Mayberry, N.C., is the fictional town everyone knows. Floyd’s Barber Shop, the old oak, Myers Lake, Old Man Kelsey’s Woods and, of course, the courthouse and jail. Many of us know the town from “The Andy Griffith Show” better than our own, real hometowns. But did you know Mayberry originally had a different name?
The show ‘s creators initially wanted to show to be set “somewhere in the South” and not in a specific state. Because the show was named for its lead actor, North Carolina native Andy Griffith, many people assumed the setting was there. Griffith, who was born in Mount Airy and died in 2012, once discussed the matter in an interview with the Archive of American Television.
“When he was brought on to do the show, Mayberry didn’t have a name yet”. “The series creators tossed around fake city names Griffith thought were awful.” One such name was Mount Pilot, which turned out to be similar to a real place, Pilot Mountain, near Mt. Airy.
The producers eventually settled on the name “Mayberry” and also gave in to Griffith’s repeated references to North Carolina locales – such as Raleigh and Ashville and even the fictional Mount Pilot – and officially made the state the show’s setting. Griffith also confirmed Mayberry is based on his hometown of Mt. Airy.
