Faulk and Company Store in downtown Samson purchased a large shipment of snuff, which remained stationary at the town's depot for an extended period of time.

In an attempt to shed this moniker, several community groups decided to plant extensive beds of red roses along all the roads leading into Samson.

The contest committee deemed his slogan, "Samson-we grow friendly people," as a representation of the agricultural aspect and the amicability of the town.

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,874 people, 763 households, and 434 families residing in the city.

Twenty-eight-year-old Michael McLendon began this massacre by killing his mother and burning down her house in Kinston.

He then headed east about 10 miles on Highway 52 and went on an hour-long shooting spree with two high-powered weapons in downtown Samson and a few of its neighborhoods.

McLendon killed ten people and wounded six others in the shooting rampage before committing suicide.

In response, troops from nearby Fort Rucker were deployed to the streets of Samson, where they manned barricades and guarded a makeshift morgue.

This was later determined to be in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits federal troops from performing law enforcement actions.

[11] Reportedly, McLendon had talked to a confidant about being depressed and frustrated with his inability to become a Marine or a police officer.

Authorities also said McLendon admitted in a two-page, handwritten letter that he had killed his mother and planned to commit suicide.

He mentioned a family dispute over a legal issue but did not reveal plans to kill anyone else.