Milton, North Carolina

THIS JUST IN:  Devastating Fire in Milton… Longwood House burns 

We are grieving with Milton, NC right now, after hearing that one of their historic homes burned down on Dec 26.  Here is a picture, sent to us by neighbor Sherri Myers-Keatts, that she took during the fire:

photo-2

Thankfully, no one was hurt, but the town is feeling the loss deeply.  The home was owned by a family who lives in Florida, but comes to Milton in the summers and on holidays.  You can read the story in the Danville paper here, and see more photos here. Our thoughts are with our Milton friends!

And now here’s the town info:

Established

1796

Incorporated

Yes

Named After

Several folks told us the town was once called “Mill Town” — from the old mill, near Country Line Creek. John Schelp says: “You can still see the mill foundations in the woods. Start at the Dan River bridge (across from the cemetery). Walk north along the Dan, past the old train dept, turn right at the creek, walk under the tall railroad trestle bridge posts and you’ll see the large stone and brick foundations up on your right. Mill Town (Milton) was named after this mill.”

Population

166

Demographics

60% White, 40% African American

Lisa took these photos on her first trip to Milton, NC:

Number of Private Schools

0

Number of Public Schools

0

Number of Churches

4

Number of Bars

0  (you can get wine and beer at  Aunt Millie’s, though)

These pictures are from our second trip to town:

Fascinating Historical Facts

  • Thomas Day, a free African-American cabinetmaker, lived and worked in Milton, North Carolina from the 1820’s until his death. After moving his business to the Union Tavern, he operated the largest furniture business in North Carolina.  The Thomas Day house still stands, built in part by local bricks made down at the river, and is now being restored as a museum and historical center in Milton.
  • John Schelp sent us this musing about Milton’s size:  “Several years ago, (Mayor) Harriet had a fascinating map of the United States in her antique store. The ca. 1858 map depicted Milton, NC — but offered no hint of Durham. Today, Milton is a small slice of heaven, up the road, while, Durham is a big bustling city, home to two universities and Research Triangle Park.”
  • Mr. Schelp also points our attention to a recent article about Milton and Bridge Street in the Caswell Messenger which describes the “huge Winstead Warehouse” where Milton Tire & Lunch now stands — and Wooding Pond at the end of Bridge Street where bricks were made and was “the place of immersion baptism for the black families” (Caswell Messenger, 11/4/09).

Town Challenges

Finding a way to keep people over 20 years old from moving out of town. There are very few jobs in Milton and the nearest big city is Durham, 50 miles away. Another challenge is keeping Milton’s quaint downtown alive and vibrant – The Thomas Day House was renovated into a museum that houses his famous furniture. This brings some visitors, but not enough to keep the downtown shops open during the week.

A major question is:  how does Milton get people who are heading to the Virginia International Racetrack (VIR) further down the road to STOP and check out these shops, instead of just DRIVE RIGHT PAST THEM?  It takes less about a minute to pass through Milton if you don’t have reason to stop.

The shops you could visit if you did stop in Milton, NC line the main road (now called Broad Street) and include: “Milton General Store” (aka “Josanna’s shop”), which is a really fun antique-type store where Josanna also sells jewelry she makes); Dan River Soapworks (Joetta’s hand-made soaps, including a soap that will keep the ticks and bugs off you! Although this shop might be closed at the moment);  Julie Hardy’s tye dye shop called H2O Tie Dyes; Milton Studio Art Gallery (wonderful local painting and pottery, including raku pottery and other work by the gallery’s owner, Shirley); a swimming pool supply shop; and Aunt Millie’s Pizza and Subs, where lots of non-Miltonians descend on weekend nights to get their super-cheesy pizza fix– and where locals gather for ice tea on beers many afternoons and evening of the week.  Almost across from Aunt Millie’s is Milton Tire and Grill, where you can get your car fixed while you’re having a grilled cheese sandwich at the lunch counter.

Phrases We’ve Learned to date

“Milton Widow”, which usually referred to the phenomenon of many houses in Milton being inhabited by a single elderly widow.

“Oh, snippy snap!”  This is an expression we learned from Twinkle, who says it when she can’t remember something she wants to tell us about Milton.

Home cooking we’ve had to date

Homemade pulled pork barbecue, Sausage casserole for breakfast, and unbelievable lemon bars we bought at the Women’s club bake sale.

Typical “Milton” Foods

Pizza from Aunt Millie’s, grilled cheese from the Milton Tire & Lunch

One of our favorite places is Milton, NC to see the sky

The porch of Aunt Millie’s Pizza (while sipping on a beer or sweet tea)

Town Website and reference guides

www.miltonnc.com – this is not an official website by the town, but was put together by Joetta Mabe for her own enjoyment, and has lots of information on it.

Guide to the Historic Architecture of Piedmont North Carolina (UNC Press);  Images of America: Caswell County (Arcadia Pub); a series of columns on Milton history in the Caswell Messenger (‘Milton Memories’ by local Jean Scott)

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