Martin County, located in North Carolina's Coastal Plain region, was formed from Halifax and Tyrrell Counties in 1774. It was named for Josiah Martin, the last royal governor of North Carolina. The county seat of Williamston (originally Squhawky or Skewarky) was incorporated in 1779; other communities include Oak City, Jamesville, Hamilton, Hassell, Gold Point, Parmele, Everetts, Robersonville, Bear Grass, and Darden.

The area that became Martin County was settled by English colonists early in the eighteenth century, supplanting the land's original Tuscarora Indian inhabitants. Williamston, the county's first incorporated town, developed along the banks of the Roanoke River as an important shipping hub for tar, turpentine, and other local products. Although later towns such as Jamesville and Hamilton were established along the river to participate in the thriving shipping business, Williamston continued to flourish as a trade center throughout the nineteenth century and well into the twentieth with its integration into a network of railroads and highways.

The Confederate outpost Fort Branch is one of Martin County's popular tourist attractions, and the Roanoke River and its surrounding lowlands provide an abundance of opportunities for hunting and fishing. Tobacco, peanuts, corn, soybeans, and cotton are produced in Martin County, and its manufactured products include paper, farm machinery, and textiles. In 2004 Martin County's estimated population was 24,700.