Richmond County, North Carolina

George and I recently enjoyed a chilly Saturday in Richmond County, a rural county located on North Carolina's southern border. Richmond County has been around for a while, formed in 1779 from neighboring Anson County.

For such a rural county, Richmond County has several famous native sons, including musicians John Coltrane (born in Hamlet), Terius Youngdell Nash (born in Rockingham), and  Bucky Covington (born in Rockingham), NFL players Dannell Ellerbe and Melvin Ingram, Family Dollar founder Leon Levine, and former North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Henry Frye (born in Ellerbe).

Richmond County Courthouse

One of our first stops was in Rockingham, the county seat. We found the lovely Richmond County Courthouse there. It's been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979.

One of the biggest draws in Rockingham in the Rockingham Speedway, known now as the Rock.It used to be a NASCAR racetrack until 2004. It's being redone as an entertainment venue. Nothing was going on when George and I stopped by, but it was still fun to see in person. I've never been into car racing, but growing up in the South, I can appreciate the fandom and enormity of the race track.

Hamlet Public Library

George and I also stopped in the city of Hamlet. Hamlet has a history as a railroad hub, and is home to the National Railroad Museum and Hall of Fame. George and I didn't get to visit it this time, but maybe next time we're in Hamlet.

The rest of my Richmond County photos are in an album on Flickr. Click on this sentence to view. 

Cakedy Cakes Mural in Hamlet

Duplin County, North Carolina

Duplin County Courthouse

I drove down to Duplin County to explore over the winter break, and had a fun time! Duplin County is a very rural county, and a pretty one. Duplin County was formed in 1750 from New Hanover County. (Later, Sampson County was created from part of Duplin County.) The county seat is Kenansville, named after State Senator James Kenan, a brigadier general in the Revolutionary War.

After a nice drive through the town of Warsaw, I found the town of Magnolia next. I enjoyed looking around Magnolia, and even found the library (which shouldn't be a surprise to those who
know me! Speaking of libraries and books, there's a book by a Magnolia native, Clara Baker McGrath, called Magnolia Girl's Adventures. After graduating from high school, she left Magnolia for Washington, DC, to work for the FBI.

Magnolia Cemetery

I also visited the Magnolia Cemetery, where I found a geocache.

Next, I visited the unincorporated community of Chinquapin. It's a small town with a rich history. It also has a couple of notable former residents. Caleb Bradham, inventor of Pepsi, was born there. Also, American author Randall Kenan spent time on the family farm in Chinquapin as a young child.

My last stop in Duplin County was in the town of Rose Hill. I stopped at the Duplin Winery, the largest winery in North Carolina. I didn't have take time for a tour that day, but I enjoyed a late lunch at the Bistro there. After lunch, I went down the street to visit The World's Largest [Operational] Frying Pan. It was covered up the day I was there. It would be interesting to see the frying pan in action!

World's Largest Frying Pan in Rose Hill

The rest of my Duplin County photos are here.