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.
"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
| Place | Description |
|---|---|
| Blounts Ford |
See Grifton. |
| Blountsville |
former town in NW Martin County on the Roanoke River. Est. 1785 on the lands of Whitmel Hill (1743-97) near Hamilton, but probably never developed. A post office, Clark's Store, existed there from 1819 to 1842. |
| Blowing Rock |
town in S Watauga and N Caldwell Counties near the head of Yadkin River. First settled in 1870; inc. 1889. Named for a peculiar rock formation rising above the Johns River valley that creates a current of air that returns to the sender light articles thrown over the void. Known as Ohlanto by the Indians and the subject of many legends. In 1927 the communities of Green Park, which see, and Mayview Park were annexed. Fort Rollins, used in the Civil War, was located there. Alt. 3,586. |
| Blowing Rock Township |
S Watauga County. |
| Blowing Spring |
W Swain County near Nantahala Gorge; its waters fall into Nantahala River. |
| Blue Banks, The |
high marl bank along Contentnea Creek below Edwards Bridge, Greene-Pitt county line. The name comes from the distinctive color of the formation. The banks are on both sides of the creek but are more prominent on the Pitt County side. |
| Blue Branch |
rises in N Buncombe County and flows W into French Broad River. |
| Blue Creek |
rises in W Onslow County and flows SE into New River. Mentioned in local records as early as 1744. |
| Blue Gap |
SW Buncombe County E of Thompson Knob. |
| Blue Mud Creek |
is formed in N Warren County by the junction of Terrapin and Malones Creeks; it flows N into Smith Creek. |
