Four Oaks was named by Colonel R. R. Bridgers in 1886 for an unusual sight that graced the land upon which he found himself. In 1850, 37 years before there was a town of Four Oaks, Aaron Wallace went hunting and cut down a tree to catch a possum. From that stump, located on property owned by Kinchen Barbour, four huge trees would grow up and become the inspiration for the town's name.

Col. Bridgers had come to the area as the President of Wilmington and Weldon Railroad. The site, the size, and even the name of the town were determined by the railroad. In completing the track from Benson, NC to Smithfield, NC the company set up a worksite on high ground between the two towns. Col. Bridgers purchased the right of way for the immediate site and then added additional acres with a purchase from Isaac Evans Blackwell, a Tuscarora Indian man whose family had been free since the 1700s.

The Town of Four Oaks is conveniently located along I-95, Exits 87 and 90. Just a few miles down US HWY 701, visitors to the area will find the largest Civil War Battlefield in NC, Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site and Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center for outdoor recreation activities.