Person County Community Names

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This page last updated on July 31, 2007

Communities

You can help :-)
Take a few minutes and look up some of the communities known to you. I would like to add references to articles in the Courier-Times and the Heritage of Person County series. Send me some details and I will be happy to add them to the table below. To find my email address follow the link at the bottom of this page.

A useful resource for place names is The North Carolina Gazetteer, A Dictionary of Tar Heel Places by William S. Powell. University of North Carolina Press, 1968. The copy I have is the Seventh Printing, April 1987. The acknowledgements list R. B. Griffin as the contributor for Person County. In some cases I have included information from this book in the table below. This source is indicated as Gazetteer in the table.

The 1928 soil survey map, posted on this web site, is a great source for community names (along with roads, cemeteries, etc) and a good way to locate communities.

Certainly churches, stores, schools, lakes, and other features sometimes were used to identify communities. But all churches don't warrent showing up in a list of communities. I'm not certain where to draw the line. We can all decide that as this page evolves. Please share your thoughts.

The nine townships within Person County are included in the table below. Some duplicate community names while others are names unique to the township.

Jump Down to ===> B - C - D - E - F - G - H - L - M - O - P - R - S - T - W - Z

Community Name	Location / History
AI	The community surrounding Antioch Baptist Church off US 501 South on Antioch Church Road was once known as AI. From Keith Rogers: "I haven't heard anybody call the Antioch Church community AI in 30+ years. AI was a voting precinct for years until they incorporated AI with the Flat River township voting district. People around home voted and listed county taxes at Mr. Ed Rogers store." And from Ken Dalton: When I was growing up in Moriah, we all called Antioch Church Road, "the A I road".... but I don't know why. (Note that this community is "AI" as in "ai" not "AL.") Family names appearing in this community: Rogers.
Allens Level	Shown on 1928 soil map. Located on Hurdle Mills Road between Paynes Tavern and Push.
Allensville Township	One of nine townships in Person County. Located in the East central part of the county. This name was apparently used both for the name of a township and the name of a community. See: "Spotlighting Allensville, Museum launches year-long series of exhibits focusing on Person County's 9 townships and their communites." _The Courier-Times_. Roxboro, NC. Wednesday, March 3, 2004. Page B1. For additional information, see Person County Townships.
Allensville	A community that centers around the Allensville United Methodist Church and the former location of the Allensville School. Gazetteer gives Trilby as an earlier name for this community. Family names appearing in this community: Gentry.
Anderson Siding	Noted on the 1928 soil survey map ("upper right" section). Located in the NE corner of Person County close to the Granville County line and apparently at the end of the tramway (railroad) from the Virgilina area.
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Bakers	Gazetteer gives this as an early name for the Cavel community.
Bethel Hill	Located on US 501 North. The community centers around the present Bethel Hill Charter School, earlier the Bethel Hill High School, and even earlier the Bethel Hill Academy.
Brooksdale	Oxford Road. US 158 East. Within the Roxboro City Limits.
Busy Fork Township	One of nine townships in Person County. Located in the South West part of the county. This name was apparently used both for the name of a township and the name of a community. See: "Busy Fork close-up." _The Courier-Times_. Roxboro, NC. Wednesday, August 18, 2004. Page B1. For additional information, see Person County Townships.
Bushy Fork	Located on the Burlington highway, NC 49. This is also the name of a creek.
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Catalina	Noted on the 1928 soil survey map ("lower right" section). Close to Granville County line. South of Denny's Store.
Cates	Shown on 1928 soil map. Flat River Township.
Cavel	Gazetteer provides this information: "Ca-Vel. Post Office est. 1948. Formerly known as Bakers."
Ceffo	Located at the intersections of McGhee's Mill Road and Concord-Ceffo Road. Today marked by the Ceffo Volunteer Fire Department, a store, and a number of homes. One resident has suggested that the name Ceffo is an acronym formed by the first letters of the surnames of families living in the community, including Clayton, Evans, (F ?), (F ?), and Oakley. Family names appearing in this community: Clayton, Evans, Oakley.
Chub Lake	Also known as Loch Lilly, apparently a popular destination and site for social gatherings. Picture post cards showing various scenes on Loch Lilly are frequently sold on eBay. A water powered mill was located just downstream of the dam for the lake. The name of the lake serves as the name of the community surrounding Chub Lake. Family names appearing in this community: Duncan.
Concord	Intersection of the Semora Road and Concord Church Road on NC 57. Picturesque Concord United Methodist Church and Cemetery located here. Twins Country Store located on another corner. Family names appearing in this community include Dunkley, Paylor, and Wagstaff.
Copley's Corner
Cunningham Township	One of nine townships in Person County. Located in the North West part of the county. This name was apparently used both for the name of a township and the name of a community. For additional information, see Person County Townships.
Cunningham	Waverly is the center of this community. At one time there existed a Cunningham Station on the Richmond and Danville Railroad which passed through this community, then to the west through Semora and Milton in Caswell County. See the web page for the cemetery located at Waverly. Gazetteer includes: "Named for John W. Cunningham, local landowner and planter. Post office, Cunningham's Store, est. as early as 1822."
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Davis Mill	Noted on the 1928 soil survey map ("upper right" section). East of Bethel Hill.
Denny's Store
Dunnaway's Bridge	Site of bridge across Hyco River downstream from the confluence of North Hyco and South Hyco. This route would have been the major road to Semora and Milton as the present Semora Road (NC 57) did not cross North and South Hyco. In fact that road ended at Concord United Methodist Church. See a part of the 1928 Soils Map for the location of Dunnaway's Bridge and road locations in 1928. A portion of Dunnaway Road (SR 1377) extists today, but the portion that originally crossed Hyco River is now under Hyco Lake.
Durgy Mine
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East Roxboro
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Fiddleton	South-East Person County
Five Forks	Near City Lake.
Flat River Township	One of nine townships in Person County. Located in the South central part of the county. This name appears to be unique to usage as the name of a township and has no corresponding community. For additional information, see Person County Townships.
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Gordonton	NC 49
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Helena	Just off of US 501 South. Also known as Timberlake. The post office was and is Timberlake. The Norfolk & Western Railroad Station here was named Helena. Once the location of Helena High School.
Hester's Store
High Plains	A community populated by a group originially known as the "Person County Indians." In 2003 the North Carolina General Assembly legally changed the name of the group to Sappony. Additional information is included on this web site as The Sappony and on the Sappony groups web site.
Holloway Township	One of nine townships in Person County. Located in the North East part of the county. This name appears to be unique to usage as the name of a township and has no corresponding community. For additional information, see Person County Townships.
Hurdle Millls
Jalong	Early name for Longhurst
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Longhurst	Later name for Jalong. Now annexed by Roxboro.
Long's Store	Located on Long's Store Road in the Olive Hill Community. This area could be considered a subset of the Olive Hill Community or a community of its own.
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McGhee's Mill
Moores Mill
Moriah
Morristown	Oxford Road / US 158
Mount Tirzah Township	One of nine townships in Person County. Located in the South East part of the county. This name was apparently used both for the name of a township and the name of a community. For additional information, see Person County Townships.
Mt Tirzah	This community is located at the intersection of Bethany Church Road (SR 1715) and Moore's Mill Road (SR 1737) / Surl Mount Tirzah Road (1717). Located here is the Mount Tirzah United Methodist Church at 4553 Surl-Mt Tirzah Road. The home of Stephen Moore (1734-1799) still stands here. He purchased property in 1777 that he named Mt Tirzah.
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Olive Hill Township	One of nine townships in Person County. Located in the West central part of the county. This name was apparently used both for the name of a township and the name of a community. For additional information, see Person County Townships.
Olive Hill	Semora Road / NC 57. A community surrounding the former Olive Hill School. This school once included a full set of grades [confirm that this is true], was later reduced to grades 1 - 8, and then closed. The former school property now serves as a county park. Family names in this community include: Tillman, Painter, Clayton.
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Paynes Tavern	Gazetteer includes: "Corwallis spent a night here in 1781 during the Revolution." Historical road-side sign includes: "Site of first Person County Court House, 1791 - 1993." Road side historical marker here.
Picks or Picks Siding	At one time named for a side track on the Norfolk & Western Railroad. Later known as Somerset. Gazetteer includes both Picks and Picks Sliding [sic]. Both entries refer to the Somerset entry. See Somerset in this table also.
Providence	Virgilina Road / NC 49. The landmark for this community is the Providence Baptist Church and Cemetery.
Push	Hurdles Mill Road
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Rogersville	Formerly a post office, north of Woodsdale. Shows up on USGS maps. Likely named for the Rogers family of the area who ran a store which maybe have included the post office.
Roseville	Burlington Road / NC 49 South
Roxboro Township	This name is used both for the name of a township and the name of the only incorporated city in Person County. For additional information, see Person County Townships.
Roxboro	The only incorporated municipality in Person County.
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Somerset	Location of former textile mill that made towels. Now annexed by the City of Roxboro. Gazetteer includes: "Est. 1895 - 1900 as Pick's or Pick's Siding where lumber was brought by tramroad to be transferred to the railroad.
Surl	Oxford Road / US 158 East
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Timberlake	Also known as Helena. The post office was and is Timberlake. The Norfolk & Western Railroad Station here was named Helena. Once the location of Helena High School. Gazetteer includes: "Settled about 1890. Named for William Timberlake, Sr., first postmaster. The railroad station here is known as Helena, named for the wife of an official of the railroad. Alt. 570."
Triple Springs	Virgilina Road / NC 49 North. Once the location of a public swimming pool that was filled from adjacent springs.
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Winstead	A post office.
Wolf	See "A village called Wolf." _The Courier-Times_. Roxboro, NC. Wednesday, August 25, 2004. Page B1. From the article: "Wolf is located three and one-half miles northeast of Roxboro on Allensville Road, near the intersection of Jack Crumpton Road ..." This community once had a post office, of course named Wolf.
Woodsdale Township	One of nine townships in Person County. Located in the North central part of the county. See: "Woodsdale Township was busy place in 1870s. Museum spotlights Bethel Hill, Chub Lake, Woodsdale through May." _The Courier-Times_. Roxboro, NC. Wednesday, April 28, 2004. Page B1. This name was used both as the name of a township and the name of a community. For additional information, see Person County Townships.
Woodsdale	This community was centered around the Woodsdale depot on the Norfolk & Western Railroad (known earlier as the Lynchburg and Durham Railroad). The community is also marked by the intersection of the Woodsdale Road and Shiloh Church Road / Edwin Robertson Road.

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