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From historic Statesville to
the racing capital of Mooresville to the
horse-back riding community of Love Valley,
the cities and towns of Iredell County offer the traveler
a wide variety of experiences.
This page offers a brief
description of the towns and cities of Iredell County,
including links to other websites with further details
about each community.
Harmony
| Located at the intersection of Routes 21 and
901, Harmony is a small historic town in the northeast corner
of Iredell County. The town is named after the Harmony Hill
Camp Meeting, a gathering of Methodist and Baptist members
who populated the area during the mid-1800's. |
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Love Valley
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If you love horses and enjoy trail riding, this is the place
for you! Love Valley, North Carolina is a horse and family oriented
camping resort town, with many miles of trails to ride varying
in difficulty from wide dirt roads to steep mountain hikes,
and lots of fun things to do and see. There are many great activities
and events scheduled each year, but we also cater to those of
you who just want to "relax and ride". |
There are several campgrounds to choose from ranging in
amenities from 'primitive' to 'deluxe',and a rental stable
for those who don't wish to bring their own horse. There are
guide services available for those of you who are 'directionally
challenged'. The town of Love Valley itself resembles the
set of an old western movie, complete with a General Store,
Saloon, Blacksmithy, and Tack Shops. Love Valley sponsors
several rodeos throughout the year, and the Silver Spur has
a band on Friday and Saturday nights for cowboys and cowgirls
who like to 'kick up their heels' after a long day in the
saddle. Check out our area maps for directions to "The Valley".
So, saddle up and ride on in - we're waiting to welcome you!!
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Love Valley Related Websites
Mooresville
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Mooresville,
North Carolina is a thriving small town with big town progress.
Mooresville is located about 30 miles north of Charlotte,
near Lake Norman and in the heart of race country. |
| Mooresville is known as "Race City USA". Numerous
race shops are located here, representing some of the hottest
names on the NASCAR, Busch Grand National ARCA and Craftsman
Truck Series circuits. Each year thousands of people flock to
Mooresville to catch a glimpse of their favorite driver, enjoy
a museum tour and pick up a souvenir at one of the numerous
shops with a racing theme. Mooresville is strategicly located
between tracks at Wilmington, Charlotte and Darlington. Visitors
can see their favorite race teams preparing for their next big
event through special viewing windows in a number of shops. |
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Due to many factors including moderate weather, the close
proximity to
Charlotte,
easy
access
to the mountains
and
the
beaches,
and
a diverse thriving industry base, Mooresville has grown from
around 9,000 people to over 20,000 predicted in 2005.
Mooresville Related Websites
Statesville
City Hall
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Statesville was founded in January
1789 by an act of the General Assembly just after North Carolina
joined the United States. The Statesville area was originally
known as the Fourth Creek Settlement, named after Fourth Creek
and was established as a "site for the courthouse and stocks." The
history of Statesville's name is vague, but it is believed to
originally be named "the states vil." By 1790, the
first courthouse, a log structure, was being built on a lot
purchased from Fergus Sloan next to the Fourth Creek Presbyterian
Meeting House, on an area that most of us have come to call "the
square." The lots around the courthouse were soon sold
at a public auction for other businesses, thus beginning downtown
Statesville. The site picked for Statesville was in the midst
of a settlement of Scotch Irish Presbyterians who had moved
to the area, originally part of Rowan County, 30 to 40 years
earlier. Some two miles north of Statesville was Fort Dobbs
which was built to defend the forefront of civilization from
1756 to about 1764. It was considered to be the center of the
district of the Revolutionary War. Statesville was incorporated
as a city in 1847. |
The first of many fires ravaged Statesville in 1855 destroying
the majority of downtown's buildings. Most of our existing downtown
was built around the turn of the century with the majority of building
dating from 1860 to about 1930.
| The first railroad reached Statesville in 1858, linking Salisbury
to Asheville, and was known as the Western North Carolina Railroad.
The Atlantic, Tennessee & Ohio Railroad (ATO) began serving
the Statesville to Charlotte line shortly after the Western
service began. There were originally two Depots for the two
separate lines serving Statesville. Both were apparently burned
down in the late 1800's during the Civil War and later rebuilt
as a joint facility. On the morning of August 27, 1891, Statesville
learned that a disaster had occurred when the Bostian Bridge
on Buffalo Shoals Road became the site of a terrible derailment
of a train. It was one of the worst tragedies to ever hit Statesville.
There was great loss of lives in the wreck. |
Civic Center |
The Depot, as we know it, also had a companion
freight structure which was removed in the 1970's. The building,
which was started in the winter months, had much controversy over
its heating system. The local delegation of officials felt the structure
and Statesville deserved a better system than pot bellied stoves,
yet when it opened the next spring that is exactly what it had -
three chimneys allowing for three stoves. The railroad brought Statesville's
greatest growth period from the 1860's to the 1930's. The railroad
brought finished goods for sale by our mercantile businesses, raw
goods to be processed by our industries into finished goods, carried
finished goods to be sold in other cities, and carried raw goods
to be finished into salable goods in other cities. It also allowed
our citizens to be connected to other parts of the civilized world
and allowed visitors to come and visit our fair city and stay in
one of our six hotels in downtown (McElwee Hotel, Carolina Hotel,
Gray Cafe & Hotel, Historic Vance Hotel, St. Charles Hotel, & the
Bristol Hotel). Statesville was no longer the forefront of civilization
but an important part of the new civilized United States.
The Depot Hill area was also the site of one of the most famous
hangings in the history of the region, Tom Dula! The Kingston Trio's
song "Ballad of Tom Dooley" made the hanging famous. It
was the story of a love triangle and a trial for murder which resulted
in Tom Dula's (real name) death. He was hanged just south of the
former Depot location and is buried in Wilkes County.
Landmark
Building |
Our industries around the turn of the century were based around
three primary products: Herbs, Tobacco and Liquor. The Wallace
Herbarium on Meeting Street was one of the largest in the world
and shipped processed herbs all over the world. Liquor and tobacco
money built many of our fine downtown buildings. In fact, the
Key Memorial Chapel - now the law office of Mr. Albert Walser,
was built by Mrs. Key in honor of her late husband, Philip Barton
Key. Another local church refused the money because it was made
in the liquor industry. |
Statesville has a rich architectural heritage. We currently have
five National Register of Historic Place Districts including four
residential districts: Broad Street/Davie Avenue, Mitchell College,
Academy Hill, Race Street and the Downtown Statesville Commercial
District.
Statesville Related Websites
Troutman
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Troutman, North Carolina is
a quaint town of just under 2,000 people located in the Piedmont
of North Carolina, in the southern end of Iredell County.
Troutman is approximately five miles south of the City of
Statesville, the Iredell County seat, and thirty miles north
of Charlotte. Because of its close proximity to large urban
areas, residents of Troutman are able to enjoy small town
living, and still take advantage of nearby Charlotte, which
features the NFL Carolina Panthers, an NBA expansion team,
NASCAR racing, and many cultural events. |
| Lake Norman, North Carolina's largest inland lake, offers
abundant water recreation opportunities only minutes from town.
Troutman is less than two miles from the Lake Norman State Park,
in the northeast corner of the lake. |
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Troutman is the home of the annual National Balloon Rally, held
at the Iredell County Fairgrounds, which brings colorful hot-air
balloons from across the country.
Troutman Related Websites
Union Grove
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Union Grove, North Carolina is
a small rural community located in the northern part of Iredell
County, approximately 20 miles north of Statesville. Union Grove
is host to the Fiddler's
Grove, the oldest continuous "Ole Time Fiddlers Contest" in
North America. |
Union Grove Related Websites
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Iredell County Towns & Cities
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