Alleghany Co., NC

History

The fifth smallest county in North Carolina, Alleghany County rests in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains of northwestern North Carolina, adjoining the Virginia state line. The county received its name from the Allegewi Indian word “oolikhanna” (beautiful stream). In 1825, Bower’s Store became Alleghany’s county seat.

The Cherokee and Shawnee were the earliest known people to inhabit the area, but by the late 1700s European colonizers from England, Germany, Scotland, and Ireland populated the mountains. The county was organized in 1859 from the eastern part of Ashe County. Ashe was formed from Wilkes County in 1799 which was formed from Surry County and Washington County (later Tennessee) in 1777. Over the years there have been numerous boundary adjustments, but none resulting in major transfer of land or creation of new counties.

Joseph Doughton was one of Alleghany’s earliest residents, and his lineage would include two of the territory’s most prominent citizens: Rufus Doughton, North Carolina’s Lieutenant Governor in the early 1890s, and Robert Doughton, a U.S. Representative from 1910 to 1953

Modern Day Adjacent Counties

Grayson County VA
Surry County NC
Wilkes County NC
Ashe County NC

Gleanings From

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