E Avery Hightower Hill

Driving along NC 742 in Anson County south of Wadesboro, there is a highway sign you don't see every day.  On an otherwise ordinary, non-descript hill is a sign that reads E. Avery Hightower Hill. It seems different as it's not that much of a hill, and like many North Carolina highways surrounded by trees on both sides.

But then again, E. Avery Hightower was not an ordinary person.

Erwin Avery Hightower was an Anson County institution.  Born in the county in 1914, he opened a law practice soon after he graduated from the Wake Forest School of Law in 1936.  Hightower was a veteran - he served in the Coast Guard during the Second World War.  Following the war, he served as the Anson County Clerk of Courts from 1946-54 and served two terms as a State Senator from 1955-59.

Hightower's law office remained in operation for 65 years - until his death in 2001.  Injuries from an automobile accident in Charlotte would claim his life.  Hightower was known for his wit and his story telling.

In 2003, the Anson County Board of Commissioners named a short section of NC 742 in his honor.  Hightower resided along NC 742 just south of Jones Creek and was so well-known locals called the small hill climb south of the creek 'Hightower Hill.'  The county's declaration formally recognized it, and in June 2003, the NC Department of Transportation officially adopted the name.

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