WARREN COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — Though it had many successes, Soul City, America’s first free-standing community in Warren County, was never fully realized. The original idea was to create economic opportunities by building a brand new town in a struggling rural county.

It was an ambitious project to pursue, and it almost came to fruition. The land had been purchased, water was flowing into the community, health care and recreation centers had been built. It seemed as if America’s only free-standing city at the time was going to be a success. So what happened?

‘Soul City’: Civil rights leader tried to create rural utopia in North Carolina over 50 years ago

There are several factors that went into the fall of Soul City. One big one was the political and racial discomfort caused by the name of the town.

“The name Soul City … rubbed people the wrong way … …