Silver Valley is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in eastern

Davidson County, North Carolina Davidson County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 168,930. Its county seat is Lexington, and its largest city is Thomasville. Davidson County is included in the Winston-Salem, ...

located along Old

U.S. Highway 64 U.S. Route 64 (US 64) is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,326 miles (3,743 km) from Nags Head in eastern North Carolina to just southwest of the Four Corners in northeast Arizona. The western terminus is at U.S. Route 1 ...

and Old North Carolina State Highway 109 south of

Thomasville, North Carolina Thomasville is a city in Davidson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 27,183 at the 2020 census. The city was once notable for its furniture industry, as were its neighbors High Point and Lexington. This Piedmont Triad comm ...

and southeast of

Lexington, North Carolina Lexington is the county seat of Davidson County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 18,931. It is located in central North Carolina, south of Winston-Salem. Major highways include I-85, I-85B, U ...

. The name Silver Valley is generally accepted to be the site of the first precious metal, silver, found in North Carolina. A colonial road went through Silver Valley. It is now Old NC 10. Gold and silver deposits are a result of geologic faults in the area. Other gold deposits were found further south near ''El Dorado'' in what is now ''Uwharrie'' National Forest. After land was acquired for ''Uwharrie'' in the 1930s, the last American gold rush occurred. Though gold and silver were recovered, the area was never a huge economic success. Around 1900, new silver finds in Silver Valley prompted interest in silver. Just to the North, in the city of Thomasville, a building was constructed for a silver refinery, and the High point, Thomasville, and Denton railroad was extended to Silver Valley. The first rails were slim poplar logs to reduce cost. Before the refinery became active, the silver ran out, and the building was acquired by the organization's accountant. The building became Amazon Cotton Mills, which at some point was acquired by Cannon Mills in Kannapolis, NC. The "zon", as locals referred to the mill, employed many young boys as soon as they turned 16, and offered a special half-shift from 4pm to 8pm to accommodate school work. The name of the mill is now Parkdale, and is still in business. Silver Valley became a commuter community to Thomasville with workers employed in the many furniture factories and 17 cotton mills. When the mills closed with the exodus of textiles and furniture to Asia, the area became another ambiguous area.

References

Unincorporated communities in Davidson County, North Carolina Unincorporated communities in North Carolina {{DavidsonCountyNC-geo-stub