Discovering North Carolina

Something for Everyone in Stanly County

by Greg Petty
June 2009

Webster Dictionary defines enchant as, "Put a magical spell upon; delight to a high degree." I grew up in New Mexico and its state motto is The Land of Enchantment. While that state is certainly true to its motto, North Carolina also possesses enchanting lands. We have just discovered what will become one of our favorite locations, Stanly County.

The geography of this special slice of south-central Piedmont is fascinating and played an important role for its earliest human inhabitants. 600 million years ago Morrow and the Uwharrie Mountains were volcanic islands surrounded by a shallow sea. The peaks of these mountains are reputed to have been over 20,000 feet! This formation is referred to as the Carolina slate belt, and it extends from central Georgia to central Virginia. The volcanoes laid down ash, lava and sediments that were then deeply buried, tilted and exposed again at the surface. This volcanic legacy left two rock types that would prove important to North Carolina. The first is the rhyolite and the second the quartz veins containing gold.

Rhyolite is a very hard, gray volcanic rock that lends itself to making the very best stone spearheads and tools. The Indians occupying this area over 10,000 years ago established hunting and fishing camps and quickly discovered that they had at their disposal a great natural quarry for the very best tools. When you visit Morrow Mountain State Park, drive to the 963-foot mountain top for the great view of the surrounding lakes and valleys (on a clear day you can see Charlotte), but also hike the mountain loop trail. You will see deposits of the rhyolite sometimes 6-8 feet deep. The tools are found as far away as southern Virginia and the coast of South Carolina. While at Morrow, explore the rest of the park, hike the trails and during the summer bring along your swimming suit and take a dip in the state’s only park to have a swimming pool.

After thousands of years of erosion the Yadkin and Uwharrie River valleys formed and then joined to form the Pee Dee River. It was in this area that gold was discovered in 1799 at the nearby Reed Mine. The first discovery by the farmer John Reed in Little Meadow Creek was a 17-pound nugget that he used as a door-stop for three years not knowing its value! By 1828, mines in the surrounding Piedmont counties made North Carolina the sole producer of gold in the United States, and production was not eclipsed until the California gold rush in 1848. Visit the Reed Mine State Park, take the mine tour, and then pan for some gold.

We took the back way to Albemarle from Reed Gold Mine up to Mt. Pleasant and then Highway 73 into Albemarle. It was this drive that charmed us with the county’s lushness and beauty. We felt we were in the rolling hills of France or Germany.

If you like lodgings with a bit of history and a considerable dose of charm, I suggest the Badin Inn Golf Resort & Club in Badin. Barbara and I were well taken care of by Melynn Morgan Stowman and the staff. The rooms are roomy and comfortable, decorated with antique furniture. Need something to eat? Just hop next door to the Johnny Palmer Grill, and Bryan Reece will take care of you with at least one home cooked recipe. (We had his Mom’s recipe for Macaroni & Cheese — delicious!) The resort offers golf, tennis, swimming and nearby access to Lake Badin. At the end of a long day, enjoy the view of the front garden by relaxing on the front porch in one of the comfortable rocking chairs or the putting green from the grill patio. Visit badininn.com. Other lodging options include The Bed & Bike Inn in Gold Hill, bedandbikeinn.com, or the hotel options offered in Albermarle.

Badin is a town that grew up around the concession given to the French company L’Aluminum Francais to build a dam that provided power to operate an aluminum mill and smelter. One of the first things you will notice are the sunken French gutters and the community style housing built to house the workers, including The Badin Inn. After WWI started the French went home and Arther Vining Davis, CEO of ALCOA bought the entire enterprise, including the town. Davis was an avid golfer and he donated the land in 1924 that transformed the Inn from worker quarters to an Inn and Golf Resort. Because the town had the largest Opera House south of New York City, it was on the vaudeville circuit, and the Inn has hosted Mae West, W.C Fields (a huge golf fan), Bing Crosby, Abbot & Costello and Babe Ruth. Golf legends such as Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan and Johnny Palmer all played here. The county has five other golf courses so bring your clubs.

The special geographic heritage of the area provides lush supplies of water and fertile valleys so the county contains a variety of farms, cattle and horse properties. Most recently though these hills and valleys have yielded a modern ‘gold rush.’ Those new industries are the winery’s that now occupy both the mountains and the valleys of the county. The rich volcanic heritage and the sediments from the rivers provide perfect soils for multiple grape varieties.

Our first stop was Stony Mountain Vineyards. As we sat on the deck overlooking the Yadkin Valley, owners Ken and Marie Furr were most gracious. They offer 14 wines, one for every palate. The rustic pinewood great room and deck are a special location for weddings, showers and rehearsal dinners. Visit their web site at stonymountainvineyards.com.

Sandon and Amy Dennis are the proprietors of Dennis Vineyards in Albemarle. This winery is popular for its muscadine grapes and different sweetness levels. Sandon is a tinkerer and quite mechanically inclined, so we were delighted when he showed us the various pieces of equipment they used. Dennis Vineyards has a tasting room and gift shop and across Endy Rd. a full scale meeting facility to host weddings and business groups. Visit dennisvineyards.com.

If you want to take the full vineyard tour, also visit the folks at Uwharrie Vineyards uwharrievineyards.com, and Rocky River Vineyards near Reed Gold Mine, rockyrivervineyards.com

Any visit to the area begs you to enjoy the boating, kayaking, hiking and camping experiences offered around Badin and Tillery Lakes and Morrow Mountain State Park. No worries if you don’t have your own equipment, just contact Uwharrie Tours and speak with Ellen Whiteside or Tim Beebe. We took the Moonlight Kayaking tour on Badin Lake. Ellen and Tim made it an enjoyable experience by providing a stop on the lake for wine and cheese before guiding us back to the dock in the dark. Although the clouds obscured the moon, it must be fabulous when it is full and shining. Ellen and Kim also operate the Bed and Bike Inn.

The area offers varied shopping experiences from antiques stores throughout the county to the famous potters in nearby Seagrove. The area also has art galleries in Albemarle and Oakboro; visit stanlyarts.org to find the locations of the galleries.

Wherever I travel, I ask the locals where their favorite restaurant spots are. Chris Lambert of the Stanly County Convention Bureau saved us from asking by guiding us to The Breakfast Nook for morning victuals and The Fresh House for supper. The Breakfast Nook is a classic breakfast house decorated with ACC sports memorabilia. The waitresses are sweet and efficient and all your favorite breakfast choices are offered. Now that’s the way to start the day.

When you are ready for a home cooked meal the likes of which you have not had since your grandmother or mom cooked one for you, head to the town of Locust and straight to The Fresh House on Main St. (Hwy 24/27). Owners David & Robin Hinson bought a farm, and David first built a molasses mill and produced the syrup in the authentic manner. He then took on building a stone gristmill and learned the fine art of grinding grains into pure meals, flours and grits. The result of their labors is twofold. The meals at the restaurant are prepared with the finest ingredients, and their line of foods for purchase are excellent. I had the best chicken fried steak (don’t tell my doctor) and mashed potatoes I have ever had. Before heading home we purchased their Old School Brand authentic antique Biscuit mix, White Gravy mix, Red Velvet Cake mix and the Red Ripe Strawberry syrup. So don’t wait too long to visit the Fresh House. In the meantime you can obtain the Old School products by visiting oldschool.com

After dinner we headed back to Badin and were able to experience something we had not done since our kids were small… go to a first-run movie at the Badin Road Drive-In. It was great to set up the lawn chairs in front of the car and have popcorn while watching a movie. The Badin Inn was just a few miles up the road so this was a perfect end to our last evening in Stanly County.

Photos by Greg and Barbara Petty

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