A mutual interest in Beaufort County history has prompted current and former residents to keep their stories alive by sharing them on social media.

The Facebook page, “You know you are from Beaufort County when …,” is a prime example of a platform for folks to post memories and photographs for others to enjoy, according to local history buff Jack Willard.

Although Willard isn’t the originator of the page, that credit goes to Christie Lupton, he does serve as its sole administrator now.

“A lot of people had the impression I started it, but all I do is try to keep it moving forward,” said Willard, who joined the social media group four years ago, one year after Lupton founded the page. “We had 3,400 members when I joined and we just hit 4,500.”

While the bulk of the group’s membership resides in Beaufort County, those interested in the page represent people in far flung locales, from Florida to Canada and North Carolina to Hawaii, according to Willard.

Long a history buff, Willard’s interest was heightened by the discovery of several keepsakes saved by his late mother. The treasures included a March 1946 telegram from his uncle to his aunt, who made their home in Washington. But Willard’s favorite is a yellowing Washington Daily News insert welcoming veterans home after World War II ended. Dated Dec. 9, 1945, the newspaper features a who’s who of local business sponsors as well as a copy of the G.I. Bill of Rights.

“I always had an interest in this county, and when I saw this I knew I had something that nobody else had,” Willard said.

While many Facebook fans use their pages to post what they ate for dinner or air personal business best left personal, “You know you are from Beaufort County when …” members have a more noble cause.

“People’s memories are not forever,” noted Willard, who has started a Pinterest

account under the same moniker as the Facebook page. “Our purpose is to get these pictures out there, get these memories and stories out there, before they’re gone.”

Willard said he wants to inspire others to dig through their attics and photo albums and share what they’ve accumulated over the years.

“That’s what I want people to do,” he said. “If you don’t document your roots, like a tree with a lack of water it’s going to die. I’ve got a great-grandchild who’s going to be born in the spring and I want him to know his family’s history.”

Willard was born and raised in Washington and he currently lives just seven miles outside of town in the Big Swamp community in the 1848 family homestead.

And he willingly weighed in on the ongoing debate of calling his hometown “the Original Washington” or “Little Washington.”

He favors the first option and his reasoning is based on an encounter with a noted politician who hailed from North Carolina. While in the nation’s capital during the summer of 1971, Willard met Senator Sam Ervin outside the senate building.

“A car pulls up and he was in it; he was my hero,” Willard recalled. “I introduced myself and told him I was from Washington, North Carolina. Senator Ervin said, ‘Oh you mean the Original Washington.’ So if it’s good enough for Senator Sam Ervin, it’s good enough for me!”

Willard bemoans the loss of several local sites of interest, destroyed long before awareness was raised about the importance of local history.They include the DeMille house and the home of Dr. Susan Dimock, the Washington native who became the first female member of the N.C. Medical Society.

Willard and his fellow “You know you are from Beaufort County when …” members are doing their part to preserve the heritage and lifestyle of the area. They frequently share old photos, postcards and scanned pages from local high school yearbooks. In fact, Willard has a posse of sorts providing memorabilia on a regular basis. That distinguished group includes Jimmy Taylor, Linda Clark, Bill Cratch, Ric Carter, Art Carawan, John Mason, Holly Mason, George Mason, Lexa Upton McMicken, Steve Bonner, Murray Waters, Leesa Jones, Bill Stancill and Milton Hodges.

“That’s my ‘go to’ squad,” Willard said. “These people are basically my core people.”