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History
of Local Towns
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Cornelius
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| Founded in 1893, but not incorporated until March 4, 1905, the town of Cornelius is the second youngest of Mecklenburg's six incorporated towns. Originally incorporated as 'Liverpool', the town's name was later changed to Cornelius in honor of J. B. Cornelius, the principal investor in the town's cotton mill. The town's origin has been traced by many historians to a dispute over cotton weighing. In the late 1800s, two thriving cotton firms located in Davidson disagreed on whether an official town cotton weigher should be appointed. After a heated election was held and legislation enacted, a town cotton weigher was hired and the firm which opposed the appointment decided to relocate much of its operations just south of the Davidson town limits. Due to bad road conditions that frequently occurred after heavy rains on the roads between Davidson and (soon-to-be) Cornelius, the cotton farmers found it safer and more convenient to conduct their business with the firm just south of Davidson. The success of business inspired the owners of the firm to construct a cotton mill in the same area. However, the owners of the cotton firm lacked the money to make the idea of the cotton mill a reality and went to Joseph Benjamin Cornelius who supplied the money to open the mill. | ||||||||||
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Davidson
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| Originally incorporated as the 'Town of Davidson College' in 1879, it was renamed to simply Davidson in 1891. Prior to then, it was simply known as 'Davidson College' for Davidson College, the centerpiece and principal employer of the town. Founded by Presbyterians in 1837, Davidson College was named after Gen. William Lee Davidson, a local Revolutionary War hero who died at the Battle of Cowan's Ford in 1781. | ||||||||||
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Denver
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| The history of Denver dates back to as early as 1747 when early settlers began settling nearby along the banks of the Catawba. Two of the early settlers were Adam Sherrill and John Beatty who settled near the shallow shoals in the river that still bear their names, Sherrill's Ford and Beattie´s Ford. The town of Denver was originally called "Dry Pond" because of the swampy area where it was located. In 1873, residents wanting to make the area sound more appealing to improve their chances of obtaining rail service asked D. Matt Thompson, the principal of the local school, to suggest a name. He suggested Denver after the capital of Colorado which was being considered for admission in the Union in 1873. In 1877, Denver was officially incorporated, but despite their efforts, the railroad decided not to bring a line through the newly named town. Without the hoped-for growth, the small town didn't even have the revenue to maintain its streets. In 1971, the small town of Denver lost its incorporated status, when North Carolina rescinded the charters of several small towns. The town of Denver is still unincorporated today and by and large, local residents do not want the town to be incorporated again. | ||||||||||
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Huntersville
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| Huntersville was incorporated in 1873. Originally called Craighead, it is believed the town was renamed for Robert Hunter, a large land owner and cotton farmer, because of the Hunter family's large presence in the community. Life in Huntersville's early days was built around farming, family and church. The Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church was the first church built in Huntersville around 1875, and backed two local schools - the McClintock Academy and the Orr School. Both schools were similar to junior colleges and Huntersville boasts of educating a number of ministers, professional men, teachers and business leaders in the late 1800s. Early businesses include The Virgin Manufacturing Company, a cotton mill located on the east side of the railroad tracks, and a brick yard business located in both Huntersville and neighboring Cornelius. The brick yard business provided the bricks for many of the older brick buildings and some remaining chimneys that still can be seen today in the older section of town. | ||||||||||
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Mooresville
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| In 1856 the Atlantic, Tennessee and Ohio Railroad completed the track from Charlotte to Statesville. The Railroad saw a need for a depot with a sidetrack and cotton-weighing platform in Southern Iredell County. John Franklin Moore offered land for the depot as well as lots for sale to anyone interested in building a town. The place was named Moore's Siding in honor of John Moore and his generous gift. Moore's Siding was incorporated in 1873 and the name was changed to Mooresville. John Franklin Moore died only 4 years later and was the first person buried in Willow Valley Cemetery. | ||||||||||
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Statesville
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| Statesville
was founded in January 1789 just after North Carolina joined the United
States by an act of the General Assemby and was incorporated in 1847.
The Statesville area was originally known as the Fourth Creek Settlement,
named after Fourth Creek and was established as a "site for the courthouse
and stocks." While the history of Statesville is vague, it is believed
to be originally named "the states vil". The first courthouse, a log
structure, was built in 1790 on a lot purchased from Fergus Sloan
next to the Fourth Creek Presbyterian Meeting house, an area commonly
called "the square". Lots around the courthouse were soon sold at
public auction for other business, thus beginning downtown Statesville.
The site picked for Statesville was in the midst of a settlement of
Scotch Irish Presbyterians who had moved to the area, originally part
of Rowan County, 30 to 40 years earlier. In 1855, the first of many fires ravaged Statesville, destroying the majority of the downtown buildings. Most of today's existing downtown buildings were built around the turn of the century with the majority of the buildings dating from 1860 to about 1930. In 1858, the Western North Carolina Railroad was the first railroad to reach Statesville linking Salisbury to Asheville. Shortly afterwards, the Atlantic, Tennessee & Ohio Railroad (ATO) opened its line between Statesville and Charlotte. Originally there were two depots in Statesville for the two separate lines, but both were burned down during the Civil war and later rebuilt as a joint depot. The Depot Hill area was the site of Tom Dula's hanging. The Kingston Trio's song "Ballad of Tom Dooley" made the story of Tom Dula's love triangle, murder trial, and hanging famous. Tom Dula was hanged just south of the former depot location and is buried in Wilkes County. The greatest growth for Statesville came between 1860s to the 1930s due largely to the railroad. The railroad brought in and carried out raw goods and finished goods promoting the growth of new businesses and industries. It also allowed people come and go more readily. At the turn of the century the industries in Statesville were based around three primary products: Herbs, tobacco and liquor. The Wallace Herbarium on Meeting Street was one of the largest in the world and shipped processed herbs all over the globe, and the money from the liquor and tobacco industries built many of the downtown buildings. |
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Troutman
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| In 1853, Mrs. Anne Troutman, a widow, moved with her two sons Jacob and Sidney to the fork in the road where Charlotte Road and Perth Church Road intersects. Her sons Jacob and Sidney built a shop for making wagons and carriages. In the late 1850s, as the railroad was being built from Charlotte to Statesville, a railroad construction camp was located near their shop. This camp became known by the railroad people as "Troutman's". After the railroad was completed to Statesville, a small depot was erected and the station was named Troutmans. In later years, the place became known as just "Troutman" as it was marked by the old Richmond & Danville Railroad. | ||||||||||
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