This historical marker points out the early plans of settlers which did not manage to survive into…read morethe present. The marker reads, "Sneedsborough. Laid out 1795. Promoted as inland port town on Pee Dee River by Archibald D. Murphey. Only graveyard remains, five miles southeast." Online, there is more information. " In 1795 a town called Sneedsborough was founded in Anson County on the land of Richard Edgeworth. Sneedsborough was developed as an inland port town, to be connected to the Pee Dee River by a series of canals. The town expanded after its conception and became a small merchant center close to the North Carolina - South Carolina border. he canals proved impossible to build though, stalling the development and growth of industry and the town itself. By the Civil War the town had been abandoned and its remnants were destroyed by Union troops." When you zoom out and look at how far the Pee Dee River is from the coast, you can kind of understand that. [Review 14333 overall, 1657 of 2020, round number 2700 in North Carolina.]

As historical markers go, this one is pretty typical. As you can see, it is a gray sign with black…read morelettering. While it won't blow your socks off, it isn't ugly either. In fact, it looks similar to all other historical markers in North Carolina. If you're ever in Richmond County and in the mood to see a genuine state historical marker, I recommend that you consider this one. It certainly met all of my expectations for what a historical marker could and should be.

Located in front of the Richmond County Court House, this marker points out a local hero of the…read moreRevolutionary War. The marker reads, "Henry William Harrington. Brigadier general of militia, 1776-81, State senator, a commissioner to locate State capital. Grave is five miles south." This is another instance where there is some distance from the site being pointed out to here where the marker is located. There is more information online. "Henry William Harrington, Revolutionary War political and military leader, was born in London in 1747. He immigrated to Jamaica in the 1770s, but left after a short time for South Carolina, where he settled along the Pee Dee River. At the outbreak of war in 1775, Harrington accepted a captaincy in the South Carolina militia. The following year he married Rosanna Auld, the daughter of a prominent Anson County militia officer. The couple moved to North Carolina, settling in part of Anson that became Richmond County in 1779." "Harrington was elected colonel of the Richmond County militia in November following their arrival and briefly commanded a militia regiment in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1780 before returning to serve in the General Assembly. In the summer of 1780 he was called upon to accept a temporary position as the brigadier general in command of the Salisbury District militia while Griffith Rutherford was serving in the Camden expedition." "After the conflict [a British raiding party attacked his home in January 1781] Harrington represented Richmond County in 1783 and again in 1785. In 1784 he was appointed a trustee of Salisbury Academy, and five years later became a trustee of the University of North Carolina, a post he held for six years. He also served as one of the commissioners that approved of placing the state capitol at Raleigh. In the latter 1790s Harrington retired to his plantation. He died on March 31, 1809, and is buried in the family cemetery overlooking the Pee Dee River." [Review 15474 overall, 978 of 2021, number 3017 in North Carolina.]

This marker is alongside a busy highway and there is a spot at the intersection to stop. It is of…read morecourse not near the actual subject but it's probably as close as anyone really gets. The marker reads, "Samuel Spencer. Jurist & Antifederalist leader. Member of court which in 1787 issued the first reported precedent for judicial review. His home stood 3 miles northeast." Online, there is more information. "Samuel Spencer, superior court justice and university trustee, was born in East Haddam, Connecticut, in 1734, the son of Samuel and Jerusha Spencer. Descended from highly respected and wealthy New England families, Spencer attended the College of New Jersey, where he graduated in 1759. It remains unclear as to when or why he moved to North Carolina. He was living in Anson County by October 1765 when he was appointed county clerk." "From 1766 to 1768 he represented Anson County in the Colonial Assembly. During the War of Regulation he served as an officer in William Tryon's army and participated in the campaign leading to the Battle of Alamance. However, his allegiance to the Crown waned in the early 1770's and he served as Anson County's representative to the first three provincial congresses of 1774-1776." "In 1787, Spencer and his fellow Superior Court judges John Williams and Samuel Ashe oversaw a landmark case in legal history. When Elizabeth Cornell Bayard attempted to overturn the confiscation and purchase of the properties of her father, a noted Loyalist, by Spyers Singleton, the court agreed with her that the confiscation acts of 1785 had violated the Fourteenth Article of the 1776 state constitution which ensured all citizens a trial by jury in cases that could result in a loss of property. The case, Bayard v. Singleton, set a precedent for judicial review. The North Carolina case preceded the more famous court case Marbury v. Madison, often credited with such establishment, by more than sixteen years." "Spencer retired to his plantation along Smith's Creek near Wadesboro. He became a founding trustee of the University of North Carolina in 1789. Married in 1776 to Phillipa Pegues, Spencer was the father of four children." [Review 15027 overall, 529 of 2021, number 2888 in North Carolina.]

This marker is located at the side of US-74 in front of Anson High School…read more The marker reads, ""Father of soil conservation." First chief of the Soil Conservation Service, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, 1935-1952. Born 4 miles southwest." Online there is more information. "Among soil conservationists and agronomists, Hugh Hammond Bennett, nicknamed "the Chief" or "Big Hugh," is a legend. Widely credited with selling the benefits of soil conservation to a dubious public, Bennett is known as the "father of soil conservation." Born on a 1,500-acre farm in Anson County, in the drainage basin of the Pee Dee River, Bennett at the age of ten realized the woeful effects of erosion and benefits of conservation." "Sheet erosion, he reasoned, was the problem and preservation of the topsoil was the key. Soil conservation could be pursued through terracing, strip cropping, contour plowing, grassed waterways, and crop rotation, among other means. Bennett promoted the planting of covers such as kudzu and lespedza grass." "In 1951 the News and Observer wrote of Bennett that "When history finally sets up the measure of the contributions of the men of our times, it may very well be that so far as North Carolina is concerned Hugh Bennett of Wadesboro will be recognized as the most important North Carolinian of this generation."" [Review 13953 overall, 1275 of 2020, number 2596 in North Carolina.]

The name seemed familiar and so it is. I reviewed a marker with the same text last year that was up…read morein Raleigh, 125 miles from here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/leonidas-l-polk-historical-marker-raleigh?hrid=DnjP_pjQxiTmerbBeG_Jzw. The marker reads, "President of National Farmers' Alliance, 1889-1892; began Progressive Farmer, 1886; a founder of N.C.S.U. and Meredith College. Was born here." Online, there is more. "Leonidas LaFayette Polk was a nationally known farmer, editor and politician in the late nineteenth century. Polk founded The Progressive Farmer in 1886, and served as the president of the National Farmers' Alliance between 1889 and 1892. He contributed to the founding of what is now North Carolina State University in 1887 and Baptist Female University (present-day Meredith College) in 1891. Polk helped create the state Department of Agriculture and was the first Commissioner of Agriculture. He was the 1892 Populist Party presidential candidate but died before the general election." [Review 12280 overall, 2064 of 2019.]

Thankfully, the Confederate Monument was removed from the entrance to the Anson County Courthouse…read morein Wadesboro, NC back in 2020. What remains is a granite monument to the Confederate flag. I'm not sure why that was kept. In front of the Courthouse is a memorial to WWI; WWII; Korean War and Vietnam Veterans. The courthouse has two bronze plaques on the outside of the courthouse one for African American soldiers and another for the white men and women who served in WWI. Pinwheels were in the lawn for child abuse prevention.

Anson County doubles down on the Confederate Memorial debate by having not one, but two memorials…read moreon the grounds of the Anson County Courthouse in Wadesboro. Wadesboro is the county seat of Anson County and the largest city in the county. Anson County was formed in 1750 as part of Bladen County. It is named for Baron George Anson, a British admiral, who circumnavigated the globe from 1740 to 1744, and later became First Lord of the Admiralty and purchased land in the state. The first monument was installed in 1906 and is a all, multi-tiered white granite base and column which used to support a bronze Confederate Common Soldier that was removed in 2020. An ornate, darker granite section rests on top of the first three tiers of the base, and the four sides of this darker granite face are inscribed. Each corner of this section is framed by a Roman-style column, capped with acanthus leaves. "By this monument we / translate our homage / for the soldiers of / Anson County / who served in the war / between the government / and the Confederate / states." Means business there. The second monument is lower and stands to the right. More of a memorial than a tribute, it has the Confederate flag at the top and a long poem. "Not long ago, unfurled was I known for fate was against me but I flashed over a pure cause and on land and sea, so fired the hearts of men unto heroism the the world honors me, within my folds, the dead who died under them, lie nobly shrouded and my tattered colors crowded with a thousand shining victories have become the people who loved me, a glorified memory." Welcome to the South, y'all! [Review 15455 overall, 959 of 2021, number 2999 in North Carolina.]

This marker is standing in front of a KFC and points out a structure that is not far away. It…read morereads, "Eighteenth-century house built by Patrick Boggan, Revolutionary soldier & a founder of Wadesboro. Now historical museum. Located 2 blocks south." Online, there is more information. "The fully restored Boggan-Hammond House sits in the Anson County seat of Wadesboro two blocks from the town square. Built in the late eighteenth century by Revolutionary War veteran and town founder Patrick Boggan (1725-1817), the house is a simple one-story frame structure built on a hall-parlor plan. During the Revolution, Captain Boggan commanded the minutemen of the Salisbury District, serving together with Thomas Wade, his brother-in-law." "Appended to the Boggan-Hammond House is the Alexander Little Wing, constructed by jurist Alexander Little at some point after his acquisition of the property in 1839. The renovation of the house and wing were projects of the Anson County Historical Society." [Review 13956 overall, 1278 of 2020, number 2598 in North Carolina.]

The town of Cheraw is a true gem for anyone interested in antebellum southern houses. The town grew…read moreup in the 18th century as a prosperous trading center. By 1780, it was one of only 7 town's in South Carolina shown on maps. It continued to grow and a district of beautiful large houses was built before the Civil War. The story goes that when Sherman came through, he was so charmed by the town's beauty that he decided not to allow looting and ordered the town not to be burnt down, as he had done with nearby Chesterfield. According to the story posted at the Lyceum Museum (on Market, get the key at the Chamber of Commerce), the truth is that having heard what happened to Chesterfield, the town fathers greeted the advancing Union forces with a flag of truce and the town's surrender. In any case, Sherman based his headquarters in a lovely home on McIver Street for most of March. The town has a great walking tour of the historic central district. The Chamber of Commerce office has a map that includes addresses and information on more than 40 significant homes and buildings. Many of the houses have signs with a phone number to call for an audio guide to the building. Mary's Restaurant on lower Market Street is a great place to enjoy a meal before or after you walk the tour. Mary's been serving good family cooking in town for 39 years - the last 33 years at the current site! Open from 6am till 2pm everyday but Sunday. And a visit to Cheraw isn't complete without going down to the Great Pee Dee river. There is a nice park on river just past the St. johns Church off Front Street. Founded in the 1760s as the last colonial parish, the church held services until 1916. Many generations of locals are buried in its graveyard. Keys to visit inside the church are also available at the Chamber of Commerce office.

I read about this place in my AAA book, and it really is a worthwhile side trip to see streets…read morelined with beautiful antebellum houses surrounded by shady trees and manicured landscaping. Even better, the town has posted signs with a number on them in front of numerous homes. Dial the number on your cell phone, and get a recorded story that is quite interesting. If you are a history buff, this place is a must. Old time Main Street, and lovely river park add to its charm.