A group from Edgecombe County that stood up for the environment soon will be recognized with a North Carolina Highway Historical Marker.
The marker commemorating the group, Citizens for Responsible Zoning, will be dedicated during a ceremony on Saturday, April 12 at 11 a.m., at the East Carolina Agriculture & Education Center (1175 Kingsboro Rd., Rocky Mount). The marker will be installed at the intersection of Kingsboro and Antioch roads.
In 1995, Kingsboro, a predominately African American community in Edgecombe County, was considered by Iowa Beef Processors (IBP) for the construction of an industrial-sized hog slaughterhouse. While the slaughterhouse would have brought about 2,000 jobs to the area, some members of the community recognized the potential hazards of the project — increased traffic from 24-hour continuous operation, strain on the Tar River from six-million gallons of daily use by the plant and worker safety concerns.
Led by local attorney Marvin Horton and Kingsboro resident Gleno Horne, who helped organize the Citizens for Responsible Zoning, they appealed to the community to protest IBP and the Edgecombe County Board of Commissioners. In March 1996, the Kingsboro Property Owners Association sued Edgecombe County for the re-zoning for the nuisance the IBP slaughterhouse would pose to Kingsboro residents. On April 9, 1996, the Edgecombe commissioners voted down the IBP request. This victory led to a different company developing the tract with a similar economic impact. QVC built a distribution center and solar farm on the site.
For more information about the historical markers, please visit (https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2024/08/09/citizens-responsible-zoning-e-132), or call (919) 814-6625.
The Highway Historical Marker Program is a collaboration between the N.C. departments of Natural and Cultural Resources and Transportation.
About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.