Vass, North Carolina

Vass, North Carolina
Town
Seaboard St. in Vass
Location in Moore County and the state of North Carolina.
Vass Show map of North Carolina Vass Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 35°15′10″N79°17′05″W / 35.25278°N 79.28472°W / 35.25278; -79.28472
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Moore
Settled	Late 1800s
Incorporated	1907 [1]
Named for	William Worrell Vass [1]
Government
• Mayor	Eddie Callahan
Area [2]
• Total	3.36 sq mi (8.71 km2)
• Land	3.34 sq mi (8.66 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.06 km2)
Elevation [3]	295 ft (90 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	952
• Density	284.86/sq mi (109.99/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	28394
Area codes	910, 472
FIPS code	37-69840 [4]
GNIS feature ID	2406796 [3]
Website	www.townofvassnc.gov

Vass is a town in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 952 at the 2020 census. Vass grew up along the railroad in the late 19th century. It was originally named Bynum and later Winder before being established as Vass in 1892. The town was incorporated in 1907. ^[5]

History

Vass originated as a stop on the Seaboard Railway as a station called Bynum. It was primarily a place with a siding to load lumber, turpentine and resin from the local area. In 1877, the town's name was changed from Bynum to Winder, in honor of Major John C. Winder general manager of the Seaboard Railroad. In 1892 its name was again changed to Vass, honoring Major William Worrell Vass, who was at that time paymaster for the Seaboard Railroad. Vass remained as only a stopping place for the local train until 1907, when it was incorporated with Mr. Alex Gunter as mayor. ^[6] During the 1910s the town took on new life and through the efforts of some great men, like Mr. Angus Cameron, and the town began to grow into a thriving community. ^[7]

Angus Cameron, who arrived in the settlement in the 1870s from his home in Harnett County and remained until his death in 1928 is acknowledged as the community's leading benefactor.^{[ citation needed ]} He was on the first road commission, and was able to accomplish much in the way of better roads; he served on the Board of County Commissioners and years later, as mayor of Vass. He was on the local school board for around half a century and built the first school building. ^[8] Cameron erected the first brick buildings in Vass; he organized the Vass Cotton Mill Company and put up the mill building. ^[9]

The Leslie-Taylor House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. ^[10] Several other structures are eligible for the National Historic Register including: the Borst House, the Angus Cameron House, the John Cameron House, the Walter Graham House, the Vass Commercial Historic District, the Vass Cotton Mill, the Village Historic and the Walter Leslie House. ^[11]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.0 square miles (7.8 km²), of which 3.0 square miles (7.8 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) (0.66%) is water.

Education

• Vass-Lakeview Elementary

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1910	273		—
1920	407		49.1%
1930	602		47.9%
1940	728		20.9%
1950	757		4.0%
1960	767		1.3%
1970	885		15.4%
1980	828		−6.4%
1990	670		−19.1%
2000	750		11.9%
2010	720		−4.0%
2020	952		32.2%
U.S. Decennial Census [12]

As of the census ^[4] of 2000, there were 750 people, 304 households, and 207 families residing in the town. The population density was 247.8 inhabitants per square mile (95.7/km²). There were 351 housing units at an average density of 116.0 per square mile (44.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 77.07% White, 17.33% African American, 1.07% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 2.13% from other races, and 2.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.53% of the population.

There were 304 households, out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples living together, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $27,188, and the median income for a family was $33,250. Males had a median income of $27,292 versus $23,125 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,165. About 14.4% of families and 23.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.9% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.

References

1. "North Carolina Gazetteer" . Retrieved December 9, 2022.
2. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
3. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Vass, North Carolina
4. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
5. "Vass". SandhillsNC.com. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
6. "Directory of Moore County : Carthage, Pinehurst, Hemp, Southern Pines, Vass, Cameron and Aberdeen :: City Directories - Moore County, N.C." library.digitalnc.org. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
7. The Pilot - November 9, 1928
8. "The pilot. (Vass, N.C.) 1920-current, June 21, 1946, Image 12". The Pilot . No. 1946/06/21. Southern Pines, NC. June 21, 1946. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
9. "The pilot. (Vass, N.C.) 1920-current, November 09, 1928, Image 1". The Pilot. No. 1928/11/09. Southern Pines, NC. November 9, 1928. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
10. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
11. "US-1 Improvements, SR-1853 at Lakeview to SR-1180 South of Sanford, Lee and Moore Counties: Environmental Impact Statement". 1995.
12. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.

External links

• Official town website
• Moore County Chamber of Commerce