Northampton County, North Carolina

I drove through Northampton County, a county in northeastern North Carolina, on July 1, and stopped in Jackson first. Jackson seems to be a quaint rural southern town, a quiet place with some jewels to be found. (As of the 2000 census, there were 695 people in Jackson.) I didn't have an agenda in mind when I stopped in Jackson, only to see what I could find. The picture here seems to be a city office.


Since it was the week of July 4th, there were a lot of American flags out.







Jackson's the county seat of Northampton County (formed in 1741 from Bertie County), thanks to its central location in the county, and this picture is of the Northampton County Courthouse. The area was orginally known as Northampton Courthouse; Jackson was incorporated in 1823 and named for Andrew Jackson.




This historic marker stands in front of the county courthouse.







I enjoyed visiting the library there in Jackson. Check out the library's hours at the bottom of the sign! I scanned the genealogy collection (several shelves) for possible treasures, but nothing stood out that might have some of my family history. (It's always worth a look!)


Near the library is the Northampton County Museum, and the scene on the left is painted on the side of the museum. (The museum was closed, so this scene was part of my history lesson on the Northampton County.






In between the museum and the library was this small building, which was closed. The sign on the corder of the building reads Country Doctor's Office. (The library is the red brick building behind the red car on the right.)




Looking through the windows of the country doctor's office, you can see the horse painted on the outside of the county museum.


I enjoyed discovering the Church of the Savior, a local Episcopal church. I could tell from a distance that the church was old, and this sign points out that it's on the National Register of Historic Places. Right up my alley!

Here is a front view of the sanctuary.










One of the pretty stained glass windows from the outside of the Church of the Saviour. (I did try getting inside, but the doors were locked.)








I took lots of pictures at the adjoining cemetery. (I love walking through old cemeteries!) This was one of my favorite shots of this very pretty cemetery.



Driving through the town of Conway (pop. 734 in 2000), I got stopped by a train. From where I stopped on the road, I could see this service station on my left. It intrigued me to see the old style gas pumps, with full service on one side and self service on the other.





On Highway 158, I saw a little cemetery under a big mimosa tree, next to a crop field.



The flowers on the mimosa tree seemed especially wispy and pretty, so I snapped a closer shot.








After I returned home, I found the Northampton Chamber of Commerce's website, which has a nice picture of the courthouse on the front. I enjoyed exploring the CofC's website; a lot of good information about the area can be found on the county profile, as well as the links on that webpage. I enjoyed learning about the county's industry, which includes three peanut-related companies and a casket factory.