Bladen County Courthouse - District#13A

A Coastal Plain county and the third largest in North Carolina, Bladen County is rightfully named the “Mother County.” Of the state’s 100 counties, 55 of them were originally part of Bladen County. Fashioned from New Hanover County in 1734, Bladen County was named after Martin Bladen, Lord Commissioner of Trade and Plantation. Elizabethtown, the county seat, was formed in 1773 and incorporated in 1895. There is debate on the inspiration for the town’s namesake. Historians claim that the name was from either Queen Elizabeth I of England or Isaac Jones’ wife. Jones supplied the land where the original town was built. Other important communities in Bladen County include White Lake, Bladenboro, Dublin, Clarkton, East Arcadia, and Tar Heel.