Odell School is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in northwestern

Cabarrus County, North Carolina Cabarrus County ( )
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

Cabarrus County Schools Cabarrus County Schools is a local education agency headquartered in Concord, North Carolina. The system presides over the vast majority of Cabarrus County, North Carolina, the exception being an area of Kannapolis in the northern part of the co ...

system. It lies between Huntersville and

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony) * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...

History

Prior names

The oldest name for this community on record was the name given to the township, Deweese, in the mid-19th century. This was the family name of one of the land owners in the community, whose name was also given to the community schoolhouse. The land on which the schoolhouse was located is now occupied by Gilwood Presbyterian Church. Other colloquial names for the community which originated near the turn of the 20th century included Gandersburg and Pinchgut. Gandersburg stemmed from a community sport where a live goose was tied head-down in a large tree behind the '' Will Johnson General Store'' and horseback riders would attempt to snatch the head from the goose while going at full gallop. Pinchgut referred to the hard times the community went through during

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 ...

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...

Roads

The main road through the community was originally known as ''Statesville Road'', which occupied portions of the current

North Carolina Highway 3 North Carolina Highway 3 (NC 3) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The road runs from US 601 in southern Concord, north through Mooresville to US 29 in Kannapolis. It is numbered after Dale E ...

, Odell School Road, Bradford Road, Macedonia Church Road and

North Carolina Highway 73 North Carolina Highway 73 (NC 73) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina that travels through south-central North Carolina in the United States. Most of the route is a two-lane highway that passes through both ru ...

on its route between Mooresville and Concord. In 1929, the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

built a paved, two-lane road through the area. The road was originally signed as North Carolina Highway 74. In 1935,

U.S. Route 74 U.S. Route 74 (US 74) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Primarily in North Carolina, it serves as an important highway from the mountains to the ...

was built through North Carolina, and the state highway was re-signed as

, more commonly as '' Davidson-Concord Highway''. With the completion of this highway, the antiquated bridge on the Statesville Road over

Coddle Creek Coddle Creek is a stream/river that rises near Mooresville in Iredell County, North Carolina. It flows through most of northwestern Cabarrus County, North Carolina where it empties into Rocky River near Harrisburg, North Carolina Harrisburg, a ...

was demolished, and the lower end of Statesville Road was re-routed to link to ''Poplar Tent Road'' and ''Derita Road'', crossing Highway 73 and forming what is now considered the center of the Odell School community. This road is currently known as Odell School Road. In the late 19th century, the mill village of

Kannapolis Kannapolis () is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan counties, in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord and northeast of Charlotte and is a suburb in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The city of Kannapolis was incorporated in 1984. Th ...

was founded in northern Cabarrus County, and a road was extended from Baker's Creek in that village to join with the Statesville Road just west of

. This road was known for many years as Mooresville Road, then Mooresville-Kannapolis Highway. It now forms a major part of

Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. (; April 29, 1951February 18, 2001) was an American professional stock car driver and team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notably dri ...

Boulevard, or

Churches

Gilwood Presbyterian Church

The founding of this church occurred in November 1889 on the ''Deweese Schoolhouse'' property donated to the church by ''Isaiah Deweese''. The first sanctuary was erected in the 1890s, and a fellowship building, ''"The Hut"'' was built in the 1920s. The sanctuary was expanded by adding

Sunday School A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. Su ...

rooms and was brick veneered in the 1930s. By the middle of the 20th century, plans were being made for reconstruction of the church facilities. An educational wing was built in 1963. This was followed by a new sanctuary, connected to the educational wing, in 1969. The former sanctuary was demolished soon after. A greatly expanded fellowship hall and ministry center was built, replacing "The Hut" in the 1990s. The latest project, remodeling and expansion of the church sanctuary, was finished in 2004. Founded as a congregation in the

Presbyterian Church in the United States The Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS, originally Presbyterian Church in the Confederate States of America) was a Protestant denomination in the Southern and border states of the United States that existed from 1861 to 1983. That y ...

, or Southern Presbyterian denomination, a 1980s merger brought it into the fold of the

Presbyterian Church (USA) The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PC(USA), is a mainline Protestant denomination in the United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the US, and known for its liberal stance on doctrine and its ordaining of women and ...

Shiloh United Methodist Church

This church was founded in the late 19th century as a congregation of the

Methodist Episcopal Church, South The Methodist Episcopal Church, South (MEC, S; also Methodist Episcopal Church South) was the American Methodist denomination resulting from the 19th-century split over the issue of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC). Disagreement ...

. Through the process of mergers, the congregation is now a part of the

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 ...

. The original sanctuary was constructed on ''Odell School Road'' just south of ''Shiloh Church Road'', and was a frame structure, outfitted with an open steeple and three bells. Despite the name, this church was never located on ''Shiloh Church Road'', but rather to the south of it. In the 1930s, the sanctuary was remodeled and the steeple enclosed to a more traditional design. An educational wing and fellowship hall were constructed in the 1960s, and the sanctuary was replaced with a brick structure in the 1990s. The original sanctuary building still exists, having been moved to a site on '' Shiloh Church Road'' and converted to a private residence.

Odell Baptist Church

Founded as a daughter church of Concord First Baptist Church, the '' Pastorium'' (parsonage) and the original sanctuary of the church was constructed in the early 1960s. Other buildings for the church were constructed later in the 20th century, with the original building being converted to an educational center and the Pastorium being converted to church offices. This church is located east of the

Reservoir on

. Odell Baptist Church is a constituent church of the

Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The wor ...

Cedar Grove Presbyterian Church

This church congregation was begun following the

, when African-American members of ''Poplar Tent Presbyterian Church'' decided to form their own congregation. Their original sanctuary was a frame structure built off of ''Odell School Road''. This building served the congregation for nearly a century, being replaced with a brick structure in the late 1960s. For most of its history, Cedar Grove Presbyterian Church has shared a pastor with nearby '' Bethpage Presbyterian Church, Concord''. Founded as a congregation of the

United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. The United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (UPCUSA) was the largest branch of Presbyterianism in the United States from May 28, 1958, to 1983. It was formed by the union of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of Ameri ...

, denominational merger has brought them into the fold of the

Schools

Deweese/Gilwood School

The founding of Gilwood Presbyterian Church in 1889 led to the re-naming of the community school building to ''Gilwood School'' and its relocation to a building behind the former ''Will Johnson General Store'' at the corner of Statesville Road and ''Mason Goodman Road'' (now called Windy Road).

Odell High School

In 1929, W. R. Odell School was built on the corner tract of land formed by the newly routed highways. The school was named for the founder of Odell Mill, the first textile mill in Cabarrus County. Odell School consolidated community schools at Gilwood, Bethpage, Poplar Tent and Macedonia, and initially offered eleven grades of instruction in one location. The school was expanded to twelve grades in the 1940s, and remained the community's only school and namesake until further school consolidations began in the late 20th century.

County consolidation and new facilities

Grades 9 through 12 were moved to

Northwest Cabarrus High School Northwest Cabarrus High School, commonly referred to simply as Northwest and abbreviated as NCHS, is a comprehensive public high school located in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, United States. The school is a part of the Cabarrus County Schools ...

in 1966, and grades 6 through 8 to Northwest Cabarrus Middle School in 1988. A replacement school on ''Moss Farm Road'' (off Harris Road) was constructed, and

Kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

and elementary grades began the 2007–2008 school year in the new facility. Beginning with the 2009–2010 school year, high school students in grades 9, 10 and 11 began attending the newly constructed

Cox Mill High School Cox Mill High School is a comprehensive public high school in Concord, North Carolina. History In 2006, Cabarrus County, North Carolina, Cabarrus County officials began looking for land in the western portion of the county for a high school th ...

, located on the southern edge of the Odell School community. 12th grade continued to attend

to graduate in 2010, and in the fall of 2010 Cox Mill expanded to a full four-grade high school. In 2016, Odell School was reconstructed on its original property, and reopened as a school for grades 3-5 by the name of W.R. Odell Elementary School, moving students in these grades from the now-renamed W.R. Odell Primary School on Moss Farm Road.

Odell Volunteer Fire Department

Organized in 1961, the department's "trial by fire" came on a winter night in 1963, when the gymnasium of the former Odell High School burned down. Though the gym was a total loss, the department was able to save the adjoining school buildings from destruction. The Odell Volunteer Fire Department is housed in a modern facility on Highway 73, and has expanded to provide

First Responder A first responder is a person with specialized training who is among the first to arrive and provide assistance or incident resolution at the scene of an emergency, such as an accident, disaster, medical emergency, structure fire, crime, or terr ...

service for the area. Most of the firefighters are trained as

Emergency Medical Technicians An emergency medical technician (EMT), also known as an ambulance technician, is a health professional that provides emergency medical services. EMTs are most commonly found working in ambulances. In English-speaking countries, paramedics are ...

. The department serves as backup and assistance to the Concord (NC) Fire Department for emergency calls to

Concord Regional Airport Concord-Padgett Regional Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located seven nautical miles (13 km) west of the central business district of Concord, a city in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, United States. According to the FAA's ...

. In 2010, Odell Volunteer Fire Department built its first substation, a five-bay facility on Shiloh Church Road. The station was designed to function as a fully stand-alone fire department, in anticipation of future annexation in the area by Concord, Kannapolis and/or Davidson.

Nightingale Nursing Home

This nursing facility was founded in the early 1960s by Mrs. Bertha Hartsell and Mrs. Florence Furr, neighbors and residents of the Odell School Community. Initially an

Intermediate Care Facility A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of elderly or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as skilled nursing facility (SNF) or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms have slightly different meanings to i ...

, by the 1970s the facility had upgraded to

Skilled Nursing Facility A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of elderly or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as skilled nursing facility (SNF) or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms have slightly different meanings to in ...

status. In the late 70s, sale of the facility resulted in a name change to Brian Center-Odell, although the facility remained privately owned by one of the officers of the Brian Center Corporation. A later split with the corporation resulted in a name change to '' Odell Nursing Center''. A major expansion in the 1980s doubled the number of beds in the facility, and was followed by a sale in 1990 to Kentucky-based Cardinal Health Care. In 1995, Cardinal built a new facility near

Kannapolis, North Carolina Kannapolis () is a city in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, Cabarrus and Rowan County, North Carolina, Rowan counties, in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord, North Carolina, Concord and northeast of Charlotte, North Carolina, ...

and transferred the nursing services out of the Odell School community. The buildings are currently abandoned, as the owners of the property seek further development options.

Community stores

Johnson's General Store

Johnson's General Store was owned and operated by several generations of the Johnson family, beginning in the mid-19th century, and was located at the intersection of the current Odell School Road and Windy Road. It was long recognized as a community gathering place, and as automobiles began to be owned by community residents, the store became a dealer of

Standard Oil Standard Oil Company, Inc., was an American oil production, transportation, refining, and marketing company that operated from 1870 to 1911. At its height, Standard Oil was the largest petroleum company in the world, and its success made its co-f ...

Esso Esso () is a trading name for ExxonMobil. Originally, the name was primarily used by its predecessor Standard Oil of New Jersey after the breakup of the original Standard Oil company in 1911. The company adopted the name "Esso" (the phonetic p ...

and finally

Exxon ExxonMobil Corporation (commonly shortened to Exxon) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is the largest direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, and was formed on November 30, ...

gasoline and petroleum products. Through the early part of the 20th century, William Johnson owned the store. His brother, Thomas Johnson assumed ownership in the late 1950s until the store closed in 1978, The building still stands, and is currently used as a residence.

Odell Grocery history

Closer to the center of the Odell School community, the Hartsell Store was founded in 1920 near the corner of present-day Odell School Road and Lockwood Road. When Highway 73 was routed through the community, the Hartsell family moved the store to the corner of the highway across from Odell School. There, they transformed it into a full-service

gasoline station A filling station, also known as a gas station () or petrol station (), is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold in the 2010s were gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Gasoline ...

. In the mid-1950s, The Hartsell family sold the service station to W. A. (Dub) Irvin, and as Irvin's Service Station it served motorists passing through the community for over 30 years. Irvin retired and after renting the store for several years he sold it to Carl Overcash, another longtime Odell School community resident, and the name changed to Carl's General Store. Following the death of owner Ronald Overcash in 2010, the store was sold and became known as Odell Grocery. Over the years, the service station has sold

Gulf Oil Gulf Oil was a major global oil company in operation from 1901 to 1985. The eighth-largest American manufacturing company in 1941 and the ninth-largest in 1979, Gulf Oil was one of the so-called Seven Sisters oil companies. Prior to its merger ...

Union 76 76 (formerly Union 76) is a chain of gas stations located within the United States. The 76 brand is owned by Phillips 66. Unocal, the original owner and creator of the 76 brand, merged with Chevron Corporation in 2005. History The Union O ...

and

Phillips 66 The Phillips 66 Company is an American Multinational corporation, multinational energy company headquartered in Westchase, Houston, Westchase, Houston, Houston, Texas. Its name, dating back to 1927 as a trademark of the Phillips Petroleum Compan ...

gasoline and petroleum products and currently sells Marathon branded fuel.

Tulin telephone exchange

Odell Community once had its own telephone exchange, independent of the

Bell System The Bell System was a system of telecommunication companies, led by the Bell Telephone Company and later by the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T), that dominated the telephone services industry in North America for over one hundr ...

. The system was operated by the Johnson Family, who ran it from their boarding house on what is now Odell School Road. The system was built in the years following World War I from surplus electrical equipment and telephone poles harvested from land in the community. At its peak, some 50 families and 5 businesses were on the exchange, which took its "company" name from the nickname of Mrs. Johnson, who served as operator. The "Tulin" exchange served to link widely separated farm families of the day, and connect them with medical, law enforcement and other vital services in the community. One long-distance telephone line . . . to the county seat of Concord (NC) . . . was available to the exchange. Individual telephone numbers were identified by the exchange name, followed by the number of "long" rings followed by the number of "short" rings. For example, someone with the telephone number "Tulin 24" would know that they had a call when the telephone rang with two long rings and four short ones. Telephone service on the "Tulin" exchange ended in 1942, when the lines were taken down and the telephones scrapped for salvage metals to aid the fighting of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. For the next decade, telephone service to the Odell School community was limited to two lines to Concord . . . one at Odell High School and the other at Johnson's General Store. By 1952, The Concord Telephone Company began to connect the community to both Concord and Kannapolis with rotary-dial telephone service.

Current issues

As of late there has been considerable push to incorporate the community. In a movement known as BLOCK (Better Land-use for Odell, Cabarrus, and

), citizens have pushed for incorporation to halt the recent attempts by the city of Kannapolis to annex the area and use it as an enlargement for their tax base.

Location

The Cabarrus County seat of

is located some 11 miles east of Odell School. To the west lie the North Mecklenburg towns of Huntersville and

Davidson Davidson may refer to: * Davidson (name) * Clan Davidson, a Highland Scottish clan * Davidson Media Group * Davidson Seamount, undersea mountain southwest of Monterey, California, USA * Tyler Davidson Fountain, monument in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA * ...

, located on the eastern bank of

Lake Norman Lake Norman is the largest man-made body of fresh water in North Carolina. It was created between 1959 and 1964 as part of the construction of the Cowans Ford Dam by Duke Energy. Geography Lake Norman is fed by the Catawba River, and drains i ...

. The community consists of a volunteer fire department, gas station, elementary school, and 1,100 residences.

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in North Carolina Unincorporated communities in Cabarrus County, North Carolina