Murray's Mill is easy to find from I-40. The gristmill was built in 1913 and the Murray & Minges…read morestore from the 1890s is also open. When you arrive, find a spot to park on either side of the street. Then go into the Murray & Minges General Store to pay for your self-guided tour. You will receive a binder to read through of the history and photos of the equipment and what it does. You can tour all three levels of the mill as there are stairs to the top floor and stairs to the basement. The mill used the barter system to grind wheat and corn. The water wheel is 28 foot high and 4 foot wide. the buckets on it have rusted so they are raising money for the needed repairs. The water wheel is attached by a shaft to a gear on the wall and powers everything in the mill except the lights. The mill is still operational and grinds on the 3rd Sunday of the month when it is warm enough. The stones weigh 2400 pounds and were used to cut corn and wheat. Leather belts were used and were pieced together to make them long enough. They could make 300 pounds of flour an hour which was much less than what modern mills could produce. 10 sets of pins are needed to make flour and roller mills are used to crush the wheat. Each screen has an elevator and each set basically sifts the flour to get it to where it needs to be. Making flour creates a white dust and that dust is explosive. If you are looking for a historic mill to visit this one is a great one to visit and learn how the mill operated.

A fun historical site, preserved so well & well worth the $7. Remarkable how industrious & sharp…read morethis family was. From a time when attention to detail was valued, all the chutes are made of wood with beveled edges & beadwork because...some of it is furniture quality. Pay your way & get the 3-ring binder of pics/info & step back in time. This is the heartbeat of America. "1965-1966 - Lloyd & brother Ernest run the milling operation by themselves to cut cost. In 1966 Lloyd let Ernest go & ran the whole mill on his own. Ernest went to work for Southern Furniture. 1967 - The mill closes due to government taxing. In 1964, the federal government levied a grain tariff that heavily taxed corn & wheat. Small mills were put out of business by larger industrial mills. Lloyd Murray had been working by himself for the last year, he locked up the mill & went home for the last time. He goes to work for Pinnacle Furniture Company. 1980/81 - With help from NC Preservation Fund & Stewart Family, the Catawba County Historical Assoc. purchases Murray's Mill, the General Store, & the Wheathouse for $68,000. 1982 - John Murray dies one month shy of his 105* birthday. At the time he had 10 children, 20 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren, & 3 great-great-grandchildren. 1986 - Murray & Minges General Store reopens to the public. 1988, April 30 - Murray's Mill reopens to the public after a $2M restoration". That's just a taste of the recent info, go get a history lesson...wheel is still in the process of being replaced

It's been a while since I spotted a North Carolina historical marker and I really have to give…read moreprops to the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. Sure, the sign is quite limited in the information it provides but the website has an entire essay of explanation. The marker reads, "Congressman from North Carolina, 1811-1817. Moved to Alabama where he was governor, 1821-1825, and United States Senator. Born 2 miles southwest." Online, there is much more information. "Israel Pickens was one amongst the stream of North Carolinians who migrated to the newly opened Alabama and Mississippi territories in the 1810s and 1820s. With experience as a legislator and congressman in his native state, Pickens quickly rose to political prominence in Alabama, serving as the state's governor from 1821 to 1825." "Pickens was Alabama's third governor. During his tenure he completed the organization of state government initiated by his predecessors... In February 1826, a few months after leaving the governor's seat, Pickens was appointed to the U.S. Senate, where he served until November." Quite the public servant, Mister Pickens. Thank you. There is parking in the adjacent gas station if you want to try to see the marker close up. [Review 17308 overall - 3295 in North Carolina - 826 of 2022.]

With monuments from Pennsylvania and Maine, dedicated to the soldiers from those states who came to…read morethe South to fight in the Civil War, this is a peaceful and quiet place. I was here on Memorial Day Weekend with all of the flags laid out. A great tribute to our military. Prior to being a cemetery, the land was an abandoned cotton mill before it was converted into a military prison. At one time, it held as many as 10,000 men and in such a tight area, there was disease. Many died from malnutrition and were buried in mass graves. It is a column place and I was glad to have visited on this weekend. You won't be able to miss the Federal Monument to the Unknown Dead, a 38 foot tall granite obelisk. There are a number of context markers that explain the layout and history. [Review 1123 of 2024 - 3618 in North Carolina - 22147 overall]

This cemetery is the historic, original national cemetery. It's operated and run by the main annex…read moreon Statesville Blvd. near the VA Center, but is worth stopping by for the historical significance. The minute I drove in I could see the difference: the large cast iron gates and stone perimeter fence, the multiple plaques and monument to the unknown soldiers, the Maine and Pennsylvania monuments honoring the soldiers from those states that died in the prison camps of the 1860s. There's a lot to see in this 12 acres. The trees and vegetation are larger, more established, and there's less of frenetic pace here than in the newer location. It's what you would expect, the immediate emotion evident in the newer locale is here replaced by the bittersweet sadness of monuments to those who may no longer have living relatives or any who can come by regularly. There were only a few people at this spot, all elderly, paying respects to Korean or Vietnam war vets, buried here just before the new annex opened. There's a stateliness about this spot and a more intimate feeling. It's beautifully maintained. The state has kept this location as well groomed as the newer national cemetery annex. It's a fascinating location to visit and pay respects, before or after visiting the new cemetery, and it matters little if you're a history buff or not.

This marker by the side of the road next to a condo development reminds us of North Carolina's…read moreslave days. The marker is in good condition but there isn't much space here to stop and read. It says, "W.T. Alexander Plantation (1824-1865) Slave Cemetery. Mecklenburg County's largest known surviving slave cemetery including the graves of Solomon and Violet Alexander who lived and worked on Alexander's 19th century cotton plantation. Located approximately 800 feet south." I'm not sure where the referenced cemetery is located - it's all houses around here. [Review 12975 overall, 291 of 2020.]

Nice place too visit too know mike tyson and america todayread more

Farmers market on Saturday's. Barn Blue is a delicious food truck for breakfast and lunch. Get the…read morefiggy bacon grilled cheese. Mmmmm

Yes I am a fan of Davidson…read more Great College Town, the Home of Davidson College. Liberal and Conservative at the same time but for a change, generally tolerant to all views. The Town works hard to maintain it's identity and unique small time feel. Up until a couple of years ago, there was not even a large scale Grocery Store in Town. Those wanting to maintain the small town or village feel were opposed to it because it made the town more commercial and less human. The Conservative element did not want the Grocery Stores because they sold Alcohol. Finally a Harris Teeter came in which is now part of Kroger. A rapprochement has been reached with the downtown left intact and new development east and west of Downtown. So much for the discussion of the dynamics of the Community, Very dynamic with a lot to offer, particular in Downtown. Host of one of the best regional Farmers Markets on Saturday. A string of great restaurants, some outstanding and several good but need to push it to the next level. A lot to do. Very walking and bike friendly. Many great Churches all of which are very progressive and promote a doctrine of service and inclusiveness . Good place to park your car and go for a walk and enjoy all of the shops. Stop into Summit for great Coffee and the Soda Shop for what else, Take more than a couple of hours, unwind and enjjoy

This marker is located along New Hope Road a short distance north of the Interstate and in front of…read morethe Lutheran Chapel Cemetery. There is parking in the cemetery parking lot to stop and read the marker. It has the same text on both sides, reading "Textile mill owner, bank executive, philanthropist, and benefactor of present Lenoir-Rhyne University in 1923. Grave is nearby." Online, there is more information. "Daniel Efird Rhyne, business leader and benefactor of Lenoir-Rhyne College, was born on February 8, 1852, to Moses H. and Margaret Hoffman Rhyne. He grew up on a farm near Woodlawn in what was then Lincoln County, now Gaston. He eventually had a hand in renaming his hometown Mount Holly, after the textile town of the same name in New Jersey. Rhyne attended Lincoln County's common schools and, from 1871 to 1872, he pursued studies at North Carolina College, a Lutheran institution in Mount Pleasant. "Rhyne entered the cotton mill industry at age twenty-two when he and his brother Abel built the Mount Holly Cotton Mill at the confluence of Dutchman's Creek and the Catawba River. In 1887 he and his brother-in-law J. A. Abernethy erected the Laboratory Cotton Mill just south of Lincolnton, and then later the Daniel and Wampum Mills in Lincolnton. Their ventures are credited with bringing industry, business, and a population explosion to Lincoln County. Aside from cotton mills, Rhyne also owned and operated Lincoln Lithia Inn, a summer resort with celebrated healthful spring water, and he was an investor in the Piedmont Wagon Company in Hickory. His property holdings in western counties were extensive and he was an officer and substantial stockholder in several mills and banks. "Rhyne enjoyed sharing his wealth with Lutheran churches in areas near to his home and work. He is credited with significant gifts to at least twelve churches in Lincoln, Gaston, Iredell, Mecklenburg, and other nearby counties. Daniel Rhyne made generous contributions to the Lutheran-run Lenoir College in Hickory. In 1923, the school changed its name to Lenoir-Rhyne College in honor of their benefactor. Rhyne died on February 25, 1933 and was buried in the cemetery at Lutheran Chapel Church in Gastonia." [Review 186 of 2025 - 4093 in North Carolina - 23750 overall]

I never would've imagined Concord would have such a large, nice library tucked into the upcoming…read morehustle and bustle of their downtown. It meshes perfectly with the other shops and restaurants right along the main drag. Out front the shrubs and green spaces are nicely upkept and featured a sculpture or two. In the library you can find basically anything you'd find in a Charlotte library. The bottom floor features the fiction and nonfiction stacks, plenty of computers for public use and tables for board games, puzzles and Scrabble night. Upstairs is an entire theater where, on the day I visited, a duo was playing guitar, tambourine and singing for a group of kids. Just beside the theater entrance is the children's area for books and things. Both upstairs and downstairs you can find staff at the ready to help you find what you need. It's amazing to me that more people don't take full advantage of the service and resources libraries provide entirely for free in our communities. Though I think that's changing, as this location seems to prove.

This marker is located on the corner where Salisbury Avenue switches from North to South. There is…read morea gas station where I was able to park and read the marker. It is number L-60 and it was erected in 1959 by the North Carolina Archives and Highway Departments. It has the same text on both sides and reads, "Built 1766 by Michael Braun. One of the few remaining Pennsylvania German stone houses in North Carolina. Stands 1/2 mile northeast." If you'll go to check out the house, you'll learn about the life of an immigrant who arrived in the colonies as a young tradesman and eventually became a prominent Rowan County landowner, businessman and public official. Its preservation as a museum highlights both the architectural significance of the structure and Michael Braun's deep involvement in the region's early civic and economic development, from his work as a wheelwright and printer to his roles as magistrate, justice of the peace, and property speculator. The house's long family occupancy, its ties to local Revolutionary War tradition, and the complex arc of Braun's life all contribute to its value as a surviving link to the area's eighteenth-century German heritage. [Review 659 of 2026 - 4747 in North Carolina - 25840 overall]