Saxapahaw

History

The Former Saxapahaw Spinning Mill and James Monroe Thompson House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The name Saxapahaw is from the Catawban /sak'yápha:/, which is composed of /sak/ ("hill") and /yápha:/ ("step"). Saxapahaw, like most communities in Alamance County, was a mill town built around the community's cotton mill and along the Haw River. The first mill was built in the community in 1844 by the Quaker settler John Newlin, but was later demolished to make way for a brick structure. The current mill building was owned and operated by Dixie Yarns until 1994, when a tornado damaged the structure and operations never resumed. Building remodeling was completed in 2006 and the facility, now known as Rivermill, houses apartments. The Haw River Ballroom is a music venue set in the former Dye House of Saxapahaw's historic cotton mill.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 6.01%, is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  18,304
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  16,611
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  15,343
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  15,045
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  14,353
• Eastern Bluebird

  Sialia sialis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  13,373
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  12,724
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  12,430

Largest nearby schools

• Southern Alamance High
  High · Graham · 1,360 students · 18.4:1 ratio
• Hugh M Cummings High
  High · Burlington · 981 students · 16.9:1 ratio
• Graham High
  High · Graham · 913 students · 16.3:1 ratio
• Broadview Middle
  Middle · Burlington · 797 students · 26.6:1 ratio
• River Mill Academy
  Other · Graham · 771 students · 16.4:1 ratio
• Hawfields Middle
  Middle · Mebane · 706 students · 17.6:1 ratio
• Southern Alamance Middle
  Middle · Graham · 685 students · 19:1 ratio
• Alexander Wilson Elementary
  Elementary · Graham · 620 students · 15.5:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2019-03-26
  8 km E of Archdale, North Carolina
• M 2.58 — 2015-11-15
  10 km S of Denton, North Carolina
• M 2.5 — 2006-11-03
  6 km S of Winston-Salem, North Carolina
• M 2.6 — 2006-10-17
  7 km S of Winston-Salem, North Carolina