Program

Great American Rail-Trail

Subject

People, Site

Location

102 W Main St, Wilkesboro, NC 28697, USA

Lat/Long

36.1483205948, -81.152227496351

Grant Recipient

Rails-to-Trails

In 1800, William Lenoir, a Revolutionary War general and politician, surveyed 50 acres to create the town of Wilkesboro, following authorization by the North Carolina General Assembly. An act passed in 1799 called for the organization of a town in Wilkes County to serve as the site for a courthouse, prison, and stocks. Commissioners were appointed to purchase land, divide it into one‑acre lots with streets and alleys, and reserve areas for public buildings.

Lenoir planned and surveyed the land in May 1800, laying out 36 lots, which were sold later that month. His original street design remains intact in downtown Wilkesboro and has shaped the community for more than 200 years. This historic area was recognized with the listing of the Downtown Wilkesboro Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.