Purley is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

Caswell County Caswell County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is located in the Piedmont Triad region of the state. At the 2020 census, the population was 22,736. Its county seat is Yanceyville. Partially bordering the state of Virginia ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, United States, which, along with the communities of Blanche and Providence, makes up Dan River Township. On a farm in this area, a process for curing brightleaf tobacco was discovered by a

slave Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

in 1839 and improved in the 1850s.Caswell County Historical Association. Historical Markers
/ref> Tradition relates that the name "Purley" came from the Samuel Satterwhite Harrison House that sat on a hill and was painted a "pearly white" when such a paint scheme was a novelty. This resulted in much comment, and the area eventually was named "Purley." Another community landmark is the Purley Store, operated by the Pleasant family for over fifty years.

History

Here are the observations of William S. Powell at 336–337 of ''When the Past Refused to Die: A History of Caswell County North Carolina 1777–1977'', William S. Powell (1977):

''Purley'' in the north central part of the county is noted as the source of the earliest bright leaf tobacco. The Slade family lived here and it was on their plantation in 1852 that the first bright leaf was cured. A post office at Purley served the community from 1855 until 1920. The community developed along the Yanceyville-Danville plank road when it became a stagecoach stop. Tradition relates that the name evolved because the Samuel Satterwhite Harrison house built before 1846 atop a hill here was painted a gleaming white. From a distance it appeared to be a "pearly white" house. Purley at one time had a doctor; Cobb & Daves operated both a sawmill and a gristmill here in the late nineteenth century; there are several churches in the community; and there has long been a general store to supply most needs. Pleasant's Store has been in operation since 1914 and owner William Pleasant recently commented that he once sold large quantities of flour in 25 and 50-pound bags. The growing sale of milk and eggs, he noted, reflects the demise of the family barnyard and milk cow. Dog food and other items for dogs far outsell flour now.

Geography

Purley is located in the north-central part of Caswell County, just south of the

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

border. It occupies a fairly level plain that leads down to Moon Creek, which flows into the Dan River. The Purley region is less rugged than some other areas of Caswell County, especially the ridges that are on either side of Country Line Creek.

Demographics

It is a small rural area of Caswell County long dominated by farming activities.

References

External links

Unincorporated communities in North Carolina Unincorporated communities in Caswell County, North Carolina Populated places established in 1855 1855 establishments in North Carolina {{CaswellCountyNC-geo-stub