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

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Place Description
Uwharrie River

rises in NW Randolph County, flows S into Montgomery County, then flows SW to join the Yadkin River in forming the Pee Dee River. The source of the Uwharrie River is approx. 840 ft. above sea level, and the elevation at the junction of the Uwharrie and Yadkin Rivers is approx. 280 ft. Appears as Uharie River on the Moseley map, 1733, but is incorrectly placed and out of proportion. The Collet map, 1770, makes the necessary corrections but calls it Voharee Creek.

Uwharrie Township

W Montgomery County.

Vade Mecum

former resort and present Episcopal Church summer camp at the junction of Vade Mecum Creek and South Double Creek in W Stokes County. Alt. 1,800. Local mineral springs accredited with curative powers by Saura Indians; about 1860 the site was acquired by Sparks family, circus operators, who built a resort hotel. It was later acquired by the Episcopal Church. Name from Latin phrase meaning "go with me," attributed to an Indian legend involving a planned elopement.

Vade Mecum Creek

rises in W Stokes County and flows NE into South Double Creek.

Val Dor

former rural post office, 1904-1905, located in a country store on the headwaters of Silver Creek in SW Burke County. Probably named for a gold mine on the Hodge plantation approx. 1 mi. away.

Valda

See Val Dor.

Valdese

town in E central Burke County. Alt. 1,203. Settled in 1893 by a group of Waldensians from N Italy. Inc. 1920. Name is Italian for "Valley of Our Lord." Produces hosiery, textiles, furniture, and bakery products.

Vale

community in central Avery County.

Valhalla

community in central Chowan County. Alt. 39.

Valhalla Dome

peak on the NE end of Rich Mountain, W Mitchell County. Alt. over 4,060 ft.