Whynot, North Carolina
Whynot, North Carolina | |
---|---|
Unincorporated community | |
Whynot sign | |
Location of Whynot in North Carolina | |
Coordinates: 35°42′55″N 79°48′47″W / 35.71528°N 79.81306°WCoordinates: 35°42′55″N 79°48′47″W / 35.71528°N 79.81306°W | |
Country | United States |
State | North Carolina |
County | Randolph |
Elevation[1] | 604 ft (184 m) |
Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
• Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
Zip code | 27341 |
Area code(s) | 336 |
GNIS feature ID | 1016647[1] |
Whynot, North Carolina is an unincorporated community in Randolph County, North Carolina, United States, and is included in the Piedmont Triad metropolitan region.[2] Whynot is located on NC 705, also known as the "North Carolina Pottery Highway",[3] one mile southeast of Seagrove and seven miles west of Jugtown Pottery, a historic pottery listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[4] The North Carolina Pottery Highway contains over 100 potteries and galleries in a 15-square mile (30 km²) region surrounding Seagrove.[5]
Whynot was first settled in the 18th century by German and English people, along with the nearby communities of Steeds, Sophia, Erect, Hemp, and Lonely.[6] The origin of the name came from residents debating a title for their community. A man asked "Why not name the town Whynot and let's go home?"[7][8][9] The community was originally spelled with two separate words, "Why Not".[10] Area residents first began making pottery in the 18th century.[11] The Why Not Academy and Business Institute, a combination public and private school, was located in the community from 1893 to 1916.[12][13] Whynot has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names.[14][15]
Whynot is home to several Seagrove area pottery shops including Dirtworks Pottery, Tom Gray Pottery, Dixieland Pottery, Marsh Pottery, Kovack Pottery, Michele Hastings & Jeff Brown Pottery, and Whynot Pottery.[6][16]
History
The current Fairgrove Methodist Church was once home to Whynot Wesleyan Church. It is now the meeting place of the Whynot Memorial Association. A grave yard sets just across the road from the church and is the resting place of many former residents.
Gallery
- Location of Whynot on a map of Randolph County, North Carolina
- Postmark from a Confederate soldier living in "Why Not". (note the original spelling of the community) The postmark is dated December 16, 1862.
- Whynot General Store
See also
References
- 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Whynot, North Carolina. Retrieved on 2008-06-18.
- ↑ Ridpath, John (1897). "The Standard American Encyclopedia of Arts, Sciences, History, Biography, Geography, Statistics, and General Knowledge". Encyclopedia Publishing Company, Harvard University: 3287.
- ↑ Cissna, Bill (2005-05-15). "Follow 'Pottery Highway' into Carolina haven steeped in clay". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ↑ "North Carolina - Moore County". nationalregisterofhistoricalplaces.com. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ↑ "Seagrove, NC- The Little Town That Could". Carolina Arts. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- 1 2 Brown, Charlotte (2006). The Remarkable Potters of Seagrove: The Folk Pottery of a Legendary. Sterling Publishing. p. 13. ISBN 1-57990-634-6.
- ↑ Sharpe, Bill (1954). "A New Geography of North Carolina". Sharpe Publishing Company, University of Michigan: 1036.
- ↑ Kuralt, Charles (1985). On the road with Charles Kuralt. Putnam. p. 181. ISBN 0-399-13087-X.
- ↑ Leslie, Bill (2008-02-19). "Wrath of Lizard Lick". WRAL. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ↑ "North Carolina State Archives - Postal History Project". North Carolina Office of Archives and History. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ↑ Ruhlman, Michael (1985-12-15). "Shopper's World - Carolina Pottery, Shaped By Tradition". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ↑ "Inventory of the Auman Family Papers, 1795-2004 - Collection Number 4401". University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ↑ Patterson, Homer (1916). "Patterson's American education". Educational Directories, New York Public Library: 579.
- ↑ Parker, Quentin (2010). Welcome to Horneytown, North Carolina, Population: 15: An insider's guide to 201 of the world's weirdest and wildest places. Adams Media. pp. xii.
- ↑ Petras, Kathryn; Petras, Ross (18 December 2007). Unusually Stupid Americans: A Compendium of All-American Stupidity. Random House Publishing Group. p. 246. ISBN 978-0-307-41761-9.
- ↑ Lancaster, H Martin (2004-11-04). "Making It New In Community Colleges". North Carolina Community College System. Archived from the original on 2008-06-13. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
Further reading
- Why Not, North Carolina, by William T. Auman and Minnie S. Stuart, Why Not Memorial Association, 1986.