According to show episodes, the community of Mayberry was named for fictional founder John Mayberry. In the 1964 episode “The Pageant,” Mayberry celebrates its centennial, implying its founding was in 1864. Purportedly, Andy Griffith himself chose the name of the fictional community. Griffith, however, told Larry King in 2003 that Artie Stander is the person who thought of the name Mayberry; Stander was one of the show's creators and writers.[1]
Mayberry had one traffic light and little in the way of indigenous crime with the exception perhaps of moonshining and bootlegging. Speeding was also mentioned in the area, like that on Highway 6 in the fourth season episode "Barney's Sidecar." Out-of-town bank robbers, scam artists, escaped convicts, and vagrants occasionally found their way to Mayberry. The county and the town share the same name and jurisdiction. In episode 44 "Sheriff Barney," the mayor of nearby Greendale relates that Mayberry County has had the lowest crime rate in the state for two years in a row under Sheriff Taylor. The town only had one long-distance telephone line, as referenced in the episode "Man in a Hurry," that two old ladies shared each Sunday preventing others from using the telephone.
In the opening scene of season 8, episode 30 (the last episode), a sign at the railroad station lists the population and elevation of Mayberry:
Population: 5,360
Elevation: 671
However, this conflicts with the comment made by choir director John Masters to Andy Taylor, that "there's got to be a decent tenor in a town of two-thousand people" in the episode The Song Festers – season 4, episode 20. And, in season 7, episode 23 ("The Statue"), Howard Sprague refers to a population of 1,800.
Mayberrites
Andy does his part for the Mayberry town band. Barney and Gomer are not sure he's helping the cause.
Nettie Albright (Alberta Nelson), classmate who had a crush on Barney
Amanda (Janet Waldo), local prospect Barney selected to be Andy's future wife
Big Jack Anderson (Nestor Paiva), area moonshiner who ran a still in the Rimshaw House[2]
Teena Andrews (Diahn Williams), local citizen named Irene Phlogg who went on to become a famous movie star
Ramona Ankrum (Jackie Joseph), quiet young woman from the family that owns the Ancrum Charcoal Company and love interest of Ernest T. Bass
Arnold Bailey (Sheldon Collins), friend of Opie
Dr. Lou Bailey (James McCallion), father of Arnold Bailey
Barbara Sue (Gail Lucas), local citizen who wants to win "The Beauty Contest"
Charlie Beasley (Ray Lanier), local citizen with attractive muscles
Juanita Beasley, never seen waitress at the Bluebird Diner who flirts with Barney over the phone (originally the character named Juanita was portrayed as the Mayor's daughter in season one)
Sam Becker (William Schallert), farmer and Korea War veteran who Barney suspects of growing marijuana
Tom Bedlow (Sam Edwards), local citizen who tried out for the barbershop quartet
Henry Bennett (John Qualen), local citizen accused by Barney of being a jinx
Billy (Tim Stevenson, John Reilly) friend of Opie
Erma Bishop (Lillian Bronson) crowned Miss Mayberry in beauty contest for her kind and helpful nature
Leonard Blush (Howard Morris), never seen local celebrity and former pupil of voice teacher Eleanora Poultice; "The Voice of Mount Pilot" on Mount Pilot radio station WMPD
Fred Boone (Jesse White), local citizen who loves bickering with his wife
The Country Boys[5] (Billy Ray Latham on banjo, Leroy Mack and Clarence White on guitar, Eric White on bass, and Roland White on mandolin), five member bluegrass band (The Country Boys are a real-life band who appear in two episodes)
Mr. Crawford (Robert F. Simon), pharmacist
Billy Crenshaw (Johnny Bangert), Opie's rival for a delivery boy job
Glen Cripe (Delos Jewkes), bass singer in the Mayberry town choir
Lydia Crosswaith (Josie Lloyd), romantic interest of Goober Pyle
Jimmy Morgan (Pat Colby), mechanic at Wally's accused of being a thief
Morrison Sisters (Gladys Hurlbut as Clarabelle Morrison and Charity Grace as Jennifer Morrison), moonshiners who runs the local flower shop
Sam Muggins (Sam Edwards), moonshiner accused of stealing business from the department store, incarcerated at the Mayberry Jail on Christmas Eve with his family (Margaret Kerry as wife, Bess; Joy Ellison as daughter, Effie; and Kelly Flynn as Billy Muggins)
Frank Myers (Andy Clyde), elderly resident evicted for not paying taxes
Mavis Neff (Elaine Joyce), employee at Walker's Drugstore who went on a date with Andy
Charlie O'Malley (Willis Bouchey), wealthy resident who also owns a cabin outside of town
Mrs. Pendleton (Ruth McDevitt), head of the Mayberry school board and good friend of Martha Clark and Aunt Bee
Pete (George Dunn), local citizen frequently seen in Floyd's Barbershop
Burly Peters (Thom Carney), local citizen who plays the drums in the Mayberry Band
Dr. Thomas Peterson (William Christopher), physician who replaced the retiring Dr. Bennett
Whitey Porter (Joey Scott), friend of Opie
Josephine Pike (Josie Lloyd), daughter of Mayor Pike
Mayor Pike (Dick Elliott) mayor in the first two seasons (1960–61)
Whitey Porter (Joey Scott), friend of Opie
Howie Pruitt (Dennis Rush), good friend of Opie
Jeff Pruitt (Alan Hale), farmer who came to Mayberry to find a wife
Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors), service station attendant at Wally's Filling Station for three seasons (1962–64) (left Mayberry to join the Marine Corps in Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.)
Goober Pyle (George Lindsey), auto mechanic at Wally's Garage and Filling Station (later service station owner)
Mrs. Rodenbach (Mary Lansing), local citizen seen in three episodes
Rose (Mary Treen), Andy's housekeeper who got married and moved away, replaced by Aunt Bee
Rosemary (Rachel Ames), local prospect Barney selected to be Andy's future wife
Sam (Sherwood Keith), local citizen often seen in Floyd's Barber Shop
Sandy (Sherman Sanders), square dance caller
Sarah, often spoken to, but never seen, telephone operator
Ed Sawyer (William Lanteau), mysterious stranger who moves to Mayberry and disrupts the lives of the townspeople because he appears to know startling facts about them
Mr. Schwamp, (portrayed by unknown) local citizen seen in at least 26 episodes of The Andy Griffith Show; also appeared in Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. and Mayberry R.F.D.
Ben Sewell (Jack Prince), moonshiner who was ratted out by the Morrison sisters
Sharon (Barbara Griffith), part of the Mayberry choir (portrayed by Andy Griffith's real life wife, Barbara Edwards)
Sheldon (Terry Dickinson), local bully who extorts Opie for his milk money
Annabelle Silby (Lurene Tuttle), local do-gooder and wife of Tom Silby
Tom Silby (Stuart Erwin), local citizen who returns to town after being declared dead
Mr. Simmons (Richard Collier), proprietor of company called Simmons Seeds
Ellie Walker (Elinor Donahue), pharmacist and one-time love interest of Andy[4]
Fred Walker (Harry Antrim), proprietor of Walker's Drug Store; uncle of Ellie Walker
Gilly Walker (Larry Hovis), high-strung friend of Goober Pyle
Wally (Norman Leavitt, Trevor Bardette, Cliff Norton, Blackie Hunt), proprietor and principal mechanic of Wally's Filling Station (no last name is ever given for Wally)
Dudley A. 'Dud' Wash (Hoke Howell, Bob Denver), fiancée and eventual husband of Charlene Darling; father of Andelina Wash.
Joe Waters (Bob McQuain), local citizen seen in five episodes
Ben Weaver (Will Wright, Tol Avery, Jason Johnson), flint-hearted proprietor of Weaver's Department Store and local landlord
Mary Wiggins (Joy Ellison), classmate of Opie
Mrs. Wiley (Doris Packer), genealogy researcher who called Ernest T. Bass "a creature"
Ramona Wiley-Becktoris (Virginia Eiler), one-time resident who dated Barney Fife and returned to Mayberry for the "Class Reunion"
Many assume Mayberry was loosely based on Andy Griffith's hometown of Mount Airy, North Carolina, but actually, Griffith has indicated that nearby Pilot Mountain, also in Surry County, North Carolina, inspired him in creating the town. Pilot Mountain likely was the inspiration for the fictional town of "Mount Pilot," a nearby larger town in relation to Mayberry, often referred to and occasionally visited by the characters in The Andy Griffith Show. The county seat of Surry County is in Dobson; thus, this is the location of the nearest courthouse to Mount Airy. One episode has a fictional nearby location – "Pierce County." Another episode has Barney Fife referring to Sheriff Taylor and himself as "the law west of Mount Pilot".
Other place names used in the show refer to actual places in North Carolina, such as Raleigh—which was also often called "Capital City" – Siler City, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Chapel Hill, Stokes County, Elm City and Charlotte. One of the stars of the show, Frances Bavier (who played Aunt Bee) retired to Siler City in real life. (Betty Lynn who played Thelma Lou retired to Mount Airy).
In episode 248 "A Girl For Goober," the towns of Manteo and Toast are mentioned. Andy Griffith owned a home in Manteo (on North Carolina's Atlantic coast), and Toast is about two miles outside of Mt. Airy in Surry County. Stokes County, which borders Surry County to the east, is mentioned as the location of Myers Lake in episode 140 "Andy And Helen Have Their Day."
In episode 62 "Cousin Virgil," the bus picks up Barney's cousin in Currituck. A Currituck County is located in eastern North Carolina.
In episode 17 "Alcohol And Old Lace" while looking for moonshine stills, Barney suggests looking into Fancy Gap, Virginia, a town just across the state line from Mt. Airy.
In episode 60 "Bookie Barber," Aunt Bee states that Floyd's Barber Shop has received phone calls from as far away as Morehead City.
In episode 136 "Opie's Fortune," a man from Bannertown lost $50. Bannertown is a few miles from Mt. Airy in Surry County.
In episode 68 "Barney Mends a Broken Heart," the towns of Harnett and Yancey are mentioned. Both a Harnett County and a Yancey County are in North Carolina. In episode 3 "The Guitar Player" played by James Best, who later played Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane on The Dukes of Hazzard, Best's character Jim Lindsey buys his guitar picks in Winston-Salem, which is actually the nearest big city to Mount Airy (37 miles).
In Season 4, Episode 3 of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., (“Corporal Carol”) Gomer tells the corporal (played by Carol Burnett) that he is from Mayberry, North Carolina, “just a little bitty town about 30 miles outside of Raleigh.“
Mayberry is the name of a real community in Patrick County, Virginia; located 22 miles northeast of Andy Griffith's hometown of Mount Airy, North Carolina. The Mayberry Trading Post, home of the Mayberry, Virginia post office until it closed in 1922, told local TV station WGHP that Griffith and his father made many trips to the Mayberry Trading Post.
Town landmarks
Public buildings
The Mayberry Courthouse – Was where Sheriff Andy Taylor and Deputy Barney Fife maintained law and order. It also contained the county jail—two cells, a back room, and the mayor's office upstairs. No inside stairs are seen, although there is an outside fire escape. Aside from Andy Taylor's home, this was the main setting for The Andy Griffith Show.
Mayberry Security Bank – The town's only bank, was often subject to robberies. It contains a large vault, and its only security guard is a senile man named Asa, who is constantly sleeping and whose fall-apart dilapidated gun is filled with moldy bullets. An interesting plot hole about the vault: in one episode, the vault combination was lost so an extra door was put in the vault. But in another episode, Barney Fife gets himself locked in the safe and only escapes by breaking the wall between the vault and the next-door beauty parlor.
Mayberry Union High School – The high school from which Andy and Barney graduated in 1948. In the episode "The Return of Barney Fife", which originally aired 01/10/1966, Barney and Andy attend their high school reunion. Behind the small orchestra playing during the dance hangs a banner that reads "Welcome Class of '48". However, in the episode "Class Reunion", which originally aired 02/04/1963 Andy and Barney organize a class reunion in which the banner reads "Class of '45".
U.S. Post Office – The town's only post office.
Houses
Taylor House – Humble, yet handsome, two-story frame house at 332 Maple Road (though once noted by Barney to be on Elm St.), a short walk from the courthouse. Notable features include a front porch perfect for conversation and guitar playing, a back porch with an extra freezer, and a living room with a high ceiling and rough-hewn (rusticated ashlar) stone fireplace.
Mrs. Mendalbright's Rooming House – Barney Fife boards upstairs and his landlady is Mrs. Mendalbright.
Thelma Lou's House – The home of Thelma Lou, Barney's girlfriend.
Helen Crump's House – The home of Helen Crump, Andy's girlfriend and Opie's teacher.
Mrs. Wiley's House – The home of Mrs. Wiley, which is frequently subject to parties, two of which were crashed by Ernest T. Bass.
The Rimshaw House – The "haunted" house of the deceased Old Man Rimshaw where Otis Campbell and Big Jack Anderson were running a still.
Entertainment/religious venues
All Souls Church – also known as Community Church – Was the non-denominational Protestant church the Taylors and other townspeople attended in Mayberry. It could seat around 40 people and a choir. The church hosted an annual picnic and an annual bazaar.
The Grand Theatre – The movie theater where Andy and Barney often took their girlfriends (Helen Crump and Thelma Lou, respectively) on dates.
Commercial establishments
Emmett's Fix-it Shop – Handyman Emmett Clark's business replaced Floyd's when Howard McNear left the show.
Fleur De Lis Beauty Salon – Located just down Main Street from the Mayberry Courthouse and Walker's Drugstore.
Floyd's Barber Shop – Run by the scatterbrained Floyd Lawson, it was the main center of action in Mayberry. On any given day, it was not unusual to see many of the town's important figures, including the mayor and the sheriff, gathered here.
H. Goss, Tailor - Owned by Fred Goss, a tailor who also does dry cleaning.
Monroe's Funeral Parlor – Owned by city councilman Orville Monroe who also repairs TV's at Monroe's TV Repair when the funeral business is slow.
Simmons Seeds – Run by Mr. Simmons.
F. Wakefield Beauty Salon – Located on Main Street across Luken's, where Aunt Bee and Clara Johnson get their hair done.
Walker's Drug Store – This was the town drug store and soda shop owned by Fred Walker. His niece Ellie (Elinor Donahue), also a pharmacist, worked there for a while and was Andy's first girlfriend on the show. In the early episodes, characters often talked about "going to Walker's for an ice cream soda."
Wally's Filling Station – The town's only known gas station, it employed cousins Gomer and Goober Pyle. It also served as the town's auto repair garage.
Places to shop
Foley's Grocery – also known as Crowley's Market – The main grocery store in Mayberry frequented by many of the ladies in town. It was located across from the Mayberry Hotel. Mr. Foley is the owner of the store, but apparently tasks Art Crowley with running day-to-day operations.
Luken's Style Shop – Small boutique located on Main Street operated by Mrs. Lukens.
Morrison Sisters Flower Shop – Owned by sisters Clarabelle and Jennifer Morrison who also run a moonshine still.
Mort's Clothing Store – Located next to the Fleur De Lis Beauty Salon.
Nelson's Hardware Store – Barney took Thelma Lou there to see a new window-display of bicycle accessories.
Sterling Jewelry Store – Fred Sterling, the owner, sells jewelry and silver, and does re-sizings and watch repairs.
Weaver's Department Store – Run by the miserly Ben Weaver.
Willick's Shoe Store – Shoe Store in Mayberry owned by Harvey Willick.
Places to eat
Bluebird Diner – This was the restaurant where Barney was often seen calling to talk to his secret love, the enigmatic waitress "Juanita". A man named Frank owns the diner. It is located on the outskirts of Mayberry, near Myer's Lake. Mount Airy has a family-owned restaurant called the Bluebird Diner.
Mayberry Diner – The main restaurant in Mayberry that Barney and Andy frequent for its inexpensive daily specials.
Morelli's – A more upscale restaurant outside of town. Known for its special dinner, the pounded steak supper, "pounded on the premises."
Snappy Lunch – Diner named after a real eatery that still serves lunch in Mount Airy, North Carolina.
Lodging
Mayberry Hotel – Where out-of-towners often stayed, the Mayberry Hotel was also where choir director John Masters was employed.
Physical landmarks
Myer's Lake – As seen in the opening credits of The Andy Griffith Show, it was the place Andy and Opie Taylor went fishing, and where Barney often drove with Thelma Lou for their "romantic getaways". The fictional lake was mentioned on the show as being located in Stokes County, North Carolina. Stokes County is a real county next to Surry County where Andy Griffith was born and raised. Franklin Canyon Park was used for filming.
In popular culture
Due to the success and fame of the television show, "Mayberry" has been used as a term for both idyllic small-town life and for rural simplicity (for both good and ill).
In a song by Rascal Flatts titled "Mayberry", the town is mentioned: "Well I miss Mayberry sitting on the porch drinking ice cold Cherry Coke where everything is black and white."
In the Lynyrd Skynyrd song “Simple Life” (from the album God & Guns), there’s a line in the lyrics: “…put my feet up, watch a rerun on TV,
Laughing with Ole Barney, Andy and Aunt Bee…”.
In the song called "Grandpa's Interview" on the Neil Young album Greendale: "Shows with love and affection, Like mama used to say, A little Mayberry livin', Can go a long way."
In the film I Know What You Did Last Summer the character Helen Shivers refers to a sceptical local cop who refuses to believe her warnings as a “Mayberry ass reject” in exasperation.
"Home", the second episode of the fourth season of the television show The X-Files, makes frequent references to Mayberry because of the size of the town in which the investigation takes place.
In the song "High-Tech Redneck" on the George Jones album of the same name, the town is mentioned: "He's a high-tech redneck, Mayberry meets Startrek."
In the fifth episode of the seventh season of Desperate Housewives, Doug refers to Wisteria Lane as ‘Mayberry’ due to the apparent idyllic suburbs where the show is set.
Behind the Scenes of the Real Mayberry A behind the scenes look at The Andy Griffith Show and the real Mayberry, includes filming locations, the stars made on the show, and Mayberry trivia.
