Day Fifteen - A Summer of Bluegrass, Camping and Friends - Sunday 5/12/2024

It's Sunday May 12th, Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there! I enjoyed my last walk at the festival. We departed the Denton FarmPark on our way to Virginia for a few nights with our friends.

One of the neat features at Denton FarmPark is the working train. It was not running while our festival was on, but it is a cool thing that the kids would enjoy at other events! We will travel on US 49 for a good portion of our drive today.

Liberty North Carolina is located 20 miles northeast from Asheboro. Liberty is home to The Liberty Antiques Festival, which is held twice a year. It is also home to The Liberty Showcase Theater. The entertainment space is versatile it hosts ZZ Top Notch, Micro Mania Midget Wrestling Tour, Deana Carter, Gene Watson, Sail On - The Beach Boys Tribute, Twitty & Lynn - A tribute to Conway & Loretta, and Confederate Railroad. Just to name a few! It's quite the hidden gem!

In 1745, Adam Trollinger established a homestead on the banks of the Haw River. From that beginning, the community of Haw River was developed. His settlement was very near the site of an earlier Sissipahaw Indian Village.

Trollinger chose the spot because it had an easy crossing while nearby the river moved with enough power to drive a mill wheel. The Haw River flows approximately 110 miles. Today the Haw River is the most popular whitewater paddling river in North Carolina.  

Green Level NC was originally called Ruby Dew back in the 1930's. It was a small tobacco farming community that was heavily populated by African Americans. The first school that was built in 1934 for the students of Green Level is still standing today and served as the old Town Hall. Green Level started to grow in the 1960’s when Mr. Ben Mebane sold much of his property to developers who created affordable homes. As time progressed the demographics of Green Level started to change and more citizens started to settle in Green Level.

Mayo Lake, also known as Mayo Reservoir, was created by a dam impoundment of Mayo Creek (not to be confused with the Mayo River). Owned by Progress Energy, the reservoir was completed in 1983 to provide cooling water for the Mayo Electric Generating Plant. It covers 2,800 acres (1,133 hectares) and is 22 feet deep.

We crossed from North Carolina into Virginia. All of you know the moniker attached to Virginia, right? 

In Clarksville, I could not get this song out of my head... "Take the last train to Clarksville and I'll meet you at the station..." Here we turned onto US 58. Clarksville was the first incorporated town in the county of Mecklenburg. In 1818, the town was named after its founder, Clarke Royster. Located along the Roanoke River, these lands were originally the home to the Occoneechee Indians and several trading paths wound through the area. The damming of the Roanoke River in the early 1950’s had a tremendous impact on the area, making Clarksville the only town on the 50,000-acre body of water named after an island upstream, Buggs Island Lake.

Virginia is proud of it's heritage and in some places they fly those flags proudly! In 1860 and 1861, eleven southern states seceded from the United States forming the Confederate States of America and sparking the U.S. Civil War. After the war, their flag was adopted as a symbol of Southern heritage.

Brodnax Virginia is a unique border town, half of which is in Mecklenburg County and the other half in Brunswick County. Boy, that must be trying for the residents of this town!

We turned onto US 301 and I felt a bit closer to home, since US 301 runs right through Zephyrhills. We have traveled a long way on US 301 before, but not this trip. Someday I would like to get on it in Zephyrhills and take it north as far as we can!

The City of Emporia is the southern gateway to Virginia, just 8 miles from the North Carolina line. Emporia is strategically "mid-way between the Big Apple and Disney world." Perched on the fall line of the Coastal Plain, the City of Emporia has historically been a commercial hub in Southside Virginia. Benjamin Tillar, a member of Virginia House of Delegates, named the town after Emporia, Kansas, the hometown of one of his associates in the Atlantic and Danville Railroad. Emporia comes from the Latin word meaning place of plenty where business is transacted. 

Stony Creek, VA is a small town located in the heart of Virginia with a population of just over 500 people. Stony Creek is an ideal place for those looking for simpler times away from the hustle and bustle of city life. 

We arrived in Carson Virginia at Tammy & Bob's place. We are here to enjoy time with our friends for 2 nights! #TwoLaneAdventures