Courtney, North Carolina Explained

Courtney
Settlement Type:Unincorporated community
Pushpin Map:USA North Carolina
Pushpin Map Caption:Location within the state of North Carolina
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:North Carolina
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Yadkin
Unit Pref:Imperial
Population As Of:2000
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone:Eastern (EST)
Utc Offset:-5
Timezone Dst:EDT
Utc Offset Dst:-4
Elevation Ft:902
Coordinates:36.06°N -80.6206°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP codes
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:1019806

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).

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 Road. Early minutes of the church refer to it as Chinquapin Cross Roads. The church held the first Sunday school in Yadkin County.[1] 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.[2]

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.[3]

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-Salem it has become more of a bedroom community.Several home-grown businesses provide employment for area residents:

Education

Most children in the community attend Courtney Elementary School, a kindergarten through fifth-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.

External links

Notes and References

  1. An Illustrated History of Yadkin County, W.E. Rutledge Jr., Page 141
  2. The Heritage of Yadkin County, Frances Harding Casstevens, editor, page 9
  3. The Heritage of Yadkin County, Frances Harding Casstevens, editor, page 90
  4. http://www.hanoverparkwines.com/ Hanover Park Vineyard official site
  5. http://www.yadtel.net/about_yvt/about.html Yadkin Valley Telecom website
  6. Web site: J.H. Craver official website . 2007-06-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070512221329/http://www.jhcraver.com/ . 2007-05-12 . dead .
  7. http://www.hibco.com/ Hibco Plastics official site