History of

Catawba County, NC

New 33 Page Illustrated Booklet

Early days in Cleveland County, North Carolina, are recalled in this new 33-page spiral-bound booklet, comprised of excerpts from several vintage books. These source materials include John Hill Wheeler's Historical Sketches of North Carolina (1851); Sketches of Prominent Living North Carolinians by Jerome Dowd (1888), North Carolina, A Guide to the Old North State (1939), a product of the WPA; A New Geography of North Carolina (1954-65).

The tri-color front cover is printed on 80# card stock and has been protected with a vinyl sheet. The text is printed single-sided on 60# opaque paper, with the print enlarged to fit the 8.5" x 11" paper and enhance readability.

Towns mentioned in the booklet include: Newton (the county seat), Conover, Hickory, Claremont, Maiden, Catawba, Brookford, and Longview.

Among the many subjects included are: Adam Sherrill, first settler; Physical Features, like Baker Mountain and man-made lakes; Indian Troubles, Divided loyalties in Revolutionary times; Civil War and Recovery; Many and varied industries -- from venetian blinds to shoe laces and baby cribs; old Robinson farm house; Lenoir College and other schools; Lutherans and other church groups; Balls Creek Campgrounds; Agriculture; a legand about catfish, coffee pot homesteaders, a bugged fire pump, how the Eibert Ivy Memorial Library started, a newspaper graveyard, the medicinal powers of R.H. Lanier's "Old North State Bitters" (sold primarily in dry communities) and numerous other interesting bits of history and trivia.

The Dowd excerpt has biographies of Col M.L. McCorkle, Sidney Michael Finger, Rev. Jacob Crawford Clapp, J.G. Hall, and W. H. Williams. The WPA section offers a nostalgic glimpse of the area from a 1939 vantage point, offering historical notes and sightseeing possibilities.

Our North Carolina booklets are a good resource for learning about the history, geography and social climate of places where you or your ancestors have lived or for places you plan to visit.

Wouldn't this make a unique gift?