Strange Carolinas tells the story of Countryside Village’s Landmark Coffee Pot

This giant coffee pot can be found outside Stokesdale’s Countryside Village Retirement Community, but like the center’s residents, it began life somewhere else. Steve Edgerton, Countryside Village’s Executive Director, told us the history of the coffee pot and how it once could be found atop a small general store and cafe across the street from Countryside Village.

Edgerton believes the coffee pot, made from zinc-coated tin, was created in Burlington in the 1800s. In the 1950s, Evelyn Cook purchased it after discovering the coffee pot in a field in Sedgefield. She had it installed on the roof of the general store/cafe she and her husband owned. They operated the store until the late 1970s.

In the 1990s, the building was scheduled to be torn down when Edgerton’s farther-in-law, Dr. Mervyn King, took an interest in the coffee pot as it reminded him of The Mickey Coffee Pot in Winston-Salem. King rescued the coffee pot, fixed it, and it became a key part of the signage of Countryside Village Retirement Community, where it can still be found today.

What To Know Before You Go

GPS Coordinates: (36.235516, -79.959230)
Location: 7700 U.S. Hwy 158, Stokesdale, NC