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 |
|---|---|
| Whalebone |
commercial intersection on Bodie Island, E Dare County about 2½ mi. S of the town of Nags Head. Began around 1930 as intersection of then-existing sand trails and roads. Originally important commercial center. Named for whalebones in front of service station once located there. Also known as Whalebone Junction. |
| Whalebone Inlet |
See Drum Inlet. |
| Whaley |
community in N Avery County. Said to have been named for one Whaley, who became frightened by a screech owl and hid in a hollow log until morning. |
| Whaley Branch |
rises in W Haywood County near the Tennessee state line and flows SW into Big Creek. |
| Wharf |
community in N Anson County served by post office, 1889-1907. |
| Wharf, The |
See Swansboro. |
| Wharton |
community in NW Beaufort County. Alt. 19. Named for Lt. Col. Rufus W. Wharton, Washington resident and Confederate officer. |
| Wheat Creek |
rises in E Polk County and flows SE into Green River. |
| Wheat Swamp |
rises in N Lenoir County and flows NE on the Lenoir-Greene county line into Contentnea Creek. Named for John Wheat, who had an early grant of land there. |
| Wheatfield Branch |
rises in S Macon County and flows SW into Tessentee Creek. |
