There are so many abandoned places in North Carolina! This is a list of the top three abandoned places in North Carolina. Browse through all abandoned places in North Carolina
Henry River Mill Community is a small textile community in Burke County, North Carolina. The village is progressively eroding and degrading, but it is a good example of Burke County's early industrial area. The mill, as well as the town where it was located, were all abandoned in the late 1900s.
In its early years, the mill could operate 4000 yarn-making spindles, but this was later increased to 12000 spindles. The mill was capable of producing fine combed yarn for lace. Some of the homes in the neighborhood were built along the steep contours of the river's northern bank. The village's living quarters consisted of approximately 35 small worker's cottages. The mill workers lived in boarding houses or workers' cottages built by the company. The cottages were leased for a small fee. Around 1907, the four mill owners, the Rudisills and the Aderholdts built new homes for themselves just outside the village, and the settlement grew.
Later that year, in 1935, one of the houses burned down. From 1907 to 1917, one of the three-story brick structures served as a mill office, with the upper floor serving as a schoolroom and for religious activities. Rudisill designed and built a steel truss bridge across the Henry River in 1912. When it was finished, it was supposed to be the highest bridge in the state. Though it was one of the few structures not destroyed by the floods, it was eventually demolished to make space for a bridge. Henry River Mill transitioned from utilizing water to power its heavy gear to using electricity.
The mill was closed in 1971. The shutdown of the mill, which was the main source of employment in the area, resulted in the village's abandonment. The population began to decline gradually. Wade Shepherd purchased the mill in 1976 with the intention of restoring it. The rehabilitation failed because the mill burned down in 1977, possibly as a result of lightning. As a result, the mill was completely damaged and had to be abandoned.
The mill and community were listed on the North Carolina Study List of the National Register of Historic Places. Today, the remnants of the village's structures serve as reminders of the County's industrial past. The majority of the ancient structures in the Village may be found along a narrow gorge of the Henry River. A tornado devastated the company store in 2017, and the facility has been badly vandalized. The structure will be converted into a restaurant by the new owner. Twenty of the thirty-five mill homes remained, and twelve more are planned for tourist usage.
Yates Mill is located approximately 8 kilometers south of Raleigh, North Carolina. Yates Mill is the inspiration for the Historic Yates Mill County Park in central Wake County. Decades after it was abandoned and left to rot, the park is now managed as a natural animal refuge.
Yates Mill is one of Wake County's oldest structures. It is the area's only operational gristmill. For nearly 200 years, Yates Mill was a water-powered lumber mill that milled maize and wheat and carded wool. In October 1756, Samuel Pearson surveyed the site on which the mill stands after receiving permission from the Earl of Granville. It was at this time that the first meal was constructed. Pearson proceeded to buy neighboring land, eventually amassing more than 600 acres by the time he died in 1802. Pearson's son many debts forced him to sell the mill and surrounding land at a sheriff's auction in 1819. For over 30 years, William Boylan purchased the property and attempted to modernize it. In the 1840s, Boylan built another sawmill.
Thomas Briggs, John Primrose, and James Penny formed a partnership and purchased the mill in 1853. The partners ran the mill for a decade before selling it to Phares and Roxanna Yates during the civil war. Yates Mill is one of the oldest structures in Wake County. It is the only operational gristmill in the vicinity. Yates Mill was a water-powered lumber mill that milled maize and wheat and carded wool for nearly 200 years. In October 1756, Samuel Pearson surveyed the property on which the mill now sits after receiving permission from the Earl of Granville. It was at this period that the first meal was created. Pearson proceeded to buy neighboring land, eventually amassing a landholding of more than 600 acres by the time he died in 1802.
Due to a decline in demand, the ancient mill was closed in 1953. North Carolina State University bought the land ten years later with the purpose of developing it into an experimental enterprise. Yates Mill Associates was created in 1989 to renovate the mill, which had previously been utilized as a storage facility. When Hurricane Fran's floods overwhelmed its 250-year-old Stone dam in 1996, the mill was on the verge of being destroyed. The mill had undergone serious dilapidation and had been abandoned by 1999.
The mill has been renovated, particularly the maize and wheat grinding machinery. There have been multiple coin grindings since it reopened to the public on May 20, 2006. The restoration was funded by donations from government organizations, North Carolina State University, foundations, corporations, and individual citizens. Wake County provides the park with the required personnel and assistance. Yates Mill has been classified as a historic landmark in Raleigh. The mill is always open for historic visits, and corn grinding demonstrations are given on certain days.
Lost Cove is a ghost town in North Carolina's Yancey County. Morgan Bailey was the town's first settler prior to the outbreak of the Civil War. The community is located on the Tennessee-North Carolina border near Poplar George, above the Nolichucky River. The forestry, railroading, moonshine-making, and farming businesses were the main draws for people to settle in the area. The community was abandoned and uninhabited after the final family moved out in 1957.
Lost Cove was established during the civil war. Despite the fact that the town was founded early, it began to thrive after the introduction of the logging industry. By the 1880s, other families, such as the Tiptons and Millers, had joined Morgan's family. Isaac Mac English laid the groundwork for a sawmill in the cove before 1920. Dock Tipton, Wiley Tipton, Velmer Bailey, and Clifford Miller were all sawmill workers. The development of the logging sector attracted railroad tracks. Because Lost Cove was in the highlands, it was an ideal logging location. The surrounding Pisgah National Forest made it simple to get to the trees utilized for logging in the area. Because of the town's success in logging, the main source of income, the locals were able to construct a school for their children.
Moonshine manufacture, or the production of illegal whiskey, was prevalent in the town. Moonshine production contributed to the growth of the Lost Cove economy. Some families produced moonshine for their own use, while others marketed it. They could make money by selling the liquor to nearby town residents and men passing through the railroad. The judges attempting to deal with the moonshiners' problem were perplexed as to which jurisdiction the town fell under. This circumstance hampered the country's development. Lost Cove provided a friendly environment for moonshiners to conduct business. Lost Cove held religious services in the area. Even though the church and the school shared the same building, there was a cemetery where the town locals' used to bury their loved ones.
After the moonshiners' business collapsed, the people of Lost Cove desired to construct a new way into the valley. The road was supposed to be utilized to get to local markets and high school students. Despite the fact that the route project was submitted to North Carolina Governor Scott, no response was received. As a result, individuals began to leave the area. The demolition of passenger trains that could transport people to stores and doctors aided in the exodus of people. According to Mr. Bryant, only three to four families remained in the neighborhood by 1952.
On December 26, 1957, Isaiah Bailey's family was the last to depart Lost Cove. As a result, the land was abandoned and deserted. In 2007, a series of fires reduced the majority of the structures to ashes. People who are willing to hike can still access the town today. Most visitors to the area go to see the cemetery, Swim Miller's rusted Chevy still lying in a ditch, and the three remaining houses.