Whynot, North Carolina

Coordinates: 35°31′55.8″N 79°45′14.3″W / 35.532167°N 79.753972°W / 35.532167; -79.753972
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Whynot, North Carolina
Unincorporated community
Whynot sign
Whynot sign
Whynot, North Carolina is located in North Carolina
Whynot, North Carolina
Location of Whynot in North Carolina
Whynot, North Carolina is located in the United States
Whynot, North Carolina
Whynot, North Carolina (the United States)
Coordinates: 35°31′55.8″N 79°45′14.3″W / 35.532167°N 79.753972°W / 35.532167; -79.753972
CountryUnited States
StateNorth Carolina
CountyRandolph
Elevation
[1]
604 ft (184 m)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Zip code
27341
Area code336
GNIS feature ID1016647[1]

Whynot is an unincorporated community in Randolph County, North Carolina, United States, and is included in the Piedmont Triad metropolitan region.[2] Whynot is located on NC 705, also known as the "North Carolina Pottery Highway",[3] one mile (1.6 km) southeast of Seagrove and seven miles (11 km) west of Jugtown Pottery, a historic pottery listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[4] The North Carolina Pottery Highway contains over 100 potteries and galleries in a 15-square-mile (39 km2) region surrounding Seagrove.[5]

History[edit]

Whynot was first settled in the 18th century by German and English people, along with the nearby communities of Erect, Hemp, Lonely, Steeds, and Sophia.[6] The community was originally spelled with two separate words, "Why Not".[7] The origin of town's name came from residents debating a title for their community. A man finally remarked: "Why not name the town Why Not and let's go home?"[8][9][10]

The Why Not Academy and Business Institute, a combination public and private school, was located in the community from 1893 to 1916.[11][12] Whynot has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names.[13][14]

Arts and culture[edit]

Area residents first began making pottery in the 18th century.[15] The area still contains several pottery shops including Dirtworks Pottery, Tom Gray Pottery, Dixieland Pottery, Marsh Pottery, Kovack Pottery, Michele Hastings & Jeff Brown Pottery, and Whynot Pottery.[6][16]

Gallery[edit]

  • Location of Whynot on a map of Randolph County, North Carolina
    Location of Whynot on a map of Randolph County, North Carolina
  • Postmark from a Confederate soldier living in "Why Not". (note the original spelling of the community) The postmark is dated December 16, 1862.
    Postmark from a Confederate soldier living in "Why Not". (note the original spelling of the community) The postmark is dated December 16, 1862.
  • Whynot General Store
    Whynot General Store

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Whynot, North Carolina. Retrieved on 2008-06-18.
  2. ^ Ridpath, John (1897). "The Standard American Encyclopedia of Arts, Sciences, History, Biography, Geography, Statistics, and General Knowledge". Encyclopedia Publishing Company, Harvard University: 3287. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ^ Cissna, Bill (May 15, 2005). "Follow 'Pottery Highway' into Carolina haven steeped in clay". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on September 16, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
  4. ^ "North Carolina - Moore County". nationalregisterofhistoricalplaces.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
  5. ^ "Seagrove, NC- The Little Town That Could". Carolina Arts. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
  6. ^ a b Brown, Charlotte (2006). The Remarkable Potters of Seagrove: The Folk Pottery of a Legendary. Sterling Publishing. p. 13. ISBN 1-57990-634-6.
  7. ^ "North Carolina State Archives - Postal History Project". North Carolina Office of Archives and History. Archived from the original on June 18, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
  8. ^ Sharpe, Bill (1954). "A New Geography of North Carolina". Sharpe Publishing Company, University of Michigan: 1036. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. ^ Kuralt, Charles (1985). On the road with Charles Kuralt. Putnam. pp. 181. ISBN 0-399-13087-X.
  10. ^ Leslie, Bill (February 19, 2008). "Wrath of Lizard Lick". WRAL. Archived from the original on February 21, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
  11. ^ "Inventory of the Auman Family Papers, 1795-2004 - Collection Number 4401". University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Archived from the original on June 11, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
  12. ^ Patterson, Homer (1916). "Patterson's American education". Educational Directories, New York Public Library: 579. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  13. ^ Parker, Quentin (2010). Welcome to Horneytown, North Carolina, Population: 15: An insider's guide to 201 of the world's weirdest and wildest places. Adams Media. pp. xii. ISBN 9781440507397. Archived from the original on February 3, 2017. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  14. ^ Petras, Kathryn; Petras, Ross (December 18, 2007). Unusually Stupid Americans: A Compendium of All-American Stupidity. Random House Publishing Group. p. 246. ISBN 978-0-307-41761-9. Archived from the original on May 1, 2016. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  15. ^ Ruhlman, Michael (December 15, 1985). "Shopper's World - Carolina Pottery, Shaped By Tradition". The New York Times. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
  16. ^ Lancaster, H Martin (November 4, 2004). "Making It New In Community Colleges". North Carolina Community College System. Archived from the original on June 13, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2008.

Further reading[edit]

  • Why Not, North Carolina, by William T. Auman and Minnie S. Stuart, Why Not Memorial Association, 1986.
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