Courtney, North Carolina
Encyclopedia
Courtney is an unincorporated community in southeastern Yadkin County
, North Carolina
, United States
.
The area is in the county's South Liberty Township
and bounded on the north by Yadkinville
and extending south to the Davie County
line and community of Wyo. To the east is the community of Huntsville
, and west is Lone Hickory
. The community is in the Yadkinville ZIP code
area (27055).
. Early minutes of the church refer to it as Chinquapin Cross Roads. The church held the first Sunday school in Yadkin County. The church, which changed its name to Courtney Baptist in 1952, helped organize several other Baptist churches in the area, including Deep Creek, South Oak Ridge and Turner's Creek.
Courtney is named for a "Mr. Courtney" who taught in a local school.
The Dixon Gold Mine on Wyo Road mined gold from 1902-1923. Thomas M. Dixon first discovered gold on the property. He began panning for gold, then he found a vein of gold three feet under the ground.
Both mines have long closed. However, Vulcan Materials owns land for a granite quarry nearby on Speer Bridge Road.
it has become more of a bedroom community.
Several home-grown businesses provide employment for area residents:
Courtney, established in 1927, was the first standard high school in Yadkin County. It became an elementary-only school after school consolidation in 1967. The school was mostly rebuilt after a 1986 countywide bond referendum.
Yadkin County, North Carolina
- Cities and towns :*Boonville*East Bend*Jonesville*Yadkinville-Towns of the past:These towns were incorporated at one time:*Arlington, merged with Jonesville in 2001.*Hamptonville, chartered in 1818.*Huntsville, incorporated in 1792....
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The area is in the county's South Liberty Township
South Liberty Township, Yadkin County, North Carolina
South Liberty Township is one of twelve townships in Yadkin County, North Carolina, United States. The township had a population of 3,091 according to the 2000 census....
and bounded on the north by Yadkinville
Yadkinville, North Carolina
Yadkinville is a town in Yadkin County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,818 at the 2000 census. Located in the Piedmont Triad, it is the county seat and largest city of Yadkin County.-Geography:Yadkinville is located at ....
and extending south to the Davie County
Davie County, North Carolina
- Wine region :Portions of Davie County are located in the Yadkin Valley AVA, an American Viticultural Area. Wines made from grapes grown in the Yadkin Valley AVA may use the appellation Yadkin Valley on their labels.-Demographics:...
line and community of Wyo. To the east is the community of Huntsville
Huntsville, North Carolina
-External links:* * *...
, and west is Lone Hickory
Lone Hickory, North Carolina
Lone Hickory is an unincorporated area in southern Yadkin County, North Carolina west of Courtney. It is located on Lone Hickory road, about a mile southeast of the road's west end at U.S. Route 21....
. The community is in the Yadkinville ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
area (27055).
History
Religion has played an important role in the community from the early days. Cross Roads Baptist Church was organized in 1835 in what was then known as Bryan Settlement. The church was built at an important crossroads along the Great Wagon RoadGreat Wagon Road
The Great Wagon Road was a colonial American improved trail transiting the Great Appalachian Valley from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, and from there to Georgia....
. Early minutes of the church refer to it as Chinquapin Cross Roads. The church held the first Sunday school in Yadkin County. The church, which changed its name to Courtney Baptist in 1952, helped organize several other Baptist churches in the area, including Deep Creek, South Oak Ridge and Turner's Creek.
Courtney is named for a "Mr. Courtney" who taught in a local school.
Gold mines
Gold was mined in the Courtney area from about 1875 until the 1920s. The Groce Gold Mine operated from 1875 until about 1920.The Dixon Gold Mine on Wyo Road mined gold from 1902-1923. Thomas M. Dixon first discovered gold on the property. He began panning for gold, then he found a vein of gold three feet under the ground.
Both mines have long closed. However, Vulcan Materials owns land for a granite quarry nearby on Speer Bridge Road.
Homegrown businesses
The community is primarily rural and agricultural. However, because of its proximity to Winston-SalemWinston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
it has become more of a bedroom community.
Several home-grown businesses provide employment for area residents:
- Hanover Park Vineyard, the first licensed wineryWineryA winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
in Yadkin County since ProhibitionProhibition in the United StatesProhibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
, opened on Courtney-Huntsville Road in 1999. A farm house built in 1897 was transformed into the vineyard's tasting room. - Yadkin Valley Telecom, based on Courtney-Huntsville Road since 1971, is a telephone cooperativeCooperativeA cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
that serves about 32,000 customers in Yadkin County and portions of DavieDavie County, North Carolina- Wine region :Portions of Davie County are located in the Yadkin Valley AVA, an American Viticultural Area. Wines made from grapes grown in the Yadkin Valley AVA may use the appellation Yadkin Valley on their labels.-Demographics:...
and IredellIredell County, North CarolinaIredell County, along with Moore County in the eastern Piedmont, are among a very few counties in the United States sharing borders with nine adjacent counties.-Demographics:...
counties. - J.H. Craver and Son began as a maker of hickory tool handles in 1920. The company, which makes and imports wooden chairs and tables, moved to a plant on U.S. Highway 601 in 1960.
- Hibco Plastics, a maker of foam packaging, is located on U.S. Highway 601.
- Courtney General Store, Courtney Grocery and Hollars General Store offer area residents conveniences such as food and groceries.
Education
Most children in the community attend Courtney Elementary School, a kindergarten through eighth-grade public community school on Courtney-Huntsville Road. The school is an important focal point for the community. Courtney is one of five feeder schools for Forbush High School, which is located north of the community.Courtney, established in 1927, was the first standard high school in Yadkin County. It became an elementary-only school after school consolidation in 1967. The school was mostly rebuilt after a 1986 countywide bond referendum.