History Of Gaston County

Excerpt from History of Gaston County Several years ago, the Historical Commission of North Carolina started a movement to have the history of the State preserved, beginning with the county as a unit. The plan was to appoint a historian for each county. These historians were to preserve the data in any way that seemed advisable. A history for each county seemed the only adequate way. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

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Gaston County, in the rolling hills of North Carolina's southern Piedmont, is a treasure-trove of amazing sights and fascinating history. In this readable, skillfully researched volume, historian Rita Wehunt-Black rediscovers the rich heritage of Gaston County, from the original European settlements in the eighteenth century to the growth of mill villages in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and into the modern day. Revel in the colonial and Revolutionary War history of what once was known as Old Tryon County--a county of gold mines that dotted the land around Kings Mountain--and of All Healing Springs, first discovered by Native Americans and later used by Victorian spa visitors. Whether you are from Gastonia, Cherryville, Bessemer City, Belmont or any of the other wonderful communities that make up this county, this book will reacquaint you with the place you call home.

Civil War histories typically center on the deeds of generals and sweeping depictions of battle. This unique study of one Southern county's war experience tells of ordinary soldiers and their wives, mothers and children, slaves, farmers, merchants, Unionists and deserters--through an examination of tax records. The recently discovered 1863 Gaston County, North Carolina, tax list provides a detailed economic and social picture of a war-weary community, recording what taxpayers owned, cataloging slaves by name, age and monetary value, and assessing luxury items. Contemporary diaries, letters and other previously unpublished documents complete the picture, describing cotton mill operations, the lives of slaves, political disagreements, rationales for soldiers' enlistments and desertions, and economic struggles on the home front.

Civil War histories typically center on the deeds of generals and sweeping depictions of battle. This unique study of one Southern county's war experience tells of ordinary soldiers and their wives, mothers and children, slaves, farmers, merchants, Unionists and deserters--through an examination of tax records. The recently discovered 1863 Gaston County, North Carolina, tax list provides a detailed economic and social picture of a war-weary community, recording what taxpayers owned, cataloging slaves by name, age and monetary value, and assessing luxury items. Contemporary diaries, letters and other previously unpublished documents complete the picture, describing cotton mill operations, the lives of slaves, political disagreements, rationales for soldiers' enlistments and desertions, and economic struggles on the home front.