Cherryville is a small city in northwestern
Gaston County, North Carolina
Gaston County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 227,943. The county seat is Gastonia. Dallas served as the original county seat from 1846 until 1911.
Gaston County is included in the C ...
, United States. The population was 5,760 at the 2010 census.
The New Year's Shooters celebrate the area's
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
heritage by beginning each year with a customary chant and the honorary shooting of
musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually d ...
s. Cherryville is located approximately west of
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...
and northwest of
Gastonia.
Geography
Cherryville is located in
Cherryville Township at (35.381169, -81.379168)
at an elevation of . According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the city covers a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.21%, is water.
The small Cherryville City Reservoir is located just southeast of the city limits.
Cherryville is located along a divide among three watersheds. The western end of Cherryville is in the watershed of Muddy Creek, a right tributary of Buffalo Creek and part of the
Broad River catchment basin. The north side of Cherryville is in the Indian Creek watershed, drained by Lick Fork Creek and an unnamed tributary of Indian Creek. The south side Cherryville Township is in the Beaverdam Creek watershed, drained by unnamed right-hand tributaries of Beaverdam Creek. Indian Creek and Beaverdam Creek are tributaries of the
South Fork Catawba River
The South Fork Catawba River (better known as the South Fork River) begins south of Hickory, North Carolina just northwest of the intersection of US Highway 321 and North Carolina Highway 10, at the confluence of the Henry Fork and Jacob Fork. ...
.
History
During the last half of the 18th century, German,
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
, and
Scot
The Scots ( sco, Scots Fowk; gd, Albannaich) are an ethnic group and nation native to Scotland. Historically, they emerged in the early Middle Ages from an amalgamation of two Celtic-speaking peoples, the Picts and Gaels, who founded t ...
s-
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
families from the
Colony of Pennsylvania
The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn after receiving a land grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania ("Penn's Woods") refers to Wi ...
migrated south and settled in the Cherryville area.
Land grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...
s made by King
George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
of Great Britain date back to 1768, and as early as 1792 Governor
Samuel Ashe of North Carolina made grants in and around "White Pine", as the settlement was known at the time. A village began to develop at a crossroads of the
Morganton-to-
Charleston road, closely followed by modern
Highway 274 / Mountain Street, and the Old Post Road, a main thoroughfare between
Salisbury, North Carolina
Salisbury is a city in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. Located northeast of Charlotte and within its metropolita ...
, and
Spartanburg, South Carolina
Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat, seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest c ...
.
[Mary Frances Maune]
"Cherryville"
, Cherryville.com history articles. Retrieved on 2008-07-14.
In 1862, the
Wilmington, Charlotte and Rutherford Railroad
The Carolina Central Railroad, was a railway company in the United States. It was incorporated in 1855 as the Wilmington and Charlotte Railroad and was renamed the Wilmington, Charlotte and Rutherford Railroad shortly after. It was reorganized as ...
(later known as the
Carolina Central Railroad
The Carolina Central Railroad, was a railway company in the United States. It was incorporated in 1855 as the Wilmington and Charlotte Railroad and was renamed the Wilmington, Charlotte and Rutherford Railroad shortly after. It was reorganized as ...
) reached White Pine. Construction of the railroad westward from Cherryville was interrupted by the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, so that throughout the war Cherryville was a western terminus of the railroads in North Carolina. When construction resumed and the railroad extended beyond Cherryville, the town served as a water and coal stop. Along the railroad, a local resident planted
cherry tree
A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit).
Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The na ...
s, and the train engineers soon began calling the settlement "Cherryville". The town was incorporated under this name in 1881.
Agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
was Cherryville's main economic base for many years. However, during the late 19th century, the
textile industry
The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of yarn, cloth and clothing. The raw material may be natural, or synthetic using products of the chemical industry.
Industry process
Cotton manufacturi ...
became established in the town. Cherryville's first
cotton mill
A cotton mill is a building that houses spinning (textiles), spinning or weaving machinery for the production of yarn or cloth from cotton, an important product during the Industrial Revolution in the development of the factory system.
Althou ...
, the Cherryville Manufacturing Plant, was incorporated in 1891. It was soon followed by the opening of three other mills. By the start of the 20th century, the rural village had become an industrial community of a thousand people.
Eventually, 13 mills would be opened in Cherryville, including Gaston Manufacturing Company (later operated as Dora Yarn Mills), Vivian Manufacturing Company ("Old Sardine", later operated as Nuway Spinning Company), Melville Manufacturing Company (later
Burlington Industries
Burlington Industries, formerly Burlington Mills, is a diversified American fabric maker based in Greensboro, North Carolina. Founded by J. Spencer Love in Burlington, North Carolina in 1923, the company has operations in the United States, Mexi ...
' Pinnacle Plant), Howell Manufacturing Company, Rhyne Houser Manufacturing Company (later part of Burlington Industries' Madision Division), and Carlton Yarn Mills, Inc. All of these plants have since closed.
In 1932, a trucking company began operating in Cherryville with one truck hauling produce from
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
to Cherryville. This company would become one of the largest freight carriers in the nation, known as
Carolina Freight Carriers Corporation
Carolina may refer to:
Geography
* The Carolinas, the U.S. states of North and South Carolina
** North Carolina, a U.S. state
** South Carolina, a U.S. state
* Province of Carolina, a British province until 1712
* Carolina, Alabama, a town in t ...
. After operating for more than sixty years, Carolina Freight was bought by the
Arkansas Best Trucking Company in October 1995, and operations moved from Cherryville.
On July 13, 1966, Trains #45 & #46 of the
Seaboard Air Line Railroad
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad which existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, t ...
, hit head-on on the southeast side of the city, killing one and injuring three. GP-9's 1911–1927–1963–1971–1979 and F-3, 4027 of SAL, were destroyed and scrapped on site. J. W. Pait of Hamlet, North Carolina, was killed in the wreck.
The
Beam's Shell Service Station and Office
Beam's Shell Service Station and Office, also known as C. Grier Beam Truck Museum, is a historic service station located at 117 N. Mountain St. in Cherryville, Gaston County, North Carolina. It was built about 1930 by the Shell Oil Company, and i ...
was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1997.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, there were 6,078 people, 2,434 households, and 1,493 families residing in the city.
2000 census
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, there were 5,361 people, 2,177 households, and 1,480 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,131.3 people per square mile (436.7 per km
2). There were 2,356 housing units at an average density of 497.2 per square mile (191.9 per km
2). The racial makeup of the city was 88.81%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 9.57%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.13%
Native American, 0.62%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.52% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 0.35% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 2.29% of the population.
There were 2,177 households, out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 21.2% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,054, and the median income for a family was $45,607. Males had a median income of $38,667 versus $24,828 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $19,254. About 6.7% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 10.5% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.
Government
The mayor of Cherryville is elected by popular vote for a two-year term. The City Council is made up of four members with staggered terms. Each member is elected from one of four wards for a four-year term. Candidates are required to reside in the ward they intend to represent; however, the vote is citywide. The council appoints a full-time city manager to serve as executive officer of the city.
Economy
Cherryville's largest employers include
Keystone Powdered Metal Company
Keystone or key-stone or ''variation'', may refer to:
* Keystone (architecture), a central stone or other piece at the apex of an arch or vault
* Keystone (cask), a fitting used in ale casks
Business
* Keystone Law, a full-service law firm
* Dig ...
, a manufacturer primarily of automotive parts, including bearings, valve seats, and small structural parts, employing 220 people,
FleetNet America, a fleet maintenance company employing over 375 people, and
Bradington-Young Furniture Company, a manufacturer of sofas, chairs, and recliners, employing 187 people. Other manufacturing companies include
R-Anell Incorporated, manufacturing pre-fabricated modular homes, and Advanced Urethane Solutions, Inc., manufacturing an assortment of
polyurethane
Polyurethane (; often abbreviated PUR and PU) refers to a class of polymers composed of organic chemistry, organic units joined by carbamate (urethane) links. In contrast to other common polymers such as polyethylene and polystyrene, polyurethan ...
products including rollers, bumpers, and
The largest among non-manufacturing employers are in the governmental, institutional, and construction sectors. The
public school system
State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary schools that educate all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in pa ...
employs 200 people locally, while the government offices of the City of Cherryville employ 90 people. Rutherford Electric Membership Cooperative employs 186 people. Beam Construction Company employs 150 people. Carolina Care Center and Century Care, convalescent facilities, employ 120 and 70 people, respectively.
Education
Public schools in Cherryville are part of the
Gaston County Schools
Gaston County Schools is a public school district located in Gaston County, North Carolina. With 30,046 students enrolled in 56 schools as of the 2021–22 academic year, it is the tenth largest public school district in North Carolina.
Scho ...
public school system. They include:
* Cherryville Elementary School, grades K-3,
* William Blaine Beam Intermediate School, grades 4–5, built in 2004 on the site of the former Cherryville High School and named for a former community leader and education advocate.
*
John Chavis Middle School
Gaston County Schools is a public school district located in Gaston County, North Carolina. With 30,046 students enrolled in 56 schools as of the 2021–22 academic year, it is the tenth largest public school district in North Carolina.
Scho ...
, grades 6–8, named for
John Chavis
John Chavis (c. 1763–June 15, 1838) was a free Black educator and Presbyterian minister in the American South during the early 19th century. Born in Oxford, North Carolina, he fought for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary ...
(c. 1763–1838), African-American educator and Presbyterian minister
*
Cherryville High School
Cherryville High School is a high school in the Gaston County Schools public school district located in Cherryville, NC. Its attendance area covers northwestern Gaston County, and it also serves the western part of the community of Tryon and th ...
, grades 9-12.
Tryon Elementary School, grades K-5, in the unincorporated
Tryon community of
Cherryville Township also feeds into John Chavis Middle School.
The Cherryville Branch of the Gaston County Public Library serves this community.
Religious life
The first church organized in Cherryville was Saint John's Evangelical
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
Church, established in 1881, the same year in which the town was incorporated. The congregation had the first church building in Cherryville as well, erected soon after the church's organization. It was replaced by the current structure in 1963.
Other churches in Cherryville include First
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...
(organized 1883), Fairview
Baptist Church
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
(1884), First
Presbyterian Church
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
(1893), First Baptist Church (1893), Rudisill Chapel
AME Zion Church #REDIRECT AME #REDIRECT AME
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{{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from ambiguous page ...
, North Gaston Church of God, Mount Zion Baptist Church, Cherryville Missionary Methodist Church, Iglesia Christian Integral, Victory Life Assembly of God, Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, Liberty United Glorious Church, Shady Grove Baptist Church, and Oak Grove Baptist Church.