The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-06-13
VANCE COUNTY.
A PLEASANT AND DESIRABLE
PLACE LIVE.
The Youngest, bat one Of the Most Pros
porous and Progressive Counties
in North Carolina.

in North Carolina
The following article was printed
some years ago in book published by
the late Maj. P. NJ Hale, and entitled
the sCoal and Iron Counties OF North |
Carolina" a companion to a similar
work published by him on the Woods
and Timbers Of the State. It was
written by Mr.. James r. Young,
Clerk of the Superior Court of Vance
county, and wereproduce it with some
alterations and additions necessary to |
make it applicable to the present. It
is a truthful and graphic picture of the
county, and the GOLD LEAF publishes
it with the hope that it will do good
iii informing people at distance more
accurately and fully about us.-EDIToR.
Vance county is in North latitude
SO IS. and West latitude 7S0 IS,
and is known as one of the Northern
tier of counties in North Carolina.
This county was organized in 1881
by the Legislature as a pressing need
of the territory composing it on &C
count of its rapid growth and busl-
ness necessities, and was formed out
! of the most desirable and prosperous
portions of Granville, Franklin and
Warren counties. The county has an
area of 4,o square miles and extends
from the Roanoke river on the Nlr-
ginia State line (its Northern houn-
dary) to the Tar river on the South,
a distance of about 80 miles, and has
width of from IA miles to Is miles.
1t is most advantageously situated as
to railroads, water power, character OF
soil, diversity of crops and healthtul-
ness. Being new county 1t has
no floating or bonded debt, and the
assessment of taxes heretofore levied
bv the old counties, out OF which 1t
is formed, raises funds more than sui
ficient to meet its annual current eX-
penscs.
:. The county seat and chief shipping
and trading point of the county IS
Henderson, situate on the Raleigh
and CASTOR Railroad, "a miles North
of Raleigh, and So miles South OF
, Weldon, and is the highest point on
the line of the road, being 2o5 feet
, higher than Raleigh. This town ha:
, grown very rapidly in the last te"
years and now has over $500 people
, and its prospects were never SO bright
Ii is most advantageously situated. lh<
, tobacco and cotton crops here over
, lap each other. Until within the pas
. few years very little or no tobacco
f was raised East Of Henderson, ant
. verv little or no cotton West. Nov
the bright, yellow tobacco. for whlcl
q this section is SO famous, IS raised II
E large quantities East as we'll as West
Of Henderson; and cotton is PLANTED
successfully West, as we'll as East Q
p this town. The business of the plac
n is large and growing, cotton and to
e bacco beng sold here from an area 0
q 40 to 50 miles, and merchandise
s sold to farmers from same sections Il
large quantities at close figures. Beside
il Henderson, the couny has three rallroa
q towns. Kittrell Middleburg and Dabne
and three county villages-Nllllam
boro. Townsville and Brookston-ali o
e which are thrifty and growing.
e The principal railroad facility IS o
# fered by the Raleigh and CASTOR roat
which passes through the county trol
" its Southern to its Northern bordf
4 and is in first class condition and a
tentive to the needs Of its patron
at This road is under the same manage
[e ment as the Seaboard and Roanok
Railroad, the Raleigh and Augus
" Airline Railroad and Carolina Ger
h trail Railroad, and also connects
"a Weldon with the Atlantic Coast LII
going North, via Richmond al
ID Washington. and at Raleigh with tt
n Richmond and Danville RailroG
system going South. The Oxford al
Henderson Railroad connects He
~ derson with Oxford, the county Sc
of of Granville county, where 1t co
meets with the Oxford and Clarksvll
III Railroad, another branch OF t
to Richmond and Danville system, ru
ne ming from Keysville, Va, to Durha'
n. {. The new air line from Ric
mond South, much of the grading
n which has already been done, W
Id strike the Raleigh and Castor Ra
Of road in this county. A company /
N been organized to build the Atlant
in North Carolina and Virginia Rallro
We from Henderson to the Seaboal
,re while a survey has also been ma
.ra for road to run Westward from He
ca derson to Danville or Reldsvli
nd Thus we see that Henderson proml
,a+ in the near future 70 be great ra
it's road centre.
The county is traversed by ma
streams, along whose banks are
large quantity of lowlands, rich a
luxurant. They furnish, IN addit
i've i've to a never falling water supply
In stock and vegetation, water power
'oh' abundance. No county in the St