This content is from the North Carolina Gazetteer, edited by William S. Powell and Michael Hill. Copyright © 2010 by the University of North Carolina Press. Used by permission of the publisher. For personal use and not for further distribution. Please submit permission requests for other use directly to the publisher.

Some place names included in The North Carolina Gazetteer contain terms that are considered offensive.

"The North Carolina Gazetteer is a geographical dictionary in which an attempt has been made to list all of the geographic features of the state in one alphabet. It is current, and it is historical as well. Many features and places that no longer exist are included; many towns and counties for which plans were made but which never materialized are also included. Some names appearing on old maps may have been imaginary, but many of them also appear in this gazetteer.

Each entry is located according to the county in which it is found. I have not felt obliged to keep entries uniform. The altitude of a place, the date of incorporation of a city or town, may appear in the beginning of one entry and at the end of another. Some entries may appear more complete than others. I have included whatever information I could find. If there is no comment on the origin or meaning of a name, it is because the information was not available. In some cases, however, resort to an unabridged dictionary may suggest the meaning of many names."

--From The North Carolina Gazetteer, 1st edition, preface by William S. Powell

Alphabetical Glossary Filter

"
3
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Place Description
Tools Ford

former passage across Catawba River between Gaston and Mecklenburg Counties E of the present site of Mount Holly. Named for Matthew Tool, who had a grant of land in the vicinity in 1750. The ford was used by troops crossing the Catawba River during the Revolutionary War.

Toomer

See Summerville.

Toot Hollow Branch

rises in central Swain County and flows S through Bryson City into Tuckasegee River.

Topnot

community in central Caswell County. A post office operated there, 1883-1936.

Topsail

community in S Pender County. Alt. 40.

Topsail Beach

town in SE Pender County on the Atlantic Ocean side of Topsail Island. Inc. 1963. Known prior to 1963 as New Topsail Beach.

Topsail Inlet

See Beaufort Inlet.

Topsail Island

E Pender County. Barrier beach lying between Topsail Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. Approx. 8½ mi. long.

Topsail Sound

extends NE from Mason Inlet, NE New Hanover County, across Pender County to Stump Inlet on the Onslow-Pender county line. It is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a barrier beach. The sound, about 17 mi. in length, is filled with tidal-marsh islands. Named for the fact that local residents watched from there for the appearance of topsails of approaching vessels.

Topsail Township

SE Pender County.