Rowan County, North Carolina

 On May 26, George and I traveled down the road to Rowan County to explore! 

Rowan County was formed in 1753, when the country was still under British rule. Before British rule, the Native American tribes Saponi and Catawba lived there. The first European explorer in the area was Juan Pardo in 1567.

Our first Rowan County stop was in the village of Gold Hill, a couple of hours from home. This area started developing after gold was discovered there in 1824.

It's a cute village, though several businesses were closed because it was a Sunday. We really enjoyed walking around, though, and enjoyed the company of a friendly cat. We also enjoyed lunch at the local Flynn's Village Grill.

 

Next, we traveled to the county seat, Salisbury. We stopped by the headquarters of the Food Lion grocery store chain for a photo op. Then we hit downtown
Salisbury for photos of the Rowan County Courthouse, which is a pretty one.

Our last stop in Rowan County was in Spencer, known for the North Carolina Transportation Museum. We enjoyed riding the train around the museum campus, as well as the railway turntable.The museum was comprehensive, including different exhibits. We enjoyed our time there, and I can see why it's popular, especially if you're into trains!

My Rowan County photo album is here.

Alexander County, North Carolina

 On October 28, 2022, George and I visited Alexander County, North Carolina. Alexander County was established in 1847, with land from several surrounding counties. It was named after William Julius Alexander, who was active in colonial North Carolina.  

Taylorsville, the county seat, was also formed in 1847. One of Taylorsville's notable residents is Jerry Rushing, a local bootlegger and inspiration for the TV show "The Dukes of Hazzard." (Is this true? I'm not sure!) We stopped in Taylorsville to see the courthouse, and to find a geocache.

We also stopped in Hiddenite to see the Historic James Paul Lucas Mansion, where we took a brief tour. The house was interesting, and we enjoyed learning more about "Diamond Jim." I didn't take any photos, unfortunately, but here's a YouTube video of the house.

 

 Every year, Hiddenite holds the Hiddenite Celebration of the Arts. Also, Hiddenite has several gem mines in the area.

Our last stop in the county was at Rocky Face Mountain Recreational Area. George and I got the recommendation from the staff at the Lucas Mansion, and we really enjoyed visiting! It's a very pretty area, with hiking trails going to the top, as well as other activities.

The rest of my Alexander County photos are here.

Mitchell County, North Carolina

 On October 26, 2022, we had a fun time visiting Mitchell County, North Carolina. It was a bit of a stretch for a day trip, about four hours each way. It was worth it, though! The county was formed in 1861, and was named for Elisha Mitchell. His research led to the identification of Mount Mitchell (in nearby Yancey County) as the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi River.

Mitchell County Courthouse

Our first stop was at the Mitchell County Courthouse in Bakersville, the county seat. We also visited the old county courthouse, which is across the street from the library (yay!) in the downtown area. Bakersville is a small town, less than 500 inhabitants. Long before the town was settled, Native Americans mined the area for mica. The town was named for David Baker, who owned a lot of land in the area.

 

One of the things Bakersville is known for is the NC Rhododendron Festival. The next one will be June 16-18, 2023, so we missed it this past June.

For lunch, we stopped at a roadside spot called Bonnie and Clyde's just outside of Bakersville in Loafer's Glory. We found this place because there was a geocache across the street, which we found! We enjoyed eating our lunch at a roadside picnic table nearby, before heading on.

Our next stop was in Spruce Pine, the largest town in Mitchell County. We didn't spend much time there, just long enough to find another geocache in the local Wal-Mart parking lot. (I know, so much else to see, but we were getting a little weary, and still had a four-hour drive back.) Of note here, though, is that Roy Williams, former UNC basketball coach, was born in Spruce Pine! Also, Spruce Pine is home of the NC Mineral and Gem Festival.

We hopped on the Blue Ridge Parkway for the pretty short drive to Little Switzerland, a small community in both Mitchell and McDowell Counties. (On the way, we drove through the Little Switzerland Tunnel.) There's a cluster of businesses, but nothing much was open when we stopped. I remember visited the bookstore there years ago, where I bought a used copy of The Two, by Irving Wallace and Amy Wallace. If we ever make it back to Little Switzerland, a list of things to do is found here.

The rest of my Mitchell County photos are here.

Cabarrus County, North Carolina

George and Lesley 

On December 4, 2021, George and I visited Cabarrus County, North Carolina, for my birthday. You're probably wondering why Cabarrus County, of all places, for my birthday! Well, it was a great choice, and we had a fun day! About two hours from home, it made for a good day trip, to boot. We didn't catch everything in Cabarrus County, but we got a solid snapshot of this interesting area.

 

Our first stop was the Reed Gold Mine, an NC State Historic Site in Midland. The first documented gold find in the United States was at the Reed Gold Mine in 1799, so it's also a National Historic Landmark. It has a nice Visitor Center, which was decorated for the holidays early in December. From the Visitor Center, we took a self-guided underground tour. (There are also guided tours for a fee, but we missed the timing.) The underground mine tour was very informative, with stops along the way. You can also pan for gold there from April through October, but we missed out on that. I hear that Reed Gold Mine is a popular field trip for schools in the area.

Downtown Concord

Our next stop was Concord, the county seat. Concord was settled around 1750 by Scots-Irish and German immigrants, and incorporated in 1806. The area was once known for its cotton farms, owned by white men and worked by enslaved African-Americans. Cotton mills became an important part of Cabarrus County's industrial growth. Coleman Manufacturing Company, in operation from 1897 to 1904, is believed to be the first cotton mill in the US that was owned and operated by African-Americans. Eventually, it became known as Franklin Cotton Mills, and later was a Fieldcrest Cannon plant. Now it's called Coleman-Franklin-Cannon Mill, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Old Cabarrus Co. Courthouse

In Concord, we found the old and current Cabarrus County Courthouses. I especially like the original courthouse, and am glad they've repurposed it. We had lunch at the yummy Village Corner Comfort Kitchen & Bar, which had nice outdoor seating. Our final stop in Cabarrus County was at the Southern Strain Brewing Company, which offered a nice brew and outdoor seating in the crisp late afternoon air.

On our way out, we drove by large and impressive Charlotte Motor Speedway. If following NASCAR is your thing, the Charlotte Motor Speedway seems like a place to visit. I don't follow car racing, myself, but it still intrigues me as an experience to take in at some point.

The rest of my Cabarrus County photos are uploaded onto Flickr, and are here.

 

Bertie County, North Carolina

On February 1, I had a fun daytrip to Bertie County. Earlier in the week, I posted a request on Facebook for ideas of things to see in Bertie County, and that added a lot to my trip!

Bertie County started as a Bertie Pricinct in 1722, and became Bertie County in 1739. It amazes me that this county was formed several decades before we became a country.

Bertie County Courthouse

I set my GPS for the Bertie County Courthouse in the county seat of Windsor, since I often include photos of the courthouse in my blog.It took roughly two hours to get from home to the courthouse in Windsor.

After I found the pretty courthouse, I found the quirky Livermon Park and Mini-Zoo nearby!  I was impressed by the animals in this small park, although I couldn't get too close. Still, it was fun to see them there. Since it had rained the day before, things were a little muddy, but it wasn't too bad.

Turkeys at the Livermon Zoo

After I walked around the park and zoo for a while, I found the nearby (and very pretty!) Cashie Wetlands Walk, a nice walk along the Cashie River wetlands. Things were still soggy and overcast from the overnight rain, but it was still a very pretty walk. I didn't walk the whole trail, but would like to return to finish it.

Cashie Wetlands Walk Sign

Later, I drove to the community of San Souci to ride the San Souci Ferry across the Cashie River. It's one of three cable ferries in North Carolina, and it was fun to take. If you're ever in the area, the San Souci Ferry is a fun ride, free and just takes a few minutes.


A friend told me about the documentary "Raising Bertie," a film about the lives of three young boys in Bertie County. I purchased it on Amazon, and look forward to finish watching it soon

I really enjoyed my trip to Bertie County, and would highly recommend exploring the area! If I make it back, one thing one my bucket list is the Historic Hope Plantation. I drove around the plantation, but didn't take time to get out and take the tour. .

Click on this link to see the rest of my Bertie County photos.

On the San Souci Ferry

Cashie Wetlands Boardwalk

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.

Currituck County, North Carolina

The day before Memorial Day, George and I took off for Currituck County, North Carolina's most northeastern county! We knew we wanted to see the county seat of Currituck and its courthouse, as well as stick our toes in the sand. We had some bonus adventures along the way, but our big takeaway (other than the gorgeous day!) was that we didn't have time to do everything, and we can't wait to go back!

We started out in Currituck, which is on the mainland but on the Currituck Sound. Currituck used to be called Currituck Court House, but eventually the "Court House" part of the name was dropped, and left with just Currituck. We visited the Currituck Courthouse and the Old Jail next door, and took lots of pictures. 

Just down the road from the courthouse is home base for the Knotts Island Ferry, which offers a free ride over to Knotts Island. Our timing for taking the ferry, exploring, and returning for the rest of the county was off, so that's something we want to do another time!

From there, we stopped in Barco for lunch at Currituck BBQ Company. We had a good lunch there as we decided what to do next. George really wanted to go down on the beach and stick his feet in the water, so we checked Google Maps and decided to head to the public access beach Corolla next, enjoying the sights along the way. (It took us about an hour to get from Barco to Corolla.)

On the way to Corolla, we drove through the town of Duck. (Don't you just love the name?!) Duck's a small town (located in Dare County, but Currituck), but its population swells during the summer. Memorial Day weekend was a busy time in Duck, too, so driving through took a while, but it gave us a nice opportunity to see the sights.

We finally made it to Corolla, our second visit to the town but our first time to this public access beach! We were glad to find a parking space, and made a pretty long walk down to the beach. We enjoyed hanging out on the sand for a while, and George enjoyed the ocean water, though he reported back that it was surprisingly cold. The photo to the left is one of our better selfies together.

Once we got back to the car, we decided to head north, and go as far as we could in our 2WD car, We stopped by the Currituck Beach

Lighthouse for a current photo. We'd stopped there before and walked around, but haven't been up to the top of this one. I'd love to do that sometime! We drove through the Historic Corolla Village, but it was so busy that we decided not to stop this time. (We stopped there a couple of years ago and enjoyed it!)

We continued to drive north until we saw warnings of 4WD needed, and the road started getting sandier. (Next time!) So we turned around and started making our way home. We made one final stop in Kill Devil Hills to have dinner at the Black Pelican. I had a yummy salmon dish there, and George enjoyed some flounder.

We had a fun day on the Outer Banks, and can't wait to go back! The rest of my photos are here.

Camden County, North Carolina

I recently took a day trip to Camden County, a rural county in northeastern North Carolina, one county west of the Outer Banks. According to the 2010 Census, Camden County is the fourth least populated county in North Carolina. One of the reasons I wanted to visit Camden County is because the southern end of the Great Dismal Swamp is in northern Camden County.

I started out in Camden, the county seat, where I located the county courthouse and the old jail, which is now a museum. The courthouse has a veterans monument in front of it. Camden County was formed in 1777, and this courthouse was built in 1847. (The previous courthouse was built in 1782, and burned down in 1845.)

Another highlight was the visiting the southern tip of the Great Dismal Swamp. South Mills, in northern Camden County, is home to the Dismal Swamp State Park, as well as the Dismal Swamp Canal Visitor Center. This is a peaceful, beautiful area, and I'd

highly recommend a visit.

Toward the end of my day in Camden County, I visited the Shiloh community, where I found Shiloh Baptist Church, the oldest Baptist Church in North Carolina.

I really enjoyed my time in Camden County, and definitely recommend a visit! My photos are here.

Martin County, North Carolina

On March 31, I visited Martin County in eastern North Carolina.

Jamesville Water Tower

My first stop was Jamesville, home of the North Carolina Herring Festival, held every Easter weekend. I got there just in time for the parade! I enjoyed my parade watching spot on a curb near downtown, where I saw the parade from beginning to end. There were EMS vehicles and firetrucks, old cars, shiny truck cabs, some floats, and even some golf carts decorated like Easter bunnies. Miss North Carolina 2017 rode by, waving to the crowds, and the Dunn Sudan Clowns came by a couple of times. The crowds in my area enjoyed the parade!

Dunn Sudan Clowns in Parade

After the parade, the Herring Festival continued in downtown Jamesville, and included vendors (both food and non-food merchandise), live music, and some rides. It was a beautiful day for the festival, and people seemed to enjoy milling around and stopping to chat with each other and the vendors. Somehow, I missed the herring at the festival, but there must have been some around!

After spending time in Jamesville, I drove to Williamston, the county seat. Like Jamesville,  Williamston is a charming little town. Horses are big in Williamston. Every September the town is host to the popular Carolina County Stampede. The Bob Martin Eastern Agricultural Center hosts horse shows, among other things. I made a stop at the Martin County Courthouse, which is so charming. It's on the National Register of Historic Places.

All of my Martin County photos are in an album on Flickr, and can be found here.

Montgomery County, North Carolina

George and I spent a cloudy Saturday in Montgomery County, and we really enjoyed it!

The drive through the North Carolina countryside en route to Troy was very pretty and relaxing. On the way, we drove through Carthage, county seat of Moore County, a county I've already visited. I made several stops in Moore County on my official visit there, but didn't make it to Carthage. It's a pretty town, and I'm sorry I didn't include it in my Moore County post.

Montgomery County Courthouse

Our first stop in Montgomery County was the county courthouse in the county seat of Troy. It's an old looking building, but very pretty, I think! It was built in 1921, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. In an era where a number of old courthouses have been replaces by more modern gray buildings, this one is a charmer.

Star Library

From there, we went to Star, which is the geographic center of North Carolina. It's a charming little town, with a downtown area that includes the Star Branch Library. The Star Municipal Building has a model train in front, near a plaque with the coordinates for the center of the state.

While in Montgomery County, I found geocaches in both Troy and Star--always fun!

What would I do differently if I were to visit Montgomery County again? I'd made sure to visit the unincorporated community of Blank Ankle, which in addition to the interesting name, sounds like a close knit community. Plus, the Blackankle Bog Preserve and Blackankle Fort sound like interesting places to visit while in Black Ankle.

Photos of our trip to Montgomery County are posted in an album on Flickr, which can be found here.

Hoke County, North Carolina

I took my birthday (December 4) off from work to visit Hoke County. Founded in 1911 from parts of Cumberland and Robeson Counties, Hoke County was one of the last two counties formed in North Carolina. (Avery County in western North Carolina was also formed in 1911.)

Hoke County Courthouse

Raeford, a town of a little under 5,000 residents, is the county seat of Hoke County. When I visited in early December, the downtown area was already decorated for the holidays, with wreaths and red bows on lamp posts and some buildings.

The Hoke County Courthouse had a nice veterans memorial in front of it, as well as a marker for a time capsule to be opened in April 2111.

Dundarrach Community Church

My favorite Hoke County discovery outside of Raeford was the tiny community of Dundarrach,
which is home to the Dundarrach Community Church and Cemetery. I love country churches with accompanying cemeteries!

The rest of my Hoke County photos are here.

Wilson County, North Carolina

On September 5, 2015, I enjoyed a visit to Wilson County, North Carolina. Wilson County was formed in 1855 from neighboring counties in eastern North Carolina, and named for Louis Dicken Wilson, a state legislator from neighboring Edgecombe County who was a colonel in the Mexican-American War.

Wilson County Courthouse

I spent most of my time in the county seat of Wilson, which has a population of nearly 50,000. It was the birthplace and initial headquarters of Branch Banking and Trust (BB&T). Although the headquarters has moved to Winston-Salem, the bank is still Wilson County's largest employer.

One of Wilson County's local treasures is Vollis Simpson. Although he passed away in 2013, his art lives on in the form of whirligigs throughout the area. While I didn't make it to the Wilson Whirligig Park, I saw a number of them across the city! They're delightful!

I also stopped to visit St. Timothy's Episcopal Church, which is a beautiful older church (built in 1906), and found several local geocaches.

My photo album of Wilson County is here.

Greene County, North Carolina

Last Saturday, I spent part of a rainy day in Greene County, North Carolina! I'd never been to Green County before, so it was a treat!

Greene County Courthouse

Greene County was named for Nathanael Greene, a major general in the American Revolutionary War. (The North Carolina cities of Greenville and Greensboro are both named after Nathanael Greene as well, but neither of those cities are actually in Greene County.) The county was first formed in 1791 and named Glasgow County, for former North Carolina Secretary of State James Glasgow. He got in hot water over his involvement in military land grand fraud, though, and had to leave the state. That's when Glasgow County's name was changed to Greene County.

Downtown Snow Hill

Snow Hill, chartered back in 1828, is the county seat and largest city in Greene County, with a population of a little over 1600 residents. The downtown area looked pretty sparse during my visit, but it was a rainy Saturday. Once I found and took a photo of the Greene County Courthouse, I decided to look for some geocaches in the area, and was delighted to drive through part of Snow Hill's historic district and other parts of the county. Greene County is definitely an agricultural county, as I passed many crops, mainly tobacco, but others too, possibly soybeans or sweet potatoes. Snow Hill will host the 2014 North Carolina Sweet Potato Festival in mid-September. (I love sweet potatoes, so maybe I'll go back for that!)

Maury Train Station

I made a quick stop in the quaint unincorporated community of Maury on my way back home. There are a few businesses in this quaint crossroads area. To the right is a photo of the old Maury Train Depot.

These and the other photos I took last Saturday have been posted to Flickr. You can find them here.

Warren County, North Carolina

I thoroughly enjoyed my January 4 visit to Warren County! Since I'd never been to Warren County before, I did some quick research beforehand. The county was formed in 1779, and named for John Warren. The county seat is Warrenton. Warrenton was one of the wealthiest towns in North Carolina from 1840-1860, so there are some nice old homes and buildings there. As a result, over half of Warrenton has been designated as a National Historic District.

On my way to my first planned stop in Ridgeway, I passed through Manson, thanks to the small post office! I saw a sign about Soul City, near Manson, but didn't stop to explore.

Church of the Good Shepherd

Although I missed the Ridgeway Cateloupe Festival (maybe I'll go back in July), I did find the future home of the Ridgeway Historical Museum, as well as the Church of the Good Shepherd, a beautiful Episcopal church, built in the Gothic Revival style. The church was locked, so I couldn't see inside, but I enjoyed taking pictures outside and around the cemetery.

Next, I found Macon, birthplace of Reynolds Price, author and Duke professor, who passed away in 2011. It's a small place, but I snapped a picture of the post office and a sign.

Warren County Courthouse

I ended my trip in Warrenton, county seat. I found the Warren County Courthouse, as well as the Fairview Cemetery. I also enjoyed taking pictures inside the Warrenton post office, which has a WPA mural. I enjoyed a late lunch in the Hardware Cafe (across from the courthouse) before heading home.

The rest of my photos of Warren County are here.

Yadkin County, North Carolina

George and I enjoyed a mini-vacation to West Jefferson (and a return to Ashe County) over July 4th, and decided to take a look at Yadkin County for this blog on our way back home. Although it was a bit spur of the moment, we enjoyed our quick trip through Yadkin County, and I'd love a return trip to the area, especially to explore the wineries in the Yadkin Valley area. In fact, all of Yadkin County is included in the Yadkin Valley American Viticultural Area.

Yadkin County was formed in 1850 from Surry County, south of the Yadkin River (after which the county is named). It's considered part of the piedmont (middle) region of North Carolina, but the Brushy Mountains skirt the western part of Yadkin.

We decided to make stops in Jonesville, Boonville, and Yadkinville, the county seat, as we made our way eastward toward home.

Jonesville Public Library



Jonesville, the oldest town in Yadkin County, has a nice welcome center and town hall for such a small town. It has a cute little library too! For Atlantic Coast Conference and Wake Forest University basketball fans, Dickie Hemric hails from Jonesville.



Next, we stopped in Boonville, where the public library and a mural of the town were highlights. Apparently, the town is named after Daniel Boone, who spent some time in the area. Read all about it on the webpage, "History of Boonville, NC."



Our final stop was Yadkinville, the county seat and largest city in Yadkin County. Looking for a place to park for a shot of the Yadkin County Courthouse, we happened upon the office of The Yadkin Ripple! I thought it was a fun name for a paper, so I took the picture on the left.

I look forward to returning to Yadkin County sometime, especially to explore the wineries in the area! Meanwhile, the rest of my Yadkin County photos are here.

Beaufort County, North Carolina

I had the pleasure of visiting Beaufort County, North Carolina, on December 28, 2011. It's a beautiful county with lots of history in the eastern part of the state. I made it a partial day trip, and wish I'd had longer! So much to see!

Beaufort County was first referred to as Pamptecough, according to NCpedia, but the name was changed around 1712, in honor of Henry Somerset, Duke of Beaufort. Bath was the first county seat, but Washington (know in these parts as "Little Washington") became the county seat in 1785.

Before I left home for Beaufort County, I decided to make Bath and Washington my priorities for the county, and if I had time, I'd fit in Belhaven, Goose Creek State Park, Chocowinity, and Aurora too, time permitting. I ended up savoring my time in Bath so much that I had just enough time to do a couple of things in Washington before heading back home! Still, it was a delightful day, and I hope to make it back to Beaufort County sometime!

I spent most of my time in Bath, which is a North Carolina State Historic Site. Since I'm a North Carolina history buff (thanks in part to my genealogy work), I felt like I was in my element! I started at the Visitor Center, where the docent helped me get oriented to the area.

One of the interesting tidbits the docent shared with me is that the North Carolina Historic Marker for Edward Teach (Blackbeard, the famous pirate) is in front of a house that was in 4th grade state history books for years was named as Blackbeard's home. It turns out that Blackbeard never lived there, the historic marker just happens to be in front of that house! Oops!



In Washington, I enjoyed exploring an old cemetery, finding the Beaufort County Courthouse, and driving through downtown. My favorite thing about Washington, though, was the North Carolina Estuarium. It sits right on the Pamlico/Tar River estuary, which is the second largest estuary system in the United States. (The Chesapeake is the largest.) I enjoyed the docent's talk about the interactive structures in the lobby of the North Carolina Estuarium, as well as the short film that followed. Afterward, I joined the other visitors in the exhibit area, then enjoyed my time on the boardwalk behind the estuarium.  The rest of my photos of the estuarium are here.

I took a lot of photos during my trip to Beaufort County, and had a hard time choosing which ones to post! I've uploaded them to Flickr, where you'll find them here. Among my photos are the oldest church building in North Carolina, Bonner's Point, the Bath Community Library, Oakdale Cemetery in Washington, and the Beaufort County Courthouse.

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.