Spivey's Corner, NC

Spivey's Corner is a Sampson County census-designated place at the meeting of U.S. 13 and U.S. 421. Its name is best known for the National Hollerin' Contest, which began there in 1969 and grew out of the old farm practice of calling across fields before telephones were common. The first contest drew thousands to a crossroads that had only a few dozen residents, and winners reached national television; one even received a congratulatory note from President Richard Nixon.

The annual event continued for decades before its run ended in the mid-2010s. Outside festival history, Spivey's Corner remains a rural highway crossroads in Sampson County's Sandhills region. U.S. 13 and 421 carry through traffic, Hollerin Road preserves the old theme in the road map, and the volunteer fire department was associated with the contest. Farm communication, local fundraising, and an unusual folk tradition give this small place a memorable chapter in North Carolina history. That history still travels with the place name.