M W Play!
Greenway Trail System
Are you up for an adventure? If so, then check
out the Southern Pines Greenway Trail System!
The Greenway trails will lead you around a 95-
acre lake, over boardwalks and into overlooks.
Into the woods, trails lead the way through the
longleaf pines as the white sandy trails lead to
sparkling waters along the way. For pedestrians
and bikers, meaning that you can either walk
or ride your bike, the trails offer great variety
and lengths. Check out the maps online or on
location to get started. Make a list and check off
the trails as you discover your favorite!
DAVID R. WHITE GREENWAY
Two miles long, this Reservoir Park trail
travels around the lake, the boardwalk where
the beavers play and to overlooks where the
birds fly above the sunning turtles. Be on the
lookout for lots of animals along the way.
LONGLEAF GREENWAY
One mile long, this Greenway connects the
Reservoir and Forest Creek trails with Pine Grove
Around Town
with Benjamin Sykes
Village, Talamore, and Longleaf communities.
FOREST CREEK GREENWAY
Four miles long, this path joins Longleaf
Greenway to the Forest Creek Community and
O’Neal School. Also joins Hwy 22 at Nicks Creek.
MILL CREEK GREENWAY
One mile long, this trail connects Reservoir Park
to Warrior Woods.
NICK’S CREEK GREENWAY
Three and one half miles long, this journey joins
the Reservoir Park to Highway 22 and Forest Creek
Greenway. ☐
CHECK OUT THE TRAILS, HWY 22, SOU PINES.
Aberdeen & Rockfish
All aboard for the Polar Express—I mean the
Aberdeen & Rockfish R.R. Co. Running along
the 45 mile track of logging roads since the
1800s, the Rockfish is the only surviving rail
service of the early trains still riding the rails in
2019.
From its earliest days, Moore County has
always welcomed the railroads which primarily
served to transport the resources of the pine
forests. Hauling lumber, turpentine and rosin,
the tracks supported the heavy loads all the
way to Wilmington to be used in the naval
industry. As the pines were stripped from our
great land, people started to use the trains as
the pine scented air attracted northern guests.
Once such guests as John Patrick, founder of both
Southern Pines and Pinebluff, and Mr. James Tufts
founder of Pinehurst arrived, they grew their
dreams.
With the coming and going of both the pines and
people, the Aberdeen & Rockfish headquarters
were situated in the Federalist-style brick building
in downtown Aberdeen. Surrounded by homes
of the local Blue, Page and McNeil families, the
railroad ran right through town first called “Blue’s
Crossing” named after Malcolm Blue, a prominent
landowner. By the time Civil War Veteran John Blue
returned home, the town was named Aberdeen.
Blue established the rail service which ran along
“Rockfish Creek” from Aberdeen, thus the name
the Aberdeen & Rockfish in 1902.
As John Blue grew the routes and reinvented
the cargo based on need, his reputation spread
along with the track. Honoring Mr. Blue at a dinner
party, the program stated, “His career should be
an inspiration to every boy who wants to make
good in life, provided the boy is not afraid of the
struggles and the hardships and the hard work
that comes into making of a strong character.”
When John Blue died in 1922, his children
inherited the business with son Will Blue becoming
the President of the company. As he grew the
service into Fort Bragg to support the WWII war
effort, Time magazine noted its importance.
Still serving the Sandhills, Aberdeen & Rockfish
R.R. Co. celebrated 100 years in 1992 and continues
to roll into the 21st century. Check out the red
cabooses in downtown Aberdeen as one rests by
Union Station and the
other by the Aberdeen
& Rockfish R.R. Co. office
building. ☐
101 E. Main St.
Aberdeen p.38 The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc. No. 135