Found in the North Carolina Miscellany [1962] whilst at the CuppaJoe Coffee Shop.
The Seven [sic] Wonders of North Carolina
[as reported in the Greensboro Daily News 1956]
- Cow Palace in Raleigh [Dorton Arena]
- Old Fort–Ridgecrest Southern Railway [Andrews Geyser/Loops.]
- Blue Ridge Parkway
- Any mammoth textile mill especially those such as Cone Mills (thanks for the reference, Ed)
- Duke Tower [on Duke Chapel]
- [Old] Playmakers Theater at UNC-Chapel Hill
- [Old] State Capitol Building
- Wright Memorial at Kill Devil Hills
What are our newer Wonders? Generic retro-downtowns in Planned Urban Communities? Fake 30s bungalows? MacMansions? Chiller plants? Airport terminals?
Submit your favorites for this half century.
Kinston Jetport?
Dave,
I can’t find pictures or descriptions of the Kinston Jetport. Are you being ironic, sarcastic, or sincere?
I was only being ironic in that it was supposed to be a big deal. It was going to bring jobs to the area but they made the grave mistake of putting it in that area. Who the hell wants to live in Kinston? It is indeed real, and it is still in operation but it never achieved any of the glory it garnered when the money was being negotiated for it. Now that I think about it, Kinston is a “wonder”.
For what its worth it may have a different name now but at the time it was being planned people in the area called it the “jetport”.
Let’s not give short shrift to the world’s largest frying pan of Rose Hill, NC.
Great to see you list old textile mills in your list. My Dad, Reno Bailey is from Cliffside , NC, an old mill town about 70 miles west of Charlotte. He’s created the web site Remember Cliffside (http://www.remembercliffside.com) that highlights the history of this mill town. The site has tons of old photos of the mill, the town and its people. He’s also writing “Cliffside: Portrait of a Carolina Mill Town” for Arcadia Publishing, to be out later this year. The mill was just recently sold and part of it is being demolished for scrap. You might want to check it out.
OH! – OH! seriously, the I-40 viaduct near Asheville is a must for the new list. I don’t know the whole story but it supposed to be an engineering marvel – *especially* in terms of how it was constructed in a manner in which the construction would make minimal impact on the beautiful environment. Plus, it is quite cool.
What about the Winston Salem Coffee Pot?!?!?!