The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-08-24
PeopIed by a Live, Energetic
Citizenship, Building Up
Rapidly, Excellent
Farming Lands,
Sketch of Chatham County
Which in all the History
of NJrth Carolina Has
Contributed Able
Sons in Peace
and in War.


Fear river (which begins IN that county
by the junction of the Haw and Deep
rivers) is one of the most central as well
as one of the largest counties III the
State, containing nearly 100000 acres OF
land and being exceeded i'll size by only
six of the ninetyseyen counties in the
State. An upland, undulating country,
withal, the land, being susceptible of high
cultivation, specially the valley lands,
which are so many cradles of rich har~
vests. Wheat, corn, oats and rye bring
big results, and cattle and sheep are on
hundred hills, outnumbering the stock
: product of any county in the State.
Grasses and red clover are abundant, the
common wild red clover growing Wild
over the whole of this piedmont region.
There is clover now coming up which
was planted fifty years ago, which makes
the country a paradise for stock-raising.
In the southern part of the county the
soil is of gray, sandy loam-particuiar-
ly adapted to cotton and tObOcco.
There are some large and noted fruit
farms with apples, peaches and grapes
and number of nurseries. The fruits
from these farms have taken premiums
at every fair that has been held in Ra-
leigh. One dealer in Pittsboro bought
10000 pounds of blackberries. The
State Agricultural reports show Chat
ham county as having more cattle and
sheep than any county in the State. Only
five counties have morem ules and horses.
The land. by rotating the crop, is sls-
ceptible of high state of Improvement,
and once made rich it retains its pr0-
ductiveneSs to a remarkable extent.
There are four roller flour mills in the
county besides numerous burr and rock
mills for corn and flour.
During the last few years quite a num-
Der of farmers from the Northern and
Western States have moved into this
county and bought farms and are sue
ceeeding well. and are thoroughly pleased
and satisfied with their surroundings.
The unmproved lands Of the county
embrace some 100000 acres, with origl-
nal forests of oak and hickory and cedar
and pine and nearly all the varieties CT
the hard woods A quantity of walnut
timber has been shipped to Germany
direct, also large quantity of oak
timber has been shipped to Norfolk ana
Fortress Monroe for the use of the Uhl-
ted States government. In the county
beginning about four miles from Pitts
boro are high hills, known as Hickory
Mountains. The valleys and hillsidns
are very rich and the region specially
strong in hard woods.
The manufacturing facilities are MANI
ly enhanced by more than 10000 horse
power from the Haw and Cape Fear
rivers with a fall of from 800 to 400 feet.
The country promises richly In minerals
and coal. there being iron ore of the best
qualt yand undeyeloped areas of cop
per in many parts of the county. A
company of capitalists is now forming TO
develop these resources ON a large scale. q
In Chatham are the celebrated Egypt
coal mines.
4Ae Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley
railroad runs north and south through
the county the Seaboard Air Line
running east and west through the south
ern part of the county. being tapped
at Moncure by the road, which runs
thence to the county seat of Pittsbo-O.
The population is some $4,000, of
which only about 5000 are negroes, and
the valuation of real and personal proper
ty is over S3.000,000. There are in he
county 135 public schools and about 100
churches, chiefly Baptist, Methodist.
Christian. Presbyterian. Friends and
Episcopalians. the quiet and refined
MONIES DelnS nut the product OF these
two parents of orderly and progressive
citizenship, a citizenship as liberal in
views as it is loyal to right living.
The eyes of hOmeseekers have been di-
rected to this section of the country dur
ing the past four years, and as one con-
templates the numberless advantages Of
fered he is not surprised-the only rus
prise is that people will remain in the
sterile hills of New England and en-
deayor to dig living from the hard,
rocky soil on the bleak prariesS
rocky soil that there abounds or continue
toeixst on the bleak praries of the west.
where the cyclone, the hot winds and
droughts laugh at the efforts of man to
secure bread for his family and clothes
for those dependent upon him, when IL
country like this offers it's salubrious
climate, its hospitable, intelligent civil
zation and its productive and varied land,
where all the crops that can be raised al
most anywhere, can be had for mSre
pittance' of their real value. Every in
ducement is offered to good citizens, eth