Mayodan
It all started with a mill. A group of men from Winston inaugurated plans to build a railroad through the Mayo River valley in 1883 from Salem, North Carolina to Roanoke, Virginia, to be known as the Roanoke and Southern Railroad. Construction began in 1887 under the direction of Francis Henry Fries, son of a Salem Textile manufacturer. The railroad was opened by January of 1892 at a cost of two million dollars, but was later sold to the Norfolk and Western Railroad Company.

While building the railroad, Colonel Fries became impressed by the geography surrounding the Dan and Mayo Rivers, running between two high ridges known as Baughn and Cedar Point Mountains. The falls in the Mayo River promised power for manufacturing and became a deciding factor in the plans of Colonel Fries, William C. Ruffin and Washington Duke to build a cotton mill along the railroad bed in 1892. Adopting the name Mayo Mills, operation began in April of 1896 with the manufacture of uncolored yarn.
Toward completion of the Mayo Mills, Colonel Fries cast his eyes up the river, two miles north, and soon began building a new mill and the new town of Avalon. This operation thrived until the late afternoon of June 15, 1911, when a machine caught fire. Efforts to save the mill were futile, due to failure of part of the water system, considered one of the best in the South. With the mill gone, Colonel Fries announced that Avalon would be relocated. The fifty or so dwellings were moved, one by one, on logs drawn by horses and mules to the Mayo Mills area.
Noteworthy to town history is the fact that Samuel P. Tesh came to the village in July of 1894 and finding no church, but feeling the need for a place to worship, enlisted the help of an acquaintance, Howard E. Rhondtaler, and held a worship service on the porch and yard of Higgins Boarding house. Later services were held in Ault’s Drug Store. From this beginning service, the Moravian Church was organized. Rhondtaler became the first pastor. Episcopal and other denominations were to follow.
Also noteworthy, the first public school was held in the Moravian Chapel in 1898 before Mayodan was chartered.
It was not until February 16, 1899, that Mayodan, named after the converging Mayo and Dan Rivers, was chartered as an incorporated town with 225 residents. As recognized in Ripley’s Believe It or Not, Mayodan is the only town in the world with that name!

Continuing to see changes and growth over the next fifty years, Mayodan has kept its reputation as a “mill town”. Influential changes over past decades include the opening of Burlington Industries and Macfield, Inc (now Unifi, Inc.). New companies in the Mayodan area are Frontier Spinning, Inc., Remington Arms Company, McMichael Mills, Springwood Fabrics, and Medibeg USA.
Located 30 miles north of Greensboro and just south of the Virginia border, Mayodan is nestled in a valley along the Mayo River with an elevation of 640 feet. Mayodan operates under the Council/Manager form of government, led by a mayor and a five-member town council.
The Madison-Mayodan Recreation Department began in 1983 and was the first merged Recreation Department in the state of North Carolina. It is governed by a commission of three appointees from the town of Madison and three appointees from the town of Mayodan. With a staff of four full-time employees and many volunteers, Madison-Mayodan Recreation Department provides activities and events that include sports, education, and travel, along with recreation.
The Mayo River is one of the best whitewater rafting and canoeing rivers in the Piedmont. Farris Memorial Park offers softball and soccer fields, tennis courts, three covered pavilions, two lakes, paddleboats, miniature golf, volleyball, horseshoe pits, two playgrounds, an amphitheater, and walking trails.
Civic organizations include Rotary, Lions, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Mayodan Preservation League. On September 8, 2001 the Mayodan Preservation League dedicated the town’s newest landmark – a street clock located outside the James A. Collins Municipal Building.

Mayodan has small town appeal with a population of 2,417. The Mayodan Preservation League has enjoyed years of growing success, sponsoring an annual “Mayodan Homecoming” for citizens and past residents of the town to walk down memory lane in the warm fellowship of friends. And as most hometown folks feel regarding their special little town, they wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Jeff Bullins
Mayor
304 N. Second Ave.
Mayodan, NC 27027
(336) 548-9264
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Lewis Bottoms
1102 Wilkins Street
Mayodan, NC 27027
(336) 548-6418
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David Holland
Mayor Pro-tem
704 Wilkins Street
Mayodan, NC 27027
(336) 451-1344
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Andrew (Buddy) Martin
1202 Roach Street
Mayodan, NC 27027
(336) 548-6906
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Darrell Allred
108 North 4th Avenue
Mayodan, NC 27027
(336) 548-9554
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Glenn Chatman
1312 Roach Street
Mayodan, NC 27027
(336) 210-3820
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Mayodan Town Council Meetings are held on the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m.
DEPARTMENT HEADS
Town Manager
Michael Brandt
210 W. Main Street
Mayodan, NC 27027
336-427-0241, Fax: 336-427-7592
Email:
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Town Clerk
Lessa Hopper
336-427-0241
Email:
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Finance Director
Randy Case
336-427-0241
Email:
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Police Chief
Charles J. Caruso
336-548-6038
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Fire Chief
Bryant Garner
336-548-4506
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M-M Recreation Director
Fred Thompson
336-548-9572
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Farris Park Director
Quint Haley
336-548-2700
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Codes Enforcement Officer/
Building Inspector
336-427-0241
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Public Works
Rick Pegram
336-427-0243
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Town Attorney
Philip E. Berger
608 Linden Drive
P. O. Box 1309
Eden, NC 27289
336-623-5210
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Water Plant Superintendent
Michael Sears
336-427-3339
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TAX RATE
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.??/$100
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WATER & SEWAGE RATES
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(INSIDE TOWN LIMITS)
WATER: $3.62 per 1,000 gallons
SEWER: $3.62 per 1,000 gallons
MINIMUM BILL: 3500 gallons or less – $25.34
(OUTSIDE TOWN LIMITS)
WATER: $7.24 per 1,000 gallons
SEWER: $7.24 per 1,000 gallons
MINIMUM BILL: 3500 gallons or less – $50.68
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TAP FEES
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(INSIDE TOWN LIMITS)
WATER (3/4″): $625.00
SEWER (4″): $625.00
(OUTSIDE TOWN LIMITS)
WATER (3/4″): $1250.00 + $150.00 if pavement cut is required
SEWER (4″): $1250.00 + $150.00 if pavement cut is required
**Rates for tankers taking water out of Town
$14.50 per 1,000 gallons plus a $20.00 administrative charge per day
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CEMETARY PLOT FEES
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$275.00 Per Grave Resident
$550.00 Per Grave Non-Resident
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Questions related to any of the above mentioned can be directed to:
Town of Mayodan
210 Main Street
Mayodan, NC 27027
Phone: (336) 427-0241.