Alamance County, North Carolina

Alamance County
County
Official seal of Alamance County Seal
Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
North Carolina's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 36°02′N 79°24′W
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Founded	1849
Seat	Graham
Area
• Total	435 sq mi (1,130 km2)
• Land	430 sq mi (1,100 km2)
• Water	5 sq mi (10 km2)  1.10%
Population  (2007)
• Total	145,360
• Density	300/sq mi (117/km2)
Website	www.alamance-nc.com

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Alamance County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It coincides with the Burlington, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. Formed in 1849 from Orange County to the east, Alamance County has been the site of significant historical events, textiles, manufacturing, and agriculture in North Carolina.

As of 2006, the estimated population of the county and MSA was 145,360. Its county seat is Graham.

History

Re-enacting the Battle of Alamance.

Before being formed as a county, the region had at least one known small Southeastern tribe of Native American in the 1700s - the Sissipahaw who lived in the area bound by modern Saxapahaw, Hawfields and Haw River locations in the county . European Americans entered the region largely following Native American trading paths that became the basis of the railroad and interstate highway routes.

Alamance County was named after Great Alamance Creek, site of the Battle of Alamance (May 16, 1771). This pre-Revelutionary War battle in which militia under the command of Governor William Tryon crushed the Regulator movement. The Great Alamance Creek, and in turn the Little Alamance Creek, according to legend, were named after a local Native American word to describe the blue mud that was found at the bottom of the creeks. Other legends say that the name came from another local Native American word meaning "noisy river" or for the Alemanni region of Rhineland, Germany, where many of the early settlers would have come from.

During the American Revolution, several small battles and skirmishes occurred in the area that would one day become Alamance County, several of them during the lead-up to the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, including Pyle's Massacre and the Battle of Lindley's Mill, and the Battle of Clapp's Mill.

During the early 19th century, the textile industry grew heavily in the area, and as such, the need for better transportation grew. By the 1840s several mills were set up along the Haw River and near Great Alamance Creek and other major tributaries of the Haw. Between 1832 and 1880, there were at least 14 major mills powered by these rivers and streams. Mills were built by the Trollinger, Holt, Newlin, Swepson, and Rosenthal families, among others. One of the mills, built in 1832 by Ben Trollinger, is still in operation. It is owned by Copland Industries and sits in the unincorporated community of Carolina and is the oldest continuously-operating mill in the state of North Carolina.

One of the notable textiles produced in the area were the "Alamance Plaids" or "Glencoe Plaids" used in everything from clothing to tablecloths. The Alamance Plaids manufactured by textile pioneer Edwin M. Holt were the first colored cotton goods produced on power looms in the South, and paved the way for the region's textile boom. (Holt's home is now the Alamance County Historical Society.) But by the late 20th century, most of the plants and mills had now gone out of business, including the mills operated by Burlington Industries, a company that was based in Burlington.

By the 1840s, the textile industry was booming, and the railroad was being built through the area as a convenient link between Raleigh and Greensboro. The county was formed January 29, 1849 from Orange County.

American Civil War

In 1861, the United States began to fragment due to growing questions of states' rights concerning issues of money, agriculture, representation, and slavery. In February of that year, a peace conference was held in Washington, DC. North Carolina sent five delegates to this conference, including Chief Justice Thomas Ruffin of the town of Haw River. Justice Ruffin was opposed to secession, but was voted down. Later on, President Buchanan said that if Ruffin had persisted, the war might have been averted. In March, 1861, Alamance County residents voted overwhelmingly against North Carolina's secession from the Union, 1,114 to 254. Two delegates were sent to the State Secession Convention, Thomas Ruffin and Giles Mebane, were both in favor of remaining with the Union, as were most of the delegates who were sent to the convention. At the time of the convention, around 30% of Alamance County's population were slaves (total population of c. 12,000 people including c. 3,500 slaves and c. 500 free blacks).

Overall, North Carolina was reluctant to join other Southern states in secession from the United States. It opposed secession during the Peace Conference of 1861, and refused to secede from the Union when Abraham Lincoln was sworn in as President. Repeated efforts by secessionists failed to convince the state legislature to secede from the Union failed. Commencement of hostilities in Fort Sumter, South Carolina on April 12, 1861, however, changed public opinion towards secession. When Lincoln called up troops, Governor John Ellis replied, "I can be no party to this wicked violation of the laws of the country and to this war upon the liberties of a free people. You can get no troops from North Carolina." After a special legislative session, North Carolina's legislature unanimously voted in favor of secession on May 20, 1861.

Alamance County joined the rest of North Carolina as the state split off from the Union and joined the Confederate States. Although no battles took place in the county itself, Alamance County did send its share to the front lines. Only in the last months of the war did the residents of the county see a significant number of troops. Most important of these events was when President Jefferson Davis dictated a note to General Johnston for Union General Sherman. General Johnston delivered that note, stopping in Company Shops to drop off some of the last of his men. By the end of the war, 236 individuals from Alamance County had been killed in the course of the war, more than any other war since the county's founding.

Alamance County Courthouse in Graham, NC.

Aftermath of the American Civil War

Some of the most significant effects of the Civil War were seen after the war. Alamance County briefly became a center of national attention when, in 1870, a confrontation between local residents and an apparently corrupt Army colonel led to several people being wrongfully accused and arrested for various crimes. Only after involvement by a U. S. District Judge were these men and women freed and cleared of crimes. This event came to be known as the Kirk-Holden War, and it led to the impeachment and removal of Governor William Holden by the North Carolina Legislature in 1871.

Dairy industry

The county was once the state leader in dairy production. Several dairies including Melville Dairy in Burlington were headquartered in the county. With increasing real estate prices and a slump in milk prices, most dairy farms have been sold and many of them developed for real estate purposes.

Airplanes and radars

During World War II Fairchild built airplanes at a plant on the eastern side of Burlington. Among the planes built at the plant were the AT-21 gunner used to train bomber pilots. Near the Fairchild plant was the Western Electric Burlington works. The plant built radar equipment and guidance systems for missiles on top of many other electronics for the government. The guidance system for the Titan missile was built there. The plant was closed in 1992 and sat abandoned until 2005, when it was purchased by a local businessman for manufacturing.

Politics

Alamance County has provided North Carolina with three of its governors and two U. S. Senators: Governor Thomas Holt, Governor and U. S. Senator Kerr Scott, Governor Robert W. (Bob) Scott (Kerr Scott's son), and U. S. Senator B. Everett Jordan.

Law and government

Alamance County is a member of the regional Piedmont Triad Council of Governments. The county is led by the Alamance County Board of Commissioners and the County Manager, who is appointed by the Board of Commissioners. County residents also elect 2 other county government offices: the Sheriff and Register of Deeds.

County commissioners

• Linda Massey, Chairman (current term ends in 2012)
• Dan Ingle, Vice-Chairman (current term ends in 2012)
• Eddie Boswell (current term ends in 2012)
• Tim D. Sutton (current term ends in 2010)
• Ann Vaughan (current term ends in 2010)

County manager

Tim Burgess has been appointed as interim county manager beginning January 1, 2009.

Sheriff

Terry Johnson (current term ends in 2010) is perhaps best known for his controversial views on immigration. He told the Raleigh News & Observer that Mexicans' "values are a lot different -- their morals --than what we have here. In Mexico there's nothing wrong with having sex with a 12-, 13-year-old girl...They do a lot of drinking down in Mexico."

Register of deeds

David Barber (current term ends in 2012)

Education

Alamance County is home to a local public education system, several private elementary and secondary schools, a community college, and a private university.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 435 square miles (1,126 km²), of which, 430 square miles (1,114 km²) of it is land and 5 square miles (12 km²) of it (1.10%) is water.

The county is in the Piedmont physiographical region. The county has a general rolling terrain with the Cane Creek Mountains rising to over 970 ft. in the south central part of the county just north of Snow Camp. Bass Mountain one of the prominent hills in the range is home to a world renowned Bluegrass music festival every year. There are also isolated monadnocks in the northern part of the county that rise to near or over 900 ft. above sea level.

The largest river that flows through Alamance County is the Haw River, which eventually feeds into Jordan Lake in Chatham County, eventually leading to the Cape Fear River. The county is also home to numerous creeks, streams, and ponds, including the Great Alamance Creek, where a portion of the Battle of Alamance was fought. There are 3 large municipal reservoirs: Lake Cammack, Lake Mackintosh, and Graham-Mebane Lake (formerly Quaker Lake).

Major highways

Alamance County has several state and federal highways running through it.

Interstates and U.S. highways

Interstates 85 and 40 run concurrently as seen from Exit 141 in Burlington, facing east. The Interstates run east to west through the central part of the county.

Going east-west in the county:

• Interstate 85 / Interstate 40 (Concurrent), also known as the Sam Hunt Freeway, named after a former North Carolina Secretary of Transportation. Interstates 85/40 run east-to-west through the central part of the county.
• U.S. Highway 70. Highway 70 nearly parallels 85/40 a few miles north of the interstates as it passes through the downtown sections of Burlington, Haw River, and Mebane.

N.C. state highways

• N.C. Highway 49 runs southwest to northeast from the Liberty area, through Burlington, Graham, and Haw River, to the Pleasant Grove Community area before turning northeast and continuing into Orange County.
• N.C. Highway 54 runs from its northern hub at the intersection of Highway 54 U.S. Highway 70 in Burlington southeast to the Orange County line in the southeast part of the county.
• N.C. Highway 62 runs southwest to northeast from the Kimesville Community area, through Burlington, to the Pleasant Grove Community area. It then turns North and heads to Caswell County.
• N.C. Highway 87 runs from southeast to northwest through the county, from the Eli Whitney Community area through Graham, Burlington, and a small part of Elon, before turning northeast and heading through the Altamahaw-Ossipee area, finally moving into Caswell County.
• N.C. Highway 100 forms a loop through downtown Burlington, starting at the intersection of Maple Avenue and Chapel Hill Road before moving north, then northwest, before going through Elon and moving on to Gibsonville and Guilford County.
• N.C. Highway 119 runs roughly north from its southern hub at an intersection with N.C. Highway 54, moving through Mebane and heading north into Caswell County.

Adjacent counties

• Caswell County, North Carolina - north
• Orange County, North Carolina - east
• Rockingham County, North Carolina - northwest
• Chatham County, North Carolina - south
• Randolph County, North Carolina - southwest
• Guilford County, North Carolina - west

Arts and recreation

The arts

Paramount Theater serves as a center of dramatic presentations in the community. To the south there is the Snow Camp Outdoor Drama which has plays from late spring to early fall in the evenings.

Old Dam at Cedarock Park

Parks

Alamance County, Burlington, Graham, Elon, Haw River, Swepsonville, and Mebane all have other small parks that are not listed here. Major parks include:

Alamance County

Cedarock Park, located 6 miles south of the intersection of Interstate 85/40 and NC Highway 49. Cedarock Park is home to the Cedarock Historic Farm, an Old Mill Dam, and two Disc Golf Courses.

Great Bend Park at Glencoe, located 4 miles north of the intersection of US Highway 70, and NC Highways 87, 62, and 100 in Downtown Burlington. Great Bend Park contains parts of the Haw River Land and Paddle Trails and the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, along with picnicking, fishing, and other opportunities. The park was built around the site of the Glencoe Mills, an area that is currently under renovation with an old mill that has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

City of Burlington

• City Park, located in Burlington off U.S. Highway 70 (Church Street), and is home to a Dentzel Carousel built between 1906 and 1910 and several train-based rides, signifying Burlington's place in history as the Company Shops Train Depot.
• Indian Valley Golf Course, an 18-hole operated by the City of Burlington
• Lake Mackintosh Marina, located off Huffman Mill Rd.

Sports

Professional

The Burlington Royals are a rookie league baseball farm team based in Burlington. They were previously known as the Burlington Indians, but changed affiliations in 2006 from Cleveland to Kansas City. This version of the team has been active since 1985, but Burlington did host a minor league baseball team for many years under the Burlington Indians and Burlington Bees.

Collegiate

The Elon University Phoenix play in the town of Elon. The Phoenix compete in the NCAA's Division I (I-AA in football) Southern Conference. Intercollegiate sports include baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, golf, soccer, and tennis for men, and basketball, cross-country, golf, indoor track, outdoor track, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball for women.

Up until 1999, the mascot of Elon was the Fightin' Christians. The moniker is said to have been coined by a sportswriter covering a contest in the 1930s between Elon and nearby Guilford College, a Quaker school. Prior to the 1930s, Elon was known simply as the Christians. The nickname was chosen due to Elon's proximity to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, and the Duke Blue Devils. However, many did not feel that the nickname was universal enough for a team making the transition to Division I athletics, so a new mascot was adopted, the Phoenix. The choice came from the 1923 fire that destroyed almost the entire campus. Soon after the fire, the university trustees began planning to make Elon "rise from the ashes". The Phoenix was a mythical creature that rose from the ashes of its predecessors. The Christian symbolism is not lost with the Phoenix, however, which can be seen as a symbol of the Resurrection.

Economy

Today, Alamance County is often described as a "bedroom" community, with many residents living in the county and working elsewhere due to low tax rates, although the county is still a major player in the textile and manufacturing industries.

The current county-wide tax rate for Alamance County residents is 57.5 cents per $100 valuation. This does not include tax rates imposed by municipalities or fire districts.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 130,800 people, 51,584 households, and 35,541 families residing in the county. The population density was 304 people per square mile (117/km²). There were 55,463 housing units at an average density of 129 per square mile (50/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 75.61% White, 18.76% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.90% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.19% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. 6.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 51,584 households out of which 31.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.10% were married couples living together, 12.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.10% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.80% under the age of 18, 9.90% from 18 to 24, 29.90% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,168, and the median income for a family was $46,479. Males had a median income of $31,906 versus $23,367 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,391. About 7.60% of families and 11.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.30% of those under age 18 and 12.90% of those age 65 or over.

Munipalities and communities

Incorporated cities and towns

Populations given are from the 2005 Census Estimate (Microsoft Excel file).

• Alamance -the smallest town in Alamance County, population 321
• Burlington - the largest city in Alamance County, population 47,592.
• Elon - formerly called "Elon College", population 7,100.
• Gibsonville - A town shared with Guilford County, population 4,569
• Graham - the County Seat, population 13,952
• Green Level - incorporated in 1990, population 2,129
• Haw River - town named for the river on which it was built, population 1,981
• Mebane - a city shared with Orange County, population 8,945
• Ossipee - a small town in Northwestern Alamance County, population 328
• Swepsonville - a mill town located on the banks of the Haw River, population 952

Townships

Map of Alamance County, North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels

The county is divided into thirteen townships, which are both numbered, named, and contain the following municipalities:

• 1 (Patterson): Contains no incorporated areas
• 2 (Coble): Alamance, NC
• 3 (Boone Station): Elon, NC, parts of Burlington, NC, parts of Gibsonville, NC
• 4 (Morton): Ossipee, NC
• 5 (Faucette): Contains no incorporated areas
• 6 (Graham): Graham, NC, parts of Burlington, NC
• 7 (Albright): Swepsonville, NC
• 8 (Newlin): Contains no incorporated areas
• 9 (Thompson): Contains no incorporated areas
• 10 (Melville): Mebane, NC
• 11 (Pleasant Grove): Contains no incorporated areas
• 12 (Burlington): Burlington, NC
• 13 (Haw River): Haw River, NC, Green Level, NC

Unincorporated communities

• Altamahaw - Sister community to Ossipee
• Bellemont
• Eli Whitney
• Glencoe - Home to the a historic textile mill town and Textile Heritage Museum
• Glen Raven
• Mt. Hermon
• Saxapahaw
• Snow Camp - Site of a winter camp used by General Cornwallis and home to the Snow Camp Drama
• Woodlawn

Notable residents

U. S. Senator B. Everett Jordan.

• Jacob Brent, born in Graham, starred as Mr. Mistoffelees in the broadway and home video version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats.
• Billy Bryan, Center for the Denver Broncos from 1977-1988 grew up in Burlington.
• Several generations of Alex Haley's family may have lived in Alamance County as noted in his 1976 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family - coming from Africa to Virginia, to Caswell County to Alamance County and moving to Tennessee after the Emancipation Proclamation[2][3].
• Governor Thomas Holt, Governor of North Carolina from 1891-1893.
• John "John Boy" Isley born and raised in Graham, is "John Boy" of the John Boy and Billy Show broadcast on radio stations around the nation.
• Charley Jones, born in Alamance County, major league baseball player
• U. S. Senator B. Everett Jordan, U. S. Senator (Class 2) from 1958-1973
• Don Kernodle, born in Burlington, wrestler who appeared in Paradise Alley with Sylvester Stallone
• Jack McKeon, Manager of the 2003 World Series champion Florida Marlins has lived in Alamance County.
• Blanche Taylor Moore, a convicted murderer whose life story was portrayed in the television movie "Black Widow: The Blanche Taylor Moore Story", starring Elizabeth Montgomery.
• Agriculture Commissioner Meg Scott Phipps, North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner (2001-2003)
• Tequan Richmond, born in Burlington, stars as Drew Rock in Everybody Hates Chris, and played a young Ray Charles in the movie Ray
• Governor Robert W. (Bob) Scott (Kerr Scott's son), Governor of North Carolina from 1969-1973
• Governor and U. S. Senator Kerr Scott, Governor of North Carolina from 1949-1953, U. S. Senator (Class 2) from 1954-1958
• Adam Daniel Chandler, 2006 Rhodes Scholar

External links

• Alamance County Local Government
• Alamance-Burlington School System
• Alamance County Public Libraries