North Carolina Highway 38
State highway in Richmond County, North Carolina, US
North Carolina Highway 38 (NC 38) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It runs from South Carolina state line to the town of Hamlet.
Route description
A two-lane rural highway, it traverses 5.5 miles (8.9 km), begins at the South Carolina state line where the road itself continues south as South Carolina Highway 38. Heading north, NC 38 connects with U.S. Route 74 (US 74) which is also a segment of Interstate 74. Continuing north from the interchange, it heads into Hamlet, where it ends at US 74 Business. NC 38 is named in honor of Louis Breeden, a Hamlet-native and former professional American football player who played defensive back for the Cincinnati Bengals (1978-1987) in the National Football League.
History
The first NC 38 was formed in 1934 to replace NC 301, it ran from US 17 in Folkstone to the New River. In 1937, NC 38 was renumbered NC 86. That same year, the current NC 38 was re-established as a renumbering of NC 771; which connected with the newly renumbered SC 38. NC 38 has not changed since.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “North Carolina Highway 38” as state highway in Richmond County, North Carolina, US. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as state highway in Richmond County, North Carolina, US. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Feb 26, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2488927. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1978, 1987, 1934 and 1937.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “North Carolina Highway 38”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow North Carolina Highway 38 primary sources, North Carolina Highway 38 archive and North research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “North Carolina Highway 38”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “North Carolina Highway 38” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.