USA > North Carolina > Gaston County > Belmont > Hill's Belmont, Cramerton, Mount Holly and Stanley (Gaston County, N.C.) City Directory [1958] > Part 1
USA > North Carolina > Gaston County > Cramerton > Hill's Belmont, Cramerton, Mount Holly and Stanley (Gaston County, N.C.) City Directory [1958] > Part 1
USA > North Carolina > Gaston County > Mount Holly > Hill's Belmont, Cramerton, Mount Holly and Stanley (Gaston County, N.C.) City Directory [1958] > Part 1
USA > North Carolina > Gaston County > Stanley > Hill's Belmont, Cramerton, Mount Holly and Stanley (Gaston County, N.C.) City Directory [1958] > Part 1
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63
DIXON
MOTOR CO. BORDI
"Your Ford Dealer Since 1922"
10 E. CATAWBA ST.
BELMONT BUILDING & LOAN SAVINGS ASSOCIATION WATTY OF YOUI LAYINGI
INSURED
VCE
UF 10 $10,000 CORPOR
A Savings Institution Since 1915
126 N. MAIN ST. Belmont Phone TAlmadge 5-8428
FITE FURNITURE COMPANY
"Let Us Solve Your Home Problems" FURNITURE FLOOR COVERING Electrical Appliances
RM
A ONG
LINOLEUM
NORTH BELMONT PHONE VAndyke 7-2252
ELMORE INSURANCE & REALTY CO.
NOT
ON
OF R
AR
ESTATE
INSURANCE
128 N. Main St.
BELMONT Phone TAlmadge 5-5371
THE GASTONIA GAZETTE Gaston County's Great Home Newspaper Since 1880 Circulation 20,457 - 97% Home Delivered Full Associated Press Wire Service
228-32 W. Airline Av.
Gastonia Tel. UNiversity 4-3293
26-28 N. MAIN
Belks
BELK-MATTHEWS
BELMONT
"We Clothe the Family from Head to Foot - with Quality Merchandise"
PHONE TAImadge 5-8534
COMPANY
Belk's
TRAN
SIT MIXED CONCR PHONE TAImadge 5-5325
ETE
HENKEL CONCRETE CO.
BELMONT 8 0
THE BANK N MAI -Beimam
OW do
TALmadge 5-5319
MEMBER
TRADE MALA
REAL ESTATE
TEL. VA 7.4341
TAYLOR MOTORS, INC
112 W. CHARLOTTE AV.
THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA
LUX
LIREATAS
THE COLLECTION OF NORTH CAROLINIANA PRESENTED BY
Creensboro Chamber of Commerce
C971.36 B45h
1958
OTORS, INC.
I. C. -- VA 7-4341 C. -- CO 3-2591
Ford
RADIATOR REPAIRS
Complete Service All Makes Cars and Trucks
Body and Fender Repairing Auto Painting
PARTS and ACCESSORIES
WRECKER SERVICE -- 24 HOURS
Day Tel. VA 7-4341
Night Tel. VA 7-2424
DEPENDABLE USED CARS and TRUCKS
112 W. Charlotte Av., Mount Holly Tel. VA 7-4341
HILL DIRECTORY CO.'S
MOUNT HOLLY
A
-
B
BELMONT ABBEY COLLEGE
BELMONT, NORTH CAROLINA
A fully accredited liberal arts College for men granting the degrees of bachelor of arts and bachelor of science.
MAJORS
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION CHEMISTRY PRE-MED CHEMISTRY ENGLISH HISTORY PHILOSOPHY SOCIOLOGY
MINORS
BIOLOGY ENHINATINU
This book must not be taken from the Library building.
Belmont Abbey College of Catholic and Catholic stu education program with par moral and physical develc Christian Atmosphere.
COORDINATED ENGIN N. C. STATE /
For Tuition Fees and Office of the Registrar, Belm
Tel. TAIm
BELMONT CITY DIRECTORY
MCCLURE LUMBER CO.
TAM SCO
CO.
Tel. UNiversity 7.7221
DEPENDAMILITY
SUPPLY
MILL
- SENVICKANILITY
CASTONIA
AVAILABILITY
613 1. Franklin Avn.
THE GASTONIA
General Building Contractor_
JETHRO R. MANN
C
SACRED HEART JUNIOR COLLEGE
BELMONT, N. C.
Offers Two years of the Arts and Science or prepares the student for further college work leading to:
Technical Courses in Nursing
Laboratory Technician
Laboratory Technique
Nurse
Business Administration
Research Analyst
Home Economics
Wife and Mother
Medical Secretarial
Civic Leader
Writer in Communication Arts Teacher
Translator and Interpreter
Musician
Commercial or Fine Artist
ASSOCIATE IN ARTS ASSOCIATE IN SCIENCE ASSOCIATE IN APPLIED SCIENCE
Accredited by The North Carolina State Board of Education The Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools
Member of The North Carolina College Conference
SACRED HEART ACADEMY BELMONT, N. C. A Standard 4-Year High School Accredited by The Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools The North Carolina State Board of Education
Boarders from the Eastern Seaboard and fourteen foreign countries. Day students from Belmont, Gastonia, Kings Mountain, Cherryville, Charlotte and vicinities.
HILL DIRECTORY CO.'S
-
HILL'S BELMONT CRAMERTON, MOUNT HOLLY and STANLEY (GASTON COUNTY, N. C.) CITY DIRECTORY 1958
Including Alba Town, Browntown, Catawba Heights, McAdenville, North Belmont and Springwood
Containing an Alphabetical Directory of Business Concerns and Private Citizens, a Directory of Householders, Occupants of Office Buildings and Other Business Places, Including a Complete Street and Avenue Guide, a Numerical Telephone Directory and Much Information of a Miscellaneous Character; also the
YELLOW PAGES
With a Special ADVERTISING SECTION and a Complete CLASSIFIED LIST FOR CONTENTS SEE INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL INDEX
ASSOCIATION OF
BONO PUBLICO
NORTH AMERICAN
1898
$30.00
PRICE
DIRO DARCUDIPEO
DIRECTORY
PUBLISHERS
HILL DIRECTORY CO., Inc., Publishers 2910 W. Clay St., P. O. Box 767, Richmond 6, Va.
DIRECTORY LIBRARY FOR FREE USE OF PUBLIC AT BELMONT MERCHANTS ASSN., 300 BANK BLDG., 32 N. MAIN
Member Association of North American Directory Publishers
Copyright, 1958, by Hill Directory Co., Inc.
Section 28, Copyright Law In Force July 7, 1909
That any person who wilfully and for profit shall infringe any copyright secured by this act, or who shall knowingly or wilfully aid or abet such infringement, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by imprisonment for not exceeding one year, or by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars, or both, in the discretion of the court.
PRO BONO PUBLICO ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICAN
NIZ
1898
DIRE DIRE CION RED DIRECDIRECDRIC
DIRECTORY
PUBLISHERS
PUBLISHERS NOTE
The information in this Directory is gathered by an actual canvass and is compiled in a way to insure maximum accuracy.
The publishers cannot and do not guarantee the cor- rectness of all information furnished them nor the complete absence of errors or omissions, hence no responsibility for same can be or is assumed.
The publishers earnestly request the bringing to their attention of any inaccuracy so that it may be corrected in the next edition of the directory.
HILL DIRECTORY CO., INC., Publishers
INTRODUCTION and GENERAL INDEX
HILL DIRECTORY CO., Inc., publishers of Southeastern Directories (Publishers of the Belmont City Directory since 1941), present to subscribers and the general public, this the 1958 edition of the Belmont, Cramerton, Mount Holly and Stanley City Directory, which also includes Alba Town, Browntown, Catawba Heights, McAdenville, North Belmont and Springwood. A new feature marks this edition. It is the Rural Routes emanating from the Belmont and Mount Holly Post Offices. Also, the inclusion of Stanley is new.
Confidence in the growth of Belmont, Cramerton, Mount Holly and Stanley's industry, population and wealth, and in the advancement of its civic and social activities, will be maintained as sections of this Directory are consulted, for the Directory is a mirror truly reflecting Belmont, Cramer- ton, Mount Holly and Stanley to the world.
The enviable position occupied by HILL'S Directories in the estimation of the public, has been established by rendering the best in Directory service. With an unrivaled organization, and having had the courteous and hearty co- operation of the business and professional men and resi- dents, the publishers feel that the result of their labors will meet with the approval of every user, and that the Belmont, Cramerton, Mount Holly and Stanley Directory will fulfill its mission as a source of authentic information pertaining to the community.
Four Major Departments
The four major departments are arranged in the follow- ing order :-
I. THE YELLOW PAGES constitute the first major de- partment of the Directory. This embraces a complete list of the names and addresses of the business and professional concerns of the city and vicinity, arranged in alphabetical order under appropriate headings-a catalog of all the activities of the city and vicinity. Preceding this catalog, likewise grouped under appropriate headings, are the ad- vertisements and business cards of firms and individuals desiring to present a more complete list of their products or services than is possible in the catalog itself. The Yellow Pages represent reference advertising at its best, and merit the attention of all buyers and sellers seeking sources of supply or markets for goods. In a progressive community like Belmont, Cramerton, Mount Holly and Stanley, the necessity of having this kind of information up-to-date and always immediately available, is obvious. The Directory is the common intermediary between buyer and seller, and plays an important role in the daily activities of the com- mercial, industrial and professional world.
II. THE ALPHABETICAL LIST OF NAMES of residents and business and professional concerns is the second major department, printed on white paper. This is the only record in existence that aims to show the name, marital status, occupation and address of each adult resident of Belmont,
193496
6
INTRODUCTION
Cramerton, Mount Holly, Stanley, Alba Town, Catawba Heights, McAdenville, North Belmont, Springwood and on the Belmont and Mount Holly rural routes, and the name, official personnel, nature and address of each firm and corporation. The inclusion of Stanley is new with this edition.
III. THE DIRECTORY OF HOUSEHOLDERS, INCLUD- ING STREET AND AVENUE GUIDE, is the third major department, printed on green paper. In this section the numbered streets are arranged in numerical order, followed by the named streets in alphabetical order; the numbers of the residences and business concerns are arranged in nu- merical order under the name of each street, and the names of the householders and concerns are placed opposite the numbers. The names of the intersecting streets appear at their respective crossing points on each street. Special fea- tures of this section are the designation of tenant-owned homes and the listing of telephone numbers.
IV. THE NUMERICAL TELEPHONE DIRECTORY, is the fourth major department, printed on blue paper.
Community Publicity
The Directory reflects the achievements and ambitions of the community, depicting in unbiased terms what it has to offer as a place of residence, as a business location, as a manufacturing site and as an educational center. To broadcast this information, the publishers have placed copies of this issue of the Directory in Directory Libraries, where they are readily available for free public reference, and serve as perpetual and reliable advertisements of Belmont, Cramerton, Mount Holly and Stanley.
The Out-Of-Town City Directory Library
Through the courtesy of the publishers of the Belmont, Cramerton, Mount Holly and Stanley Directory, a Directory Library is maintained at Belmont Merchants Association for free reference by the general public. This is one of more than 700 Directory Libraries, installed in the chief cities of the U. S. and Canada through the courtesy of members of the Association of North American Directory Publishers, under whose supervision the system is operated.
The publishers appreciatively acknowledge the recog- nition by those progressive business and professional men who have demonstrated their confidence in the City Direc- tory as an advertising medium, with assurance that it will bring a commensurate return.
HILL DIRECTORY CO., Inc., Publishers.
H
INDEX TO ADVERTISERS
PAGE NUMBERS LISTED BELOW REFER TO THE YELLOW PAGES
Page
Abernathy Atlantic Service
21
Aldridge F A Radio & Television Service. 91
American & Efird Mills Inc
back cover, right side lines, 94 and 95
Bank of Belmont The
.front cover, left and right side lines, 22 and 23
Belk-Matthews Co ..... front cover, left top lines, 46 and 47
Belmont Abbey College.
B and 87 Belmont Building & Loan Assn
.front cover, right top lines, 27 and 85
Belmont Cleaners Inc.
back cover and 31
Belmont Finance Co Inc. 75
Belmont Grill. right top lines and 84
Belmont Merchants Association .. . left bottom lines and 34
Belmont Music Co Inc. . left side lines and 78 81 Burns Paint Shop.
Carothers Funeral Home Ltd
back cover. right top lines, 4 and . 56
Carter Electric Co left side lines and 42
Cherry Electric Co. left top lines and 42
Citizens National Bank The. . back cover,
Insert at Name in Alphabetical Section, 24 and
25
City Lumber Co Inc. right side lines and Consolidated Credit Corp. 75 82
Craig Realty & Development Co .... left side lines and
Crossroads Gulf Service .. .left bottom lines and 18
Dixon Motor Co ..... front cover, right top lines, 11 and 96 Dixon Oil Co ..... front stencil, right side lines, 55 and 80
Dixon Service Station. right bottom lines and 12 Duke Power Co. .
Y
Elmore Insurance & Realty Co
. front cover, left and right side lines, 71 and 83
Entas Gus Shoe Store. .left top lines and 90
Featherstone's Garage left top lines and 18
Featherstone's Service Station. left side lines and 19
Firestone Home & Auto Supplies. .. left top lines and 6
First Federal Savings & Loan Assn
left bottom lines and 86 First State Bank & Trust Co ... .... left top lines and 26 Fite & Bumgardner Funeral Home Inc
. bottom stencil, right side lines, 5 and 57 Fite Furniture Co ... front cover, right side lines, 7 and 58
Ford W R Hardware .. . right side lines and 65 Fowler H L Insurance Agency. .. right bottom lines and 73
Freeman's Esso Servicenter. .left side lines and 13 Gaston County Dyeing Machine Co
backbone, right side lines and 93 Gaston Electric Co Inc .. 53 Gastonia Mill Supply Co The
. back lip margin, left top lines, Z and 68 Gazette Publishing Co Inc front cover, left top lines, 2 and 79
28
8
INDEX TO ADVERTISERS
Page
Gowan's J C Gulf Service.
19
Hall's Inc. .. right side lines and 54
Henkel Concrete Co
.. front cover, left and right bottom lines, 35 and 41 73 49
Henkle Ivey Jeweler .right top lines and Hill Directory Co Inc
Hinson's Inc .left bottom lines and
Holland J W & Co back cover, right top lines and
Holland Rexall Drug
Hovis Inc. . . back cover, right top lines, 8 and Liquid Asphalt Co
Loftin Richard L. . left bottom lines and Mann Jethro R General Building Contractor
Insert at name in Alphabetical Section and Massey Hardware Co . back cover, right side lines, 66 and McCall Bros Pump & Well Co Inc
right side lines and
97
McCarn TV & Radio Service.
91
McClure Lumber Co .. Tabbed Insert at name in Alphabetcial Section, 29 and 76
McGee Jewelers. right bottom lines and 74
Montbell Ice & Fuel Co. .left top lines and 32 Mt Holly Funeral Home ... back cover and left top lines
Mt Holly Heating & Air Conditioning Co
Mt Holly Ice & Fuel Co. .right side lines, 40 and 43
Norris Supply & Machine Co. 20 and 54 left side lines and 70
North American Van Lines
R & W Shoe Repairing
Radio & Video Service.
Rankin-Armstrong Co Inc. right bottom lines and
Rhyne M A & Sons. . left side. lines and
Riddle Joe S Contractor Inc.
River Bend Township Merchants Assn Inc
River Valley Chevrolet Co. right bottom lines and 33 right top lines and 14 20
Robinson D H Pure Oil & Tire Recapping Service ..... Robinson's Drug Store. . left top lines and 51
Rustin Furniture Co Inc. right bottom lines and Sacred Heart Junior College. C and 61 88 St Leo's Junior Military School. .. left bottom lines and 89 Seth Builders Supply Inc
.top stencil, left side lines, 30, 39, 67 and 77 74 48 64
Shepherd's Jewelry
Stowe Mercantile Co. left top lines and
Suburban Rulane Gas Co of N C .. . left bottom lines and Summey Drug Co. left bottom lines and 52 Taylor Motors Inc. .front lip
margin, left top lines, right bottom lines, A, 16 and Thrower's Super Market ..
17 65 W C G C Central Broadcasting Co ... left side lines and 3 Wallace Furniture & Appliance Co ... right top lines and 62 Walls Howard F ..... back cover, left side lines, 38 and 84 Western Auto Associate Store 9 Western Auto Associate Store. .right top lines and 10
77 90 92 60 44 37
63 72 50 59 43 39
36
69
BELMONT
(Courtesy Belmont Merchants Association)
Statistical Review
Form of Government-Aldermanic (City), Mayor and five Commissioners elected at large.
Population-1950 U. S. Census, 5,330; Greater Belmont, 10,500.
Area-1.7 square miles.
Altitude-676.5 feet above sea level.
Climate-Mean annual temperature, 60 degrees F .; av- erage annual rainfall, 50 inches.
Recreation-7 parks with total of thirty (30) acres. Athletic stadium seats 4,000.
Assessed Valuation-$13,500,000.
Bonded Debt-$384,000.
Financial Facts-June 30, 1956, 1 bank with total re- sources of $10,233,033.00; 1 building and loan association with assets of $5,458,625.00.
Postal Receipts-$111,139.37 (Fiscal year ending June 30, 1956).
Telephones in Service-1,990.
Churches-22, representing all denominations.
Industry-Chief industry is the manufacture of textiles and both men's and women's hosiery. 30 plants, employing 6,500 workers, paying wages of more than $15,000,000.00 an- nually.
Trade Area-Radius of 3 miles with 18,000 population.
Newspapers-Belmont has one weekly newspaper, and is served by a number of daily papers.
Motels-Several modern motels are located in or near Belmont.
Radio Stations-Radio Station WCGC, operating on 500 kilowatts, serves Mt. Holly, Cramerton and Belmont.
Railroads-Southern Railway and Piedmont and North- ern serve Belmont.
Highways-U. S. 24 and 74; State 7 and 273.
Airports-3 near by.
Amusements-Largest Auditorium (High School) 1,000 capacity. 5 moving picture theatres, 6 golf courses in vicinity.
Education-Belmont Abbey College-a four year Col- lege for men; Sacred Heart Academy, a Junior College for Women; and St. Leo's School for Boys are located here. 9 Public Schools, including 2 High Schools and 2 parochial schools. Number of students in Public Schools, 4,222; num- ber of teachers in Public Schools 142; number in Parochial 54. Value of Public School Property, $1,500,000; Parochial $50,000; Colleges $2,000,000; North Carolina Vocational School with 300 students and 10 teachers, valued at $500,- 000.
Public Libraries-1, with 2,500 volumes, access to Cen- tral Library with 70,000 volumes.
10
INTRODUCTION
City Statistics-Street mileage 20, with 18 miles paved and 2 miles secondary streets; miles of sewers, 26; number of water meters, 1,250; light meters, 3,500. Daily capacity of water works, 3,000,000 gallons; daily average pumpage, 1,500,000 gallons; miles of mains, 22. Fire department has 3 full time firemen and 20 volunteers; two modern fire trucks, hose and apparatus value at $30,000. Police de- partment has ten men operating from one station.
General Review
Belmont is located in what is known as the South Point section of Gaston County. This section is formed by the junction of the South Fork River with the Catawba River. Belmont is the second largest town in Gaston County. Two hundred years ago this section was inhabited by thousands of the tribe of Catawba Indians, and it is from this tribe that the river which divides Mecklenburg and Gaston coun- ties gets its name.
No section of Gaston County is richer in history than this section in which Belmont is located. During the War of the Revolution, Major Wm. Chronicle, from this section,
Aerial View of Belmont
11
INTRODUCTION
together with many from South Point, fought in the battle of Kings Mountain and in other important engagements of the war.
Many from this section, with family names now prom- inent in Gaston County, served in the Civil War. The same was true in the Spanish-American War of 1898 and the World War of 1917 and 1918.
An example of the rich history of this section is the monument, near Belmont, erected on what is alleged to be the spot where Nancy Hanks, mother of Abraham Lincoln, lived with her uncle, Dicky Hanks, during her girlhood, be- fore marrying Thomas Lincoln and moving to Kentucky. The monument is of granite, and stands in South Point Township of Gaston County, a mile from Belmont, on the farm formerly owned by the late C. T. Stowe. It was erected by descendants of Mr. Stowe.
The Southern Railway built its road through this sec- tion in the early 1870's, and this hitherto agricultural sec- tion soon became a trading center of much importance. In 1878, leaders of the Order of St. Benedict, with Leo Haid as director, founded a monastery here, which is known as the Belmont Abbey, and about that time this trading center was named "Garibaldi." In 1895, by an act of the General Assembly of North Carolina, Belmont became an incorpor- ated town with a population of approximately 100.
During the 62 years that have come and gone since then, the town has grown rapidly. In 1900 the population of Bel- mont was 145; in 1910, 1,176; in 1920, 2,941; in 1930, 4,121, and the recent Census of 1950, gave the town a population of 5,330.
This community, known as "Greater Belmont," has a population of approximately 10,500.
Belmont is primarily a manufacturing town. In its trade territory there are 30 manufacturing establishments, employing 6,500 men and women and having a payroll in
=
THE
View of North Main Street
12
INTRODUCTION
excess of $15,000,000 annually. The majority of these plants are spinning mills. Others include a dye plant, a processing and finishing plant, a silk-throwing plant, a plant for the manufacture of men's hosiery, two plants manufac- turing full-fashioned hosiery, a box factory and a lumber company.
The products of most of these manufacturing corpora- tions are sold in every country in the world.
Belmont has an aldermanic form of government, with a mayor and five aldermen elected at large. Its finances are in excellent condition, the town having taxable property amounting to $13,500,000, and with a tax rate of only 70c per $100.
Belmont has all the conveniences found in the larger cities. It has twenty-six miles of sewer line. It has 18 miles of paved streets completed. It has 2 miles of second- ary streets; over ten miles of concrete sidewalks; a modern water system; adequate departmental equipment, including 2 modern fire trucks tractors, trucks and other accessories; a community house and recreational center; a modern ath- letic field, including parks, tennis courts, football field, base- ball field, and a stadium with a seating capacity of 4,000, representing an expenditure of more than $1,000,000 in per- manent capital assets of the town.
Belmont is especially proud of its school system, con- sisting of nine buildings. The magnificent new high school building, occupied for the first time, in the fall of 1940, cost more than $200,000. The system employs 142 teachers and has a total enrollment of 4,222 students. Four years ago Belmont citizens voted a supplementary tax for the opera- tion of the nine-month term.
Numerous Championship athletic teams and dramatic and forensic groups have been produced at Belmont High School and at Belmont Abbey. Two years after Belmont High School's band was organized, it the national championship in its class at a national tournament in Rich- mond, Va., in the spring of 1941.
While speaking of schools, it must not be overlooked that Belmont is a college town. For here are situated Bel- mont Abbey College and the Sacred Heart Academy and College for Women. Belmont Abbey is the oldest Catholic institution of learning in the South Atlantic states. It draws its students from throughout the North and the At- lantic Seaboard and from a number of foreign countries.
Belmont High School Band
13
INTRODUCTION
An increasingly large number of students from Belmont and Gaston County attend this institution.
Sacred Heart Academy and College for Women is con- ducted by the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. It also num- bers many Gaston County young people among its students. Both these institutions do two full years of college work.
Belmont Abbey is a Benedictine monastery, the abbot of which is an ordinary; that is, he has jurisdiction over the eight counties of western North Carolina akin to the juris- diction of a bishop in his diocese. It is the only abbey of its kind in the U. S.
Because of the connection of the abbot-ordinary, the 'Abbey church is also a cathedral-the only abbey cathedral in the U. S. The stained glass windows in the Abbey Cathedral are from Myers Brothers studios in Munich, Bavaria. They are nationally-known because they were awarded the gold prize at the World's Fair in Chicago in 1892.
Of great historical interest on the campus of the Bel- mont Abbey College is the Slave Block (perhaps the only genuine slave block in the country). It is a round block of natural stone, measuring about three feet in diameter and about 41/2 feet in length. Slaves were sold and exhibited on this stone in antebellum days.
Another point of interest on the Abbey campus is the Dutch Oven Bakery of the institution. This bakery has been in use for over 50 years, and the baking is still done in this old form of fireless cooking. Also of religious in- terest is the Grotto on the Abbey campus. It is an outdoor chapel recessed in the side of a hill in a rustic stone setting, a shrine at which religous services are held.
Nearly all the civic clubs have units or chapters in Bel- mont. The Belmont Rotary Club, the Belmont Kiwanis Club, the Belmont Woman's Club, also Belmont Lions Club, Op-
Catawba Heights Section of Belmont, N. C.
14
INTRODUCTION
timist Club, the American Legion, the Legion Auxiliary, the Parent-Teachers Association, the Junior Chamber of Com- merce-these organizations and the Belmont Merchants Association are all working actively towards the building of a larger community and more worth-while city.
The citizens of Belmont are a church-going people. All leading religious denominations are represented here. Twenty-two churches furnish the citizens ample places for worship. Each of these has an able and well-qualified man as pastor. These fine churches, with their large and loyal congregations, add much to the attractiveness of the town, a convincing inducement for people to locate here permanently.
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