!
Just down Fifth Street at Greenville City Hall, at 200 West Fifth Street, walk through the 250-year history of the City of Greenville Exhibit that will include photos and other artifacts highlighting people, places, and events that have shaped modern-day Greenville along with artwork from this year’s 250th Anniversary Student Art Competition! This is a special must-visit stop on the First Friday ArtWalk this month only!
Check the website out at 250.greenvillenc.gov for an interactive timeline, maps, photos, reflections, and more from Greenville's history!
You can also purchase 250th Anniversary Swag here: https://cog250.com/COGNC/shop/home
Greenville History
In 1761, Pitt County was established after North Carolina legislation dividing Beaufort County at Tranters Creek was approved and named after British politician William Pitt, who experienced great success in the French and Indian War.
In 1771, Pitt County legislator Richard Evans saw the need for a county seat of government, and made plans to divide off his plantation in order to form a town on the south side of the Tar River. However, Evans died before the town’s official establishment.
In 1774, all requirements of the North Carolina General Assembly’s charter were fulfilled to establish the town, and seven appointed commissioners laid the town off into 100 half-acre lots that were sold at public auction. The town was then named Martinsborough in honor of the Royal Governor Josiah Martin, but would eventually have its name changed to Greenville after the Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene.
Throughout the years, Greenville has experienced the transition from a fledgeling village on the Tar River, to a small town dependent on tobacco, to its current status as an economic, educational, medical, and cultural hub of Eastern North Carolina.
To celebrate, the City of Greenville has created a 250th Anniversary website to share the story of the “Emerald City” through a digital journey that will explore the different eras of Greenville’s history. Enjoy perusing the interactive timeline, maps, oral histories (coming soon), and old and current photos of the people and places that have made Greenville all that it is today!
Keep Track of Greenville All Year!
The City is excited to share its annual calendar that reflects this milestone in our city’s history, as well as much more throughout the next year. The 2024 City of Greenville Calendar will be available beginning January 8th, 2024 at City Hall, as well as Greenville, NC Recreation & Parks Centers, Sheppard Memorial Library branches, and other community partners.
Share Your Greenville Memories!
The City of Greenville is also looking for YOUR stories and experiences of Greenville to share during the next year! If you have stories, photographs, videos, or artifacts you would like to share with the community, please email the Greenville Public Information Officer, at piooffice@greenvillenc.gov.
