Sampson County
Clinton is the county seat in Sampson County, but the unincorporated community with a national profile is Spivey's Corner in the northwest corner of the county.
Contestants in the National Hollerin' Contest held in June each year have appeared on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson and "The Late Show" with David Letterman.
The contest comes directly from the county's farming tradition. Farm families and field workers employed a variety of calls to make operations on the home and farm proceed more smoothly.
Sampson was carved out of Duplin County in 1784 by the General Assembly and named for Col. John Sampson, who died the same year and was a Revolutionary War figure.
The state's second largest county in land area, Sampson had 60,000 residents in the 2000 census.
Friday night lights are big in Clinton, where the high school football team, the Dark Horses, is often in the running for the state title. Dark Horse alumnus Willie Parker is a running back on the Pittsburgh Steelers and pulled off the longest rushing touchdown in Super Bowl history in the team's 2005 victory.
Near Newton Grove, the Bentonville Battleground, a Civil War historic site, holds re-enactments and other events.
Sampson Community College is in Clinton. There is good hunting near Roseboro.