Johnston county has seen different crops be in control of every aspect of life. Or the lack of them, anyway. Most recently it’s been tobacco. But its history has been shaped more by the boss that it did not have.

There are many places around the country where celebrities have met their end prematurely. Rarely does a place have two. Welcome to Smithfield.

Do you remember Christmas shopping in a catalog? No? I feel sorry for you.

Not only did Sears deliver toys to hopeful kids (and clothes, of course), but it could also deliver hope...

Especially in rural areas like Johnston

Richard Caswell, Benjamin Williams. What do they both have in common? Both Governors of the State of NC and residents of Johnston County. Smithfield hosts the very first Provincial Council of the state of North Carolina and Johnstonians whoop some British butt at Moore's Creek Bridge.

This episode sort of piggybacks the one about Gabriel Johnston, sets up settlement of some of our neighboring counties, delves into British royal politics, and explains why extreme south western Johnston county maybe just a little bit different than the rest. It also sets up a couple of later episodes that contain both heroes and villains.

There’s so much talk about Johnston county growing so much so fast and how change is coming with it. Talk to any multi generational residents And you’re likely to hear something about it. It may be that you hear them say that Johnston has never changed as much as it has over the last decade. Well, let’s put that to the test.

This episode has Sam Smith...

Don't get too excited. Not THAT Sam Smith.

But I would argue perhaps more important than the one you might be thinking of because he  (and a bunch of Johnston County landowners) are on record using a (soon to be) very famous phrase, two years before the Revolution with which it is associated.

Not all of Johnston County’s famous residents were heroes. We had our share of villains, too. This is the story of one who was a particularly slippery devil. Johnston county had its own Benedict Arnold and his name was David Fanning.

There’s always somebody that likes to claim that their great-grandmother was a Cherokee princess or something like that. You may even think that. If you’re from Johnston County (or anywhere else for that matter), here is why it’s not true. This episode is about what is much more likely.

Why are some sausages called frankfurters, wieners? Why are the hotdogs in Johnston county red? And don’t even get me started on barbecue.