The Stem family were co-proprietors of a general store in the Tally Ho township[4] and owners of the land where a new spur of the Richmond and Danville Railroad terminated.

Tally Ho township was the childhood home of James Webb, for which the space telescope is named.

The town of Stem is assigned to the following schools: Long-time residents of Granville County recall the tale of how the Stem High School basketball team played and defeated the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill men's team in an impromptu basketball game.

The team from Stem (Brent Meadows, Wallace Bowling, Thomas Farabow, Clyde Cates, and James "Bunk" Guthrie) played well against their college opponents, and in the end won the game on a dramatic last-second shot.

The Daily Tar Heel from February 13, 1936, mentions only that the team practiced on the date of the cancelled Davidson game to prepare for their upcoming contest against North Carolina State.

[11] The story (true or not) has become a piece of local legend and brought statewide attention to the town of Stem in 1999 when it was covered by Frank Newell for the Warren Record of Warren County, and again in 2000 when it was covered by Ned Barnett on the front page of the News & Observer.