Editing Jonesville, North Carolina (section)

===Early history===
Jonesville is Yadkin County's oldest town and was at one time the largest town west of Raleigh, according to ''An Illustrated History of Yadkin County 1950-1980,'' by [[William E. Rutledge Jr.]] Initially called Allen's Settlement, after the owner of an early iron ore forge, the settlement was established behind a towering, protective bluff above the south bank of the Yadkin River. It soon became a commercial hub for the region, featuring a trading post, a tannery, medical personnel, a school, grist and lumber mills, a cotton mill and a garrison overlooking the Yadkin Valley that served as an outpost for local militia during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. Although a contemporary designation aligns the overmountain trail-head in an adjoining Surry County community, Allen's Settlement—formerly located in Surry County—is now recognized as part of the OverMountain Trail. Based on family journals and oral history, Allen's Settlement and historic Mineral Springs Park are identified as a mustering site for patriots who marched to defeat the British at Kings Mountain.

Allen's Settlement was incorporated as Martinsborough in 1811, but the name was later changed to Jonesville in honor of Hardy Jones (1747–1819). Jones fought in the [[American Revolution]] and was instrumental in bringing the Jonesville Male and Female Academy to Jonesville. A marker to Hardy Jones is on the lawn of Jonesville [[United Methodist Church]].

In addition to the timber and iron ore markets, the town also grew around the Jonesville Male and Female Academy, according to Rutledge. The Academy was affiliated with the North Carolina Conference of the [[Methodist Church]]. The Rev. William L. Van Eaton, who was born in [[Davie County, North Carolina|Davie County]], was principal of the school at its peak in 1859. In its history, the Academy attracted numerous scholars of the era, including Bishop Francis Asbury and Brantley York, subsequent founder of Trinity-Union Institute, which was later named [[Duke University]].

On April 1, 1865, troops commanded by Union Brigadier General George Stoneman and Colonel Alvan C. Gillem devastated the town and the Academy in their search for Confederate soldiers and supplies. In the Academy, they broke chandeliers and destroyed school equipment.<ref>''The Civil War and Yadkin County, North Carolina'', by Frances H. Casstevens, Page 98</ref> This marked the end of the school.

Gillem's troops, known as "home Yankees," also ransacked businesses and chased away teachers and military-aged men. Union troops had been told the town was a haven for Confederate spies and military supplies. They failed to find evidence of an [[Underground Railroad]] for escaping slaves and deserting soldiers, assumed to be located in private homes and the iron ore caves in Jonesville. The town never fully recovered.<ref>''We are Allen's Settlement! A collection of journals and diaries'', by Judith W. Wolfe, http://jonesvillenc.org</ref>

One of the last pieces of early town history, a house once occupied by Van Eaton that dated back to the 1830s, was torn down in 1996.<ref>"Jonesville's oldest house becomes bonfire fuel," by Jay R. Davis, [[The Tribune (Elkin, North Carolina)|The Tribune]], July 15, 1996</ref> At the time, it was believed to be the oldest house in town.

On December 21, 1912, two elderly women and a young girl were killed and nearly 100 people were injured after the floor of the Jonesville High School [[auditorium]] collapsed during a [[Christmas]] concert.<ref>[[Winston-Salem Journal]] article, December 24, 1912.</ref> As the floor of the second-floor auditorium gave way in the center, the audience of at least 300 people dropped to the first floor. Killed were: Nancy Swaim, Mrs. William Smith and Lexie Luffman, a 12-year-old girl. Sam Ray extinguished a fire in a stove in the auditorium as the floor began to collapse, saving many lives (Winston-Salem Journal).