Copyright Notice: This content is from the North Carolina Gazetteer, edited by William S. Powell and Michael Hill. Copyright © 2010 by the University of North Carolina Press. Used by permission of the publisher. For personal use and not for further distribution. Please submit permission requests for other use directly to the publisher.

This content is from the North Carolina Gazetteer, edited by William S. Powell and Michael Hill. Copyright © 2010 by the University of North Carolina Press. Used by permission of the publisher. For personal use and not for further distribution. Please submit permission requests for other use directly to the publisher.

Some place names included in The North Carolina Gazetteer contain terms that are considered offensive.

Preface to the 2nd edition
Preface to the 1st edition
Acknowledgments

"The North Carolina Gazetteer is a geographical dictionary in which an attempt has been made to list all of the geographic features of the state in one alphabet. It is current, and it is historical as well. Many features and places that no longer exist are included; many towns and counties for which plans were made but which never materialized are also included. Some names appearing on old maps may have been imaginary, but many of them also appear in this gazetteer.

Each entry is located according to the county in which it is found. I have not felt obliged to keep entries uniform. The altitude of a place, the date of incorporation of a city or town, may appear in the beginning of one entry and at the end of another. Some entries may appear more complete than others. I have included whatever information I could find. If there is no comment on the origin or meaning of a name, it is because the information was not available. In some cases, however, resort to an unabridged dictionary may suggest the meaning of many names."

--From The North Carolina Gazetteer, 1st edition, preface by William S. Powell

Alphabetical Glossary Filter

"
3
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Reset
Place Description
Spanking Back Creek

See Silas Creek.
Sparkling Catawba Springs

See Catawba Springs.
Sparkman

community in W Onslow County served by post office, 1888-1909.
Sparks Creek

appears on the Collet map, 1770, in NW Davidson County N of Fryes Creek. It flows W into Muddy Creek.
Sparks Gap

central Mitchell County on Pumpkin Patch Mountain.
Sparks Ridge

E Mitchell County between Bear Creek and Bailey Meadows.
Sparta

town and county seat, central Alleghany County. Post office est. there as Bower's Store, 1825; name changed to Gap Civil, 1846, and to Sparta, 1879. Inc. 1879. Named for the ancient city in Greece. Alt. 2,939. Produces apparel and textiles. See also Gap Civil Township.
Sparta Mill Pond

central Alleghany County on Little River. Formed in 1920. Covers 8 acres; max. depth 10 ft. Fishing and swimming.
Sparta Township

former township in SE Edgecombe County, now township no. 8.
Spear

community in W Avery County; settled 1815-30. Named for nearby Spear Tops Mountain.