History of

Wilkes County, NC

New 32 Page Illustrated Booklet

Early days in Wilkes County, North Carolina, are recalled in this new 32-page spiral-bound booklet, comprised of excerpts from several vintage books. These source materials include John Hill Wheeler's Historical Sketches of North Carolina (1851); Sketches of Prominent Living North Carolinians by Jerome Dowd (1888), North Carolina, A Guide to the Old North State (1939), a product of the WPA; A New Geography of North Carolina (1954-65).

The tri-color front cover is printed on 80# card stock and has been protected with a vinyl sheet. The text is printed single-sided on 60# opaque paper, with the print enlarged to fit the 8.5" x 11" paper and improve readability.

Towns mentioned in the booklet include: Wilkesboro (the county seat), North Wilkesboro, Moravian Falls, Roaring River, Ronda, Boomer, Traphill, Daylo, Lomax, Hays, and Millers Creek.

Among the many subjects included are: Physical features, including the Blue Ridge; Members of the General Assembly from Wilkes County before 1851; General William Lenoir and the Revolutionary War days; Anderson Mitchell; Owens Knob and other early settlers; Thermal belts; the Civil War; the railroad; Farming and Apple growing; Whiskey production -- legal and illicit; Population and statistics; the flood of 1916; Schools, Religion; colorful tales of Big Ben Cleveland; Gov. Montfort Stokes and family; James Wellborn; "Yarbing," "Angry-Saxons" Post-Civil War bushwackers in the Yadkin Valley, Eng and Chang Bunker, the original Siamese twins, and numerous other interesting bits of history and trivia.

The Dowd excerpt is a biography of Col. W.H.H. Cowles of the Confederate army. The WPA section offers a nostalgic glimpse of the area from a 1939 vantage point, offering many historical notes and sightseeing possibilities -- such as the courthouse in Wilkesboro.

Our North Carolina booklets are a good resource for learning about the history, geography and social climate of places where you or your ancestors have lived or for places you plan to visit.

Wouldn't this make a unique gift?