North Carolina Highway 74 (1921-1934)

74. North Carolina Highway 74 (NC 74) was an original state highway running from Concord, east through Albemarle, Troy and Carthage ending at NC 50 southwest of Sanford. The highway's routing appeared on the 1916 Highway Map by the North Carolina State Highway Commission for the five year federal aid program. However NC 74 was not officially marked on any state highway maps until 1924; where it was routed from NC 15 in Concord east to Albemarle where the highway met NC 27 and NC 80. From there the highway turned further to the southeast, crossing the Yadkin River and intersecting NC 51 in Wadeville. The highway then turned northeast to follow a paved road to Troy. In Troy NC 74 turned east to follow along a gravel road to Carthage. The highway turned northeast in Carthage, following along a gravel road until intersecting NC 50 southwest of Sanford. Between 1926 and 1930, the entirety of NC 74 was converted to a hard surface road. During the time NC 74 was truncated to Carthage, with NC 75 replacing the highway between Carthage and US 1/NC 50. However NC 74 was extended 2 miles (3.2 km) north concurrently with US 170/NC 15, and then extended west along its own routing to US 21/NC 26. From 1930 to 1931, NC 74 was closed between US 311/NC 70 in Biscoe and US 15/NC 75 in Carthage. Between 1931 and 1933, NC 74 was placed concurrently along US 21/NC 26 for 2 miles to the north, and then placed along new routing from Cornelius to NC 271 south of Denver. In 1934, NC 74 was eliminated. The routing between NC 271 and Albemarle was renumbered as NC 73. NC 27 and NC 73 were dual signed along the section between Albemarle and Wadeville. NC 27 was signed along the remainder of the routing to Carthage