Tar Pit Landing | Leland, North Carolina

Why The Name Matters

Tar Pit Landing is more than a name on a sign. It points back to the materials, waterways, and local trades that shaped this part of coastal North Carolina.

The community name recalls the longleaf pine trees that once covered much of North Carolina's coastal plain. Their resin was rendered into tar, pitch, and turpentine, products historically known as naval stores because they helped wooden ships stay sealed, rigged, and seaworthy.

In the local telling of Tar Pit Landing, pine sap from the area's longleaf pines helped supply materials for wooden ships launched from the community ramp into Hood's Creek, then out toward the Cape Fear River.

Longleaf Pine

The tree behind the name, prized historically for resin, tar, pitch, and strong timber.

Hood's Creek

The local waterway that gives the community its intimate connection to the Cape Fear system.

Cape Fear River

The larger river corridor tying Leland, Brunswick County, and Wilmington together.

Images From The Story Behind The Name

These historical images help show the world that gave Tar Pit Landing its name: pine resin, turpentine, barrels of naval stores, Wilmington's working waterfront, and shipbuilding along the Cape Fear.

Historic turpentine still in Wilmington, North Carolina — **Turpentine Still, Wilmington** A Wilmington image from about 1905 to 1915 showing the naval-stores trade after pine resin was distilled into usable products. Image credit

Worker chipping a pine tree to gather sap for turpentine — **Chipping A Turpentine Tree** Pine trees were cut or chipped so resin could be collected and turned into turpentine, tar, pitch, and rosin. Image credit

Panoramic view of the Wilmington, North Carolina waterfront in 1918 — **Wilmington Waterfront, 1918** The Cape Fear waterfront tied nearby creeks, landings, river commerce, and port activity into one regional story. Image credit

Ships under construction at the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company in Wilmington — **Shipbuilding On The Cape Fear** North Carolina Shipbuilding Company later made Wilmington a major shipbuilding center during World War II. Image credit

Images are used from public-domain or open historical collections and are included to illustrate the regional industries connected to the Tar Pit Landing name.

Connected To Leland And Wilmington

Tar Pit Landing sits within a regional story that crosses the river: Brunswick County and Leland on one side, Wilmington's historic port on the other.

The Pines

Longleaf pine forests supplied resin and timber that became essential to early shipbuilding and maritime trade.

The Landing

Small creeks, ramps, and landings connected inland work to navigable water.

The River

Hood's Creek leads toward the Cape Fear River, the shared waterway of Brunswick and New Hanover counties.

The Port

Wilmington's port history gives the broader Cape Fear region its enduring maritime identity.

A Local Story In A Larger Coastal History

North Carolina's naval-stores industry was built on pine products used for ships, rigging, and hulls. Creeks and rivers helped move those heavy materials toward port towns and wider markets.

NC Forest Service National Park Service Brunswick County

Tar Pit Landing

A small Leland-area community preserving a name from the pine and waterway era.

Hood's Creek

The local route to deeper water and the community's defining creek connection.

Cape Fear River

The river corridor linking Brunswick County, Leland, and Wilmington.

Wilmington

The historic port city anchoring the Cape Fear region's maritime identity.

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