By George Harris
On a bright day in the summer of 1907, Mr. C.C. Gregg, a prosperous young manufacturer of Pittsburgh, Pa., got on the slow dinky train that was to bring him to the little village of Albemarle. When he saw the dusty little town, with a few buildings scattered here and there, no lights or water works, no sidewalks or paved streets, a poor residential section, and the merchants sitting out in front of their stores, whittling, he thought that he was coming to the end of civilization. Indeed, he thought that there was no hope of Albemarle’s ever becoming an industrial center. Obeying the instructions from headquarters, however, he inspected the mills in which he had already invested several thousand dollars. He then returned to his home, thinking his mill stock worthless. From year to year he received reports from the mill, and from the dividends he began to receive, he realized that something must have happened around that deserted village.
In the spring of 1922, while at Pinehurst, N.C., he decided to come over to Albemarle and see the lay of the land again. He found that the highways leading to Albemarle compared with the best, and that his Cadillac rode as if there were a floor under it. This time he found a five story hotel, many new residences, several business buildings in the process of construction, well equipped schools, growing residential sections, a live board of aldermen, thriving mills, clean, well-stocked stores, two newspapers that were always boosting the town, plenty of “pep” and everybody busy. When Mr. Gregg got back to the Carolina hotel that night, he said:
“Fellows, I subscribed to the Albemarle Press while in Albemarle today, and by reading the paper I am going to keep up with what is going on in that thriving town and in Stanly County as a whole. I think that place has a great future in store.”
As time passed on, Mr. Gregg became more and more enthusiastic over the reports coming from Albemarle. He got several manufacturers interested in the county, it’s water power, and prospects for development. These capitalists sent down engineers and invested large sums of money in manufacturing establishments.
One nice spring day in 1937, Mr. Gregg said, “Claude, go roll the Curtis out of the hangar. I believe we’ll run down to Albemarle for about a week.” The letter which Mr. Gregg wrote to his wife concerning his trip follows:
Albemarle, N.C.
April 14, 1937
Dear Martha,
After a nice three hour run we arrived here in the Piedmont section of the Old North State. As we neared the county I had Claude slow down and we surveyed the county from aloft. We flew up and down the river where we saw several dams and manufacturing plants. Highways stretched like ribbons form one end of the county to the other. We saw many well-kept farms with nice farm houses and out buildings. The whole landscape was green with grain. From the air Albemarle seemed to be a thriving little town with wide bitulithic streets sidewalks, a large business district with several skyscrapers, extensive residential sections, parks, playgrounds, pretty mills and mill villages and the streets loaded with traffic and people.
After making a circuit of the city, we landed on the tourist’s aviation field in the eastern section of the city. When we took the street-car for Albemarle, I saw some residence on East Main Street and Pee Dee Avenue that would do credit to any city. The large high school building on Summit Avenue seemed to be well equipped, while the Brown athletic field and large campus were thronging with husky looking boys and exceedingly nice girls. The Albemarle High School would be taken for a Junior College. I hear that the Albemarle Industrial Institute is still keeping up its good work. Five Points had built up so that I hardly knew it. The large postoffice and government building on North Second Street, the courthouse on South First, a new city hall, a library building and several manufacturing plants had been built since I was here in 1922. The employees have nice buildings which, together with the W.M.C.A., the hospital and the various churches, are distinct assets to the community. The business section extends two blocks in every direction. The growth of the mills and mill villages has surprised me. “The Albemarle Press,” which is published daily now, has accomplished its object (that was to make Albemarle a city of 15,000 inhabitants by 1935). There are a nice dairy, several truck farms, and many nice orchards between here and Badin. By the way, Badin is a thriving manufacturing center now, but within 10 years will be linked up with Albemarle. Everybody seems to be happy and contented. Business is humming and the money which I invested in the Wiscassett Mill back yonder in 1907 has been doubled and tripled.
I think that Albemarle and Stanly county have a great future before them, and I heartily recommend this vicinity to any one who is thinking of opening up some new enterprise or who wishes a nice, clean, healthy little town in which to live.
In fact, I have considered moving here myself. Do you think you would like it? Well, I will tell you more of my plans and of Albemarle when I get home.
Your loving husband,
Ed.
From The Midget, by the students of Albemarle High School, May, 1922
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