Mooresville 75th Anniversary

C E L E B R AT I N G
75
YEARS
1940-2015
O u r P a s t, P r e s e n t a n d F u t u r e
C e l e b r at i n g 7 5 Y e a r s
2 Mooresville Tribune
July 12, 2015
First Front Page. Courtesy of Cindy Jacobs.
Our First Edition
$1.50 Archdale Shirts, Champion Chickens

and a Promise of Thicker Papers to Come.
by O.C. Stonestreet
hen the
Mooresville
Tribunes first
edition -- Volume
I, No. I -- rolled
off the press on July 11, 1940, it
contained four pages. Since you
dont have a copy in front of you,
let me tell you what was in it.

First of all, there were
advertisements. Ads pay for
newspapers. The following
businesses had ads in that issue,
and try to guess how many are still
in business: Cavin Funeral Home,
First National Bank, Peoples
Furniture Store, McNeelys
Service Station, Rogers Electrical
Supply Co., O. C. Stonestreets
Cafe, D. E. Turner & Co., Miller
Drug Company, Main Street
Grocery, City Dry Cleaners, Safety
Chevrolet Co., W. N. Johnston
Sons Co., Belks, Eugene D. Fink
Jeweler, Mooresville Roofing Co.,
H & M Stores, The Mooresville
Laundry, Lowe Motor Co., Lonok
Seed Co., Mooresville Furniture
Co., Keeters Taxi, State Theatre,
Mooresville Flour Mill, Kelly Bros.
and Duke Power Company.

Duke Power, of course, is
still in business, but now calls
itself Duke Energy. Cavins is
Cavin-Cook Funeral Home and
Crematory. The First National
Bank has merged and had so
many name changes that I
wonder how their employees
keep things straight. Belks has
lost its apostrophe and the s
and moved from downtown
Mooresville out to N.C. 150 in
1991. Mooresville Flour Mill is now
Bay State Milling Company but
has remained in its old location for
more than a century.

I believe good ol D. E. Turner
& Co. is the only business with the
same name and in the same place
as it was in 1940. Hurray for them.

Telephone numbers for the
businesses then were two or
three digits. Keeters Taxi, touting
new cars, careful drivers, prompt
service and Shell products,
had the number 99. Mooresville
Flour Mill had the number 15.
Lowe Motor Co., authorized Ford
Dealer, had the number 232. That
business was selling a used 1931
Chevrolet sedan for $50, a 1931
Ford Tudor for $100, and a 1935
Ford Fordor for $275. They also
sold new Ford tractors
and tractor equipment and
boasted of an experienced tractor
service man on the premises.
Iredell was
still very rural.

Cavins Funeral Home
offered ambulance service. My
grandfathers cafe on South Main
Street had an ad that implied if
you ate there you would forget
the war and other worries while
you are enjoying in peaceful
comfort, the incomparable food
served there.

The only Grade A restaurant
in town, Grandfather served fine
Western steaks, plate lunches, had
fountain service, featured summer
plates for hot weather and hosted
banquets and private dinners. The
war referred to was not our war as
yet but that would all change in
less than two years on December
7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor.
Belks was selling Archdale
brand shirts for $1.50 each and
Royal Pride brand shirts for 97
cents. The firm of W. N. Johnston
Sons was selling potato salad for
20c cents a pound, chicken salad
for 50 cents a pound, cubed steak
for 30 cents a pound and beef
roast for 18 cents a pound. Three
cans of potted meat went for
a dime.
Yes, these are pretty low

prices, but keep in mind that for
those working in the Mooresville
Mill the national minimum wage
for textile workers was 32 cents
per hour. That $1.50 Archdale
shirt at Belks cost more than four
hours labor.
Most of the news in the paper
that day was about farming. Even
though Mooresville probably had
a thousand people working in the
sprawling Mooresville Cotton Mill
plant, many of the workers still had
gardens and grew much of their
own food.

The Tribunes front page
had articles about the new 556
million pound tobacco quota
set by Secretary of Agriculture
Wallace. Two photographs showed
championship New Hampshire
Red hens and a Loray farmer who
had a good wheat yield. A third
small photo was of a new silo in
Davie County.
There was a feature article
about the recent farmers
convention in Raleigh, another on
boosting production of livestock
and a riveting piece on James A.
Farley, the Postmaster General,
who was said to know all about
President Roosevelts third-term
intentions but which he was
keeping to himself.
Making up for the lack of
local news, Tribune editor Tom
McKnight had four editorials, or
opinion pieces. The front page
left column was his Community
Chaff column which appeared
in every issue. McKnight gave
This Papers Creed on page
2, admitting that politically, the
Tribune would be a Democratic
newspaper, so long as that
political party continues to
champion the Bill of Rights, the
freedom of religion, of speech,
and of the press, as set forth in the

tenets of Jeffersonian democracy.

Iredell County was
predominately Democratic Party
territory at the time. My, how
things have changed.

It is interesting to see that
in this same creed, McKnight also
stated, Likewise, we believe that
the rift that exists between the
good people of Mooresville and
Statesville should be healed for
the common good. This paper will
avail itself of every opportunity to
assist in pouring oil upon these
troubled waters.
On the same page 2,
McKnight had a verbal portrait
of Hitler, part one of five parts,
and an extensive piece One
Mans Opinion on the Lue Cree
Westmoreland murder case, which
had remained unsolved since
January 1937.

Although I disagree with
everything you say, I will defend
unto death your right to say
it was right there under the
papers masthead on Page 1. This
sentence is usually attributed to
the French philosopher Voltaire,
but may actually be the work
of a Voltaire biographer, Evelyn
Beatrice Hall. Still, it does make a
powerful positive statement about
free speech.
One other thing: McKnight
apologized for the paper being
so small and promised longer
newspapers with more news in
coming issues.
Readers must have believed
him, for they are still reading -and sometimes disagreeing with
the editor -- 75 years later.
Historian O.C. Stonestreet is a
Mooresville native and former
history teacher.
July 12, 2015
Mooresville Tribune 3
75 Years of the
Mooresville Tribune
First Edition: Weve Got Ambitions
by Cindy Jacobs
J.D. Chamberlain, a future owner of the Tribune, works on the presses in 1938 at the News-Leader, the immediate predecessor to
the Tribune. Courtesy of JD Chamberlain.
uly 11, 1940 proved to be a big

day for Mooresville when Thomas
Mortimer McKnight took the
helm of his own publication, the
Mooresville Tribune. His unique
conversational style of using many words
to weave his ideas, facts and opinions into
news stories became evident in the first
issue.

His Community Chaff of the day:
Hello, Everybody and here we are our
first issue Hope youll like us were not,
full-blown yetbut we got ambitions and
hope to improve well try to give you old
wine in new bottles to furnish you with
timely comment upon the circus as well as
the citadel of your life to give you, with
your cooperation, a sprightly little paper
and, of course, a newspaper always gives a
lot of advice.

McKnight was neither the first nor
the last local publisher, but he was most
certainly the most vocal proponent of the
community he served. McKnight put his
personality into the publication. His style of
journalism provided a combination of localnational-international news for readers.

Mooresville citizens enjoyed getting
their news in print as early as 1885 in
the Mooresville Monitor, edited by G. P
Jones. J. A. Bowles and Captain J. S. Harris
introduced the Weekly Register on March
9, 1893 with news of building, business
development and even retirements.
Bowles big story was the organization of
the Mooresville Cotton Mills.

The Mooresville Record and the
Record-Times were published by F. S.
Starrette beginning in November 1895.
It contained news and advertising for
all kinds of businesses, including the

Mooresville Academy, offering room, board
and instruction for only $10 per month.
Starrette was the first to report that the
Reed gold mine was established. Most
issues were a four-page broadsheet.

The Mooresville Enterprise was founded
in 1899 by Harry P. Deaton, with its first
issue published on September 8, 1899.
The publications last edition was on
February 27, 1947.
A third
newspaper

In the 1930s Fred Hudson and Guy
Shook started the Rounder and added a
third publication to serve the Mooresville
and southern Iredell County community.
continued on pg. 4
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continued from pg. 3
Only one
remaining

By 1947, The
Tribune was the only
local newspaper,
creating challenges and
opportunities for journalists.
They moved from the
Commercial Press office at
179 North Main Street to 25
East Center Avenue, known
as the Tribune Building.
Expanded quarters
housed presses as well as
administrative, editorial and
advertising offices.

The plan to expand
and improve community
news with columnists
and reporters improved
interest among readers.

The masthead changed to
include a listing of specific
areas to include: Moor Mill,
Mt. Ulla, Ostwalt, Troutman,
Mazeppa, Shepherds,
Mayhewtown, Shinnville,
Doolie, Mt. Mourne,
Bells X-Roads, Terrell and
Cascade Mill.

Columnists named Hazel
Dishman of Mt. Mourne,
Elizabeth Carrigan of
Prospect, Mrs. Hal Deaton
of Simpson, Margaret
Neilson of Troutman, Jane
Parker of Mazeppa, Nettie
Brown of Amity, Myrtis Gray
of Shearers Chapel and
Florence Brown of Cascade
became recognized names.

Uncle Dan from Doolie,
Parson Jones Pulpit,
Shucks and Nubbins by
Leonard Sullivan and
Our Community in Other
Years were edited by staff
members.

In 1949, Mooresville
Mills organized a public
relations department
headed by veteran
reporter Paul Caldwell.
Their plan was to print an
employee newsletter in
a special section of the
Tribune. The newspaper
within a newspaper, the
Mooresville Medallion,
appeared in the December
8, 1949 issue as a two-page
part of the Tribune.

The addition of the
newsletter increased
circulation. Edited by Paul
Caldwell and Pat Reese, it
used large photos
and interesting stories and
was published inside the
Tribune until 1954.

The birth of the
newsletter proved to
be a milestone for the
Tribune for another reason:
Mill receptionist Juanita
Davis was hired to edit
the Medallion, and she
would go on to a long and
distinguished career as the
Tribunes society editor.
the Mooresville Tribune

in 1968 when Tom
McKnight -- leader, editor,
publisher and heart of the
newspaper -- died. But
unlike Enterprise editor
Harry Deaton, McKnight
had made provisions for
the continuation of his
Tribune. With help from his
lawyer, Bill Neel, he offered
to sell the Mooresville
Tribune operation to J. D.
Chamberlain and Leonard
Sullivan.

Those two experienced
journalists took over the
operation and continued to
publish it. Chamberlain and
Sullivan incorporated the
operation in the early 1970s
and spread the ownership
among their families. New
staffers began coming
aboard, including Nick
Carrington as Advertising
Manager, Leonards son Lee
as News Editor and David
Chamberlain as General
Manager.

Todays sports editor,
Larry Sullivan Leonards
youngest son -- prepared
himself for his SportSide
column at East Carolina
University. When he
arrived here he made
the Mooresville sports
community his own,
writing of fishing, football,
baseball, golf, swimming,
soccer you name it.

Juanita Davis fast
became the go-to person
for society news and was
hailed for her wedding
write-ups. She traveled
her downtown route of
gathering news and coffee
from people on the streets
and in the shops who
welcomed the Queen of
the Tribune during her
morning rounds. Longtime
Tribune associate Karen
Kistler followed Juanita and
Legacy
of talent

The staff of the
Tribune contained skilled
professionals. James David
J. D. Chamberlain had
started here at the Rounder
as a typesetter. Everette
Jones was a seasoned
newsman, working for Harry
Deaton at the Enterprise
from1938-1945. When
he joined the staff of the
Tribune, he collected news
and information as the City
Editor.

By 1948 Deatons
name and title joined J.
R. Felts and McKnight on
the masthead. Managing
Editor Pick Butler joined the
staff in May 1950, editing
his Picks Pickins and Picks
Ploddings for the newlyformatted editorial page.

The year 1952
brought Cloice Burrell to
Mooresville as managing
editor. Three years later he
left for California, noting
that the only dark aspect
to (Mooresvilles) rapid
industrial growth is that it
may one day find itself a
suburb of Charlotte! But I
hardly think so.

Managing Editor
Leonard Dudley brought
his Dots And Dashes
column on June 14,
1956. He was succeeded
on Jan. 26, 1961 by
Leonard Lenny Sullivan,
who joined a talented
staff consisting of J. D.
Chamberlain, Everette
Jones, J. W. Hager, Mary
Perry, Juanita Davis and
McKnight. Photographer
Phillip Parker provided
creative photography as
well as his Diamonds Dust
sports section.

Big change came to
www.mooresvillenc.org
Tom McKnight and

Robert Giles purchased
the Rounder in 1935 and
combined it with their own
publication, The News
Leader.

The Rounder-News
Leader continued to use
the name until 1937, when
McKnight determined that
the paper had attained
status as a source for
information. And that the
name simply did not fit the
character of the publication.
McKnight said, Advertising
people are not apt to think
well of a newspaper named
the Rounder. It rhymes with
bounder, smacks of yellow
journalism, scandal sheets
and connotes something
which is far from the
plans and ideals for this
newspaper.

So, the News Leader
emerged as the name of
choice. In 1940 McKnight
became the sole owner
and changed the name to
the Mooresville Tribune.
He served as editor and
publisher until his death in
1968.

As editor of the
Rounder in 1937, McKnight
became prominent as
a town spokesman for
his articles in the State
Magazine dedicated to
Iredell County. He painted
a picture of Mooresville
as a charmingly social,
vigorously industrial and
soundly built community
which is making steady
progress and where living
conditions are of the best
kind.

The article went on to
describe the town as
intelligently industrial
with its manufacturing
plants for flour, cotton,
fabrics and towels, lumber,
ice cream, furniture and iron
products. As a cheerleader
for the community, he said,
Few people ever move
away from Mooresville.
Its hospitable, thrifty,
comfortable, and very, very
busy. Were mighty proud of
our little city. Stop off and
see us sometime.

By the time the
Tribune had been born
in 1940, McKnight was a
source of information and
opinion for the community.
The newspaper quickly
also became a source
of war news, including
international stories but
focusing on local boys and
girls serving in the military.

McKnights Rounder,
NewsLeader and eventually
the Tribune established
new standards in the visual
and editorial content of
Mooresvilles newspapers.
Local news as well as
editorials appeared on
the front page. Thanks
to improved technology,
photos could be used
throughout the newspapers.
Local news included People
You Know columns and
interesting stories about
local leaders, including
a multi-part My First Job
series.
Thomas Mortimer McKnight
The Tribune production plant (circled) is

shown in a photo taken between 1955
and 1960. It is the building that originally
housed the Enterprise plant and remains
the site of the Tribune offices. The
white frame building was the newspaper
operation until Tom Starrette moved the
printing/sales company. At the left rear of
the Tribune is the old South School, next to
First Baptist Church. Photo by Cliff Ingram
for First Baptist Church.
The Mission of the

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July 12, 2015
continues to produce
her Eye of the Tribune
column.
A new
owner
was purchased in 2012

by Berkshire-Hathaway),
Gowing has seen the
newspaper business
change as rapidly as the
South Iredell community
itself.

Perhaps no changes
in the newspaper
industry have had more
impact than the advent
of digital journalism,
he said. The biggest
of those to impact the

print newspaper, likely,
is digital photography.
Photos can be shot and
almost instantly uploaded
to the newspaper page.

But the advent of
newspaper web pages
and social media has
created an even greater
avenue for immediacy
in journalism. Non-daily
newspapers like the
Tribune, in fact, are the

greatest beneficiaries
because even though
we dont print editions
every day, we now have
electronic vehicles to
provide the news 24/7.

When Tom McKnight
started the Rounder,
News-Leader and later
the Tribune, he said
and wrote what he
thought and provided
others an opportunity
to do the same. Todays
Tribune subscribes to his
philosophy of responsible
journalism and service
to community. McKnight
would be proud.

The news raced on
Cindy Jacobs is a leading
through the years and
Mooresville historian and
on Nov. 2, 1985, the
the author of three books
Tribune was sold to
on local history.
Park Communications.
For the first time in 45
years the ownership
was not held by local
citizens. But Roy Park
said his corporations
newspaper philosophy
included a belief in
the importance of
local news, community
service and editorial
autonomy. He said,
Our instructions to
our papers are to
operate in the manner
that can be of greatest
service to their
communities.

Leonard Sullivan
continued as editor
until 1991, and was
succeeded by son
Lee through the mid1990s.

Current editor
Dale Gowing moved
into the editors chair
on June 25, 1997,
after Richmond,
Va.-based Media
General purchased the
newspaper. Gowing
had been a reporter
and editor for the old
Charlotte News and
Charlotte Observer
and was familiar with
this area by serving as
the Observers Iredell
County bureau chief in
the late 1980s.

Now beginning his
19th year at the helm
Bob Worthington (left) and Clyde Moore work in the advertising makeup room at the Tribune in the 1950's.
of the Tribune (which
Notice the type is being set in lead. Courtesy of Juanita Davis.
July 12, 2015
These Businesses Have
Stood the Test of Time

by Jessica Osborne
Clyde Millsaps (center) demonstrates five-at-a-time Nutty

Buddy dipping at Deluxe Ice Cream in the late 1950s.
Millsaps would eventually become company president.
Courtesy of Buddy Millsaps
s the Mooresville
Tribune
celebrates its
75th anniversary,
we decided to
take a look at some area
businesses that are as old as,
or older than, the Tribune:
D.E. Turner & Co.

Believed to be the oldest
still-operating Mooresville
business, the 116-year-old
D.E. Turner & Co. Hardware
store is run and owned by
Jack Moore and his son
Danny, who has been working
in the store
since 1987.
The store was originally
opened on Sept. 8, 1899
by David Elmer Turner. In
1946, 15-year-old Jack Moore
began working there. When
Turner died in the early
1960s, his son D.E. Jr. took
over as owner. When he died
in the 1980s, ownership

Not much, if anything,
has changed inside the
store in decades, aside from
some newer products, and
newcomers walking through
the door feel as though
theyve stepped back in time.
From little red wagons sitting
in the front window, to oldtime sleds in the winter,
D.E. Turners is a blast from
the past.

The hardware store
still sells things like cast
iron cookware, Radio Flyer
tricycles, along with general
hardware and tools, and local
honey.
Brawley and
Harwell
Associates

This law firm was founded
by Zebulon Vance Turlington
on Aug. 21, 1900, with offices
in the Goodman Drug store
building downtown.

Turlington hired William
R. Pope as a new attorney to
his firm in 1948 and in August
of that year the firms name
was changed to Turlington
and Pope. Pressley B.
Brawley, Jr., a graduate of the
Wake Forest School of Law,
joined the firm in 1960 and it
became known as Turlington,
Pope and Brawley.

In 1964, Turlington, Pope,
and Brawley purchased the
old Mooresville Savings and
Loan Association building at
283 North Main Street where
the firm remains to this day.
Later in 1964, Turlington
transferred his interest in the
firm to Pope and Brawley.
Turlington also expressed a
desire that Pope and Brawley

not move the office out of
downtown Mooresville.

After Turlington died in
1969, the name was changed
to Pope and Brawley. Pope
retired from the practice in
2000, but maintained his
office and came there almost
daily until he died in 2004.

In March of 2002, Brian
R. Harwell, a graduate of the
Mississippi College School
of Law, joined in the practice
with Brawley, and the firm
name changed to Brawley &
Harwell, PA. Brawley died
in 2008.
Deluxe Ice Cream delivery drivers.
Barger Lumber (foreground) looking south, with Broad Street at far

right. The photo was taken about 1940. Courtesy of Gerald Brown/
Barger Construction Co.
Barger
Construction

Mooresvilles oldest
construction company,
Barger Construction began
with three brothers, Paul M.,
J.V., and C. Erastus Barger,
all natives of Rowan County.
They began their business in
1902, with one sawmill, and
eventually established
a principal office in 1909.

At that time Barger
Brothers operated six
sawmills year-round and
shipped about two million
feet of lumber from
Mooresville annually,
buying the timber supply
from Iredell, Rowan and
Catawba counties.

In 1923, Barger Brothers
began building homes in
and around Mooresville.
In 1925, L. Young White
was placed in charge of all
construction. Sometime
between 1939 and 1940,
the construction company
was contracted to build the
Mooresville Public Library
where is sits now on South
Main Street. The library
opened on Dec. 12, 1939.

In 1947, White became
president and treasurer of
the newly-formed Barger
Construction Company. He
died in 1968 in a train-car
accident. M.A. Wicker then
became president of Barger
Construction Company,
dying in October 1982 after
battling a longtime illness.

Ben L. Millsaps became
president in 1982 and
the company continued
to prosper under his
leadership. After 51 years of
dedicated service to Barger
Construction, Millsaps passed
away unexpectedly in 2008.

All three of the Barger
Brothers are deceased. Mr.
J. V. Barger, Sr., died in
September 1937, Mr. C.E.
Barger died in July 1950,
and Mr. P.M. Barger died in
July, 1981.
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Gerald O. Brown is the
current president and Rick
R. Brown is treasurer. The
company is primarily engaged
in the construction of industrial
plants, commercial and
institutional buildings, schools,
churches, hospitals, and
shopping centers, and other
architectural structures such as
coliseums and stadiums.

With an annual volume of
$7 million to $9 million dollars,
Barger Construction Company,
Inc. operates in North Carolina,
South Carolina, Virginia,
Tennessee, and Georgia.
Harris Farms

With 112 years of farming
the land on N.C 3, the Harris
brothers, Gene and Bill have
kept their familys legacy alive.

The farm has been in the
family since 1903, when the
Harris brothers grandfather
purchased it from his great
uncle Isaac Harrisa former
Mooresville mayor, who built
the large home on South Main
Street which now houses the
Homesley & Wingo Law Group.

Nine different tracks of land
were acquired by the Harris
grandfather throughout the
years to build up the 345 acres
of farmland. A portion of the
farmland95 acres--was sold
from the original 345 acres to
allow for the Harris Village on
N.C. 3.

Currently there 250 acres
left which is made up of
pastures, croplands,
and hay fields
aside from several
homes that sit on
the property. In
November of 2013,
the long-standing but
deteriorating Harris
farm silo was torn
down.

In 1995, they
sold their milk cows
and exported the
remaining heifers
in 1996. The farm
no longer has any
livestock, and it has
not been a grain
farm since 1995. In
2014, the Harriss won
the State Soybean
Yield Contest at 99.9
bushels per acre.
The Samuel Lowrance home on West Center Avenue housed Mooresville's first hospital.
Courtesy of Cindy Jacobs
in 1973 when it was acquired by

Bay State Milling.

In 2008, organic flour
milling capabilities and organic
certification was extended to
the flour mill in Mooresville.

Three large crosses can be
seen on top of the silos at the
mill which are lit during the
Christmas and Easter seasons.

The tradition was begun by
an employee of the mill after
receiving some publicity from
the Tribune about a large
lighted cross he erected at his
home, and wanted to put a
cross somewhere higher in the
town for more people to see.

The crosses are also in
remembrance of a construction
worker who died of a heart
attack during the building of an
elevator at the mill. The crosses
continued on pg. 8
ED&
E
V
E
T
N
RAN OWNED
W
O
LOCALLY

MOORESVILLE
FLOuR MILL/
BAY STATE
MILLING

Beginning as the
Mooresville Flour Mill/
Bay State Milling in
1914, it was organized
by E.W. Brawley, W.C.
Johnston, Senior, Dr.
A.E. Bell, H.D. Mills
and was managed by
W.M. Lentz.

The property was
purchased from W.W.
Melchor in March
of 1914. Before it
changed hands the
first time, it was
previously named Big
Oak Roller Mills after
a large Oak Tree that
stood in front of the
mill.

After the mill
was purchased, corn
was ground and put
through a special
process to produce
feed for livestock. In
1924, the mill almost
closed due to a fire,
however after the
burned portions of
the mill were cleared
away, the present
plant was built in
1926.

In 1928, Brawley,
Lentz and Bell Inc.
continued operating
the mill until 1955
when Maiden Flour
Mill of Newton bought
controlling interest.
Operations of the mill
again changed hands
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have been atop the mill silos for almost
19 years.
Carrigan
Farms

With five generations of farmers and
100 years behind them, Carrigan Farms
serves as the largest operating farm
in Mooresville. Sitting on 130 acres of
property, Carrigan Farms grows a variety
of fruits and vegetables throughout the
year with a primary focus on crops such
as asparagus, strawberries, apples and
pumpkins.

Carrigan Farms specializes in growing
quality fruits and vegetables, educational
school tours and field trips, weddings, swim
parties, and other special events. Since
1902 the Carrigan family has been farming
at its current location on N.C. 150 north of
downtown Mooresville. Initially a tobacco
and cotton farm, the previous generations
transitioned to a Guernsey dairy and row
crop operation.

In 1975, when current owner Doug
Carrigan graduated from North Carolina
State University with a horticulture degree,
the fruit and vegetable farm was born.
Additionally, the Carrigans host thousands
of kids of all ages for hayrides to the
pumpkin patch, educational field trips,
and terrifying haunted evenings so named
Scarrigan Farms during the Halloween
season.

The Quarry at Carrigan Farms also
boasts a private location for weddings,
swim parties, company picnics, proms,
formals and church gatherings.

Swimming in the 25-foot deep quarry
is only open to the public on certain days
during the summer, whereas private swim
parties of 25 or more can be scheduled
during the week Monday through Thursday.

Aside from the farmland itself, the farm
house at Carrigan Farms, and home to the
Carrigan family was built in 1852 by the
Hargrave family. The Carrigans are the
third owners of the home, having moved
there in 1902.
DeLuxe Ice Cream/

Mooresville Ice Cream
Co.

Generations of ice cream lovers
continue to delight in the rich flavors of
Mooresvilles DeLuxe Ice Cream, 91 years
after the Mooresville Ice Cream Company
was founded in 1924.
Aside from making ice cream,
pasteurization equipment was installed in
1937 to produce Grade A milk for local
consumption. In the 1940s, the company
expanded its line of products to include
more flavors of ice cream, popsicles, fudge
bars and the Mooresville Bar.

By 1947, R.C. Millsaps had bought
out all of the original investors. For the
next three generations, his family ran the
business and Deluxe became known for its
premium quality ice cream. Now, more than
85 years later, the tradition continues with
the famous DeLuxe Nutty Cone and the
Mooresville Bar.

In September 2009, a partnership of
the Stamey family of Statesville and the
Alarcon family of Ecuador saw the purchase
of the company from the Millsaps family
with a commitment to maintain and grow
the DeLuxe brand and the Mooresville Ice

Cream Company.

In 2013, it launched its Front Porch
brand with the addition of 15 new southern
themed flavors and opened a brand new
parlor in downtown Mooresville at the
corner of Broad Street and Moore Avenue,
just a few doors up from its former parlor
location on Broad.
Belk

In March of 1924, W.H. Belk opened
a Belks Department Store on Main Street
in downtown Mooresville. Just three short
years later, the store outgrew its space
a relocated to another location on Main
Street in August 1929.

An expansion was made to the store
in 1939 to allow for a mens clothing
department. The store moved to its current
location on N.C. 150 in the Mooresville
Festival Shopping Center in 1991.

There was an expansion in 1994 and
a remodel in 1998. The current store
manager is Tracie Borawski. The store has
served the Mooresville community for 91
years.
Cavin-Cook

Serving Mooresville and the
surrounding community since 1925, Cavin
Funeral Home was founded by J.P. Cavin
on West Moore Avenue in downtown
Mooresville. Current owner Mike Cook
began working part-time for the funeral
home while still in high school and
eventually accepted a full-time position in
1973.

In 1990, Cook partnered with James V.
Houston to acquire Cavin Funeral Home.
Five years later, Cook became the sole
proprietor and the name was changed to
Cavin-Cook Funeral Home.

Today the funeral home is located
on East Plaza Drive just north of the
Mooresville Police Department and also
offers cremations, monuments, keepsakes
and pet crematory services. Funeral
services have evolved over the years to be
less traditional, Cavin-Cook officials note.
Today, services are more likely to include
video tributes and personal items reflecting
the hobbies and memorable events of a
persons life.
Lowrance Hospital/
Lake Norman Regional
Medical Center

Opening in 1926 in the Samuel
Lowrance home on West Center Avenue
and later in a brick building at West Center
and Charlotte Street (which still stands),
Lowrance Hospital treated the residents of
Mooresville under that name for 60 years.
In 1986, the hospitals name was changed
to Lake Norman Regional Medical Center
to reflect its services provided to the
greater Lake Norman region.

The hospital opened a new four-story
building on Center Avenue in 1930, in what
is now the Iredell County Government
Center South, and expanded twice in the
1950s and 1970s.

In 1999, the hospital moved to its
current location on Fairview Road in Mt.
Mourne just east of Exit 33.

Shortly after the move, an 80,000
square-foot medical office building was
Original Lowrance School of Nursing on Statesville

Avenue, which graduated about 2,500 registered
nurses since its first class of 1926. Courtesy of
Edwards Brawley.
Belk on Main Street in 1980s.
added to the main campus and connected

to the new hospital. Other additions and
expansions include a Clinical Decision Unit,
an Ortho Neuro Spine and Bariatric Unit,
The Center for Surgical Weight Loss of Lake
Norman, the Orthopedic and Spine Center
at Lake Norman, and expanded existing
outpatient services.

With over 300 physicians representing
a broad range of medical specialties, the
hospital continues to add technology and
specialty service lines.
Whit-Miller Shoe Store

and Repair

Located at 122 N. Main St., Whit-Miller
has been in business for 88 years, and is a
complete in-house shoe and leather repair
store.

The store also offers a new shoe
selection of work, western boots and
shoots, and steel and non-steel toed shoes.
Other services include leather pocket book
and saddle repairs, as well as hand-made
leather belts and holsters designed by
store owner David Miller. Two days of the
week are dedicated to mobile shoe repair
service, which began in the late 1970s.

Originally owned by Boyd Whitlow,
the store was initially located behind the
Belks Department Store in downtown
Mooresville. Several years later it moved to
its present location on Main Street and has
been there for 80 years.

Eventually it was co-owned by
Whitlows son-in-law Frank Miller.
Previously known as Whitlows, the name
was shortened to Whit and Miller was
added on to incorporate the addition of
Frank. When Whitlow became too ill to
work, Miller asked his brother Peanut
to help him run the store, and eventually
became a partner in 1973.

Peanuts sons David and Tony later
came to work in the store as well. Peanut
and Tony have since passed away, and
the store is now run solely by David. He
is assisted by Vicky Ervin who has been a
cobbler
as the store for the past year-and-a-half,
and is also a cousin by marriage.

Three hammers and photographs of the
late owners and workers of the shoe repair
store are hanging high above the racks of
western work boots recognizing their years
of service at the store.
Pless-Haire Insurance

Pless-Haire Insurance made its debut in
Mooresville in 1933 as the Harris Agency
under the command of Don Harris. After
returning from service in the Air Corp
during World War II, Clement E. Wig
Pless Sr. bought the agency from Harris in
1946.

Plesss sons, brothers, Robert Chick
Pless and Clement Chuck Pless, Jr. joined
the insurance agency in the 1972 and 1974,
respectively.

The addition of Haire onto the Pless
name came after the brothers, along with
Sarah-Haire (now Haire-Tice), purchased
the insurance agency from the Pless father.

Haire retired in 2000, and the Pless
brothers have owned it since. Other agents
at the business include Beverly Hildebran
who joined the agency in 1990, and Leslie
Plessdaughter of Chick Pless--who joined
the team in 2006.
July 12, 2015
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July 12, 2015
Mooresville 1940-2015
We survived Hurricane Hugo, UFOs,

earthquake; We welcomed Lake
Norman, Lowes and growth
1940s
Here is a decade-by-decade look at some of the noteworthy events in Mooresville

over the past 75 years, as compiled from the Tribune by historian O.C. Stonestreet:
Sixty-six years ago, an event dubbed by Mooresville Tribune editor Tom McKnight as the biggest thing of its kind
ever staged in south Iredell was in its final planning stages. The Mooresville Victory Festival included a street dance
featuring Claude Little and his orchestra, a morning pet parade, bingo on East Moore Avenue and a parade (above) of
floats, bands and marching groups from local service organizations. King and Queen of the Festival, Robert Little and
Margaret Arney, led the parade of floats, marching units and bands from the Mooresville Flour Mills to the Mooresville
Mills Community House, where a memorial service, speech by Senator William B. Umstead and barbeque dinner ended
the downtown ceremonies. A Victory Bowl football game between Mooresville and Jamestown High School ended in a
scoreless tie. Dances at the American Legion Hut and the school gymnasium celebrated the completion of the festive
event. The Mooresville Mills floats shown here featured the new corporate name and Moor logo adopted in September
1947. This is one of the few color photos of the parade that are known to still exist. From the Marvin Sigmon Collection.
First issue of Mooresville Tribune publishes on July 11,

1940. The Tribune joins the towns other two newspapers,
the News-Leader and The Enterprise.
The 1940 U.S. Census lists the towns population as 6,682.
Catawba River approaches flood stage in August 1940.
First Old Time Fiddlers and Bluegrass Convention is held
in old Central High Auditorium in 1940.
The Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees) is chartered
February 1941.
Confederate Marker is unveiled at Willow Valley Cemetery
by the U.D.C on May 10, 1941.
E. W. Williams is the first black to serve on a local grand
jury in June 1941.
Last local Confederate veteran, Moses Abernathy, dies in
August 1941.
Dunbar School dedication is held on Dec. 7, 1941.
Jay Edgar Alley, U.S. Navy, dies at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7,
1941, and is believed to be the first Mooresville man killed
in World War II.
Towns first World War II blackout gets a test on
June 19, 1942.
Watkins Chapel AME Zion Church is dedicated in
August 1942.
Marie Scott becomes first female principal of Mooresville

High School in December 1942.
An estimated 1,600 are in military service from southern
Iredell, the Tribune reports in 1943.
- Wesleyan Methodist Church dedicates its new sanctuary in
December 1943.
- Town rings church bells when D-Day invasion is announced
on June 6, 1944.
- Local Civil Air Patrol unit is organized in April 1945
- Mr. Roland R. Morgan becomes superintendent of MGSD
in April 1945, a post he will hold for 25 years.
- Mr. Robert O. Klepfer becomes the Mooresville High
School band director in 1945, a post he will hold for
25 years.
- All town businesses close for an hour at the time of
President Franklin D. Roosevelts funeral in Washington,
April 14, 1945. Schools and churches present
memorial programs.
- Town turns out, mills close to celebrate Japans surrender
on Aug. 14, 1945.
- The Roosevelt dime is minted in 1946, based on a design
by Mooresvilles Selma Burke.
- Local unit of the Veterans of Foreign Wars is chartered in
January 1946.
Members of the Teen Age Club, sponsored by the Mooresville Recreation Commission, lead the 1948 Victory Parade
through downtown. The club was promoting the building of a living tribute to veterans of World War I and II. A year
later, that resulted in the construction of the town's War Memorial Recreation Center on Maple Street. Photo by
Marvin Sigmon.
July 12, 2015
Mooresville
Town Treasurer
G. M. Kipka in
the Municipal
Building on South
Broad Street in
the early 1940's.
Mary K. Brawley
and Sara K. Sides.
Residents line
Main Street for
the 1948 Victory
Parade, held to
raise funds for
the War Memorial
Community
Center. In the
background are
the State Theater
and The Snack
Shop, the latter
owned by John
and Mary Francis
Archer. Marvin
Sigmon photo.
First burial at Glenwood Cemetery occurs 1946.

Mooresville Christian Mission begins service in July 1946.
Mooresville Fire Department handles 52 calls in 1946.
Mooresville Cotton Mills drops Cotton from its name.
Federal minimum wage is raised to 73 cents an
hour in August 1946.
Parking meters are approved for downtown in 1946
Mooresville adopts city manager form of town
government in 1947.
The Enterprise newspaper prints its last issue on
Feb. 27, 1947.
Mooresville Moors win N.C. State League Baseball
Championship in 1947. The team includes future
Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm.
Mooresville Mills adds the Arabian Knight-- a Moor-- to
its logo in 1947.
Tribune runs its first full sports page on April 24, 1947.
Town equips two police cars with radios in June 1947.
Town holds World War II Victory Festival Parade
on Nov. 11, 1947.
Mooresville Recreation Commission is created on
March 10, 1948.
Mooresville-Davidson Drive-in Theater opens
May 28, 1948.
Town holds first Christmas Festival Parade on Nov. 16,
1948, drawing an estimated 8,000 spectators.
Ground is broken for War Memorial Building on
Nov. 8, 1949.
Delks 5, 10 & 25 Cent Store opens May 1949
Mooresville High Band, representing North Carolina,
marches in the International Lions Club Parade in New
York City in July 1949
The Moorland Drive-In Theater on Salisbury-Landis
Highway opens in April 1949, later named The StarLite,
then The Carolina.
Left wing of the War Memorial Building opens
October 1949.
McLeans Supermarket at North Main and Statesville
Avenue opens in December 1949.
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1950s
Modern Chamber of Commerce is organized

March 14, 1950.
Towns population is 7,218 by the
U. S. Census
Mooresville Mills sponsors a black baseball
team, The Negro Moors, in the spring.
Official opening of Mooresville Mills Golf
Course is held April 1, 1950.
Cornerstone is laid for Southside Baptist
Church, April 23, 1950.
Robert Peck becomes first town manager in
June 1950.
St. Theresa Catholic Church at North Main
and Park Avenue is dedicated in July 1950
Radio station WHIP begins broadcasting at
1350 A M in July 1950.
Army Pvt. Robert William Carpenter, of
Route 3, Mooresville, is first local man killed
in the Korean War July 25, 1950.
Mooresville Mills begins selling houses to
employees in 1950.
Mill workers vote to reject the C.I.O. union
in July 1950.
Passenger train service through Mooresville
ends on Jan. 31. 1951.
United Daughters of the Confederacy unveils
marker to John F. Moore near depot on
May 10, 1951.
Mooresville goes to rotary dial telephones on
May 10, 1952.
In August 1951 residents are asked to
report flying saucer sightings to Town
Manager Robert Peck.
Mooresville Little League Team wins state
championship in August 1952 then loses to a
Pennsylvania team in the Little League
World Series.
Current Chamber of Commerce is
incorporated in 1953.
Negro VFW post is organized in
February 1953.
Town votes against operating movie theaters
on Sundays in May 1953 (Blue Laws).
W. W. Rankin Store closes permanently in
June 1953.
Elks Lodge is organized Aug. 8, 1953.
Optimist Club is organized in January 1954.
Mooresville Mills officially severs ties with
local baseball in January 1954.
A&P Supermarket on North Main opens
Feb. 24, 1954.
Town is given a Dyna Fog insect-spraying
machine by Jaycees in May 1954.
Ground is broken for War Memorial
Swimming Pool in June 1954.
Present Municipal Building on Main Street
opens Sept. 30, 1954
Templon Spinning Mills, Inc. begins operating
on NC 150 bypass in October 1954.
Aunt Jemima visits Mooresville on
Oct. 15, 1954 to make pancakes at
Teeters Supermarket.
Burlington Industries acquires Mooresville
Mills on April 16, 1955.
Cowboy movie star Tim Holt appears at the
State Theater on May 11, 1955.
War Memorial Swimming Pool opens
May 24, 1955.
Dunbar Highs gymnasium/auditorium is
dedicated April 3, 1955.
Mooresville merchant J.T. Mayhew (center) is joined by City Manager

Robert Peck (left) and Church Collins as they prepare a Jaycees
mosquito-fogging machine in the late 1950s. Courtesy of Sandy
Mayhew and Janet Mayhew Read.
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July 12, 2015
This aerial photo taken about 1950, looking

southwest, shows hundreds of Mill Village
houses surrounding the old Mooresville
Mill. Courtesy of Cindy Jacobs.
Women in the
towel room at
Mooresville Mills
in 1950. By 1935,
the mill supplied
more than 15
percent of the
toweling sold in
the United States.
The slogan was:
The Moor used,
the Moor wanted
-- a reference to
the Moor Turkish
towel brand. Paul
Caldwell/Courtesy
of the Luther
Dorton Collection.
Town makes first land annexation in

May 1955: 13 acres (76 lots) for the
Edgemoor subdivision off Magnolia
Street.
Chemspun Yarns Ltd. begins
operations on the 150 Bypass
in 1955.
In October 1956, Mooresville buys
Glenwood Cemetery for $30,000.
Formal opening of First National
Bank at North Main and Iredell
Avenue is held on March 7, 1957.
Town telephone numbers get the
North (66) prefix April 7, 1957.
Duke Power announces plans for
what will be Lake Norman in May
1957 as it files plans with the
Federal Power Commission.
Town budget exceeds $500,000 in
1957, for the first time.
Local beauty Dorothy Long Sam
Brown appears in Life magazine,
Aug. 26, 1957.
First Class U.S. mail goes from 3
cents to 4 cents in August 1958.
Mooresville High School moves to its
present location in 1958.
Ground-breaking for Cowans Ford
Dam and Lake Norman is held
Sept. 28, 1959.
Governor Luther Hodges visits town
March 6, 1959.
Draymore Manufacturing Co. begins
operation on 150 Bypass in
March 1959.
Arabian Knight is adopted on the
town seal Nov. 2, 1959.
By November 1959, TemplonChemspun Mills employs over 400
people and has an annual payroll
topping $1 million.
Charlottetown Mall, the regions first
shopping mall, opens October 1959
in Charlotte.
In 1951, Iredell County Commissioner

Ralph C. Millsaps (far right) presents
the keys to the town's newest fire truck
to Fire Chief Charles Troutman Jr. as
fireman Ralph Eudy looks on. At left
are firemen Clayton Dyson and Marshall
Sherrill, joined by Mayor Fred Morrow.
Cliff Ingram photo.
Joan Morrow at the opening of the

Teeter Super Market in 1952. She was
an employee of DeLuxe Ice Cream, and
this was DeLuxe's first in-store display
case. Courtesy of Gene Millsaps.
330 S. Main St. | (704) 664-2162
July 12, 2015
1960s
Miss Dunbar High School, identity unknown, sits in a convertible prior to the Mooresville Christmas Parade in the mid1960's. She represented Dunbar High School, the town's African American school. Courtesy of Ora Carr.
Minimum wage is 75 cents an hour, effective Jan. 1, 1960.

Carolina Drive-In Theater on Salisbury-Landis Highway
closes permanently in February 1960.
National Guard Armory formally opens May 10, 1960.
Town ends ordinance against movie theaters operating on
Sundays in June 1960.
Snow falls on four consecutive Wednesdays in March
1960, wrecking school schedules.
Mooresville High wins WNCHSAA 3A football
championship Nov. 24, 1961 by defeating Hickory
High, 13-12.
Lake Norman Yacht Club is incorporated 1961 with
25 charter members.
Ground-breaking for Dukes Marshall Steam Station
is held March 12, 1962.
New 1,400-seat Roland R. Morgan Auditorium at
Mooresville High School is used for graduation
ceremonies for the first time in June 1962.
Towns first drive-in restaurant chain, Tastee-Freez,
opens on North Main in April 1963.
Town forms a bi-racial committee to ease desegregation
in 1963.
Lake Norman reaches full pond on June 1, 1963
Cowans Ford Dam begins generating hydroelectricity on
July 3, 1963, the official date of the completion of
Lake Norman.
The 28115 postal Zip Code takes effect here July 1, 1963.
Johns Trading Post opens on remote Brawley School
Road in 1963.
Lake Norman Airport is organized in May 1964 and
incorporates in June.
Replica of the Robert E. Lee riverboat begins plying the
waters of Lake Norman in 1964.
June 12, 1965 referendum approves an ABC Store for
Mooresville by a vote of 1,044 to 927.
Duke Power State Park (now Lake Norman State Park)
opens July 16, 1965.
Mooresville Graded School District begins d esegregation
in 1965.
Laneys Fish Camp opens in 1965.
First known Lake Norman fatality is a juvenile swimmer
struck by a power boat in summer 1965
What-A-Burger Drive-In Restaurant opens on South
Main Street in 1965.
Mooresvilles first ABC store opens Oct. 5, 1965.
Three UFOs are reported over Perth Church Road
in October 1965.
First black police officer is hired in Mooresville in 1966.
Veteran Mooresville teacher Cora Freeze retires in
1966 after 40-year career.
The Burger Barn opens on North Main Street in
August 1966.
Sail boat shoulder patch is adopted for Mooresville
Police Department in 1966, as befits the Port City of
Lake Norman.
W. J. Haseldens Mooresville: The Early Years is
published in 1967.
Mrs. Ira Ussery becomes the first woman to serve
on city school board in July 1967.
Riverboat Robert E. Lee is destroyed by fire in Lake
Norman in 1967.
Local funeral homes cease providing emergency
ambulance service in 1967.
Master Sergeant Douglas Lloyd, U.S. Army, is
Mooresvilles first casualty of the Vietnam War, killed
May 28, 1967.
Interstate 77 is completed from Mooresville to Charlotte
in May 1968.
MGSD completes desegregation in 1968.
Dunbar High School in Mooresville, the towns all- black
high school, graduates its final class in 1968.
Joe V. Knox is elected mayor in June 1969, a position he
will hold for the next 30 years as the town begins a slow
change from its textile-based economy to a
diverse economy.
Lake Norman Marine Commission is created in 1969.
Looking Southeast from Downtown Mooresville in 1960s.
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1970s
Municipal ambulance service is established June 1, 1970.

Lowrance Hospital School of Nursing graduates its last
class June 13, 1970.
Troutman Shirt Co. ceases making shirts after 50 years in
February 1971 but continues to make pants
Fieldstone Presbyterian Church becomes the new name of
Second Presbyterian in February 1971
William L. Brown succeeds Dr. Morgan as superintendent
of the Mooresville Graded School District on
June 30, 1971.
Ground-breaking for $2 million expansion of Lowrance
Hospital on April 16, 1971
Ground-breaking for Port City United Methodist Church
on April 18, 1971
Ground-breaking for current Mooresville Post Office
May 18, 1971 at corner of Institute and Church streets
Town gets direct distance telephone dialing service on
July 28, 1971
Professional wrestler Nelson Royal opens his Western S
tore on Highway 150 in 1971
Town adopts $1.5 million budget in July 1971.
Ground-breaking for new Cavin Funeral Home on the 150
Bypass in September 1971
Teledyne Semiconductor plant closes in September 1971
Cavin Funeral Home moves from Main Street to Plaza
Drive (150 Bypass) in 1972
Scenes for movie The Last American Hero are shot in
area in November and December 1972
Educator Naurice F. Woods retires in 1972 after a 35-year

career with MGSD
Dunbar Schools name is changed to Naurice F. Woods
Elementary School in 1972.
Current $400,000 Mooresville Post Office opens in
April 1972
Mooresville celebrates its centennial with drama
Centurama 73 from May 17-21, 1973. A time capsule
is buried in front of the municipal building as part of
the centennial.
Mooresville depot closes as a railroad facility on
June 29, 1973.
The iconic 210-foot-high smokestack at the Mooresville
Mill is dismantled in February 1973
Mitchell Community College in Statesville opens a
Learning Lab in Woods Elementary School in
August 1973.
The current South Elementary School opens on Magnolia
Street in 1975 as an open school
State Theatre changes its name to State Cinema with
marquee change in September 1974
Templon and Chemspun mills together employ more than
1,000 workers in April 1974
A tornado hits Lake Norman on June 24, 1978
John Campbells Mallard Head Golf Course and Country
Club opens on Labor Day 1979
Johnston's ice and coal business on North Broad Street, shown in the
late 1970s or early 1980s. Courtesy of Cotton Ketchie.
Cotton Ketchies
Landmark Galleries, Inc.

A Part Of Mooresville
History For 35 Years!
McNeely's Service Station on the corners of North Main & Iredelll

Avenue at the sight of present day CVS. Courtesy of Cotton Ketchie.
Photos of Historic Landmarks
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George's Taxi at the present site of BB&T downtown. Courtesy of
Cotton Ketchie.
Cotton Ketchie ...preserving our heritage

through his art ...photography ...literature
1980s
O u r P a s t, P r e s e n t a n d F u t u r e
1940-2015
Vestie
Christies
Texaco on
North Main
Street circa
1980s.
Courtesy
of Cotton
Ketchie.
July 12, 2015
Governor Jim Hunt speaks at

R.R. Morgan Auditorium on
March 21, 1980 to salute the
Mooresville High School
band as it prepares to march in
the National Cherry Blossom
Festival Parade in Washington,
D.C.
McGuire Nuclear Station goes
online in 1981.
Mooresville Merchants
Association merges with the
Chamber of Commerce in 1981
and the new organization
becomes the Mooresville-South
Iredell Chamber of Commerce.
Lake Norman Lions Club is
chartered Feb. 28, 1981.
New Mooresville High football
stadium, costing $736,000,
is dedicated in 1982.
Cable TV service comes to
Mooresville in June 1982.
Town holds first annual Lake
Duke Power Company president William "Bill" States Lee, III welcoming the
Norman Festival
community to a 25th anniversary celebration of Lake Norman in 1988. At left is
downtown in spring 1982
former MSI Chamber President Dan Wallace. Mooresville Tribune photo.
Mooresville Tribune begins
carrying local news on new
campus is air-conditioned by efforts of the Civitan Club
cable TV service in 1982.
in 1987.
Cascade Mill ceases 75 years of operation on
- David Thompkins because the first African-American
Oct. 1, 1982.
elected to the town board, in November 1987.
First Blue Devil Classic band competition is Oct. 1,
- John Mack & Son Department Store celebrates 75th
1982 with 11 bands competing.
anniversary in December 1987.
State minimum wage rises to $3.35 anhour on
- A crippling ice storm leaves thousands without electricity
Jan. 1, 1983.
for weeks in January 1988.
U.S. Marine Tim McNeely of Mooresville dies in terrorist
- New St. Therese Catholic Church dedicated Jan. 30,
attack in Beirut, Lebanon, on Oct. 23, 1983.
1988, with first mass celebrated on Feb. 6.
South Iredell Industrial Park north of town open 1983.
- Mooresville is included in Charlottes telephone exchange
Mooresville Artists Guild is incorporated February 1984.
in 1988.
The Lotus, Mooresvilles first Chinese restaurant, opens in - Iredell County celebrates its bicentennial in 1988.
October 1984.
- Mooresville Army-Navy Store closes in 1988 after
Marine Corps Monument (Tim McNeely) near Depot us
38 years.
unveiled in May 1985.
- Kelly Clothing Co. closes in 1988 as C. L. Bubba Kelly
Mooresville-Davidson Drive-In closes in September 1985
Jr. retires.
after 37 years.
- Lake Norman Elementary School opens in 1988.
State Cinema in downtown closes in September 1985.
- Scenes for made-for-TV movie A Stoning in Fulham
MGSD office moves into the old post office building in
County are shot in Mooresville in 1988.
August 1986.
- New shopping center anchored by Wal-Mart opens on
Ground-breaking for new St. Therese Catholic Church on
N.C. 150 about 1 1/2 miles east of I-77, in 1988.
Brawley School Road in July 1986.
- NGK Ceramics, a Japanese manufacturing company,
The Catawba Queen Riverboat begins plying the waters
moves into South Iredell Industrial Park in 1988.
of Lake Norman in December 1986.
- Beacon Sweets relocates to Mooresville from New Jersey
Mooresville Rescue Squad is incorporated 1987 and
in 1988. It will change its name to BestSweet in 2001 and
would operate until 2014.
BestCo in 2013.
The 9-1-1 emergency telephone system begins
- Hurricane Hugo slams into North Carolina on Sept.
April 1, 1987.
22, 1989 and knocks out electricity to many people in
Mooresville and the Lake Norman area for days.
Lowrance Hospital becomes Lake Norman Regional
Medical Center on May 1, 1987.
- Templon and Chemspun on the 150 Bypass close in June July 1989.
A 47-pound catfish is caught in Lake Norman in
June 1987.
- Bahari Race Team locates west of Mooresville in Lakeside
R. R. Morgan Auditorium on Mooresville High School
Park off I-77 at Exit 36 in 1989.
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1990s
Portions of stock car racing movie Days of Thunder are

filmed west of town in January 1990.
Town board votes unanimously in 1990 to recind Sunday
Observance Ordinance (Blue Law)
Cable TV begins expanding into Lake Norman residential
areas in 1990.
Early in 1990, Penske Racing South chooses to build in
Lakeside Park off Exit 36
Rowan-Iredell Citizens for a Clean Environment parade
in Mooresville, objecting to ThermalKEM toxic waste
incinerator, is held Aug. 18, 1990.
Coast Guard Auxillary Search and Rescue Detachment
Flotilla on Lake Norman officially begins operating
Sept. 8, 1990.
Johns Trading Post on Brawley School Road closes in
1990 after beging damaged by fire.
Matsushita Compressor Corporation of America (MCA)
locates in Mooresville Business Park in April 1990.
McKnight Pontiac-Buick dealership is sold to Randy
Marion in September 1990.
Mooresville Junior High becomes Mooresville Middle
School in 1991.
Belk moves from downtown to the brand-new Mooresville
Festival Shopping Center open on N.C. 150 at I-77, which
opens on April 3, 1991.
Randy Marion Pontiac-Buick dealership relocates to N.C.
150 in December 1991 from downtown Mooresville.
Mooresville High School Blue Devil Band marches in
Philadelphias Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1991, and it is
televised locally.
President Obama greets local government, school and

business leaders after his speech at Mooresville Middle
School. Regan Hill/Statesville Record & Landmark.
July 12, 2015
Toll-free telephone service begins within Iredell County

in 1992.
Park View Schools main building is demolished for new
structure in 1992.
John Mack & Son, towns oldest department store, closes
in 1993.
Mooresville Mills, now part of Burlington Industries,
reaches its centennial in 1993.
Twenty race car teams have relocated to Mooresville by
end of 1993.
The Mooresville Fire Department moves to corner of Main
and Institute streets in January 1994.
On May 1, 1994, the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of
Fame opens in the Lakeside Business Park.
Mooresville High School adds a Navy Jr. ROTC program
in 1995.
Earthquake measuring 3.2 on the Richter scale shakes
South Iredell on June 4, 1998.
600-acre Meck Neck becomes part of Iredell County on
July 1, 1998.
Burlington Industries closes its South Main Street plant
in 1999.
Dale Earnhardt, Inc. celebrates its formal opening on
Nov. 9, 1999.
Lake Norman Regional Medical Center opens sprawling
new hospital building near I-77/Exit 33 on May 30, 1999.
D. E. Turner & Co. celebrates its 100th birthday on
Sept. 9, 1999.
A second U.S. Post Office in Mooresville opens on
Williamson Road in February 1999.
This architectural rendering depicts the 227-room Doubletree by Hilton

hotel that is planned at Langtree at the Lake. Construction should begin
this summer, developers say. Courtesy of RL West of North Carolina LLC.
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2000s
Alice Lee becomes the first woman to serve on Mooresville

Board of Commissioners on Jan. 12, 2000.
After 60 years as a weekly, Mooresville Tribune adds a
Friday edition on March 4, 2000.
N.C. Wildlife Commission reports in 2000 that
approximately 40,000 boats are registered in and around
Lake Norman.
In April, the Mooresville High School band captures top
awards at the Heritage Music Festival in New York City
in 2000.
Lakeshore Elementary School opens in August 2000.
Groundbreaking for new Lake Norman High School is held
June 12, 2000.
Mooresville Historic Properties Commission is organized
in 2000.
Racing icon Dale Earnhardt dies in a last-lap wreck at the
Datyona 500 in February 2001.
N.C. reports in spring 2001 that it is experiencing the
worst drought in its recorded history.
Penske wind tunnel opens to the motorsports industry as
the Auto Research Center of Mooresville, in March 2001.
Mooresville Ford moves from downtown to N.C. 150 in
May 2001.
Memory Lane Auto Museum opens in early 2001.
Lakeshore Middle School opens in 2001.
NASCAR Technical Institute opens 2002.
State changes the name of N.C. 136 to N.C. 3 in honor of
the late Dale Earnhardt and his No. 3 race car, in 2002.
The highway runs in front of his shops, Dale Earnhardt Inc.
Mooresville Police Department moves to new location on
West Iredell Avenue in February 2002.
In March 2002, Mooresville is listed as home to
approximately 60 racing teams.
Lake Norman High School opens in August 2002.
Lowes corporate headquarters in Mooresville opens its
first phase in September 2003.
Barbara Johnson becomes the first African-American to
be elected to the MGSD Board of Education in
November 2003.
By July 2004, there are 31 racing shops operating
around Mooresville
Mooresville police cruisers begin displaying a new
racing theme in 2004, with checkered flags.
The Mooresville Museum is established on March 17,
2005 and occupies the old Charles Mack Wholesale
Building on Center Avenue, which is donated to the
museum by the Mack family.
66 years after it opened at the same site on South Main
Street, the Mooresville Public Library unveils a $4.8
million addition/renovation in 2005 the same year that
an expanded Charles Mack Citizen Center re-opens.
Mooresvilles third fire station opens in May 2005 on
Shearers Road.
Woodland Heights Elementary School opens in 2005.
Lowes YMCA opens in 2005.
Mooresville gets a big new bowling alley when George
Pappas Victory Lanes opens just west of I-77/Exit 36
in 2006.
Fine dining comes to the heart of downtown Mooresville
when Soiree opens in a long-abandoned and restored
building at Main Street and Center Avenue in 2006. It
would close in 2010 and be succeeded by Epic
Chophouse. Epic joined two other popular eateries in
the historic district JJ Wasabis and The Daily Grind.
The MGSD hires Dr. Mark Edwards as superintendent in
April 2007.
Joe Knox, Mooresvilles mayor from 1969 to 1999, dies
at age 83 in 2007.
Downtown Mooresvilles annual Lake Norman Festival
is renamed the Race City Festival in 2008.
Deployment of laptop computers to students in the
Mooresville Graded School District begins in 2008.
Eventually, all students in grades 3-12 would receive
take-home computers and the issuance of Apple
computers would extend to the Iredell-Statesville
Schools, too.
Mooresville Ice Cream Company, organized in 1924, is
bought by Stamey Farms of Statesville in 2009.
Coddle Creek Elementary School opens 2009.
Michal Bay of Wow! Home Furnishings buys former
Mooresville Mills (Burlington Industries) plant on South
Main Street in 2010, and opens it in May 2011 as
Merinos Home Furnishings Warehouse.
Mooresville Fire Department celebrates its centennial
in May 2010.
Lake Norman State Park reports welcoming 526,446
visitors during 2010.
The Showtime cable TV series Homeland begins
filming downtown in August 2011.
Cinemax cable TV series Banshee begins downtown
filming in April 2012.
Talbert Recreation Center opens Jan. 4, 2012.
In April 2012, thousands lined downtown streets to
welcome a Patriot Guard motorcycle procession
escorting home Marine Cpl. Garrett Carnes of
Mooresville, who had lost parts of lost parts of both
legs in an IED explosion in Afghanistan in February.
Donald Trump takes ownership in April 2012 of The
Pointe Golf & Country Club on Brawley School Road,
renaming it Trump National Charlotte Golf Club.
Mooresvilles Fire Station #5 opens near the Mooresville
Golf Course in November 2012.
MGSD Superintendent Mark Edwards is named National

Superintendent of the Year in 2013.
President Barack Obama visits Mooresville Middle School
on June 6, 2013.
LangTree Lake Norman, the sprawling residential/retail
development at I-77/Exit 31, announces in 2013 that a
Doubletree by Hilton Hotel and Conference Center will
be built there, and that SwimMAC Carolina - a Charlottebased nonprofit that offers swimming programs for all
ages will open an aquatic center at LangTree.
LangTree Lake Norman opens first phase in spring 2014.
The town-owned Mooresville Municipal Golf Course closes
in November 2014 for a $5 million, year-long redesign and
reconstruction, funded by voter-approved recreation
bonds.
Iredell voters approve a $131.5 million school bond
referendum on Nov. 4, 2014, the first such bonds since
the mid-1990s.
Opposition to the states plan to build high-occupancy
toll lanes on I-77 between Mooresville and Charlotte
grows steadily during the first six months of 2015.
Town Commissioner Mac Herring and former commissioner
Frank Rader die within a day of each other in May 2015.
Mooresville High School breaks ground on $40 million
worth of expansion and additions on June 5, 2015.
The Mooresville Tribune celebrates its 75th anniversary in
July 2015.
Lake Norman-area firefighters light and release (above,

below) patriotic wish lanterns Sunday evening during a
Sept. 11, 2001 remembrance ceremony at Sallys YMCA
in Denver. The biodegradable lanterns were set aloft by
members of the Denver and East Lincoln fire departments
as the National Anthem played. It was all part of a Day
of Service and Remembrance coordinated by the YMCA
and Lincoln Charter High School. Doreen Sugierski/For the
Mooresville Tribune.
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July 12, 2015
Since the Tribune published

its first edition in 1940, the
nation has been led by
13 Presidents:
13 Mayors
(one of them twice)
have served Mooresville

since the Tribune began
publishing in 1940
Since the first year

in 1949,
NASCAR
has crowned 31
different drivers
as champions of
its top series.
Here they are in reverse order
2014: Kevin Harvick

2013: Jimmie Johnson
2012: Brad Keselowski
2011: Tony Stewart
2005: Tony Stewart
2004: Kurt Busch
2003: Matt Kenseth
2002: Tony Stewart
2001: Jeff Gordon
2000: Bobby Labonte
1999: Dale Jarrett
1998: Jeff Gordon
1997: Jeff Gordon
1996: Terry Labonte
1995: Jeff Gordon
1994: Dale Earnhardt
1992: Alan Kulwicki
1989: Rusty Wallace
1988: Bill Elliott
1985: Darrell Waltrip
1984: Terry Labonte
1983: Bobby Allison

1979: Richard Petty
1978: Cale Yarborough
1975: Richard Petty
1974: Richard Petty
1973: Benny Parsons
1972: Richard Petty
1971: Richard Petty
1970: Bobby Isaac
1969: David Pearson
1968: David Pearson
1967: Richard Petty
1966: David Pearson
1965: Ned Jarrett
1964: Richard Petty
1963: Joe Weatherly
1962: Joe Weatherly
1961: Ned Jarrett
1960: Rex White
1959: Lee Petty
1958: Lee Petty
1957: Buck Baker
1956: Buck Baker
1955: Tim Flock
1954: Lee Petty
1953: Herb Thomas
1952: Tim Flock
1951: Herb Thomas
1950: Bill Rexford
1949: Red Byron
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)

Harry S Truman (1945-1953)
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961)
John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)
Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969)
Richard M. Nixon (1969-1974)
Gerald R. Ford (1974-1977)
Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)
Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)
George Bush (1989-1993)
Bill Clinton (1993-2001)
George W. Bush (2001-2009)
Barack Obama (2009-present)
Claude A. Mayhew (1937 1943)
E. Carroll Beatty (1943 1949)
Robert J. Holshouser (1949 1951)
W. Fred Morrow (1951 1953)
Boyce A. Brawley (1953 1960)
R. T. Brantley (1960 1961)
John C. Miller (1961 1964)
Clyde L. Towell (1964 1965)
Boyce A. Brawley (1965 1969)
Joe V. Knox (1969 1999)
Al Jones (1999 2005)
Bill Thunberg (2005 2009)
Chris Montgomery (2009 2011)
Miles Atkins (2011 present)
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July 12, 2015
Here are some of the more memorable
Academy Awards
Best Picture
winners in Hollywood over the past 75 years

How Green Was My Valley (1941)
Rocky (1976)
Casablanca (1943)
The Deer Hunter (1978)
Going My Way (1944)
Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Ordinary People (1980)
Hamlet (1948)
Chariots of Fire (1981)
All About Eve (1950)
Ghandi (1982)
An American In Paris (1951)
Terms of Endearment (1983)
From Here to Eternity (1953)
Amadeus (1984)
On The Waterfront (1954)
Platoon (1986)
The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)
Rain Man (1988)
Gig (1958)
Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
Ben-Hur (1959)
Silence of the Lambs (1991)
West Side Story (1961)
Schindlers List (1993)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Forrest Gump (1994)
My Fair Lady (1964)
Braveheart (1995)
The Sound of Music (1965)
The English Patient (1996)
A Man for All Seasons (1966)
Titanic (1997)
In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Gladiator (2000)
Oliver! (1968)
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003)
Patton (1970)
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
The French Connection (1971)
The Hurt Locker (2009)
The Godfather (1972)
Argo (2012)
The Sting (1973)
12 Years a Slave (2013)
One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest (1975)
Birdman (2014)
July 12, 2015
Mooresville: City of Champions
World Champion Bull Rider and

Super Bowl victor started here
by Larry Sullivan
hen native sons

J.B. Mauney
and J.R. Sweezy
reached the
promised land
of their respective sports, they
raised the bar for other local
athletes.

Professional bull rider
Mauney, who groomed his
ability on his familys hometown
farm, and professional football
player Sweezy, who perfected
his skills on fields all across
town, hit their respective highwater marks not quite a year
apart to add to Mooresvilles
long list of stellar sports
showings.

Mauney capped one of
the most remarkable secondhalf comebacks in the history
of the Professional Bull Riders
premier Built Ford Tough
Series by fashioning a recordbreaking performance in the
late October of 2013 World
Championship Finals to earn
the right to emerge as the
overall world champion. The
capturing of the coveted
golden belt buckle was worth a
$1 million reward and was used
to stamp Mauney, also named
the organizations Rookie of
the Year, as one of the most
successful riders in PBR history.

As for Sweezy, his rise was
nothing short of meteoric once
he embarked on a career with
the National Football League. A
defensive specialist practically
throughout his youth and high
school playing days -- spent
in Mooresville as well as
during a college career at N.C.
State University, Sweezy was a
seventh-round draft selection
of the Seattle Seahawks in 2012
with the understanding that he
would be transformed into an
offensive lineman.

The position switch paid off
handsomely when the former
high school state heavyweightclass wrestling champion,
polished off his first season as
a fulltime starter at offensive
guard by being a member of
the Super Bowl XLVIII winning
Seattle team in early February
2014.

The coronation of Sweezy
and Mauney as champions of
their sports continued a trend
of sports excellence that has
existed here for 75 years.
Hall of Famer
once pitched for
Mooresville

Some of the towns earliest
treasured athletic memories
date back to the late 1930s.
Thats when the professional
baseball Mooresville Moors
came into existence.

The team played at
the low Class D level
of the pro ranks at a
time when baseball
was more of an
avocation than
a vocation for
the players.
Many team members performed

their regular jobs during the
day, most of them doing so
in the areas factories, before
donning the Moors uniforms
after hours.

The Moors played in a
downtown stadium from
1937 through 1942 before
taking some years off the
field for World War II. Upon
the games return, the team
initially assumed the name
of the Mooresville Braves
to acknowledge its parent
organization but quickly
resorted back to the Moors.
The team remained in existence
into the early 1950s.

The Moors were primarily a
grooming ground for potential
prospects, and several of them
including future Hall of Fame
hurler Hoyt Wilhelm made the
most of the experience to work
their way into the major league
level of competition.

To this day, the Moors
remain the only professional
level organization in team
sports to call Mooresville home.
Post 66, Whitey

Meadows:
A winning
combination

Baseball created other fond
memories here, too.

Once Mooresville native
Donald Whitey Meadows,
who spent some of his own
personal playing days tooling
around the minor leagues,
donned the hat as skipper
of the Mooresville GreshamBaker Post 66 American Legion
baseball team, it appeared
to be glued tight to his head.
Meadows, part of a baseball
family, served as head coach
of the also aptly-named
Moors for in excess of
30 years. Taking the
helm of the program
from the early
1970s into the
next millennium,
Meadows was part of several

generations of players suiting
up for the team and remains the
longest tenured manager in the
programs history.

One former American
Legion Moors player, in
particular, stands out above
the rest. Bryan Harvey had
completed his career with Post
66 and had almost given up
hope of extending his playing
days before being provided
with a chance pitching tryout
session staged at Mooresvilles
Moor Park in 1987. Harvey
impressed attending pro scouts
to the point where he was
offered a professional contract.

It paid off as well, with
Harvey emerging among his
eras top relief pitchers during
an eight-year Major League
Baseball career with two
organizations. The right-hander
who some have credited with
perfecting the split-finger
specialty pitch was twice named
to appear in the MLB All-Star
game and was tabbed the best
at his position when receiving
the American Leagues Relief
Pitcher of the Year Award in
1991, when he topped the
circuit with his 46 saves. He
completed his career with 177
saves.

To this day, Harvey remains
the only former Post 66 product
to reach the major leagues.

Coming full cycle, the site
where the Moors first played
and where Harvey embarked
on his pro career has now been
brought back to life.

An approximately $10,000
project provided a muchneeded facelift for a dilapidated
facility and paved the way for
the game to also be put back
into the sites spotlight. The
presence
of
the Mooresville Spinners,

a collegiate wooden-bat
organization, has breathed
new life into the area, with
additional construction plans
calling for the presence of
similarities to how the park
appeared during its previous
playing heyday.
Lake brought
fishing, yachts
and boat races

When former longtime
Duke Power president Norman
Atwater Cocke was accorded
the distinction of having the
areas energy provider name
its lake after him following the
completion of construction
of the Cowans Ford Dam in
1964, few anticipated the kind
of watery playground that
would ultimately emerge from
the inland seas that covers 50
square miles, features 520 miles
of shore land and borders parts
of as many as five surrounding
counties.

Also immediately, Lake
Norman became a hotbed
of fishing activity. National,
regional, state and local angling
organizations all made it a point
to schedule competitions on
the largest body of manmade
freshwater in North Carolina. It
remains a regular for many such
circuits to the present day.

In addition to fishing,
Lake Norman home to both
the Lake Norman Yacht Club
and an organization within
the International Jet Sports
Boats Association that annually
conducts a competition on
the site -- has attracted and
continues to host on a regular
basis an abundance of events
related to racing in boats of all
shapes and sizes.
Satisfaction for Sweezy and

his offensive line mates after
a job well done against the
Tennessee Titans. Courtesy of
Seattle Seahawks.
July 12, 2015
The home of racers

and their teams

Mooresville became a stopping point
for a host of car racing organizations.
Once dropping the green flag opening
the flood gates to teams to saturate the
area, as many as 60 racing-related outfits
have housed cars in various divisions here.
Additionally, a healthy number of drivers
also have their permanent residences listed
with Mooresville addresses most around
the lake.

Not all of the memorable happenings
surrounding the sports world in general,
and the racing-related genre in particular,
are pleasing.

In February 2001, Mooresville racing
legend Dale Earnhardt died in a finallap wreck at the Daytona 500. Earnhardt
shared the all-time record for NASCAR
championships seven and owned 76
victories in the top division and became an
inaugural member of the NASCAR Hall of
Fame.

From his wreck, however, emerged
some key new safety measures for drivers.
1961 State Football

title still revered

Some of the most revered sportsrelated treasures of the past 75 years have
come from our high schools.

Mooresvilles 1961 football team
remains one of the most talked-about in
school history. That edition of the Blue
Devils prevailed to win the equivalent then
of a state title that remains the only one
in the sport. Some have gone so far as to
embark on a spirited campaign to induct
the entire team into the schools athletic
Hall of Fame.

It was also from the football field in
particular where Mooresville experienced
one of its earliest top-tier individual
accomplishments.

Former Blue Devils product Jean Berry
posted a performance solid enough at
the prep level to merit the earning of a
football scholarship from Duke University.
While with the next level of same-named
Blue Devils, Berry more than left his mark.
An offensive lineman by trade, Berry
reached his pinnacle point by being named
an NCAA All-American following his
impressive 1962 season. During his career
at Duke, Berry named a team captain as a
senior was part of a program that crafted
a 23-8 overall record. He emerged as the
first Mooresville player to merit coveted
All-American status.

More prep-level state titles have also
followed.

Mooresville High has landed multiple
championships in both volleyball, which
it accomplished back-to-back in 1993 and
1994 as state 2A class entries as well as
again in 2004 in the 3A class ranks, and
boys soccer, which saw both the 1989 and

1991 teams lay claim to combination 1A/2A
state title crowns.

And after opening only in 2002, Lake
Norman High wasted little time putting
some of its sports programs up in lights.

Lake Norman has posted multiple 3A
class state championship teams in boys
soccer (2006 and 2007), while also adding
single similar showings in boys swimming,
boys tennis and baseball in the 3A class in
2009, boys basketball in the 4A class ranks
in 2010 and, most recently of all, the latest
2015 girls lacrosse team.
Municipal golf course

undergoing revamp

Golf has stayed a constant in
Mooresvilles fairway since the opening of
the front nine of the Mooresville Municipal
Golf Course back in 1949. Company came
nearly 30 yards later when the town-owned
and public facility added its back nine
in the late fall of 1977. Other than a few
minor adjustments over the years, little
changes took place.

That, though, has all drastically
changed with the course now undergoing
a major route change and layout design
as part of a year-long, multi-million dollar
renovation project.
Duke Power Company President Norman Cocke (right), for whom Lake Norman was named, looks at the site of his own future
pier. Pilings are in the ground among the weeds, as the water gradually approaches in 1963. At left is Bill Benfield. Photo by
Everette Jones.
Flames shoot from the clubhouse at the Mooresville Municipal Golf Course in January, as Mooresville Fire-Rescue burns down
the structure. The training fire followed several days of smaller controlled fires, which were also used as learning scenarios for
firefighters. The clubhouse will be replaced with a new one as part of the year-long reconstruction of the town-owned golf course.
Courtesy of Kim Sellers.
July 12, 2015
LAKE BROUGHT
PEOPLE
INTERSTATE BROUGHT
JOBS
OBAMA BROUGHT
RECOGNITION

What have been the most significant events or moments in Mooresville and South
Iredell since that day 40 years ago when the Tribune rolled off the presses for the first
time? We asked the public to weigh in on the subject, and here are your thoughts:
Dealership
grew
alongside
town
INTERSTATE
+ LAKE
EQUAL NEW
MOORESVILLE

I would have to say the
creation of Lake Norman is
the most significant thing
to happen to Mooresville.
When water and sewer
was extended to the
exit 36 area of I-77, that
really started a fire for our
growth and getting new
industry, but all of that
happened because Lake
Norman was here.

As far as the Tribune
is concerned, one of
the biggest and most
important developments
was when we changed
from hot metal letterpress
printing to offset. That
meant we could print a lot
more pages. That was one
of the first things Leonard
Ive been in Mooresville for the

past 25 years and can remember
the changes just since Ive been
here. Im sure the building of Lake
Norman back in the 1960s was the
beginning of what was to come.
When I arrived, I had 12
employees and 18 vehicles located
downtown. I made a decision to
move out to the two-lane Highway
150 and had to clear trees just to
be seen. There was nothing on
Highway 150.
There are probably more
employees at Lowes headquarters
now than there were in the whole
town when I opened my business.
Highway 150 is now four lanes.
Soon, it will be six lanes. Ive gone
from 12 employees to more than
350 and from 18 vehicles to more
than 2,800 today.
Mooresville has been
fortunate over the years to have
leaders who had the foresight to
plan for what was coming and then
make it happen. So whether its
Lake Norman, our towns location
near three major interstates, the

The creation of Lake
Norman and opening of I-77
made Mooresville the relevant
town it is today. Those two
events were the catalyst for
the emergence of a new
Mooresville as the textile
industry withered on the vine.

Visionaries like Bob Ebert
with his Lakeside Park industrial
park opened the door for Bill
Simpson and Dale Earnhardt
to introduce Mooresville and
Lake Norman to the racing
industry. This led to Roger
Penske building his race shop
in Mooresville in 1990. From
that point onward, Mooresville
had a credible brand and
location that allowed it to draw
Lowes headquarters as well as
many creative and advanced
entrepreneurial industries.
NASCAR teams, Lowes corporate

headquarters, local manufacturing
facilities that have moved here
and flourished, our school systems
-- or whatever you might think
-- we as a community have done
a tremendous job in putting it all
together and making it a great
place to raise our families. Job
well done!
Randy Marion

The enlargement of
the public library and the
progressive leadership of the
Mooresville Graded School
District are tangible proof of
this communitys embrace of
education, which adds to its
marketability.
Cliff Homesley
Sullivan and I did after we

purchased the Tribune in
1969 from the estate of
Tom McKnight.
J.D. Chamberlain
The writer became general
manager of the Tribune in
1952, then part owner from
1969 to 1985.
PRESS
IMPROVEMENTS
FUELED TRIBUNE
GROWTH
July 12, 2015
Little did we know

when we were
seining the Catawba
River that someday
the same body
of water in which
we fished would
become the largest
man-made lake in
North Carolina.

I watched as
all the small farms
that had been here
for ages start to
disappear from
our landscape and
get swallowed
up by housing
developments. I saw
our once bustling
cotton mills that employed thousands of
workers become empty buildings.

We all observed with great interest
as Interstate 77 was completed and the
exceptional growth that followed at
exit 36. It seems that now, we have two
Mooresvilles, one west of I-77 and our
older one in the downtown area.

Thankfully, men and women of vision
stood up and took charge of the future
of one of the best towns in our state and
SMALL
FARMS
REPLACED
BY BIG
HOUSES
Several significant changes to our town
over the past 75 years come to mind. For
example, I remember when they built the
Highway 150 By-Pass that cut right through
my Grandma Rogers property and the
Highway 21 By-Pass around Mooresville
that replaced the local bit of dirt road
called the Brantley Road which ended near
the golf course.

The biggest news was in the early
1960s with the building of the dam at the
site of Nancys Mill in Mecklenburg County.
TOWN
DOUBLES
IN PAST
15 YEARS
continued on pg. 28
began making contingency plans. Thanks

to men like Don Miller who stepped up and
brought the racing industry to Mooresville
and lots of new higher paying jobs. Thanks
to our Chamber of Commerce who sought
out industries to replace the cotton mills.
Thanks to our Chamber who sought out
and landed the International Headquarters
of Lowes, Incorporated.

I have been a member of the Board
of Directors of the Mitchell College
Endowment since its humble beginnings
and feel very proud that we now have a
campus here in Mooresville at the sight
of our old high school. I am proud of its
contribution to our community and the
many scholarships that have been awarded
since the endowments conception.

Indeed, I am a grateful citizen of
Mooresville.
Cotton Ketchie

Congratulations to
the Mooresville Tribune in
celebrating 75 years covering
Mooresville and the entire Lake
Norman Region. Like so many,
I am a transplant, so I can only
comment on the changes since
1999.

In the time period since I
moved to the greatest town in
N.C. to live and work, the town
has doubled in population.
The most recent explosion of
growth was led not only by
the racing industry but also
Lowes headquarters. Combine
local employment options with
top notch school systems and
beautiful Lake Norman, it all
adds up to one of the highest
quality of life communities in
North Carolina.

The past leadership and
natives of Mooresville were

diligent in their planning
and visioning. This insured
Mooresville will continue to
build on strong success and
will prove the highest quality
sense of place. I am proud to
call Mooresville home and thank
you to all the native locals who
opened their arms and hearts to
a gal not from around here.
Lisa Qualls
Town commissioner
Life is complicated.
Healthcare doesnt have to be.

160 Medical Providers. 32 Specialties.
One Choice. Piedmont HealthCare.

Obstetrics
Cosmetic Medicine
Occupational Medicine
Critical Care Medicine
Internal Medicine
Multiple Sclerosis
Specialist

Pediatrics

Sleep Medicine

July 12, 2015
POLICE
CHIEF:
LAKE
CHANGED
OUR LIVES

Since the creation of Lake Norman
has had such an enormous impact
on Mooresville and our way of life, I
think it should be considered one of
the most significant events in the last
75 years. For those of us that were in
the area before the lake, it has even
more significance because we have
witnessed the sustained and at times
explosive growth of Mooresville and the
surrounding area.

As a young child growing up in the
early 1960s, we lived near Cornelius.
Since it was such a small town at the
time, my mother would take us to either
Charlotte or Mooresville to shop for
church and school clothes. I have very
fond memories of Mooresville during
that time, especially the downtown
area. Also during this time, I remember
my father taking me around the area
and watching the land being cleared
and the future Lake Norman beginning
to take shape.

One of my most vivid memories
was watching the water begin to creep
across the roads in the area as the

lake began to fill up. At the time, I do
not think many residents in the area
-- including those living in Mooresville
-- had any idea of the impact Lake
Norman would have on our way of life.
Even as late as the 1970s and early
80s, we could travel the entire length
of Brawley School Road and not meet
another car.

From a historical perspective, Lake
Norman has been a significant factor
as our area has evolved. The lake has
definitely shaped our identity.
Carl W. Robbins
Mooresville Chief of Police
IT TOOK
6 YEARS
TO FILL
THE LAKE
Cowans Ford Country Club was the first full-service recreational facility on Lake
Norman, developed by and for Duke Power employees and their families. This areial
photo was taken by Cindy Jacobs in 1963.
Three quarters of a century! How tempus does fugit.

It was my privilege to serve the Tribune
as editor for 31 of those years, beginning in
February 1961.

Our family came to a textile town which the
1960 census gave a population of 4,900. There
were a few hundred more in surrounding mill
villages, but the town had not annexed at all
beyond the original mile around the Depot.

Late in February 1961, construction was
completed at Cowans Ford Dam, and the gates
were closed. That held back the Catawba River

and created Lake Norman.

Filling the lake basin -- which required
more than six years to clear of trees and
buildings took over two more years. Today, of
course, Lake Norman is the largest fresh water
impoundment in the state, and a recreational
marvel that has changed the character and
economy of Mooresville and the entire fourcounty region it borders.
POLICE
ATTITUDE
REFLECTS
LEADERSHIP
OBAMA CAME
BECAUSE
SCHOOLS
LEAD THE
WAY
continued on pg. 30
Leonard
Sullivan

The Mooresville Police
Department continues to be
the change the Mooresville
community needs to see. I
applaud Chief Carl Robbins and
his staff for their efforts to know
the community and reflect every
citizen they serve every day.
The MPD actively participates
in Juneteenth, National Night
Out, Badges for Baseball and
Safety Town.

Years ago, I was told,
Do not trust or talk to a
police officer because he is a
stranger in uniform. Times
have changed. Unfortunately,
violence invaded schools
nationwide. I am grateful to
have school resource officers
protecting all children every
day. Our community police
officers serve and protect
citizens every day. With all the
things happening nationwide

between the black community
and the police, we must have a
mutual respect for one another.
Attitude reflects leadership.

Thank you, MPD, for
continuing to be the change the
Mooresville community needs
to see.

I think that the visit by
President Obama was the
highlight for the Mooresville
area. I believe that without a
doubt his visit let the whole
country know that Mooresville
was taking majors steps
in being technologically
developed among the leaders
in educational advancements.

And in that regard, let
me discuss the reason for the
Presidents visit to our fair city.
The Mooresville Graded School
District is making enormous
advances in education. We
are among the leaders in that
regard. Thanks to our local
leaders as well as our teachers,

and also to the parents and
finally the students themselves.

I must mention the opening
of Mitchell Community College
here in the Mooresville area.
Students that cant get to
the Statesville campus can
now enjoy the convenience of
studying at Mitchell here in
Mooresville. MCCs presence
here tells Iredell County as
well as North Carolina that
Mooresville is serious about
education.
Barbara Johnson
Recreation Center Supervisor
Winnie L. Hooper Center
Randy Cherry
July 12, 2015
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PRESIDENT
OBAMAS
VISIT MADE
MEMORIES

I have had the honor of being in
Mooresville for almost 30 years. Here are
my more impactful memories as a resident
of Mooresville:

When highway 150 went from 2 lanes
to 4 lanes - what a huge development in
our community and more efficient mode
of transportation! When the Mooresville
Police Department moved from its Main
Street location to its current location with
the skate park -- a great move up for
those that protect our community!

When Rocky River Elementary School
opened and the re-districting of the
Mooresville Graded School District
occurred our community pushed through
and remains united around our children.

I also believe Dale Earnhardts death
was a significant impact to our community.

People heard Mooresvilles name more than
ever as Mr. Earnhardts home, and highway
3 (formerly 136) had seen more visitors
than its entire history.

Finally, I must mention when President
Barack Obama came to Mooresville Middle
School. As the principal, this was a surreal
experience that our students and staff will
ALWAYS remember. I have never been so
stressed as I was that entire week, but it
was all worth it as our students had the
honor to interact with the President of the
United States.

I will never forget the feeling of walking
into the Mooresville Middle School gym
with President Obama and all of our
students. The energy and temperature
EDUCATION
IS OUR
FOUNDATION
OBAMA,
LOWES, I-77
RAISED OUR
PROFILE

My grandparents started
working in Burlington Mills when
World War II ended and retired as
the textile industry closed in the
1980s. I remember the influx of
the NASCAR community and the
excitement of having race teams as
our neighbors.

While Lake Norman has never
been the huge change driver in our
town, many people loved the lake
and were glad to move here and
call Mooresville home. I remember
Highway 150 being two lanes from
Mooresville to the Lincoln County
line, with almost no stoplights, and
Exit 36 just had two gas stations.

As businesses began expanding
to the lake area, downtown
Mooresville nearly died. A group
of individuals revitalized downtown
allowing Mooresville to continue
to expand, and maintain the smalltown feel.

However, the most significant
change to Mooresville in the last
75 years is the improvement in the
Mooresville Graded School District.
Carrie Tulbert
Wells Fargo 2014 North Carolina Principal
of the Year
at Mooresville Middle School

Education is the foundation
of all strong countries, states,
counties, cities and towns. It
is what helps create a strong
culture, a vibrant society and a
place families want to live and
raise their children.

Economically, it creates an
educated workforce, a hard
working and success driven
environment and a location
where companies want to
conduct their business and
locate. Education has helped
deliver all these things to
Mooresville.

Therefore, I believe the
continuous personal, emotional
and financial commitment
by the people of Mooresville

to their schools and overall
education excellence is one of
the most influential events in
the towns last 75 years.

In my time, early major
positive factors were textile
industry stability until the 1980s
and the mid-1960s school
integration, which reduced
apathy and raised awareness of
common interests.

In the 1960s, Dukes
creation of Lake Norman and
the building of I-77 raised
Mooresvilles profile as a
destination for recreation,
residence, and new business.
The influx of race teams helped
to temper the economic loss
of textile firms, and the rise of
MGSD as a national leader in
public education, particularly
in including technology to
enhance learning, has served
to further enhance our town
as a residential and business
destination.

Finally, the arrival of Lowes
corporate headquarters has
been icing on our cake.
Lowes has added employment
opportunities and contributed
valuable financial support to
the Mooresville Library, Lowes
YMCA, and local sports and
education. President Barack
Obamas June 2013 visit to
Mooresville Middle School was
an exciting historical event that
further raised our communitys
national profile.
The district has transformed itself

from a small city school district to
arguably the best school district in
the country.

After putting computers in the
hands of every student, we saw
vast improvement in test scores
and graduation rates. The school
district is one of the main reasons
Mooresville is known nationwide,
something which was enhanced by
our 2013 visit from the President of
the United States.
Larry Wilson
MGSD Board of Education
were high! And again, what a testament to

our community and the opportunities that
are provided to our children.
N.C. Rep. John Fraley

Mooresville
Gene Millsaps
IMPROVED
SCHOOLS,
BETTER
COMMUNITY
July 12, 2015
milestones. In it
you will read of
two of the greatest
examples of the
American success
story as the lives
of Selma Burke
and John Mack
exemplify. Burke
rose to international
prominence as the
daughter of slaves
to become a world
renowned sculptress,
and John Mack
portrays the best of
an immigrants story
as his grandfather
and father
immigrated here for
religious freedom
-- and he seized the opportunities given
him to become one of the worlds foremost
bankers.

In 1973, we celebrated our local
centennial year, with Dr. Selma Burke
making a triumphant return home. Since
then the Tribune continues to keep pace
with our events and story & the Mooresville
Museum & the Mooresville Historic
Preservation Commission continue to
collect and preserve the past that still tells
our story.

Our economy is well diversified now,
as we are no longer a mill town. The
formation of Lake Norman has provided
a great natural resource- that our Town
has succeeded in obtaining the ability to
draw up to 20 million gallons of water
a day from a depth of 4 feet lower

than would force the closing of McGuire
Nuclear Station. We have access to electric
power, gas, fiber-optic capacity, and world
renowned education. We have the tools
to provide for future generations to build
upon our current successes. We have had
wise progressive leadership for generations
that has worked to secure these resources.
I am proud to have served in a moment of
that leadership.

Now our community is no longer made
up of primarily Scots-Irish immigrants
coming down the Great Wagon Road from
Maryland & Pennsylvania -- but of new
transplants from around the nation and the
globe who seek their own legacy as part
of this great community. The fabric of their
talents and gifts will become a piece of the
unique patchwork that will quilt the story of
Mooresville for many generations to come.
visit that personifies

the experience in a
special way that I will
never forget.
We had received
strict instructions
from the White
House staff that the
President would
depart immediately
after speaking in the
gym at Mooresville
Middle School. The
Secretary, however,
would be staying to speak with educators.
Prior to the presidents speech, while we
were walking to the gym after his arrival,
President Obama wanted to know what we
would be discussing with Secretary Duncan
after he left. I told him that some of our
best teachers would be sharing the keys to
their success.

After the Presidents speech, Secretary
Duncan joined 10 of our best Mooresville
Graded School District teachers around a
table for open dialogue. We were really

getting into the discussion, when the door
opened and the President strode in smiling
and saying, I wanted to have a chance to
learn from the best.

He spent 15 minutes with us, had
photos made, and shook hands and talked
to each teacher. As he left the room, I
shook his hand. Every child, every day,
was all the President said and that said
it all.
COMMUNITY
ENRICHED
BY
PROGRESSIVE
SPIRIT

There have been many significant
events and changes in this area, from its
early settling by Scots-Irish Presbyterians in
the 1750s to the establishment of Moores
Siding as a railway entrepreneurial venture
a hundred years later.

Our community has always had a
progressive spirit and has worked to
secure its own place. Early residents
combined resources to provide for schools,
water, electrification, and phones, and an
industrial base in our cotton mills. A solid
infrastructure to build a more promising
future has always been integral to our local
legacy.

Through most of the 20th century
as a mill town, the Tribune captured our
history on an ongoing basis and is a record
of significant events as well as personal
EVERY CHILD
EVERY DAY

When pondering the question about
the most significant event during my time
in Mooresville, the moment that pops out
to me was a specific moment during the
visit from President Barack Obama in June
2013 at Mooresville Middle School.

Having the President and Secretary of
Education visit our district and honor the
students and teachers in the Mooresville
Graded School District was significant
in and of itself. However, there was a
particular moment during the Presidents
SCHOOL
DISTRICT
MAKES US
PROUD
continued on pg. 32

My congratulations to the
Mooresville Tribune for its 75 years of
service to the citizens of Mooresville.
September will mark the 26th year that
I have been a resident of Mooresville. I
have seen the expansion of I-77 and a
commute to exit 6 that used to take me
thirty two minutes balloon into an hour
and ten minute drive.

For me, though, the biggest
event that I have had the pleasure of
participating in was the visit in 2013
from President Barack Obama. This
visit was due to the Mooresville Graded
School District, a district that leads the
country and the world in the use of
digital technology in the classroom, its
staff and its incredible visionary Dr.
Mark Edwards, who truly believes that
Mac Herring
Town commissioner
The writer, a town commissioner, died
shortly after submitting this retrospective:
Mark Edwards
Superintendent, Mooresville Graded School
District
every child and every family that is
touched by his district has significant
value!

If I had to sum it up, the most
significant thing to happen here has
been the hiring of Dr. Edwards as the
Mooresville Graded School Districts
superintendent.
J. Leon Pridgen II
MGSD Board of Education
Congratulations Mooresville Tribune
New Mooresville location at 202 Williamson Road, Ste 201, Mooresville, NC 28117
www.HOIC.org
(704) 663-0051
July 12, 2015
WE HAVE
SEEN GARAGE
MAHAL,
THE DONALD
AND NJROTC

The most significant thing to
me has been watching how the
community pulls together for
the good of all. One example:
The MSI Chamber developed
the idea of the industrial
park, and making it happen
were the chamber, the county
commissioners, town council,
legislators and others in our
community.

When the hospital building
was sold, again the chamber
proposed a citizen center,
again the town council, county
commissioners, legislators and
others made it happen.

We had three school systems
with challenges, but their boards
developed the present plan
with the support of the county
commissioners. Without water
and sewer and transportation
we would not have benefitted
from the great ideas. Thanks
to the people who planned
and pushed, sometimes with

harsh disapproval , and kept
working to widen Plaza Drive,
Brawley School Road, build a
larger capacity water and sewer
system.

And thanks to the
companies who took a chance
on our community. As I have
watched other communities
compete internally, I have seen
our community support and
encourage each other for a
better future.
baseball complex off Judas

Road two decidedly different
outcomes!

Dale Earnhardt Inc.s
garage mahal and Dales
death before its completion,
our new status as the proud
beneficiaries of four I-77 exits,
J.R. Sweezy, Mike Carter, Hal
Capps, Kay Bowles, Sean Millis,
Frank Fields, and, finally, the
introduction, growth, and
success of Mooresville High
Schools NJROTC Program!
Mike Powden
OUR
COMMUNITY
PULLS
TOGETHER
Robert Brawley
SOLDIER
IS OUR
TRUE HERO

Mooresville has had many
significant moments and
events, but several stand out
to me.

The town has had good
professional leadership, with
Mayor Joe V. Knox particularly
coming to mind. Also, there
was the sale of Lowrance
Hospital, which paved the
way for our wonderful Citizen
Center, and the relocating
of Lowes headquarters to
Mooresville.

Of course, Don Miller led
the way for NASCAR teams to
move to the area we have

I have witnessed what we all
have:

Brawley School Road (off
which I live) grew from a quiet
two-lane to a bustling fourlane, Mooresville successfully
morphed from Port City
to Race City, high school
enrollment doubled, the Point
and then the Donald, the
growth of Mallard Head G.C.s
annual Hospice Tournament
and its attendant philanthropy,
Morrison Plantation et al,
passing of drink by the glass
rules and the infusion of
quality restaurants, MGSDs
technology initiatives, the
worlds largest denim plant
shuttered and reemerging as a
destination furniture-shopping
megamart, providing a Color
Guard for innumerable events
and occasions including the
groundbreaking of the new LKN
hospital and the envisioned
always had good schools and

leaders for them there was
the creation and development
of Lake Norman and we
have an active chamber of
commerce and downtown
commission.

On April 20, 2012,
Mooresville welcomed home a
true American hero, severely
wounded Corp. Garrett Carnes,
and presented him with a Key
To Our Town. It was a great
day for Mooresville and a day
that made so many in our
community proud.

I was certainly proud, but
humbled to be Mayor that day.
It was a remarkable moment
in our towns history and Ill

always cherish.
Miles Atkins
Mooresville Mayor
HOSPITAL
SALE,
NASCAR
TEAMS
Mitchell Mack
years. In 1940, Tom

and Marie McKnight
consolidated
two newspaper
companies to make
one strong weekly.
The end of World
War II in 1945 saw
the printing of
one of the largest
editions ever of the
Tribune, and the
end of the Korean
Conflict in 1953
began continuous
economic growth
here.
In 1961,
Mooresville
extended industry
to the Hwy. 150
By-Pass with the opening of Draymore
Manufacturing. That year, the Tribune won
a major state award for its first Industrial
Special Edition.

In 1963, Lake Norman filled up with
FROM WWII
TO OBAMA,
TRIBUNE HAS
BEEN THERE

A hearty salute to the Tribune during
its Diamond Anniversary Celebration and
to Mooresville for supporting their local
paper!

There are so many stories and folks that
need to be mentioned over the past 75
water and became a great place to live,

play and to locate businesses. In 1973,
when Mooresville marked its centennial,
town leaders realized that water and sewer
is the key to industrial growth, and in 1978
NASCAR teams started moving here.

The 1982 creation of the MooresvilleSouth Iredell Economic Development
Corporation was a big step for the town,
too, and in 2013 our highly esteemed
Mooresville Graded School District
received a visit from the President of The
United States.

Heres wishing Mooresville and the
Tribune many more years of success.
Nick Carrington
Former Tribune GM
July 12, 2015

Congratulations to the
Mooresville Tribune for 75 years
of being an up-to-date source
of local news and information to
this community.

Mooresville has grown from
a small, sleeping mill town to
the vibrant, active and exciting
community. There are many
events that have taken place
to change the character of the
community. The creation of
Lake Norman and the growth of
the Motorsports industry have
allowed Mooresville to shed the
name of a small mill town to a
town of expanding markets.

The arrival of Mitchell
Community College has
paved the way toward a more
educated labor market that has
attracted many new industries
such as NGK and others. Most
important was the expanding
of Highway 150 from Interstate
77 into downtown Mooresville,
opening up much business
growth along the way.

I recall when my partners
and I were developing 92
acres at exit 36 which now
houses Mooresvilles largest
LEADERSHIP
PAVED
WAY FOR
GROWTH

The creation of Lake
Norman and construction
of Interstate 77 were very
significant to Mooresville at the
time they were built, but over
the past 75 years they have
become even more significant.

Mooresvilles convenience
to Charlotte by interstate and
geography with residences
attraction to the beauty of the
Lake has led the way in creating
an environment that has
allowed Mooresville to become
a World Class community with
a diverse economy, nationally
recognized school system, and
a quality of life that is truly
unique.

This has enabled
Mooresville the ability to
weather the storms by
attracting quality employment;
including NASCAR, Lowes,
Ingersoll-Rand, Mitchell
Community College, National
Retailers, Langtree at the Lake,
and many more. Quality jobs

being created, building a strong
diverse tax base for the future.

In the past Mooresville has
been called The Port City
and Race City USA. Today it
stands apart as a place where
neighbors speak, business
thrives, and it just feels like
home.

If we could close our eyes
for just a moment and ask
ourselves, what Mooresville
would look like today if Lake
Norman and Interstate 77 had
never been built, it would for
sure be a very different town.
shopping center as well as WalMart. We had to commit and

guarantee to create so many
jobs at exit 36 in order to get a
state grant to bring water and
sewer to the properties. As a
result, thousands of jobs were
created and exit 36 today is a
destination point for travelers
on I-77, staying in the many
motels there.

Of course, the arrival of
Lowes world headquarters
has positively affected
Mooresville with job growth and
development of business in the
Mt. Mourne area.

Much credit belongs to the
many community leaders of
the past who paved the way to
make Mooresville a great place
to live and work.
Pete Meletis
LAKE AND
INTERSTATE
DROVE JOBS
HERE
Rick Howard
COUNTRY
STYLE
MADE US
GREAT
continued on pg. 34

As someone who grew up in
Mooresville, I am very proud of the
strides that the town has made.
Mooresville has become the place
in recent years for shopping and for
the wonderful school system that we
have in place. Many families have
moved here and now are enjoying
the same southern charm that has
been the norm for us.

Because my family has been here
for such a long time, I remember
everything from days spent on Lake
Norman to taking my first college
course at Mitchell Community
College in Mooresville. We have
been very fortunate to replace some
of our lost textile mills with Race City
and Lowes headquarters moving to
our town.

All of these changes to the
economic growth of Mooresville
have brought many new ideas to

our Mayberry but hopefully the
heart and soul of this booming town
will remain the focus. This is the
place where I wanted to raise my
children and have them embrace the
country style that has made us great.
The place where we meet at the
Mooresville Ice Cream Shop and say
hello to your neighbors. That is why I
love calling Mooresville my home.
Robbie Turner
October 16-18, 2015
Statesville Regional Airport

Statesville, NC
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facebook.com/CarolinaBalloonFest twitter.com/CarolinaBalloon
July 12, 2015
WE BUILT IT,
THE JOBS
CAME
Oh my! What a very different city we live

in today compared with my coming to
Mooresville in the 1970s. I am so proud of
our towns leadership for working to keep
our town so vibrant!

One of the greatest improvements
is the widening of Highway 150. In the
1970s, we lived on the lake in the summers.
It would take less than 10 minutes on a
two-lane road from Perth Road to get a
loaf of bread in town, for that was the
closest place. Now it takes 30 minutes to
an hour to go that distance on four lanes
because of the traffic caused by all these
improvements.

The Joe Knox Era was a very
progressive one for our town. My husband,
Darrell Wilson, was a commissioner for
19 years. During that time our industrial
revolution began. Business parks came
into existence, and they brought many
industries here, such as NGK Ceramics,
Best Sweet and several others. Later, the
racing industry, Lowes corporate offices, a
new Lake Norman Regional Medical Center,
and many other prosperous businesses
moved here.

The most important event, however,
came with the hiring of Dr. Mark Edwards
as superintendent
of the Mooresville
Graded School
District. Other
exceptional educators
arrived, too. And with
them came the era of
digital conversion.
We have been able to
put laptop computers
in the hands of every
child.

Students are
succeeding beyond
our expectations.
Test scores are out
the roof. Graduation
is superb. We are
known around
the world for our
successful education of Every Child Every
Day. President Obama even came here
for a visit because of educational success.
I believe the success of our schools is
the number one reason our town and
surrounding areas have flourished.

Thank you, Mooresville Tribune, for
your success, and congratulations on your
75 years!
LIVE IN
LAKE
NORMAN,
HOW DEEP
IS THAT?

I moved to Mooresville in
1987 and have since witnessed
the incredible transformation
of the area. Over the years,
I beheld the decline and
subsequent resurgence of
downtown Mooresville, the
renaming of Highway 136 to
Highway 3 in honor of Dale
Earnhardts tragic death, the
creation of several new public,
private, and charter schools, and
the addition of two new exits 32
and 35 off of Interstate 77.

The most striking change,
which has prompted most if
not all of the others, has been
the sheer rise in the number
of residents in Mooresville and
the surrounding Lake Norman
community. When I first came to
the town, exit 36 boasted only
one grocery store and two gas
stations. Now, there seems to
be one or both on every corner.

I knew the location and
beauty of the area would
draw people to Mooresville;
however, I did not expect it to
happen quite so rapidly. The
new restaurants and shopping

To me, the biggest
events that helped shape the
Mooresville of today were
these:

1. The merger of the
chamber of commerce and
the Mooresville merchants
association.

2. The decision to recruit
industry with 25 to 50 jobs so
that if we lost one it would
not be like trying to replace a
company with a 1,000 jobs like
the textile industry of that day.
3. The formation of the
Mooresville Business Park in
1989 and the recruitment of
Panasonic (Matsushita Electric
Corp.).
4. The extension of water
and sewer to exit 36 in 19881989.
centers that have stemmed

from the population growth are
an appreciated and enjoyable
result, but the ever-increasing
traffic, especially during the
summer and race season, is less
appreciated.

As an obstetrician
gynecologist, two of the most
noticeable and relevant changes
for me have been the move of
Lake Norman Regional Medical
Center from downtown and
the introduction of the Lowes
headquarters near the hospital.
Not only did the hospitals
patient volume soar because of
the relocation, but the number
of babies we have delivered
increased significantly as well.
Teresa Melvin, MD

5. Racing came to
Mooresville with the
development of their hightech suppliers and shops which
became the forerunner of our
high tech industry and allowed
us to have a high-tech initiative
and help in our recruiting
success.
Ron Johnson
WIDER
HWY. 150
WELCOMED
PEOPLE

As far as economic impact
I would say Lake Norman,
losing our textile industry,
Dale Earnhardt moving
here followed by the rest of
NASCAR calling this area
home, and Lowes relocating
here.

And then there is still
the relocating of Lowrance
Hospital that many natives to
Mooresville felt was a slap in
the face.

The changing of the real
Mooresville is different. Its
amusing to hear people talk
about how they remember
when Wal-mart was at Plaza
and McClelland. How about
Belk and Hardees on Main?
KFC & Ford Motor Co. on
Broad? How about heading
out 150 West and passing
Nelson Royal and knowing
Sue Wilson
MGSD board of
education
you were pretty much out of

town at that point?

And you were only going
out that way to go fishing
anyway on a lake where
jewelry wasnt required as yet?
Oh, and you could easily pick
up your needed bait at the
hardly noticeable Exit 36? Now
folks will tell you they live
IN Lake Norman. Ive often
wondered at what depth?
David Whitlow
MORE
BABIES,
MORE
BUSINESS
July 12, 2015
WE CONTINUE
TO GROW,
PROSPER

As a public servant for
almost 40 years, what stands
out to me is how resilient
the Town of Mooresville is
amid business closings or
relocating.

In the early 1990s, Belk
announced a move from
downtown to be closer to
the interstate. That resulted
in demolition of a former
movie theatre, jewelry store,
furniture store, and of course,
Belk. While there was reason
to panic about the future
of downtown, our leaders
and business owners were
determined to move forward.
The result is a destination
point with daily activity,
restaurants, and the Charles
Mack Citizen Center.

More bad news hit in
the late 1990s as Burlington
Industries closed the
Mooresville plant that was
once our largest employer
and taxpayer. Everyone
knows that an abandoned mill
is hard to sell, occupy, and
becomes an eyesore. That
former textile mill building
also became a destination
point for furniture.

Textiles leaving made
room for jobs in motorsports
and advanced manufacturing.
Other jobs were created with
an ice cream cone and almost go

back in time and see just how far
Mooresville has come.

We have a one-of-a kind
Veterans Museum and gathering
place at Richards Coffee Shop
-- Welcome Home Veterans
-- that Richard Warren opened
for veterans who were passing
through. Now they come from
every state. Yes, much has
changed in our great little town
as many come together each year
to assist in raising toys for needy
children with the Toys for Tots
and other organizations that open
their hearts to those in need.

Our Charles Mack Citizen
Center is one of the finest assets
Mooresville has. We have much
to be proud of in this little town
that I now call home. What more
could you want that isnt already
offered?
Bobby Compton
Town commissioner
a m e r i c a n a u t o m o t i v e g r o u p n c .c o m
Home of the
CHARM AND
GROWTH:
A WINNING
COMBINATION

I moved to Mooresville in
January 1990 after having spent
many years since 1978 traveling
from Concord to Lake Norman
on weekends to spend lazy warm
days floating around on Lake
Norman.

The future exit 36 at I-77 was
nothing more than woods on both
sides with a gas station on the
right where Dale Earnhardt used
to hang around. Highway 150
was a simple two-lane country
road that has exploded into
the high traffic areas bustling
with business on both sides that
stretch for many miles west.

Many upscale housing
developments sprung up, turning
this country bumpkin town into
a highly desired locale for many
northerners that now call Lake
Norman home.

We have so much to be proud
of with the growth that I have
seen over the past 37 years. With
NASCAR, we have boasted about
the high-profile drivers that live
here and movies that have been
filmed here.

We have quaint antique
shops, art galleries and one of the
oldest hardware stores around.
There is such charm in Mooresville
that you can sit back and have
industries moving into newly

formed business parks.

In 1999, Lake Norman
Regional Medical Center
moved to a new location on
Fairview Road. A hospital that
had been near downtown for
over 70 years was now in a
state of the art new facility
near I-77. Concern over an
old abandoned building that
was once Lowrance Hospital
was turned into the Iredell
County Government Center
offering county services in
South Iredell.

Throughout our towns
history announcements have
been made concerning lost
jobs, empty buildings, and
reason for concern or panic
possibly affecting our quality
of life. Mooresville has
survived to grow, prosper,
and provide excellent service
for our citizens.
Lifetime Engine
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FINANCING
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704-799-2886
Vivian C. Meletis
continued on pg. 36
Monday - Friday 9:00AM - 7:00PM

Saturday 9:00AM - 5:00PM Sunday Closed
a m e r i c a n a u t o m o t i v e g r o u p n c .c o m
July 12, 2015
LOWES
BROUGHT
3000 JOBS

During my short time in
Mooresville, I would say our
school system is the most
significant thing. We have
had the state and the national
superintendent of the year as
well as the state principal of the
year.

District is recognized worldwide
as a leader in public school
education. The leadership of
our system is outstanding, which
makes Mooresville the place

to be!
Hal Capps
MHS football coach
MOORESVILLE
IS NOW
A MORE
WELCOMING
PLACE

Burlington Industries
brought my family to
Mooresville, which has
been our family home
for 35 years. During that
time the town has grown
from a rustic rural textile
community to a vibrant
diversified community.

I was not happy to
be here at that time. The
7-11 Store was closed on
Sundays until 1 p.m. My
first full day in our new
home on the east side
of town I had to drive to
the interstate searching
for an open gas station
and hoping not to run
out of gas all the while
wondering what kind of
place this Mooresville was.
The necessities for daily
living were here but it was
a closed community to
newcomers, so the growth
was stymied.

All that has changed,
and today the Mooresville/
Lake Norman area has
changed to become a
welcoming community
for people and industry

of diverse interests and
talents. I feel and see the
excitement happening here
and love it.

In 1985 I moved my
business from Charlotte to
Mooresville as I saw the
area beginning to change
and felt the welcoming
of local business and
residents. I saw local
business people work
to make major changes
in the community and
as the textile industry
left new opportunities
were recruited to replace
the lost industry and a
new attitude was being
developed to envelope the
area.
and continues to play a crucial

role in our economic success.

I cant wait to see what the
next 75 years bring!
David Coble
Town commissioner
SCHOOL
SYSTEM
MAKES US
PROUD
The Guild, by way of the

commissioners vote, became
a quasi-municipal service
and has worked since that
time to develop the former
Depot into a visual arts center
for the area. Working with the
Town of Mooresville, members
and supporters of the Guild
remodeled the Ticket and
Waiting Areas of the building
to include heated and air
conditioned meeting rooms,
rest rooms, and a gallery. The
warehouse area was cleaned
but left in its original condition.

The Depot now serves as a regional
culture center (Lake Norman area/Iredell
County) as its the only center of its
kind between Charlotte and Hickory. It
continues to serve artist and people who
enjoy art and strives to be a resource and
advocate for creative expression. You will
DEPOT
FLOURISHES
AS CULTURE
CENTER

From a cultural standpoint one needs to
look back to March 6, 1978 when the Town
Board voted to allow the Mooresville Artist
Guild (today known as Mooresville Arts)
to use the town-owned Southern Railway
Depot. The Depot had played a major
economic role in the growth of Mooresville
until 1954, when passenger service was
discontinued and the building abandoned.

So much has changed in
Mooresville the last 75 years,
but I immediately go to the
relocation of Lowes corporate
offices to Mooresville. We have
had great companies locate
here before and since, but
Lowes bringing over 3,000 jobs
was huge for our town.

Id also say the tremendous
success of the Mooresville
Graded School District cant
be overlooked. We have a
nationally renowned school
district that serves as a draw for
new residents and corporations
find outstanding Exhibits, both local and

international; competitions/judged events;
educational activities for all ages to include
workshops, after-school and home school
programs; and outreach programs.

In 1954 the Depot ceased its economic
impact on the area but it was restored in
1978 and continues to play an important
role today. In 2014, the Depot attracted
over 7,000 visitors which supports
expanded tourism and foot traffic to the
downtown area while helping attract
businesses and people to our rapidly
growing area.
Leo Gordon
Lakeside
Neurology
offers a more natural, holistic

approach to your medical problems
Shop Online at
www.drlorischneiderstore.com
Lori Schneider, M.D.
704-896-5591
Ellen Patterson
July 12, 2015
LAPTOPS FOR
STUDENTS:
A WISE
INVESTMENT

When thinking about
the standout changes to our
community of the past 30 or
so years, many things come to
mind.

As a child; I remember
shopping downtown at Belk
with my mom. Main Street was
full and busy. However, Belk
decided to move to a new
location and it seemed much of
downtown left with it. Buildings
were vacant and the streets
were empty. However, over
the past 10 years this has been
reversed and again downtown
is busy and vibrant -- day and
night.

I remember when the
Mooresville phone book was
about a quarter-inch thick -including both business and
residential customers!

A very sad and scary
day came in the late-1990s
when Burlington Industries
announced it was closing here.
How would the town survive
without its biggest employer?

When I came to Mooresville
in 1991, the intersection of
Williamson and Brawley School
roads was a four-way stop with
a firewood for sale sign on
the corner. Many things have
changed in the years since then!

The most significant
change, in my opinion, revolves
around issuing of laptop
computers to the students of
both the Mooresville Graded
School District and the IredellStatesville Schools. Putting
computers into the hands
of our students has allowed
our children to receive a 21st
century education. Our children
are on the cutting edge of what
it truly means to be global
learners. The opportunities that
are afforded our students today
will reap economic benefits
However, someone was working

hard because new businesses,
hotels and restaurants come to
highway 150. What had been a
two-lane road with nothing but
trees became congested with
cars and folks trying to get to
all the new shops and eateries.
Mooresville even got its own
movie theater!

One of my proudest
Mooresville moments was the
homecoming of Cpl. Garrett
Carnes. Our community came
together and honored a true
hero in a big way. I think
Mooresville did that one right.
for our community for years to

come.

I am (and have always
been) a proud member of the
public education network in
Iredell County. One thing that
hasnt changed is the fact that
we have two excellent public
school systems that continue to
offer a premium education to
the children of our community.
Boen Nutting, Ed.D

Principal, Mt. Mourne School
WE GOT
OUR OWN
MOVIE
THEATER
Eddie Dingler
Town commissioner
WATER AND
SEWER PLANS
HELPED CITY
GROW

When I began my career with
the Town of Mooresville in 1965,
there was little growth here. I
recall either the 1970 or 1980
census had a decline and was
not expected. A little later in
the early 1990s, the mayor, town
commissioners, as well as all
department heads, other boards
and interested citizens were
invited to attend a presentation
on future growth in our town.

Dr. John Connaughton,
Director of the UNCC Economic
Forecast, made the presentation.
It was very difficult for me to
digest the population estimates
that he was presenting. I must
say that he was right on the
money. When my children were
younger, we did not even have
a McDonalds restaurant. I saw a
huge difference in growth when
some very insightful business
people decided it would be a
great idea to extend water and
sewer lines to the intersection of
Interstate 77 and N.C. 150.

Cornelius had a business
or two at the intersection of
Catawba Avenue and Interstate
77 before there was public
water and sewer there. Our
town leaders learned from

Cornelius mistake and made
certain to have water and sewer
in place before constructing
a restaurant. Now we have so
many restaurants out N.C. 150 it
is impossible to visit all of them.
The growth to me has been
all positive with the exception
of the traffic which is totally
expected. The only downside
that I remember so well in the
last 75 years was the closing of
Burlington Industries (this facility
at one time was the largest in
the world under one roof), and
all the industries on N.C. 150
By-Pass.
RATES
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Its no accident more people trust
State Farm to insure their cars.
Talk to your neighborhood
State Farm Agent today.
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562 River Hwy, suite 4
P.O. Box 5566
Mooresville, NC 28117
Business: 704-799-2480
[email protected]
LIKE A GOOD NEIGHBOR

Barbara Whittington
Assistant Town Manager
(retired 2001)
continued on pg. 38
STATE FARM IS THERE.
Providing Insurance and Financial Services
July 12, 2015

To us, the key moments for Mooresville

in the past 75 years were:

1. When Mayor Knox and the town board
were able to get our water-sewer capacity
increased to bring more industry to Mooresville;

2. The stream of people that Lake Norman
brought to South Iredell.
LAKE
BROUGHT
STREAM OF
PEOPLE TO
OUR AREA
Chick and Chuck Pless

Pless-Haire Insurance Agency
THE CENTENNIAL

Our biggest event?
Our centennial.
Jill Parker Lowe
HUGO GAVE US A KNOCK

Lowes Home Improvement
moving here, and Hurricane Hugo
hitting us in 1989.
Dave Conklin
FROM PORT CITY TO

RACE CITY USA

The bicentennial, uptown
Mooresville. Building Lake Norman.
Becoming Race City instead of Port
City. Expanding the library. The
widening of Brawley School Road.
c e l e b r at i n g 7 5 y e a r s
A 1964 aerial photo of Earl Teague's Outrigger Harbor, which became the largest marina and
campground on Lake Norman. It's now the site of The Peninsula. Photo by Cindy Jacobs.
Connie Atwell White
HELPING
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704-664-9495
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July 12, 2015
WE
BENEFITTED
FROM GREAT
LEADERSHIP
Norman. Secondly, I attribute excellent local elected leadership,

which continues today people who made the hard financial and
long-range decisions, not always popular, to invest and prepare
the Town for the future.

Some of those decisions include great water and sewer
infrastructure, creation of local industrial parks and more recently
locally owned broadband service and general obligation bonds.

Lastly, good quality educational resources by Mooresville
Graded and Iredell-Statesville and Mitchell Community College
have played a significant role in preparing their students for the
changing economy. So, no one event has been as significant as
the change from textile to the diverse economy we have today.
I know Mooresville will continue to change and evolve in the years
to come.

In my opinion the biggest change to Mooresville over
the past 75 years has been the transition of the local economy
from a textile-based economy to a much more diverse industrial,
commercial and employment center.

I credit that to a number of factors. Location is significant,
with proximity to Charlotte, good transportation routes and Lake

Since I have been involved
in the public eye since 1966,
I believe that I think that the
creation of Lake Norman is one
of, if not the best thing, that
happened to Mooresville.

The next thing was in the
1980s when Chuck Rider brought
Bahari Racing -- a proven
NASCAR winning team -- to our
town. Then other teams located
here because of the location to
race tracks. This also brought
jobs and people here to live in
our community.

The racing business also
brought other jobs that were
related in different aspects and

technology.

I also think that the interstate
brought more people here to live
after they found out about all the
jobs that were here and with a
school system that is the best in
the state in my opinion. I think
that the President would not have
come here unless it was and is
known as a great school system.
Frank Owens
Erskine Smith
Town Manager
Lake and
racing: A
one-two
punch

Circa 1983, civic leaders and
elected officials began an effort to
extend utility and water/sewer service
across Interstate-77 at exit 36. These
utilities allowed for much of the
development on the western side of
Mooresville.

Thirty years ago, the few
waterfront homes on Lake Norman
were on dirt roads, Wal-Mart was
located at the intersection of
McLelland Avenue and Hwy. 150
and the Lowes store was at the
intersection of highways 21 and
150. The relocation of these stores
WATER,
SEWER
FUELED
GROWTH
and the construction of additional

big-box retailers along with many
other commercial and residential
developments wouldnt have
happened without this infrastructure.
Matt McCall
Iredell County Register of Deeds
Located in
Historic Downtown,
WHEN
TEXTILES
LEFT,
LEADERS
STEPPED UP

Our family moved to
Mooresville in September of
1961. What brought us to
Mooresville was the opportunity
my dad, Grady, had to purchase
the Ford dealership. Mooresville
at that time was a perfect little
textile community. There were
jobs for most everybody. A
large number of people went
to work at one of the mills and
worked there their entire life.
The schools were good and
most everyone attended one
of the local churches. Life was
good and simple in our perfect
little town called Mooresville.

Then the decline of the
textile industry came. It hit
Mooresville really hard along
with a large number of other
textile communities. Mooresville
began re-inventing itself in
the 1980s. The motorsports
industry discovered Lake
Norman. Slowly the growth of
Charlotte began coming north
to Mooresville. Located on a
major interstate with beautiful
Lake Norman in its backyard,
was and is a major draw to our
wonderful community.

One of Mooresvilles
most significant moments
was during those tough and
trying times when the textile
industry left town. The Town
of Mooresville leadership
during those down years
was truly remarkable. Mayor
Joe Knox led a dedicated
group of commissioners in
redefining our town. Mayor
Knox, Commissioners Dick
Nantz, Darrell Wilson, Bob
Randall, Grady Shoe, City
Manager Rick McLean, plus
others, were instrumental in
starting Mooresville on the path
of growth and success. Their
dedicated perseverance during
those trying times should never
be forgotten.
Jeff Shoe
Mooresville Ford
continued on pg. 40
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152 N. Main St. Mooresville
704-746-9278
www.aintmissbeadhaven.com
July 12, 2015
SCHOOLS
SAFE,
ORDERLY
AND HIGH
PERFORMING

To me, one of the most
influential events in Mooresville was
the integration of the Mooresville
Graded School District in the 1960s.
I graduated from Mooresville Senior
High in
1970.

There was one telephone in
the main office of the school and
manual typewriters. Our technology
was very limited. Today, digital
technology has given us a tool to
have conversations with anyone in
the world. My granddaughter and
other students here were visited
by President Barack Obama in
2013. The President applauded the
district for its innovation in digital
technology.

The sidewalks are no longer
at the end of a neighborhood.
There are more safe routes. The
connectivity of our communities has

When I came to Mooresville
in 1984, the Mooresville Graded
School Districts enrollment was
just over 2,200. Our schools had
earned the reputation of being
safe, orderly, and with high
student performance for most
students.

Currently, the district
numbers in excess of 6,000
students. The challenges of
such rapid growth have been
met: New schools have been
built, quality additions to the
staff have been made, and
student performance is at
an all-time high. Due to our
success, visitors from across
the nation and even from other
countries have visited the
MGSD to learn the new keys to
our success.

While most come believing
our success is in our expanded
use of technology, they quickly
realize our success lies in
a different way of teaching
which connects and engages
all students. Many state and
national leaders have been
among those visitors, the
enhanced the quality of life for all

citizens.

Mooresville was known as a
mill town. Now, with economic
development and new technology,
Mooresville is well known in
the business world. The spirit
of downtown is a magnet for
newcomers and local citizens.

Mooresville has a hometown
feeling because the citizens love
their town. I love Mooresville
because others gave me an
opportunity to be a servant to all.
most notable the 2013 visit by

President Obama.

Our achievements are
due to the dedicated efforts
of many, including teachers,
school administrators, support
staff, and central office. We
have earned the support of our
local politicians and parents
as evidenced by the recent
overwhelming approval of the
school construction bonds.
Education of all children in
District is not a destination
but a continuing journey.
We continue to devote time,
technology, and development
of new strategies to best meet
the needs of every child,
every day.
Roger Hyatt
MGSD board of education
SCHOOL
INTEGRATION
A POSITIVE
CHANGE
Thurman Houston
Town commissioner
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July 12, 2015
WE WERE
ONCE
A TEXTILE
TOWN

Mitchell Community College is
pleased to have been a participant in the
astounding growth of Mooresville and the
surrounding south Iredell community. As a
private junior college we were pleased to
welcome returning veterans eager to use
their military benefits to gain academic
skills to further their education and re-enter
the workforce.

One of those returning veterans
was our very own Dr. Frank Fields, who
graduated from Mitchell College and
went on to become a driving educational
force in Mooresville. With his support
and encouragement, as well as his skillful
negotiating skills, MCC finally became
a physical presence in the downtown
Mooresville area in 1983. We were able
to purchase the existing gymnasium
building of the former Central High School
campus located directly across from
Central United Methodist Church. With the
remodeling of that structure, we began
offering GED completion, Basic Skills,
and other continuing education classes.
As our success encouraged us to spread
our wings, we added business education
classes.

As Mooresville and the surrounding
area began to grow, the demand for
educational services increased. In response
to that, the College added an instructional
classroom wing and office space in 1996.

The Mooresville that I grew
up in during the 1950s and 60s
was a typical small Southern
textile town. Everyone either
worked at a textile mill or
provided services to the mill
workers. My father was a loom
fixer for nearly 40 years.

The Mooresville Tribune was
a very important part of everyday
life. Everyone depended on the
Tribune for local news, local
events, etc. I remember walking
past the Tribune office back on
my way to the junior high school
one day with my friend, David
Chamberlain, and we stopped by
the Tribune to see his father, J.D.
Chamberlain, who worked there.
Mr. Chamberlain was patiently
The college
credit offerings
expanded and the
need for workers
in health care
brought new Allied
Health offerings.
Continuing
Education classes
offered workforce
training in real
estate, construction,
and computers.

Leadership
in Mooresville
continued their
efforts to recruit
business and
industry, Lake
Norman became
a destination
retirement community and again the
College responded by adding additional
space in 2003. Finally, with the support
of the community passing an education
bond, the College was able to establish
a signature presence on the corner of
Academy Street and Highway 3.

Our success has hinged on the
strong leadership both at the local and
county level that saw the potential of
the Mooresville/South Iredell area and
leveraged that potential into success.
setting type, one letter at a time.

It took him hours to do what
is done today in seconds. How
times have changed!

I want to congratulate the
Mooresville Tribune on its 75th
anniversary. It has been an
important part of the fabric of
Mooresville for the past 75 years
and has contributed greatly to
the quality of life for its citizens.
N.C. Sen. David Curtis
SUCCESS
HINGES ON
STRONG
LEADERSHIP
Dr. Tim Brewer

The writer is President of Mitchell
Community College and a Mooresville
resident
With BAYADA Home Health Care
VISION,
PERSISTENCE
KEEP TOWN
STRONG

Congratulations to the
Mooresville Tribune on your
75th anniversary and thank
you for your service in keeping
the public informed about the
happenings in MooresvilleSouth Iredell.

Having lived on Langtree
Road for most of my life, I am
aware of the drastic changes
that have occurred since Lake
Norman was built in the early
1960s. Our family was forced
to sell our farmland to Crescent
Land and Timber, Duke Powers
land-management arm, for
the creation of Lake Norman.
Interstate 77 was built in the
early 1960s and the livability of
the area greatly changed.

I worked with the PlessHaire Insurance Agency in
downtown Mooresville for 41
years. Most of the people here
worked in the textile industry.
Mooresville Mills, Cascade,
Templon, Draymore, Troutman
Shirt Company were major
employers. When textiles
began moving their operations
abroad for cheap labor, our
plants started to close one-byone. Mooresville realized the
workforce must be expanded in

a different direction.

The racing industry found
its way to the area and brought
many jobs. We sought to
diversify the types of industry
coming to our community. We
were so fortunate when Lowes
Home Improvement relocated
their executive headquarters
here, becoming a major
economic force.

We created the South Iredell
Industrial Park, the Mooresville
Business Park and now a new
business park is being located
on Highway 801.

We owe a debt of gratitude
to our MSI leaders for their
vision and persistence to make
MSI a great place to live, work
and raise our families.
I found the perfect match

for extra help at home.
Mary Lou A., Client
BAYADA Home Health Aide Peggy Peck with her client Mrs. Mary Lou A.
BAYADA Home Health Care provides nursing and assistive

care such as bathing and grooming 24 hours, 7 days to
keep adults of all ages safe at home.
Call 704-696-9000 or visit www.bayada.com.
Sara Haire Tice

Former Iredell County
Commissioner
continued on pg. 42
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July 12, 2015
VETERANS
NOW HAVE
PLACE TO
CONGREGATE

The most significant event
in my 10 years of association
with Mooresville was obtaining
a tax exempt 501c3 status for
Welcome Home Veterans and
then raising enough money to
be able to purchase our new
location in the center of historic
downtown.

This success has enabled us
to become a more productive
member of the Mooresville
family in that we now attract
more people to downtown.
Through several civic
occasions weve also raised
the awareness of the veterans
role in protecting this countrys
freedoms and independence.
The first-ever Veterans Day
Parade on Main Street last year
was a resounding success based
on the number of townspeople
that came out to watch. Our
association with the city and
chamber of commerce has
enabled us to raise our visibility
and attract more awareness.
Mort McKnight (left) and his partners test the water from a community well serving the community on
the west side of town in the early 1900s. Mort McKnight was the father of Tom McKnight, who started
the Tribune. Courtesy of Cindy Jacobs.

Since Welcome Home
Veterans is now economically
stable, weve been able to
reach out and give assistance
to more veterans in need. We
were also able to support the
veteran students at the NASCAR
Technical Institute by furnishing
their own veterans lounge
and meeting room. With the
help of the entire Mooresville
community, we have been
able to fulfill the legacy of
our founder, Richard Warren,
by ensuring that his dream of
Welcome Home Veterans has
become a reality.
John Hedley
Welcome Home Veterans
Bud Little and Beth Cloaninger

prepare sample fabric on a tabletop loom in the New York City office
Mooresville Mills in 1951. Courtesy of
Cindy Jacobs.
BRAWLEY & HARWELL, P.A.

Attorneys & Counselors at law
704-664-1818
704-664-4242 Real Estate Line
Serving Mooresville and the
surrounding areas
since August 21, 1900
Charles B. Gates (left) and J.R. Marks of Barger Construction Co.
prepare to board their companys new plane to visit construction
sites in 1957. Courtesy of Barger Construction Company.
E
ESTATES
T T S
R
Real
a estate
s a e
Ru t
W
Wills
l s & tRusts
small
s al B
Business
n
nc p Rat on
incoRpoRations
o t ac s
c
contRacts
tRaffic
t a fc
Workers erect a new sign at the Mooresville-South Iredell

Chamber of Commerce on North Main Street in the late 1980s.
Courtesy of Cindy Jacobs.
Located in southern Iredell

County, in the historic
heart of downtown
Mooresville, NC.
Brawley & Harwell, P.A. is
an experienced full-service
law firm.
BRIAN
B
RIAN
AN R
R.. HARWELL
AR E L - MI
MICHAEL
CHAEL
H E P.
PG
GOUDREAULT
O D EA LT
T
Workers at the Johnston Powers Bakery pose for a photo in the

1940s. Courtesy of Cindy Jacobs.
283 North Main Street PO Box 27

www.mooresvillelaw.com
July 12, 2015
Sheer
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voice as we
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first one.
Relish in the
sounds you love.
If youre missing some of the simple
sounds of life, the staff at Lake Breeze
ENT & Allergy can help.
Edward Kipka, local merchant and member of the Mooresville Camera Club,
adjusts his camera in the mid-1950s. Courtesy of Mary Kipka Brawley.
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Mary Kipka Brawley marches in a Pet Parade during the Victory Festival in 1949,
in a photo taken by his father, Edward Kipka. Courtesy of Mary Kipka Brawley.
We offer a variety of Unitron hearing aids

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Call our office today to schedule your

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Millie Moser welcomes visitors to the Mooresville Mills office at the Empire
State Building in New York City in 1951. Courtesy of Cindy Jacobs.
149 Plantation Ridge Drive

Suite 190
704-658-0595
A group of duck pin bowlers at the Mooresville Mills bowling alley in the early
1950s. Courtesy of Cindy Jacobs.
Hearing aids do not restore natural hearing. Experiences may differ based on severity of
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July 12, 2015
Whats Next
for Mooresville?
Leaders weigh in on our future and our needs.

by Megan Sprague
ince the Tribune

published its first
edition in 1940, there
have been 75 years
of dizzying progress
in Mooresville. But what about
the next 75 years? What can we
expect to see in our town?

Community leaders share
their thoughts.
Do you see our

growth slowing
or continuing?

Mayor Miles Atkins:
Mooresville is located in one of
the fastest growing regions in
the state and country and we
can expect an increase in the
overall growth and investment
in our community. People will
continue to move here for the
quality of life and the sense of
place Mooresville offers. There
is significant interest from
the private sector to invest
in redevelopment and infill
projects downtown that will
only continue to enhance the
vitality of Mooresvilles core.

Robert Carney, executive
director of the Mooresville
South Iredell Economic
Development Corporation:
I see the growth of the town
continuing, either at its current
pace or speeding up a little. If
you look down the development
pipeline, there is a lot coming
online, so it may speed up to
a small extent based on the
product available (as long as
the market continues to grow).

Valerie Chamberlain,
executive director of the
Mooresville Christian Mission:
I believe that Mooresville will
continue to grow as it is a
community with much to offer.
There are many new residential
developments being planned.
Roads are expanding, resulting
in easier access. Economic
development continues to
thrive in our community. The
atmosphere of the community
is so welcoming. The revival of
downtown alone is attracting
people to this area.

Police Chief Chief Carl
Robbins: I believe the growth
will continue. Mooresville
and the surrounding areas
have too much to offer not to
continue growing. We have
a great quality of life, nice
climate, recreational activities,
proximity to interstates and an
international airport. I do see

less available land in the future
as growth and development
continues.

Fire-Rescue Chief Curt
Deaton: I predict the growth
in the area to continue to the
south and east, which will
bring more responsibility to
the fire department as to how
we provide service. New
stations will be needed
as growth happens, but
we also have to look
at opportunities for
collaboration with other
departments and regional
resource usage. Grants
and regional projects are
important tools that we
can you to keep the service
level high while distributing
the costs evenly among the
participants.

Mayor Pro-Tem
Thurman Houston: I think
the towns growth will
exceed its current pace
based on the reports that
(Chief) Curt (Deaton) has
given the board on the
needs for future services.
Because of that, we really
need to start talking
more about our strategic
housing plans and making
it affordable to live, work
and play here. People
want to live here, but its
expensive. We have to
see how we can keep our
workers here instead of
them having to commute
in. I would hate to lose
anyone because of the
price to live here.

Carney: We are on a path
of progress, but there are still
challenges out there. There
have been a lot of changes at
the regional and state level,
and that can be disruptive.
Despite that, I see us as one of
the faster-growing communities
in the state and possibly the
southeast.

Chamberlain: Even as the
economy improves, there will
still be needs. We have many
generational poverty families
living here in our community.
Studies show that someone
from generational poverty has
more obstacles to overcome
before reaching economic
stability. The Missions
Consigned Home Furnishings
How do you
see our local
economy
faring?
Atkins: Though there
is an overall increase
in confidence with the
economy, it is still weighing
heavily on a lot of our
citizens who are not seeing
any upward movement in
their standard of living.
Its essential we bring
high wage jobs to our
community and continue
to provide the tools
and resources through
workforce development
and training programs to
get people back to work in
good jobs with increases
earning potential.
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July 12, 2015
programs are poised to address

these issues through educational and
mentoring programs. H2H (Homeless to
Homeownership Initiative) is an example
of how the Mission is addressing poverty
and affordable housing. The Mission will
continue to adjust and evolve as the needs
of the community change. Unfortunately,
situational poverty issues such as decline in
health, personal tragedies, aging etc., will
always exist in communities. The Mission
will be there for these times.
and high-density office space (for industries

like health care or banking). There is a lot
of growth in those two categories and we
need to figure out how to incorporate them
to continue to grow a healthy tax base.

Chamberlain: Recruiting new industries
and businesses will play a major role in the
quality and financial health of Mooresville.
It will be important that we recruit
companies that pay living wages and that
we, as a community, address the needs of
the working poor.
What about business

and commercial
development? What
should the town focus
on bringing to the
community?
How about residential

what does the town
need to add to keep
residents both living
and working in
Mooresville?

Atkins: We are very focused on
bringing high-density commercial office
product to the market. The Langtree
coordinate has tremendous potential to
become a major employment center and
the Ballantyne North of Charlotte if we are
successful in attracting the development
of commercial office space to complement
the Lowes campus that is there now.
In addition, we are actively engaged in
recruiting and securing companies to
relocate and build in our new industrial
park. There is a lot of interest and Im very
encouraged by the activity taking place.

Atkins: With a Comprehensive Housing
Strategy in place, the town will be better
positioned to provide the right workforce
housing thats needed, as well as housing
to meet the needs of current and future
residents of all ages, backgrounds and
income levels. We want to establish within
the town neighborhoods with greater
diversity in housing styles, sizes, price
ranges and amenities that meets the
demand for a broader range of housing
choices for employers, an aging population
and all other residents. Because of this
strategy, Mooresville will be better
positioned to preserve and enhance the
character and quality of the community
while growing jobs, attracting and
retaining young families and supporting
community growth.

Houston: We need to focus on
high-tech jobs with better pay. We are
presented with many opportunities when
it comes to businesses wanting to come
to the area, but we need to look at jobs
that pay better to allow people to live
comfortably in Mooresville, which takes
about $21 an hour. We need to raise the
bar when it comes to wages and salaries.
This board cares about not only what is
best for people today, but we care about
where people will be in 20 years from now.
Were excited about growth, but we have
to make the best use of our land because
its not an infinite resource.

Carney: We have two pillars that
we need to really focus on, which are
advanced industrial manufacturing (as in
the automotive industry or medical devices)

Houston: In order to keep people here,
we must have more affordable housing
options and we need more quality rental
housing in Mooresville with responsible
landlords. We need to see landlords taking
the initiative as the homeowner to be
willing to work on the house and keep it
up to the standards that people expect, so
folks are willing to rent those houses.

Chamberlain: The Comprehensive
Housing Strategy is a great start. The
Mission is excited over the discussion
and community involvement in planning
5
6
9
1
50
th
ANNIVERSARY
for the future. Considering and studying

best practice from other communities
nationwide will help our community make
good discussions as we develop for
the future.
What needs do you

foresee for the growth
of your particular
department to keep up
with the demands of
our population?

Robbins: We will need to add staffing
as Mooresville continues to grow. There
may also be opportunities to utilize
police substations in outlying areas as
growth continues. Most of our officers
utilize police cars so they remain visible in
different areas and can respond as needed.
We have equipped our cars with computers
so the vehicles serve as an office for the
police officers. Because of that strategy,
the need for future stations is not
as critical.

Deaton: Mooresville Fire-Rescue has
been serving this great community for
over 100 years. The department added
its second station in 1998, which was the
largest expansion in years. The department
has added three other stations since and
will have to figure out service delivery as
more area is annexed.
TRIBUNE: How will

police and fire
departments continue
to protect or serve its
citizens in the future?

Robbins: Our services will become more
proactive with community partnerships and
more of an emphasis on crime prevention
and problem solving. We will utilize social
media more to raise awareness of crime
trends and criminal activity.

Deaton: The department will continue
to evolve and adjust to the needs of the
continued on pg. 46
2015
Ou Family
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l
i
m
a
F
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o
Y
g
Svn
fo 50 Years
2015
235 N. Center St. Statesville
704.872.5486
calljps.com
July 12, 2015
community and continue to provide various

high quality services. The future of the fire
service is unknown. However, our goal to
serve the citizens will not change. The fire
service uses more computers and technology
now than ever before and the future will
continue to enhance technology and safety of
the citizens and firefighters.
Final thoughts...
Houston: Mooresvilles on the right path
and I think we will be a catalyst for other
cities. You dont have to leave Mooresville
after graduation to be successful. There is
opportunity right here and Im proud of that.

Carney: In order to continue to be
successful in the future, we need to keep our
united focus on what we want to be as a town.
As time goes on, we need to keep looking at
new areas of employment so as to not become
a bedroom community.

Chamberlain: One of the best parts of our
community is the care and compassion that
we have for one another. I believe that if we
continue to make decisions based on what is
for the good of all residents and intentionally
seek out all voices as we plan for the future,
we will continue to prosper.
Robbins: In order to continue as a thriving
community, we should make sure we are
collaborative in our efforts and consider the
future impact of our decisions.

Deaton: The next steps in keeping
our town thriving is investing in good
planning practices and taken advantage of
development opportunities in the area. We
must continue to renovate old buildings
and re-vitalize communities. This along with
keeping the community involved with the
activities of the town creates a proud and
sustainable area to live, work and play.
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206 Joe Knox Ave., Suite H in Mooresville, NC 28117
CarolinaVeinAssociates.com
July 12, 2015
Buff Grier's "Robert E. Lee" riverboat

was the first excursion boat on Lake
Norman. The 75-foot vessel brought
dining and dancing to the waters
from 1964 until its burned in 1968.
Courtesy of Cindy Jacobs.
When the work was done,

lake dwellers enjoyed their
access to the new lake. This
photo was taken in 1963
shortly after Lake Norman
was finished filling up and
landowners were building
docks. Fletcher Davis/Cliff
Ingram photo.
OPENING SOON
Affordable & convenient senior living in Huntersville
ASSISTED LIVING & MEMORY CARE

We promise to always care for our residents just like they were our own family.
13910 HUNTON LANE, HUNTERSVILLE, NC 28078 CONTACT CATHY HANSEN 704-897-2723
Taking reservations for special Founders Club residents

PRIVATELY OWNED AND OPERATED
July 12, 2015
IS PROUD TO BE A PART
OF THIS COMMUNITY
Our beginning
Our present
HUNTERSVILLE MOORESVILLE STATESVILLE HICKORY
The King
of the
SOUTHEAST!
VO
DEALUME
LER
704-664-3303
SALES
704-663-3201 SERVICE
I-77 EXIT 36 HWY 150
220 WEST PLAZA DRIVE
EXTENDED SERVICE HOURS:
Monday - Friday 8:00AM - 8:00PM & Sat 8:00AM - 4:00PM
www.RandyMarion.com
www.RandyMarion.com
www.RandyMarion.com

Mooresville 75th Anniversary

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Mooresville 75th Anniversary

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C E L E B R AT I N G

July 12, 2015

First Front Page. Courtesy of Cindy Jacobs.

Our First Edition

$1.50 Archdale Shirts, Champion Chickens

as it was in 1940. Hurray for them.

Yes, these are pretty low

and of the press, as set forth in the

July 12, 2015

uly 11, 1940 proved to be a big

all kinds of businesses, including the

Visit Our Olive Oil & Balsamic

Over 60 Different Varieties Plus Much More!

119 North Main St. Mooresville, NC

July 12, 2015

continued from pg. 3

interest among readers.

the Mooresville Tribune

Tom McKnight and

Thomas Mortimer McKnight

The Tribune production plant (circled) is

The Mission of the

Join a strong network in the

July 12, 2015

was purchased in 2012

of those to impact the

Tribune, in fact, are the

July 12, 2015

These Businesses Have

Stood the Test of Time

Clyde Millsaps (center) demonstrates five-at-a-time Nutty

D.E. Turner & Co.

desire that Pope and Brawley

Deluxe Ice Cream delivery drivers.

Barger Lumber (foreground) looking south, with Broad Street at far

All 5 inch potted flowering annuals now buy two, get

BRAWLEY GARDEN CENTER

July 12, 2015

in 1973 when it was acquired by

Christmas and Easter seasons.

35 YEARS & COUNTING!

You can not find a better

Many custom colors

AWARDED 2015 MOST ENERGY

742- North Broad Street, Mooresville, NC 28115

Exterior Renovations Specialists

July 12, 2015

continued from pg. 7

DeLuxe Ice Cream/

the DeLuxe brand and the Mooresville Ice

Original Lowrance School of Nursing on Statesville

Belk on Main Street in 1980s.

added to the main campus and connected

Whit-Miller Shoe Store

July 12, 2015

MI-Connection is your community-owned communications

High Speed Broadband - A true ber optic broadband

Voice Services - Unlimited local and long distance

For sales and new installations call 704-660-3840,

July 12, 2015

We survived Hurricane Hugo, UFOs,

Here is a decade-by-decade look at some of the noteworthy events in Mooresville

First issue of Mooresville Tribune publishes on July 11,

Marie Scott becomes first female principal of Mooresville