Halifax County offers many services that directly benefit our citizens, enabling voices to be heard, keeping track of vital records, promoting youth and personal development, and providing resources.
The Board of Elections, managed by Elections Director Kristin Scott, makes sure voices are heard by supporting the voting process in Halifax County.
The elections director reports to the five-member board of elections.
The elections staff works year-round to conduct national, state, county, and municipal elections and special referendums.
The duties of the elections office include registering new voters; providing ballots and staffing for Halifax County's precinct polling places; keeping voter registrations updated by removing voters who are deceased, convicted of felonies, or relocated; keeping abreast of changes in election laws and regulations; and maintaining campaign reports for candidates.
Halifax County’s Register of Deeds is Christie Avens.
The register of deeds is an elected position with a four-year term.
The register of deeds office is a county government office responsible for recording, indexing, and preserving all real estate records, including plats; maintaining vital records; and managing Uniform Commercial Codes.
The register of deeds staff consists of an assistant and four deputies who provide numerous services to the public and are committed to serving customers in an efficient and professional manner.
The primary purpose of Halifax County Cooperative Extension, led by Extension Director Beth Burchell, is to provide information and programs related to enhancing agricultural, forest, and food systems; building quality communities and sustaining families; developing responsible youth; and helping all citizens to interpret and use this information in building a more prosperous and satisfying life.
Cooperative extension agents are charged with carrying out the extension education programs of North Carolina State University, NC A&T, and the United States Department of Agriculture.
Cooperative extension also manages the Community Service Work Program, which is work that is performed by youth court offenders at nonprofit organizations, schools, and local governments as a means of serving the community.
The purpose is to teach these youth accountability and responsibility for their actions.
Program benefits include reducing the number of training school commitments, developing appropriate public behavior and interpersonal skills, and increasing community involvement, as well as support and confidence in the Juvenile Justice System.
Halifax County Cooperative Extension manages the programming and usage of the 4-H Rural Life Center.
Rich in the history of rural Halifax County, the facility features the original smokehouse, barn, chicken coop, cannery, washroom, water pump house, and dairy barn of the Halifax County home, built in the 1920s.
There is an antique farm equipment museum and an old sawmill that was built in 1929.
The 4-H Center is also home to Allen Grove Rosenwald School, which was built near Highway 561 in 1922 and served as an active school until the 1950's that was later relocated to the Rural Life Center.
The 4-H Rural Life Center consists of over 345 acres and includes an 18-hole disc golf course, high- and low-ropes courses, fishing pond, bridle trails, horse and livestock arena, multi-purpose courts, playground, fitness area, picnic shelter, and amphitheater.
Cooperative Extension, along with other county departments, plan our annual Harvest Days Festival, which is held at the 4-H Rural Life Center.
The first Harvest Days was held on October 10, 1992, to promote the heritage, hospitality, and agricultural history of the county. This year will be the 33rd year of the festival on October 17 (for local students) and October 18 (open to the public), and those who attend continue to enjoy heritage farm equipment, farm exhibits, and period demonstrations such as the sawmill, peanut threshing, and corn shucking; listening to music and watching entertainment at the outdoor amphitheater; educational exhibits like the Rosenwald School, fossils, 4-H livestock, and photography and art competitions; and festival food, craft vendors, and wagon rides.
The Halifax County Library System headquarters is in Halifax, and our Library System Director is Brenda Faithful.
There are library branches, each with its own dedicated branch librarian and library assistant, in Enfield, Halifax, Littleton, Scotland Neck, and Weldon.
All branches operate Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and offer the following services: book circulation; magazines, audiobooks, and DVDs; public access to the internet; an extensive genealogy and local history collection; hotspots, Launchpads, and iPads; faxing and copying; digital literacy training; telehealth; memory care; weekly in-person and virtual Storytime; Summer Reading Programs; and more creative programs than you can imagine, like the recent Storytelling Festival.
I cannot say enough about the dedicated staff of these departments.
They constantly look at the needs of Halifax County citizens and come up with innovative ways to meet — and exceed — those needs.
Their big hearts are matched only by their excess of creativity and talent.
Christina Wells
Deputy county manager, Halifax County