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Surry County: 250 years

On Thursday Surry County officially turns 250 years old being the anniversary of the legislative act and royal decree that created the county from the sprawling Rowan County. North Carolina was still a British Colony then but the unrest that would sever that tie was already in full-swing.

People from across the county had planned a year-long celebration of the semiquincentennial but COVID-19 delayed those plans until this summer, something to look forward to.

But today I want to celebrate the impressive journey that has taken this region from a beautiful if isolated beautiful piece of the piedmont to the communities, industries, and, most importantly, the people who live here today.

Farms, Roads, & War – 1771 – 1821

1771 – After more than a year of petitions, Royal Governor William Tryon creates Surry County. It encompassed all of what is today Surry, Stokes, Forsyth, and Yadkin counties as well as portions of Wilkes, Ashe, and Alleghany. Rich in raw materials such as timber and iron ore, the region’s greatest value may have been the trails to get from Greensboro and Salem to the Cumberland Gap in Virginia.

At the same time some of Surry’s farmers join bands of Regulators, informal militia, to take resolution of grievances, real and perceived, into their own hands.

1776-1789 – Area citizens are deeply divided during the Revolution with material support and fighting men go to both Loyalist and Patriot companies.

1789 – Stokes County is split from the eastern portion of the county; in 1849 it is divided again to form Forsyth County; 1790 – Surry is home to just more than 7,000 souls

1801 – Congress established an official US Post Road from Salem to Mount Airy to Wythe County, Virginia, roughly parallel to US 52, and Mount Airy’s Main Street.

Catalan forges and grist mills operate along the Big Elk Creek, and the Fisher, Yadkin, and Ararat rivers; Stagecoach stops attract other businesses laying the foundations for the towns of Mount Airy, Pilot Mountain, and Elkin

Industry Takes Root – 1821-1871

1830 – The county population is 14,504

1840 – Brower Cotton Mill (one of only 25 statewide at the time) is established on the Ararat in the Hamburg community with a shoe factory and other businesses

1851 – Yadkin County is cut from the southern half of Surry, leaving today’s boundaries; the county seat moves from Rockford to the new town of Dobson

1857 – Pilot Mountain Post Office established

1860 – County population was 10,380, down 44% after Yadkin was formed. An additional 1,200 enslaved people live in the county; During the Civil War 750 Surry men fight, more than 100 of them on the Union side.

The Modern World – 1871-1921

1877 – Alexander Chatham opened a woolen mill that became Chatham Manufacturing that produced, among other things, blankets for the US Army. From 1919 to 1955, Chatham is the largest blanket manufacturer in the world, employing more than 3,500. After the war businesses take off and drives modernization and improved living conditions in the region.

1885 – Mount Airy incorporates

1888 – Cape Fear & Yadkin Valley Railroad arrives in Pilot Mountain and Mount Airy

1889 – Towns of Pilot Mountain and Elkin incorporate; Mount Airy Granite Quarry begins operation

1899 – Chestnut Ridge established. One of several predominantly African-American farming communities in the county, residents establish a school and church within a decade. Farmers, both Black and White, work together to plant and harvest tobacco crops.

1890 – Northwestern North Carolina Railroad arrives in Elkin

1892- 1895 – Electricity, telephone, and public water service come to the towns

1896-1920 – Mount Airy Furniture Company, National Furniture Company, Mount Airy Mantel and Table and Mount Airy Chair Company formed

1916 – US enters WWI; Surry Rifles mobilize as part of the US Army’s 30th Division

1920 – Surry County Health Department is established in direct response to the 1918 Influenza Pandemic; public schools open across the county

County Flourishes With Industries – 1921 – 1971

1930s – Factories ran a five-and-a-half, 10-hour day work week paying $30/week on average

1939 – Many textile mills open including Amos & Smith Hosiery Mill built in Pilot Mountain; Armtex Manufacturing Company, 1945; and Pilot Hosiery Mill, 1949.

1948 – WPAQ begins broadcasting

1950s-‘60s – Multiple manufacturing plants open: Insteel Industries, 1955; Proctor Electric Company toaster factory, 1957

1963 -Mount Airy/Surry County Airport opens and Surry County Community College founded in Dobson

1968 – Pilot Mountain becomes the state’s 14th state park

Hard Timesm Rising Up – 1971-2021

More recent history has been turbulent. Regional manufacturing was strong till the end of the century but long-time regional employers begin closing in the mid-1990s: Chatham family loses control of the company to a hostile takeover from a Danish company, 1995; Hamilton Beach/Procter Silex, 1998; Bassett Furniture Co., 2005; and Spencer’s Inc, 2007.

But Surry is still home to strong businesses such as Insteel Industries, NCFI Polyurethanes, Leonards Buildings, and Altec Industries. The county is home to a growing carport industry, a quirky tourist following, a thriving wine tradition, and unique cultural treasures with a core of dedicated citizens working to build the community. I hope you take some time this year to learn about the history but, more importantly, to join with those folks working toward the next 250 years.



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