Siloam, North Carolina
Encyclopedia
Siloam is an unincorporated community
in southeastern Surry County
, North Carolina
, United States
. The Yadkin River
makes up the community's southern border, and the Ararat River
flows between it and the community of Shoals to the east. It is a Piedmont Triad
community.
The population of the ZIP Code Tabulation Area
(ZCTA) for Siloam's ZIP code
(27047) was 1,233 at the 2000 census.
.
A post office
was established in Siloam in 1837.
The area began a period of growth in 1890 when it became a stop on the former Southern Railway. The Yadkin Valley Railroad, which runs just north of the Yadkin in Surry County, now uses the tracks.
connecting Yadkin and Surry counties in Siloam collapsed on February 23, 1975. The collapse brought national attention to bridge safety and was reported in national magazines, including Reader's Digest
, and on The CBS Evening News.
The Atkinson-Needham Memorial Bridge, which was built at the site of the old bridge, was named in honor of the four victims – Hugh and Ola Marion Atkinson and Judy Needham and her 3-year-old daughter, Andrea Lee. Among those rescued from the collapse was current Surry County Sheriff Graham Atkinson, who was 10 at the time.
According to an National Transportation Safety Board
report, the accident started about 9:25 p.m. when a car struck a timber railing on the bridge, causing the bridge to collapse in to the rain-swollen river. In heavy fog, six more vehicles within a 17-minute period drove off the bridge.
By the 1970s, state officials had hung a sign on the second-hand bridge that read, “Local Traffic Only."
The bridge, which had originally been used near High Rock Lake
, was reassembled in Siloam in 1938. It was listed as deficient and needing repair or replacement in a 1974 state report. Troy Doby, the state secretary of transportation, said later that “it should have been replaced, but it was a question of money."
Weeks before the collapse, Hugh Atkinson had urged state officials to tear it down. The Atkinson family later found a letter in his coat pocket that he had written to the governor’s office urging action on the bridge.
of 2000, there were 1,233 people, 489 households, and 377 families residing in the ZCTA. There were 545 housing units. The racial makeup of the ZCTA was 97.73% White, 0.41% Black or African American, 0.16% Asian, 1.62% from other races, and 0.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.11% of the population.
There were 489 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 77.1% were married couples
living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.9% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the ZCTA the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 106.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.
The median income for a household in the ZCTA was $36,719, and the median income for a family was $39,297. Males had a median income of $27,321 versus $26,350 for females. The per capita income
for the ZCTA was $16,544. About 6.1% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.1% of those under age 18 and 20.4% of those age 65 or over.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in southeastern Surry County
Surry County, North Carolina
Surry County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2010, the population was 73,673. Its county seat is Dobson.- History :The county was formed in 1771 from Rowan County...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Yadkin River
Yadkin River
The Yadkin River is one of the longest rivers in North Carolina, flowing . It rises in the northwestern portion of the state near the Blue Ridge Parkway's Thunder Hill Overlook. Several parts of the river are impounded by dams for water, power, and flood control. The river becomes the Pee Dee...
makes up the community's southern border, and the Ararat River
Ararat River
The Ararat River is a tributary of the Yadkin River in southwestern Virginia and northwestern North Carolina in the United States. Via the Yadkin it is part of the watershed of the Pee Dee River, which flows to the Atlantic Ocean....
flows between it and the community of Shoals to the east. It is a Piedmont Triad
Piedmont Triad
The Piedmont Triad, or Triad, is a north-central region of the U.S. state of North Carolina that consists of the area within and surrounding the three major cities of Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point. This close group or "triad" of cities lies in the Piedmont geographical region of the...
community.
The population of the ZIP Code Tabulation Area
ZIP Code Tabulation Area
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are statistical entities developed by the United States Census Bureau for tabulating summary statistics from Census 2000. This new entity was developed to overcome the difficulties in precisely defining the land area covered by each ZIP code...
(ZCTA) for Siloam's ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
(27047) was 1,233 at the 2000 census.
History
The community grew around Siloam Methodist Church, which was established in 1818. The church was named for the biblical Pool of SiloamPool of Siloam
Pool of Siloam is a rock-cut pool on the southern slope of the City of David, the original site of Jerusalem, located outside the walls of the Old City to the southeast. The pool was fed by the waters of the Gihon Spring, carried there by two aqueducts.-History:The Pool of Siloam is mentioned...
.
A post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
was established in Siloam in 1837.
The area began a period of growth in 1890 when it became a stop on the former Southern Railway. The Yadkin Valley Railroad, which runs just north of the Yadkin in Surry County, now uses the tracks.
Bridge collapse
Four people were killed and 16 people injured when the one-lane steel span bridgeBridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
connecting Yadkin and Surry counties in Siloam collapsed on February 23, 1975. The collapse brought national attention to bridge safety and was reported in national magazines, including Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
, and on The CBS Evening News.
The Atkinson-Needham Memorial Bridge, which was built at the site of the old bridge, was named in honor of the four victims – Hugh and Ola Marion Atkinson and Judy Needham and her 3-year-old daughter, Andrea Lee. Among those rescued from the collapse was current Surry County Sheriff Graham Atkinson, who was 10 at the time.
According to an National Transportation Safety Board
National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
report, the accident started about 9:25 p.m. when a car struck a timber railing on the bridge, causing the bridge to collapse in to the rain-swollen river. In heavy fog, six more vehicles within a 17-minute period drove off the bridge.
By the 1970s, state officials had hung a sign on the second-hand bridge that read, “Local Traffic Only."
The bridge, which had originally been used near High Rock Lake
High Rock Lake
High Rock Lake is the northernmost of the Uwharrie Lakes and the second largest lake in North Carolina behind Lake Norman. Its water surface covers and there are of shoreline. It begins at the confluence of the Yadkin River and the South Yadkin River. The lake's name is derived from neighboring...
, was reassembled in Siloam in 1938. It was listed as deficient and needing repair or replacement in a 1974 state report. Troy Doby, the state secretary of transportation, said later that “it should have been replaced, but it was a question of money."
Weeks before the collapse, Hugh Atkinson had urged state officials to tear it down. The Atkinson family later found a letter in his coat pocket that he had written to the governor’s office urging action on the bridge.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,233 people, 489 households, and 377 families residing in the ZCTA. There were 545 housing units. The racial makeup of the ZCTA was 97.73% White, 0.41% Black or African American, 0.16% Asian, 1.62% from other races, and 0.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.11% of the population.
There were 489 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 77.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.9% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the ZCTA the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 106.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.
The median income for a household in the ZCTA was $36,719, and the median income for a family was $39,297. Males had a median income of $27,321 versus $26,350 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the ZCTA was $16,544. About 6.1% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.1% of those under age 18 and 20.4% of those age 65 or over.