TrapHill Joining few other settlers on the northern edge of Wilkes County in 1775, William Blackburn settled in the present day area of Stone Mountain State Park. Some estimate this site would be on the Longbottom Road side of the park. Blackburn devised an innovative rail-pen wild turkey trap. These traps and their eventual popularity are commonly recalled as the source of the town's name, although others have varied accounts. Many of the earliest settlers in the region settled on the headwaters of the Roaring River.  Chang and Eng Bunker In the 1839 Chang and Eng Bunker, the world-famous Siamese twins who were a popular attraction in Europe, Asia, and North America, settled in the Traphill community. The Twins purchased 110 acres, where they lived until 1849, when they moved to the present day Thurmond community of Surry County. They married two local sisters, Chang to Adelaide Yates and Eng to Sarah Ann Yates. Chang and Adelaide had ten children; Eng and Sarah had twelve. The Twins are rumored to have conducted each their own personal family life, living in two separate homes. The Twins only spent three and one half days in each house each week. Traphill of the Civil War During the American Civil War citizens of Traphill developed a reputation of union sympathizers, resulting from their political rejection of secession . Traphill resident John Quincy Adams Bryan often receives leading hundreds of men into the union Army. In August 1863, a militia of Traphill citizens organized, marched into Wilkesboro and raised a Union flag on the main pole while holding a rally. Unionists were somewhat prevalent throughout western North Carolina, but Traphill's reputation invited deserters, outlaws and refugees. Traphill residents frequently helped deserters and escaped Union POWs evade Confederate troops and home guard. There are many reasons for these general unionist feelings. Perhaps the most logical, many Revolutionary War veterans settled in Traphill and their families remembered well what a United, sovereign nation meant.  20th Century into Present Abolition of the 1920s allowed Traphill natives to turn a family tradition into a family business. The mass production and exportation of moonshine became the main source of income for many Traphill families, and until the 1980s, the town continued producing over a million gallons of white liquor each year. The town likely produced as much after this decade, only it can not be said without a doubt. When one says moonshine, they leave much open for interpretation. In the earlier 20th century, many folks used corn for alcohol production. This is likely the most common reference of original "moonshine," such as the Osborne Brothers' Rocky Top, when speaking of the rocky terrain, "that's why all the folks on Rocky Top get their corn from a jar." However, it is likely a majority of Wilkes County liquor producers used sugar for the main alcohol-producing ingredient. Traphill residents made sugar and grain liquor for sale and fruit "Brandy" for personal consumption, and continue to do so. Apple and peach are the most common varieties. Federal officers and some special State forces walked the hills and hollers looking for the copper stills. Some said the officers allowed their horse to drink in each stream. If the horse refused, there must be a distillation in process upstream. This was one of many tactics, finding unsuspecting brewers. The distillers also went through extreme lengths to dodge the revenuers. Some have reported digging tunnels, and more commonly, running a still out of the kitchen sink. The ridge along the East Prong of the Roaring River earned the nickname "cutthroat ridge" after consistent disputes among distillers and law enforcements. Neighbors even shed blood at times. There are regular accounts of neighboring distillers contacting law enforcement on their neighbor. Liquor production became such a common practice, competition became "cutthroat." After a Traphill resident killed the Sheriff of Wilkes County in 1936, it was said that the "law wouldn't have nuthin' to do with Traphill." Today Traphill is mostly a quiet farming community known for its mountain scenery. Stone Mountain State Park, one of North Carolina's most visited state parks, is located in Traphill; the park's presence has led to many out-of-state residents (especially from Florida) building summer homes in the area Traphill Fact Sheet Are you tired of fighting rush-hour traffic on 4-lane highways?  Does overcrowding in the big city have you searching online for a place that's quieter and less populated?  If so, then you are invited to come visit Traphill, North Carolina.  The community of Traphill is located in eastern Wilkes County in the Mountains and Foothills of North Carolina.  Traphill, a beautiful rural area with mountain views, is home to Stone Mountain State Park.  Residents of Traphill are also just a short drive from the Blue Ridge Parkway.   Traphill is "out-in-the-country" but still only 15-minutes from Walmart, Lowes Home Improvement, shopping, restaurants and more in Elkin, NC. Traphill Education Information   Wilkes County School System 30-minutes from Wilkes Community College 45-minutes from Surry Community College About an hour from colleges and universities in Winston-Salem 1 ½ hours from Appalachian State University in Boone Less than 2 hours from colleges and universities in Charlotte Traphill Area Hospitals 20-minutes from Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital in Elkin   25-minutes away from Wilkes Regional Medical Center in Wilkesboro   About an hour from Forsyth Medical  and An hour from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center  in Winston-Salem Traphill Area Shopping    When you live in the Traphill Community, you are 15-minutes from shopping in Historic Downtown Elkin, North Carolina; you are approximately 30-minutes from shopping centers in Wilkesboro, North Wilkesboro, and Sparta; and you are less than an hour from larger shopping centers and malls in Winston-Salem, Mt. Airy, and Statesville, N.C.