Scotland County, North Carolina

Downtown Laurinburg

On July 23, a warm summer day, I visited Scotland County in southeastern North Carolina. Scotland County was formed in 1899, and its county seat is Laurinburg. Scotland County got its name from the influences in the area from early settlers from Scotland.

My first stop was Laurinburg, where I took my usual photo of the county courthouse. Settlers arrived in the area around 1785, and it was named after the McLaurins, an prominent family in the settlement. Laurinburg was incorporated in 1877, with a current population of around 15,000 people. Laurinburg is home to St. Andrews University and Laurinburg Institute. 

One of my favorite stops in Scotland was the John Blue House. The house is a unique example of Steamboat Gothic architecture, partly because most Steamboat Gothic homes are found in the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys. The John Blue House is home to a number of festivals throughout the year, including the John Blue Cotton Festival, the Scotland County Highland Games, and the Storytelling Festival of Carolina.

Since Scotland County shares a border with South Carolina, I decided to zip over the county and state line to do some geocaching, and found a geocache called Weird SC: Haunted School. It was a fun geocache to find!

I decided to explore Laurinburg again for a local (not a chain) place to eat, and found Fore's Family Restaurant in the downtown area. My cheeseburger was good, and the service was prompt. Tables and customers were spread out, important during the Covid-19 Pandemic. I was glad I stopped there before the drive back home.

The rest of my Scotland County photos are here.

Stanly County, North Carolina

 I took a day off from work on May 27, and headed west for Stanly County, North Carolina. I've whizzed past Stanly County before, but haven't actually stopped to visit before. It was a beautiful day for it! 

Stanly County was formed in 1841 from part of neighboring Montgomery County. Originally, the land of inhabited by hunter-gatherers and Mound Builders. The county was named after John Stanly, a U.S. Congressman from New Bern. One of the things Stanly was known for was "winning" a duel against Richard Dobbs Spaight, a U.S. Constitution signer and North Carolina's 8th governor. 

Morrow Mountain State Park

I started out at Morrow Mountain State Park, which is near the county seat of Albemarle. I'd never been to this state park, and was looking forward to spending some time outdoors after being cooped up during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Morrow Mountain State Park is very pretty, and one I'd recommend visiting. There are the usual hiking trails and campsites, as well as a scenic view (with plenty of picnic tables and parking) at the top of Morrow Mountain. There's also an Olympic size swimming pool (unusual for a state park!) and bathhouse, as well as the lovely Lake Tillery. (I LOVE a nice lake!) Boat rentals are

Lake Tillery

available with varying schedules, depending on the season, and fishing is allowed with a North Carolina fishing license. There's also a small museum about the history of the Uhwarrie Mountains, but it was closed during my visit because of Covid-19. Campers can enjoy camping on of us 106 campsites for tents or RVs.

Next, I visited Albemarle, the county seat of Stanly County. Albemarle was named after Albemarle County, the first county established in North Carolina, and for General George Monck, who was the first Duke of Albemarle, and was involved in establishing the colony of Carolina. Albemarle is a small city, estimated population (2010) of 15,903 people. I enjoyed driving around! (Albemarle isabout an hour from downtown Charlotte.)

Downtown Albemarle

My last stop was the town of Badin, on the south end of Badin Lake. Badin is a charming town, and I'd love to go back and explore it more. Badin Lake, created by damming the Yadkin-Pee Dee River, is so pretty! It lies within Stanly, Davidson, Rowan, and Montgomery counties. Badin was a company town, until ALCOA closed the local factory down.

Pfeiffer University is in Misenheimer, an unincorporated village in Stanly County. I like visiting college campuses, so I'm sorry I didn't make it by. 

The rest of my Stanly County photos are here.