NC 102 appeared on the first state highway map in 1924, running from Snow Hill to Goldsboro.

At its peak, the road stretched from US 17 at its current eastern terminus to US 301 north of Fayetteville.

The routing from I-95 to Snow Hill was renumbered as US 13 in 1977, and the segment of the route from its current western terminus to Snow Hill was replaced by an extension of NC 903.

After leaving Ayden, NC 102 enters a very rural area with many farms and small forests.

About a mile (1.2 km) further east NC 102 has a junction with Ayden Golf Club Road.

[4] Immediately after NC 102 crosses the railroad tracks, it ends at US 17.

This section was not connected to the rest of NC 102 which had also been extended south of Goldsboro to Newton Grove.

The road had a short concurrency with US 258 from Snow Hill to three miles (4.8 km) to the northeast.