Statesville

The town of Statesville had humble beginnings over 250 years ago. Scots-Irish Presbyterians and German Lutherans started arriving in 1753 to take advantage of the resources in the area, including fertile soil and plentiful water and game. The fresh water stream running through the town inspired its original name, Fourth Creek Congregation. At the center of Fourth Creek Congregation was a log cabin used for Presbyterian worship; the First Presbyterian Church is located there today. Two years after the first settlers started arriving, colonial governor Arthur Dobbs authorized construction of a frontier fort three miles north of Fourth Creek Congregation.

The fort combined the functions of a military barracks, refuge for settlers, provisioning depot and center for negotiations with native Americans, and fortification. Considering there was so much activity Fourth Creek Congregation and the area surrounding it, in 1789, the year after Iredell county was established, state legislature selected the settlement as county seat and renamed it Statesville. From that point on, Statesville began to grow rapidly. The town’s production of tobacco products contributed to much of the growth. The town led the state’s tobacco industry, as well as the manufacturing and blending of whiskey. It also became a large distribution center for herbs and roots.

Today, Statesville is one of the largest towns in Western North Carolina; nearly 25,000 people live within the city limits, encompassing 20.5 square miles.

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