Alamance County, North Carolina

Alamance County, North Carolina

Alamance County Courthouse and Confederate Memorial

Flag
Seal
Motto: Pro bono publico
Map of North Carolina highlighting Alamance County
Location in the state of North Carolina
Map of the United States highlighting North Carolina
North Carolina's location in the U.S.
Founded January 29, 1849
Named for Native American word to describe the mud in Great Alamance Creek
Seat Graham
Largest city Burlington
Area
 • Total 435 sq mi (1,127 km2)
 • Land 424 sq mi (1,098 km2)
 • Water 11 sq mi (28 km2), 2.5%
Population (est.)
 • (2013) 154,378
 • Density 356/sq mi (137/km²)
Congressional districts 2nd, 4th, 6th
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website www.alamance-nc.com

Alamance County i/ˈæləmæns/[1] is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 151,131.[2] Its county seat is Graham.[3] Formed in 1849 from Orange County to the east, Alamance County has been the site of significant historical events, textile manufacturing, and agriculture in North Carolina.

Alamance County comprises the Burlington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point, NC Combined Statistical Area. The 2012 estimated population of the metropolitan area was 153,920.[2]

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 18th century - the Sissipahaw who lived in the area bound by modern Saxapahaw, the area known as the Hawfields, and the Haw River.[4][5] European settlers entered the region in the late 17th century chiefly following Native American trading paths, and set up their farms in what they called the "Haw Old Fields", fertile ground previously tilled by the Sissipahaw. The paths later became the basis of the railroad and interstate highway routes.[6]

Alamance County was named after Great Alamance Creek, site of the Battle of Alamance (May 16, 1771), a pre-Revolutionary War battle in which militia under the command of Governor William Tryon crushed the Regulator movement. Great Alamance Creek, and in turn 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 Alamanni region of Rhineland, Germany, where many of the early settlers would have come from.[7]

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 Court House, including Pyle's Massacre, the Battle of Lindley's Mill,[8] and the Battle of Clapp's Mill.[9]

In the 1780s, the Occaneechi Native Americans returned to North Carolina from Virginia, this time settling in what is now Alamance County rather than their first location near Hillsborough.[10] In 2002, the modern Occaneechi tribe bought 25 acres (100,000 m2) of their ancestral land in Alamance County and began a Homeland Preservation Project which includes a village reconstructed as it would have been in 1701 and a 1930s farming village.[10]

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.[11]

One of the notable textiles produced in the area were the "Alamance Plaids" or "Glencoe Plaids" used in everything from clothing to tablecloths.[11] 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.[12] (Holt's home is now the Alamance County Historical Society.[13]) 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.

Alamance Cotton Factory, built by Edwin M. Holt, first manufacturer of colored cotton fabrics in the South on power looms. Photograph taken in 1837 after factory constructed.

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[14] from Orange County.

American Civil War

In 1861, the United States fragmented due to growing questions of states' rights concerning issues of slavery, money, agriculture, and representation. 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, who were both in favor of remaining with the Union, as were most of the delegates who were sent to the convention.[15] 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. The 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 of soldiers to the front lines. In July 1861, for the first time in American history, soldiers were sent in to combat by rail. The 6th North Carolina was loaded on to railroad cars at Company Shops and transferred to the battlefront at Manassas, Virginia (First Battle of Manassas).

Although the citizens of Alamance County were not directly affected throughout much of the war, in April 1865 the citizens witnessed firsthand their sons and fathers marching through the county, just days before the war ended with the surrender at Bennett Place near Durham. At Company Shops General Joseph E. Johnston stopped to say farewell to his soldiers for the last time. 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.[16]

Aftermath

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, Wyatt Outlaw, an African American Town Commissioner in Graham, was lynched by the "White Brotherhood," the Ku Klux Klan. He was president of the Alamance County Union League of America (an anti Ku Klux Klan group), helped to establish the Republican party in North Carolina and advocated establishing a school for African Americans. His offense was that Gov. Holden had appointed him a Justice of the Peace, and he had accepted the appointment. Outlaw's body was found hanging thirty yards from the courthouse, a note pinned to his chest read: "Beware! You guilty parties – both white and black." Outlaw was the central figure in the political cooperation between blacks and whites in the county.

Governor Holden declared Caswell County in a state of insurrection (July 8) and sent troops to Caswell and Alamance counties under the command of Union veteran George W. Kirk, beginning the so-called Kirk-Holden War. Kirk's troops ultimately arrested 82 men.

The Grand Jury of Alamance County indicted sixty-three Klansmen for felonies and eighteen for the murder of Wyatt Outlaw. Soon after the indictments were brought, Democrats within the legislature passed a bill to repeal the law under which the indictments had been secured. The sixty-three felony charges were dropped. The Conservatives then used a national program of "Amnesty and Pardon" to proclaim amnesty for all who committed crimes on behalf of a secret society. This was extended to the Klansmen of Alamance County. There would be no justice in the case of Wyatt Outlaw.

Support by Governor William Holden for the cause of Reconstruction led to his impeachment and removal 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.

World War II and the Cold War

During World War II, Fairchild Aircraft 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. During the Cold War, he 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.

The USS Alamance, a Tolland-class attack cargo ship, was built during and served in and after World War II.

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

Elected officials of Alamance County as of 2015
OfficialPositionTerm ends
County Commissioners
Dan Ingle[17]Chair2018
Eddie BoswellVice-Chair2016
Robert "Bob" ByrdCommissioner2018
Linda MasseyCommissioner (Chair 2008-11)2016
David I. SmithCommissioner (Chair 2014)2016
Other County-Wide Offices
Terry JohnsonSheriff2018
Hugh WebsterRegister of Deeds2016

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 two other county government offices: the Sheriff and Register of Deeds.

County manager

Alamance County adopted the council-manager form of government in the 1970s, where the day-to-day management of county business is done by an individual hired by the commissioners board. Since the establishment of the office, the following persons have served as county managers of Alamance County:

Current manager

Craig F. Honeycutt began serving as county manager in April 2009. He came to Alamance County from the city of Laurinburg, North Carolina.

Past managers

David I. Smith and D. J. Walker held dual roles as county manager and county attorney during their terms of service as county manager.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 435 square miles (1,130 km2), of which 424 square miles (1,100 km2) is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) (2.5%) is water.[18]

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 (300 m)[19] 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 (270 m) above sea level.

The largest river that flows through Alamance County is the Haw River, which 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 Great Alamance Creek, where a portion of the Battle of Alamance was fought. There are three large municipal reservoirs: Lake Cammack, Lake Mackintosh, and Graham-Mebane Lake (formerly Quaker Lake).

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
185011,444—
186011,8523.6%
187011,8740.2%
188014,61323.1%
189018,27125.0%
190025,66540.5%
191028,71211.9%
192032,71814.0%
193042,14028.8%
194057,42736.3%
195071,22024.0%
196085,67420.3%
197096,36212.5%
198099,3193.1%
1990108,2139.0%
2000130,80020.9%
2010151,13115.5%
Est. 2014155,792[20]3.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[21]
1790-1960[22] 1900-1990[23]
1990-2000[24] 2010-2013[2]

As of the census[25] of 2010, there were 151,131 people, 59,960 households, and 39,848 families residing in the county. The population density was 347.4 people per square mile (134.1/km²). There were 66,055 housing units at an average density of 151.9 per square mile (58.6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 71.1% White, 18.8% Black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 6.1% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. 11% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 59,960 households out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 26.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 19, 7.2% from 20 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.7 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 $44,430, and the median income for a family was $54,605. Males had a median income of $31,906 versus $23,367 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,477. About 13.7% of families and 16.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and recreation

The arts

The 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. Alamance County is also home to the Haw River Ballroom, a large music and arts venue in Saxapahaw.

Parks

Old Dam at Cedarock Park

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

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 hosted 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 (Championship Subdivision 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.

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.

The top employers in Alamance County are:

Company City Location type Employees
Alamance-Burlington School System Burlington HQ 3,329
Laboratory Corp of America Burlington HQ 3,200
Alamance Regional Medical Center Burlington HQ 2,240
Elon University Elon Main Campus 1,403
Wal-Mart Burlington Branch 1,000
Alamance County Graham HQ 956
City of Burlington Burlington HQ 806
Alamance Community College Graham HQ 652
Honda Power Equipment Mfg Swepsonville HQ 600
GKN Driveline North America Mebane Branch 500
Glen Raven Inc. Altamahaw Branch 500

Education

Alamance County is served by the Alamance-Burlington School System, several private elementary and secondary schools, Alamance Community College, and Elon University.

Transportation

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:

N.C. state highways

Communities

Map of Alamance County with municipal and township labels

Cities

Towns

Village

Townships

The county is divided into thirteen townships, which are both numbered and named.

  • 1 (Patterson)
  • 2 (Coble)
  • 3 (Boone Station)
  • 4 (Morton)
  • 5 (Faucette)
  • 6 (Graham)
  • 7 (Albright)
  • 8 (Newlin)
  • 9 (Thompson)
  • 10 (Melville)
  • 11 (Pleasant Grove)
  • 12 (Burlington)
  • 13 (Haw River)

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Over 54,000 people do not live in an incorporated community in Alamance County.

Ghost towns

According to a 1975 study of the history of post offices in North Carolina history by Treasure Index, Alamance County has 27 ghost towns that existed in the 18th and 19th centuries that no longer exist. Additionally, five other post offices no longer exist. These towns and their post offices were either abandoned as organized settlements, or were absorbed into the larger communities that now make up Alamance County.[26]

Notable people

U. S. Senator B. Everett Jordan
Governor Thomas M. Holt

See also

References

  1. ↑ Talk Like A Tarheel, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2012-09-18.
  2. 1 2 3 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  4. ↑ John R. Swanton, "North Carolina Indian Tribes", Indian Tribes of North America, 1953, at Access Genealogy, accessed 25 March 2009
  5. ↑ "Sissipahaw Indian Tribe History", John R. Swanton, Indian Tribes of North America, 1953, at Access Genealogy, accessed 25 March 2009
  6. ↑ "The Trading Path in Alamance County, a Beginning", Alamance County Historical Association, Trading Path Association: Preserving our Common Past
  7. ↑ "North Carolina Counties - List of all and Alamance County". Archived from the original on 2009-10-24.
  8. ↑ "Hadley Society Photo Gallery". hadleysociety.org.
  9. ↑ "The Battle of Clapp's Mills". revolutionarywar101.com.
  10. 1 2 "Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation". Southern Neighbor. November 2009.
  11. 1 2 "Alamance County, NC". textilehistory.org.
  12. ↑ "Marker: G-82". ncmarkers.com.
  13. ↑ Alamance County Historical Museum, Burlington, North Carolina
  14. ↑ "Alamance County North Carolina Genealogy - Family History Resources". kindredtrails.com.
  15. ↑ http://members.aol.com/jweaver303/nc/convvote.htm
  16. ↑ http://www.alamance-nc.com/Alamance-NC/The+Community/War+Memorial/Civil+War/
  17. ↑ "Dan Ingle". ballotpedia.org.
  18. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  19. ↑ GIS System Contours found on the Alamance County Website
  20. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  21. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  23. ↑ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  25. ↑ Data Access and Dissemination Systems (DADS). "American FactFinder - Results". census.gov.
  26. ↑ Burlington Times-News, December 11, 1975
  27. ↑ http://www.ulsterflash.iofm.net/scotchirishnotes.htm
  28. ↑ "Cross Roads History". rootsweb.com.
  29. ↑ Reichler, Joseph L., ed. (1979) [1969]. The Baseball Encyclopedia (4th ed.). New York: Macmillan Publishing. ISBN 0-02-578970-8.

Further reading


External links

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Coordinates: 36°02′N 79°24′W / 36.04°N 79.40°W / 36.04; -79.40

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