What's the connection between Pender County and 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air?'

In west Pender County born and raised, on a farm is where he spent most of his days.

Yamacraw to be exact.

It’s the home of Philip Banks, affectionally known as Uncle Phil by his nephew Will Smith in "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" — a 1990s sitcom about a teenager sent to live in a rich Los Angeles neighborhood with his relatives after running into trouble on a West Philadelphia basketball court.

Banks and the beloved characters have returned to television through Peacock’s “Bel-Air,” a one-hour drama series set in modern times. Once again, Yamacraw is being represented through Uncle Phil, a lawyer running to be a district attorney. He is being played by actor Adrian Holmes.

The unincorporated community is located in the Currie section of Pender County between Atkinson and Burgaw. Residents say there's not much there and the only thing letting drivers know they're in Yamacraw is a small sign before the intersection of Bell Williams and the John Henry Store roads.

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At the Yaya Mini Mart in Currie, clerk Betty Martin wouldn't have any problems giving directions if asked.

“It’s just like being out in the country,” she said. “Around here there is not a neighborhood or subdivision.”

It's an area Kendrick Holmes is pretty familiar with. The Pender County resident enjoyed watching the show and the references to the area, especially in episode three, titled "Yamacraw." Holmes and Martin said it's good to have representation of someone coming from a rural community and becoming successful

“I really like it and it’s cool,” Holmes said. “Work hard or you’re not going to get anything.”

Why Yamacraw?

Michael Y. Taylor, a longtime board member of the Pender County Historical Society, doesn't know how the name came to be in Pender County. However, Gary E. Trawick, author of "Born in Reconstruction: the story of Pender County," said the earliest mention of Yamacraw he found in the area was a 1788 reference to an early Presbyterian meeting house at this location.

“I have never heard a satisfactory explanation of the origin of why the rural community in Pender County is called Yamacraw,” Taylor said. “However, the place name is also found in several other states.”

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A 2007 Pender Post article provided by the Pender County Library reported it may have came from a Georgia town named after a Native Americans band or other stories involving an argument where the words “yam” and “craw” were mentioned.

But how did Yamacraw end up on the script for Philip Banks?

The connection may have come from Samm-Art Williams, an American playwright and screenwriter from Burgaw, which is about a 16-minute drive to Yamacraw. He was an executive producer and writer for the Fresh Prince show in the 1990s.

Sticking with the 'Yamacraw' script

Bel-Air is executive produced by Will Smith and was inspired by a viral trailer made by writer and director Morgan Cooper reimagining the original show with a grittier concept.

Co-showrunner and executive producer Rasheed Newson said they didn’t want to change the Yamacraw roots of the original character, played by the late James Avery, and said it was a perfect part of the story.

“We liked it,” Newson said. “If you look at the mansion he’s living in and you look at LA and the community of Bel-Air, it just spoke to his arc. He started on a farm and now he lives in a mansion.”

A citrus farm is on the exterior of the Banks mansion. Newson said it was a way for him to stay connected to his agricultural roots by planting something in the earth and seeing the fruits of his labor. Agricultural art is also in his office, which represents his upbringing.

Newson said it also lets people from a small town feel like they’re part of the story, too, even though it takes place in the nation's second largest city.

“One of the things we were trying to do when we built this show is that we hope when you watch the Banks family, you saw yourself represented there somewhere in one of those characters and you felt you could have a seat at the table and join them for dinners," Newson said.

“By having Uncle Phil have these roots, if you come from a rural place, he’s somebody you could talk to about growing up in a small town. It also helps Adrian ground his character. He loved having that backstory and something specific to work with as he was building his own version of Uncle Phil.”

As the series continues, Newson said he would like to have some of his relatives from Yamacraw visit Bel-Air. He also emphasized having a character from rural America is something he wants people to take serious as well, while referring to colleagues from small towns.

"I think too often, rural sort of gets portrayed in this negative light,” he said. “We’re not doing that. We’re proud that he’s from Yamacraw, and we honor that.”

Reporter Chase Jordan can be reached at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Uncle Phil's connection to Yamacraw, N.C. continues in 'Bel-Air' show