We are always in the process of gathering information about the history of the area and additional links will be added. These links will take you to websites where you may find additional information about the history of Leaksville, Spray, and Draper and the surrounding area. If you have websites that you think others may enjoy seeing, let us know for possible inclusion in the list. The list will be reorganized when it becomes too long to scan through quickly. Use your browsers "back" button to get back to this page.
Check out our own Facebook Page. We have several selections of pictures from our files as well as pictures taken in the museum.
The leaksville.com web site has lots of pictures as well as stories and written material.The leaksville.com facebook page also has lots of images and stories.
Digitalnc has Yearbooks, Newspapers, Images, Memorabilia, City Directories, and Audio Visual material available. Locally it has some old Leaksville High annuals, Tri-City High, and a few Morehead High yearbooks from the 1930's to 1964. It has old issues of the Mill Whistle beginning in 1942. It has images from RCC of Leaksville, Spray, and Draper. Many of these have been posted locally, but a few appear new. It has a wealth of City Directories including 1958,1959,1962, and 1963 for the Tri-Cities. The memorabilia link goes to material that includes pictures of WWII enlistees from all over the county in alphabetical order, a researched record of all the Murders in Rockingham County, and much more. The material includes the entire state, so individuals from other parts of the state may find useful and interesting information. The search option is very helpful.
Mr. Jimmy Riddle is graciously allowing us to link to his collection of photographs and scans of the Tri Cities and the surrounding area. Scroll up and down to see the different albums.
The wikipedia page on Eden provides a brief history of the city.
A brief history of Mebane's Bridge provides the story of The Bridge to Nowhere.
William Byrd's History of the Dividing Line is the story of William Byrd's survey of the NC/VA border. It is not too long, but if you are in a hurry, scrolling down to page 55 will place you where he first mentions Cascade Creek and page 57 mentions Matrimony Creek.
Sanborn fire insurance maps are on line. These maps, while not covering all the city, detail each individual building, showing outline and designating porches. Excellent tool for architectural and historical research. Each link is for a different year. Each of the following is for Leaksville/Spray 1908, 1915, 1921, and the last one is just for Draper in 1921.
The Eden Preservation Society Facebook page has pictures and other interesting information on efforts to preserve our heritage.
There are several Draper Speedway web links. The first Speedway link is an article that appeared in the Greensboro News and Record in 1997. The second is a You Tube video of a 2015 walk around the track that remains near the Solite Plant just outside of Draper. The third is a longer video on You Tube of old film scenes from the track when it was operating.
D F King was one of the most important leaders of Leaksville from 1880 until his death in 1925. His home Idlewilde is the largest Victorian home in the city. A brief biographical sketch can be found on the find-a-grave website. The porch pictured in the sketch was a later addition. Some citizens of the town were upset when it was removed, thinking that the home had been changed too much, but features found behind the porch clearly indicated that it was not part of the original home.
A contemporary of D.F.King, B. Frank Mebane, was the force behind the growth of the textile industry in the Tri Cities.
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