Jones County, North Carolina

 On April 6, I took a day trip to Jones County. It was my first county visit in over a year, and it felt great to get back into the North Carolina travel groove! 

 Jones County is in eastern North Carolina, a rural county with the fourth-least county population in the state. The county has three incorporated towns. Trenton, the county seat, is one of those towns. Just 238 residents lived there in the 2020 census. It's a cute little town, though! I stopped to take a few photos of the downtown area, including the Jones County Courthouse. Jones County is an agricultural area; most of its land is farming (and swampland).  Only 8 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, Jones County doesn't border the ocean, but the Trent River and the White Oak River run through it. I found a little bit of water during my Jones County travels, enjoying a surprise stop at the lovely Brock Mill Pond.

I enjoyed a stop in Maysville, the largest town in Jones County. One of the highlights of my day was finding the Maysville Public Library. It's closed on Saturdays, but  I found a geocache in the landscaping!  

 A little bit of Jones County history: the area was inhabited by Native Americans (members of the Tuscarora tribe) before European (German and Swiss) settlers arrived. Jones County was named for Willie Jones, a planter from Halifax County, North Carolina. (Jones Street in Raleigh is also named for him.) Jones County was formed in 1779 from part of neighboring Craven County.

On a personal note, I've driven through Jones County a number of times on my way to visit family in Emerald Isle. It was fun to slow down and explore the county, and to learn more about the area!

The rest of my Jones County photos have been uploaded to Flickr, and you can find them here.

Columbus County, North Carolina

George and I took a daytrip to Columbus County last Saturday as part of our 10th anniversary celebration week. Why Columbus County, you ask? Because it's an easy 2.5 drive from home, a place we'd never been before, AND because the North Carolina Pecan Harvest Festival was happening in Whiteville.

Getting ready for this daytrip prompted both of us to clean out our cars and get oil changes, since we didn't decide which car to take until late Friday night. (Being busy with work, grad school, and life in general, it's good to have little deadlines like this to get you motivated to take care of the important, but little stuff that can fall through the cracks!)

So, we headed for Whiteville later than expected, but had plenty of time to look around the NC Pecan Harvest Festival when we got there. We missed the parade (too bad) and the tour of homes (would've been interesting), as well as the cooking contest (yum!), but looked around at the arts and crafts, car show, and listend to the Band of Oz. We did look at the pecans, but decided not to buy any.

Whiteville (population 5000+) is the county seat of Columbus County, and was named for Columbus County's first state senator, James B. White, who also founded the city. One place we didn't visit in Whiteville but wish we had os the North Carolina Museum of Forestry. Maybe next time!

Poet A.R. Ammons was born in Whiteville, and grew up on a tobacco farm there.

After walking around the NC Pecan Harvest Festival, we decided to head for Lake Waccamaw State Park near Bolton. The park looked very pretty, but since neither one of us were up for a hike, we decided to hit the Visitor Center. It was unstaffed, but we found the exhibit area, which turned out to be one of the highlights of the day! We watched a very interesting film about Lake Waccamaw, which is a Carolina Bay, and looked at all of the displays too.

After leaving the Visitor Center, we decided to head out and drive the perimeter of Lake Waccamaw. We checked the GPS and headed out of the park to drive around the lake. It was even prettier than I imagined it would be! It was fun to look at the houses too, large and small, vacation and permanent. I stopped and took several pictures.

Although we had a few other places on our list of potential stops, we decided to head home from Lake Waccamaw. It was such a peaceful and pretty way to end our visit to Columbus County.

Columbus County, named for Christopher Columbus, was formed in 1808, and sits on the North Carolina-South Carolina border.

For all of my Columbus County photos, click here.

Caswell County, North Carolina

I spent a delightful Sunday afternoon exploring Caswell County! Just south of the Virginia border, Caswell County has a lot of history. It was formed in 1777 from the northern part of Orange County (which includes Chapel Hill), and was named for Richard Caswell, governor of North Carolina from 1776-1780. Brightleaf tobacco was discovered around 1839 in Caswell County, revolutionizing the tobacco industry.

My first stop was in Leasburg, the original county seat. I stopped and took pictures of some historical markers there, but otherwise, there's not much there now. Still, it was a nice place to start my Caswell County journey.

My next stop was Yanceyville, the current Caswell County seat. The old Caswell County Courthouse was easy to find, and it's a nice, well-preserved one. It's now home to several county departments, while the new courthouse, a bigger concrete building is fairly nearby. (Yanceyville's pretty small, so everything is relatively close by!) Behind the old courthouse are a couple more historic buildings, Poteat School and the old county jail. I wasn't able to go inside on my impromptu visit to Yanceyville, but I enjoyed walking around the area.

One of the interesting surprises of the day was finding the home of Bartlett Yancey. He was a politician for the area (both on the state and national level), and Yancey County was named for him. There is a debate about whether Yanceyville (in Caswell County, not Yancey County!) was named for him or for his brother, James. At any rate, I found his (former) house, with the Bartlett Yancey historical marker in front. It has most recently been a restaurant, but the restaurant closed in 2011, is still for lease. I'm not sure who owns the property. There's a Yancey family cemetery on the property, with the graves of Bartlett Yancey and his wife, among others. The little cemetery has seen better days, Some of the tombstones are deteriorating, and weeds are growing around. Sad. I'm surprised that a local historical or genealogical society hasn't stepped in, at least with the cemetery.

Thomas Day's Home & Workshop

From there, I traveled to Milton, one of the towns I was looking forward to visiting in Caswell County! Why? Last fall, George and I visited the North Carolina Museum of History, and saw an interesting exhibit on Thomas Day called Behind the Veneer: Thomas Day, Master Cabinetmaker, while we were there. I'd never heard of Thomas Day, but I really enjoyed learning about him, intrigued by his skill as a furniture designer and cabinetmaker in little Milton in the first half of the 19th century. (The exhibit will run through January 2013, and I'd recommend it highly!) I found the building in Milton where Thomas Day lived and had his workshop. (There's a historical marker for Thomas Day in front, which helped with location!) Although I couldn't go inside, it was an interesting building on the outside. Right next door, there was a trailer home for sale, which seemed a little incongruous next to the historic building. (It reminded me of the Yancey House as a closed restaurant with the scraggly Yancey cemetery that I'd seen just a little while before.)

Back of Red House Presbyterian Church

I headed on to my last stop of the day, Red House Presbyterian Church, one of the oldest churches in the area, near Semora. Once I passed the intersection that is Semora, I passed the little green and white sign for Red House, and just down the road, found Red House Prebyterian Church. It's a beautiful old church, and I was delighted to find the sanctuary unlocked for visitors. The cemetery was very pretty and well kept, and includes the grave of the Reverend Hugh McAden.

I really enjoyed my visit to Caswell County! The rest of my photos from my Caswell trip are here.

Carteret County, North Carolina

Emerald Isle

George and I were lucky enough to spend Mother's Day Weekend 2012 in Emerald Isle, which is in Carteret County, NC. I grew up going to the beach in Carteret County (Atlantic Beach, mostly, later Pine Knoll Shores), so this is familiar territory! My sister and her husband have rental property in Emerald Isle now, so we gathered at the beach for good times on this holiday weekend! We were planning to go out on a boat Sunday afternoon, but the wind picked up, so I decided to explore Carteret County for this blog instead! I thought it was going to be a solo afternoon trip, but my mom decided to join me! It was a nice mother-daughter mini-adventure on Mother's Day!

North Carolina Aquarium

I stopped at the North Carolina Aquarium in Pine Knoll Shores first. It's had a big renovation since the last time I was there, and since it was Mother's Day, there was a pretty big crowd! I enjoyed the big tanks of sea creatures, though the special penguin exhibit was small. The gift shop is bigger than I remember, and now there's a Dairy Queen/Orange Julius outside the exit. That was a little startling to see, but there was a line already, so it seems to be a popular addition, if a little out of place commercially.

I have many good memories of the NC Aquarium, seeing exhibits and taking classes there with my nieces there while they were growing up. It was a different feel, walking through by myself.  Still, I'm glad I stopped! A nice facility before, it's larger now, with more parking as well.

Emily, Lisa, and Mom at the Sanitary Fish Market, Morehead City

After the Aquarium visit, I learned that my mom wanted to join me, so I met up with her in Morehead City, where I stopped in at DeeGee's and the Sanitary Fish Market, two Morehead City institutions! Mom and I went into Sanitary together, hoping to see John Tunnel, a regular, there. We didn't see him, but I found this great StoryCorps clip of him talking about early days at the Sanitary. Click here to listen. (It'll only take about four and a half minutes of your time, and you'll be glad you did!)

Harker's Island

Next, Mom and I struck out for Harkers Island. Harkers Island is a bit out of the way, and was actually separated from the mainland for a long time, so native Harkers Islanders have a distinctive dialect. A common example of this dialect is that the word "tide" sounds like "toid," Harkers Island is known for fishing, boat building, and more recently, waterfowl decoys. Mom and I drove to the far end of the island, where we were delighted to spot the Cape Lookout Lighthouse across the sound. I took a picture, but the lighthouse is so tiny, you can barely see it.

Carteret County Courthouse, Beaufort, North Carolina

In Beaufort, the county seat, we stopped for a few pictures of the courthouse before visiting the waterfront. Beaufort is a charming town, home to numerous old homes and churches, cute and yummy restaurants like Beaufort Grocery Company, and a charming waterfront, in addition to the Duke Marine Lab on Pivers Island. (Click here for a webcam of the view of the Beaufort waterfront from Pivers Island.) NOAA's Beaufort Lab is also on Pivers Island. I've been to Beaufort so many times, and it never fails to charm. I would have loved taking more photos around Beaufort that afternoon, but time was limited.

Fort Macon State Park, Atlantic Beach, North Carolina

Next, Mom and I drove back over the bridge that connects Morehead City to Atlantic Beach, and turned left toward Fort Macon State Park. This state park offers public beach access, in addition to open access to Fort Macon, which was built after the War of 1812, and was active during the Civil War. (Read here about the Battle of Fort Macon.) We saw the new visitor center, which looked really nice, but being in a hurry, we went straight for the fort, and where I got some pictures to record the visit. The family has been to Fort Macon State Park several times over the years during summer vacations, including a memorable outdoor music event that we still talk about (but not for the music!).

After Fort Macon, Mom and I headed back to Emerald Isle, so George and I could pack up the car and head back home. It was a fun afternoon, and as always,  I look forward to heading back to Carteret County!

All of my Carteret County pictures are located here.

Union County, North Carolina

George and I paid an unexpected, but fun visit to Union County last summer, on June 26. We were on our way back from a family reunion in South Carolina, and stopped to visit more with Junelle, Jessica, J.K., and Margie, on our way back home. Junelle and her family have a new home in Waxhaw, so that was our main destination. We had a delightful time there!

Me, Jessica, Junelle, Margie, & JK 

When we got to Waxhaw, we parked the cars and walked around a bit. George took this picture of the rest of us on a footbridge there in town. It was so good to spend more time with family, especially since Junelle is already familiar with the area.

Jessica and Junelle at Waxhaw Reading Room

We also stopped at the Waxhaw Reading Room Used Bookstore, the proceeds of which go help support the local public library. The volunteer who helped us that afternoon was very chatty and helpful!

Fried Pickles at Maxwell's Tavern

We stopped at Maxwell's Tavern for a late lunch, where I had fried pickles for the first time. Apparently, this is not a new delicacy. (I've just had my head in the sand!) Of course, I've noticed them at other restaurants since then. We had fun over lunch, talking more and hearing some stories from when J.K. and my dad (who are first cousins) were children.

Old Union County Courthouse, Monroe

Our last stop of the day was at the Old Union County Courthouse in Monroe, so that I could take a quick shot. It's one of the prettiest courthouses I've seen. Part of me wishes we'd had time to go inside. Maybe another time!

Union County was formed in 1842, its name a compromise between the Whigs and the Democrats at the time. Its location next to Mecklenburg County (home of Charlotte) seems to be helping its growth. Monroe, the county seat, was named for James Monroe, the 5th president of the United States.

The visit to Union County was short but fun! (And thanks, Junelle, for being our hostess!) 

The rest of my Union County pictures are here.

Pender County, North Carolina

I've had the pleasure of visiting Pender County, North Carolina, twice in 2011. The first time was on February 20, specifically to drive around the county for this blog post. The second time, I visited on June 18 to participate in the North Carolina Festival 5K, which happened in conjunction with the North Carolina Blueberry Festival in Burgaw. Both visits were delightful, though in different ways.

On my first visit back in February, I went by myself, and it was both interesting and relaxing to drive around the county, based in part on what looked intriguing! I had a plan, though, to head for the far eastern border of the county, which happens to be the Atlantic Ocean, and after exploring the coast, head west toward home, with any interesting stops I could find along the way. I had a North Carolina map and a GPS in hand, so there was some method to my madness, light on the structure and heavy on the whim.

Pender County was named for William Dorsey Pender, who was born in Edgecombe County, North Carolina, and was fatally wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg.  The county was formed in 1875 from New Hanover County, North Carolina, (home of Wilmington), and the county seat is Burgaw.

Pender County Courthouse

There are several things I enjoyed about my time in Pender County. First of all, the Pender County Courthouse Square is a pretty one. I like the courthouse architecture, and the grounds are well groomed.







General John Ashe



There are also a lot of North Carolina Historical Markers around Pender County. I pulled over and photographed as many as I could! It's the North Carolina history buff in me.










Topsail

I also enjoyed getting all the way to the North Carolina coast, a d getting to see the Atlantic Ocean. It's been about 30 years since I've been to Topsail Beach on Topsail Island, so it was really nice to see it again!

Moores Creek National Battlefield

I got an additional history lesson by visiting Moores Creek National Battlefield from the Revolutionary War. I'd never heard of Currie or Moores Creek until I made this trip. What a nice treat!

2011 NC Blueberry Festival

In June, I went with Marjorie and her boyfriend to Burgaw to run in the North Carolina Blueberry Festival 5K. After the race, we walked around the Courthouse Square, checking out the vendors. We all came home with blueberries, of course!

The rest of my pictures from the North Carolina Blueberry Festival are here.



The remainder of the Pender County pictures from my February 2011 trip are here.

Jackson County, North Carolina



Jarrett House, Dillsboro

George and I visited Jackson County, North Carolina, together, on October 28, 2010. It was part of a delightful, nearly weeklong vacation in the North Carolina mountains,  which included visiting six different counties!
The Jarrett House in Dillsboro is a historic bed and breakfast, established in 1884. The food there is supposed to be good, but George and I were too early for lunch.



Dogwood Crafters, Dillsboro

Dogwood Crafters in Dillsboro looked like a charming store, and I wish we'd taken the time to go inside!



Near Train Depot in Dillsboro

The railroad used to play a big role in Dillsboro. Now there are lots of little shops, several of them dedicated to mountain arts and crafts, it seems,



Old Jackson County Courthouse, Sylva

Downtown Sylva

Downtown Sylva

This is the old Jackson County Courthouse, in the county seat of Sylva. It's pretty majestic looking, especially with the steps leading up to the big white building. One of interesting things about the building is that it's been renovated to become part of the Jackson County Public Library Complex. When we were there last October (when this picture was taken), it was still a work in progress. It was finished earlier this year and dedicated last month. I'd love to do back and see it sometime.

This was my first sighting of downtown Sylva, very charming! As you can see, it was a beautiful fall day!

Jackson County was formed in 1851 from parts of Macon County and Haywood County. It was named for President Andrew Jackson. Sylva became the county seat in 1913.

Another shot of downtown Sylva, once we parked the car.

By the way, some scenes from the movies The Fugitive and Deliverence were filmed in/near Sylva.




While George and I were talking outloud about where to eat lunch, a woman on the sidewalk pointed out Pixie's, a local place right across the street. It used to be a barbershop!

We had a delightful time visiting Jackson County! I'd recommend it highly. Check out my Flickr set of Jackson County for the rest of the stop.

Macon County, North Carolina



Macon County Line
















George and I visited Macon County on October 27, 2010, after spending the morning and part of the afternoon in neighboring Clay County. At this elevation, and thanks to the rainfall that week, the fall leaves were disappearing from the trees, but we did see beautiful leaves in other places throughout the week.

Macon County was formed in 1828, and was named for Nathanial Macon, who served North Carolina in both the US House of Representatives and the US Senate in the 1800s.



Macon County Confederate Army Memorial




This is the Macon County Confederate Army Memorial in Rankin Square, Franklin. It was erected in 1909, and is a surprisingly imposing statue. I also noticed a couple of North Carolina Civil War Trail signs in Franklin.















Rose in Franklin Square


















This is one of my favorite pictures from this day trip, even though it isn't particularly unique to the North Carolina mountains, much less Franklin. I'm not a gardener, so I was surprised to see rosebuds in October, and my little point-and-shoot digital camera captured the raindrops on the bud quite nicely, I think. We saw many raindrops earlier this day in Hayesville (Clay County), and I was glad to capture a few of them sticking around on this rosebud in Franklin. 

Franklin Town Clock

The Franklin Town Clock is in a charming little area of downtown Franklin. It has the feel of a mountain town here, doesn't it?!

Downtown Franklin

Franklin is known as the "Gem Capital of the World," and is also known for having lots of outdoor activities in the area, including whitewater rafting on the Nantahala River.



Macon County Courthouse



The Macon County Courthouse is in Franklin, the county seat. I love how the area surrounding the sign is decorated for fall!

Bridal Veil Falls

Our last stop in Macon County was at Bridal Veil Falls. It is on Highway 64 between Franklin and Highlands, and is the only waterfall in North Carolina that you can drive a car under! To give you a little perspective on the waterfall's size, you can barely see George in this photo; he is on the left side of the waterfall, on the road between the falling water and the rock, taking pictures. (You may have to click on the picture to make it bigger to see him a little better.)

I really enjoyed our visit to Macon County! My one regret is not making it to Highlands. Another trip!

See the rest of my Macon County photos on Flickr.

Clay County, North Carolina

George and I visited Clay County, North Carolina, on October 27. Clay County is a neighbor of Cherokee County, our home base for vacation. Clay County is also surrounded by Macon County, plus three Georgia counties. It was formed in 1861 from part of Cherokee County, and is named for Henry Clay. It's the smallest county in area of all 100 counties in North Carolina.

Old Clay County Courthouse

 Hayesville (incorporated March 12, 1913) is the county seat of Clay County. With a population of about 300, it's a charming town, and I really enjoyed walking and driving around! This was one of the rainiest days George and I had on our trip, but we made the best of it. Here is the old Clay County Courthouse. A nearby plaque indicates it was in use from 1888 to 1972. There were a lot of technology changes in that time span! The new Clay County Courthouse is here. While I can appreciate the need for more space, the old Clay County Courthouse on the town square definitely has the charm factor going for it. I'm glad they've kept it!

Moss Memorial Library, Hayesville

 Moss Memorial Library, pictured here, is part of the Nantahala Regional Library (headquartered in Murphy), which serves Clay, Cherokee, and Graham Counties. This regional library was initially organized in 1937, initially for the library in Murphy to provide library services to the people involved in building Hiwassee Dam in western Cherokee County. When the initial contract with the Murphy Library expired near completion of Hiwassee Dam, voters approved tax money to expand the services of the Nantahala Regional Library, which became established in November 1940.

Friends of the Library Bookstore

Across the street from Moss Memorial Library is a small house-looking structure that is the Friends of the Library Bookstore. George and I both love used bookstores, so we really enjoyed spending some time in there after our stop in the library, especially considering the rain! (Click on the picture to make it bigger and see the big raindrops coming down.) The volunteer there was very nice and helpful, and steered us toward a local place for lunch.

Almost Touch the Clouds!

After our stop in Hayesville, we decided to go to Macon County. The clouds were so low, we could almost touch them! It gave us a different scenic view from what we were expecting, but it was still beautiful.

Bright Fall Colors

This is one of my favorite pictures of fall color from this trip! This was taken on the road between Clay and Macon Counties. The bending road in this shot was also a familiar site on our trip!

The rest of my Clay County pictures are here.

Country Stores in North Carolina

This afternoon I got the book Country Stores in North Carolina to read and look through, and I'm thrilled! It's a new acquisition at the library, and it's one of those books that makes me wonder why I didn't come up with the idea! At quick glace, the book is full of black and white pictures of country stores throughout North Carolina, with a short caption to describe where each store is located. Occasional blurbs about country store experiences pepper the book, which is a nice touch. Some of the photographs are close-ups of vending machines, store signs, thermometers. If you're a fan of the North Carolina countryside, check out this book!

Wake County, North Carolina

Here is the link for my visit to Wake County, North Carolina.