Founded in 1771 from parts of Rowan County, Surry County possesses a special charm and an engaging history in the northwest corner of the Tar Heel State–a heritage famous for rolling hills, autumn festivals, and the birthplace of Mayberry, which attracts countless tourists and visitors each season to the county’s 15 townships.

This volume, containing over 200 black-and-white images, transports readers into the Surry County of yesteryear, a time when the county’s unpaved roads echoed with a cadence of noisy wagons matched with the sounds of early automobiles. Through these historic photographs, readers will explore the landscape of a bygone era, from the 1880s through the 1930s, and travel through each of the county’s townships: Franklin, Bryan, Elkin, Marsh, Dobson, Stewarts Creek, Mount Airy, Eldora, Rockford, Siloam, Shoals, Pilot, Long Hill, Westfield, and South Westfield. Surry County uncovers the personal side of the county’s history by touching upon many elements of everyday life, from family gatherings, church services, various occupations, daily work on the farm, early rural schoolhouses, and people at play. These scenes serve as fitting testimony to Surry Countians’ sheer will and determination to carve successful and lasting communities into this beautiful setting.