Bennett is a town in
Chatham County, North Carolina, United States.
Geography
Bennett is located near the southwestern corner of Chatham County and is bordered on its western side by
Randolph County. North Carolina Highways 22 and 42 run concurrently just southwest of the center of the town. NC 22 leads north to
Ramseur and south to
Carthage, while NC 42 leads northwest to
Asheboro
Asheboro is a city in and the county seat of Randolph County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 25,012 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Greensboro–High Point metropolitan area of the Piedmont Triad and is home of the sta ...
and east to
Sanford.
NC 902 meets the two highways just south of Bennett and leads northeast to
Pittsboro, the Chatham County seat.
History
Founded as "Boaz" in 1888, the area was inhabited by the Scott, Kidd, Powers, Sizemore and Heck families, until the Bonlee & Western Railroad reached the area in 1910. The name changed to "Bennett" in 1910, after Atlantic & Yadkin Railroad Superintendent J.M. Bennett. Bennett was incorporated in 1915, with H.A. Denson, a
physician, being the first mayor. The new town was to be a city and was built with streets and alleys laid out in a grid. At one time it had a hotel, a ladies emporium, a small mall owned by D.R. Smith, a jewelry store and chocolate shop combination, a
millinery shop, and several grocery stores. A small house was converted into a
silent movie
''Silent Movie'' is a 1976 American satirical comedy film co-written, directed by and starring Mel Brooks, released by 20th Century Fox in the summer of 1976. The ensemble cast includes Dom DeLuise, Marty Feldman, Bernadette Peters, and Sid Cae ...
theater, and they had an auditorium for local plays called the "Arbor".
The bank was robbed in 1927 by Bill Payne and Wash Turner. They were not caught after the robbery, but much later (after a life of crime) they were convicted out in the western states. The town was home to Bennett Christian Church and Bennett Baptist Church; however, only the latter still stands. The train made its last run in 1928, before the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
shrunk the town. A handful of people still call it home, and most of the original houses still stand. The town is well kept up, but lack of access to county water has kept the community small.
Today
Bennett has a hardware store, a fire station, Baxter's Garage and Brady's Grill, a post office, Routh's small grocery, The Ram Food Mart, the Tri-County Ruritans, and Bennett School (K-8). It is home to the annual "Flatwoods Festival" every fall, and hosts an annual Christmas parade.
Phone service
Bennett is located in
Area code 336 instead of
Area code 919 like the rest of Chatham County. The community is in the 336 area code because of its proximity to Randolph County (which is entirely in the 336 district) and because phone service is provided by a company based in Randolph County.
[Hometown Locator Area Code Search - Bennett, NC](_blank)
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Points of interest
* The Devil's Tramping Ground
The Devil's Tramping Ground is a camping spot located in a forest near the Harper's Crossroads area in Bear Creek, North Carolina. It has been the subject of persistent local legends and lore, which frequently allege that the Devil "tramps" and ...
is located a few miles north of Bennett in the Harper's Crossroads community.
* The Southern Supreme Fruitcake factory is located just outside Bennett off Highway 902.
* The Soapstone Quarry is a few miles south of Bennett in Moore County.
* Historic Mt. Vernon Springs is just a few miles north on Mt. Vernon Springs Road.
* Colonel John Randolph Lane lived just north of Bennett on Little Brush Creek.
References
External links
My Community: Bennett
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Census-designated places in North Carolina
Census-designated places in Chatham County, North Carolina