City of Shelby, North Carolina history

The impressive First Baptist Church in Shelby --The Baptists have been a notable presence in Shelby since 1847 Photo courtesy of Uptown Shelby Association

Secession and the politics of the Civil War, 1860–65The coming of the warThe political course of the warMoves toward emancipationSectional dissatisfaction

Four attorneys practiced law in the courthouse town; at least six physicians practiced medicine; and one man operated a male academy. Its major businesses were the types that supported the community's day-to-day life--carpenters, wheelwrights, silversmiths, gunsmiths, blacksmiths, grocers, druggists, butchers, and tailors all operated businesses in Shelby in 1869.

In 1872, J.J. Babington of Pittsburg and Massachusetts inventor M.S. Wothington formed the Carolina Sewing Machine Company at the old Shelby Foundry on North Lafayette Street.

The pace quickened after rail service was introduced by the Carolina Central Railroad in 1874.

Also during the 1880's a locally-based political movement known later as the "Shelby Dynasty" began to gain influence locally and state-wide.

Grover Cleveland’s first termThe surplus and the tariffThe public domainThe Interstate Commerce ActThe election of 1888

The Benjamin Harrison administrationThe Sherman Antitrust ActThe silver issueThe McKinley tariffThe agrarian revoltThe PopulistsThe election of 1892

In 1894 the women of the South Washington Street neighborhood founded a literary club, believed the first such society for women in North Carolina.

Civic pride grew in Shelby, and by 1897 the Masonic lodge, the YMCA, the Knights of Pythias, the Woodmen of the World, and the United Camp of Confederate Veterans were flourishing organizations within Shelby.

A building boom in the 1920's increased the population of Shelby at the same time of cotton and textile industry expansion.

Kings Mountain National Military Park (1931), about 15 miles (25 km) southeast in northern South Carolina, preserves the site of the battle.

World War IIThe road to warThe United States at warWar productionFinancing the warSocial consequences of the warThe 1944 electionThe new United States role in world affairs

The peak Cold War years, 1945–60The Truman Doctrine and containmentPostwar domestic reorganizationThe Red ScareThe Korean WarPeace, growth, and prosperityEisenhower’s second termDomestic issuesWorld affairsAn assessment of the postwar era

By 1947, Shelby had fulfilled the promise of its nineteenth-century label of a thriving town.

Cotton production peaked in 1948 with Cleveland County producing 83,549 bales, making it North Carolina's premier cotton county.

The town center features historic buildings and tree-lined streets, with the commercial center begin designated a National Register Historic District and designation as a Main Street city since 1980.

In about 2006, local citizens began to organize an effort that has resulted in the opening of the Don Gibson Theatre and the Earl Scruggs Center to honor two great natives who became leaders in the national music scene during the last half of the 20th century.

The 2010 midterm elections

The Iran nuclear deal, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, and the Ukraine crisis

The child migrant border surge, air strikes on ISIL (ISIS), and the 2014 midterm elections