Early 1900's

Joseph Graham Rutledge in front of mercantile store located in building next to present day Town Hall.

An Industrial Survey of Stanley, compiled to entice new industry to the area, stated that the population in 1920 was 790 people within the town limits. The Federal Census for the year 1920 listed several new businesses in town. James A. Rankin had a grocery mercantile store which was located on the corner of East Chestnut Street next to his home. It was later used as a hardware store. Mr. Rankin had in the past moved out of town and lived on his farmland in the country. However that lasted only a short time and he moved back into his old house along with his two sisters, Miss Bernie Rankin and Ida Rankin Abernethy and her daughter Fannie Mae, and ran his mercantile store.

Joseph Graham Rutledge, Sr. ran a mercantile store next to the bank, after it moved up the street from the Gaston County Dye Building. He was in partnership with Wilburn Conley Thompson.

Will F. McGinnis has his grocery mercantile store on the north end of town. The Grocery mercantile store of Mr. John F. Wallace was located on the road to Mt. Holly near the Lutheran Church. John W. Pennington was also a grocery merchant.

Stanley Supply Co. previously Howard Thompson's store Howard Thompson managed Thompson's store on the corner of Main and Plum Streets. He was the son of Edgar Durant Thompson, whose brother, Wilburn Conley Thompson was one of the original owners of the store. Robert F. Craig eventually purchased the building for Gaston County Dyeing Machine Company. A business called Stanley Supply Company was located in the building for a short time prior to moving up the street.

School

In 1916 a new brick two story school was built. By this time the school had grown considerably. Teachers who lived in Stanley at the time of the 1920 Federal Census were: Mts. Ida Abernathy (widow), Vertie Covington, Bessie Morris, Maud Thompson, Ila Ballard, Mary Sue Rutledge, Edith Mason and Laura MCKeown.

A source of pride for the town in the 1920's was the fact that Stanley had one of the largest school attendance records in the piedmont. The high school was accredited. It was said that Stanley's School, which went through the 11th grade, was the only graded school in the county where a business course was taught.

Highways and Railways

In 1920 it was touted that Stanley had accessible paved highways, Hwy #16, a paved road from Mt. Holly to Belmont, a paved highway through Dallas to Gastonia and then farther south, as well as Highway # 10 from Lincointon which lead to points east and west. In other words the town was accessible from all directions.

The Carolina Contracting Company had charge of the paving. Dan In 1922 the highway from Lincointon to Charlotte was begun. Long remembers hauling sand for the highway. By August of 1922 the road paving had reached the Depot and at that point they turned and completed a hard surfaced road as far as the South Fork River to meet with the surfacing from Dallas to the river.

In addition to the highway system Stanley could still take pride in their railway line which at this time was operated by the Seaboard Airline Railway. This railway was an important means of connection with other parts of the State and Country as well as a means for ship- ping and receiving by the local industies, as there were two sidings or sets of tracks in town. The railroad also served as a passenger line which was frequently used by townspeople for local trips as well as trips north and south. Mr. Arnold C. Taylor, Sr.," who came from Kentucky, was Depot Agent in 1920.

Stanley Barber Shop in 1922. Barbers Murray McGinnis and Clarence Hovis

New Barber Shop In April of 1922 the new modern barber shop was ready for Murray McGinnis and Clarence Hovis, the barbers, to move into. It was located on the corner of Plum and Main Streets and was a source of pride for Stanley. Men could go into the barber shop, have a shave and a hair cut as well as take a shower in the back room. While in the shower their clothes could be pressed in the pressing club; or if they desired they could order a new suit to be tailored for them.

George Wilkie Abernethy operated another mercantile store, The Stanley Supply Company, in a three story frame building across the railroad on the corner of East Chestnut Street and the road to Mt. Holly. This was the first business with the name Stanley Supply Company, in town.

J. Wesley Dellinger operated a Drug Store on the corner of South Main Street and East Chestnut. In 1923 a portion of the building that housed Stanley Supply burned.

Stanley Mercantile Burns Sometime around 11:00 PM Friday, 14 December 1923, Stanley citizens became aware that George Wilkie Abernethy's large mercantile store, Stanley Supply Company, was on fire. It was feared that the depot and Dellinger's drug store would also burn. However, local citizens with their bucket brigades brought the fire under control. The mercantile store burned to the ground, but surrounding building were saved.

Castanea Grove Cemetary

Castanea Grove Cemetery in Lucia holds the graves of many ancestors of Stanley citizens. The cemetery predated Castanea Church and had actually been associated with the old Whitehaven Church which stood behind the old rock-walled cemetery. The oldest grave bears the date of 1804.

Farmers and Merchants Bank

The Farmer's and Merchant's Bank was in town with Fred Ballard as Bookkeeper and Fred Rhyne as Cashier. It was located first on Highway 27 South in a small building between the McLurd home and the Carpenter home. It was moved from there across the railroad tracks into the building that now houses Gaston County Dyeing Machine Company. Mr. Kenneth Moore was hired to move the safe. He used logs to get the safe across the tracks and placed it in the Thompson Store Building on the corner of Main Street and Plum. Some time later the bank was moved on up the street into the building in which the Town Hall is now located.

Bus Line from Gastonia

Most of the small towns in Gaston County had been connected to Gastonia, the county seat, by 1925 with the exception of Stanley. This meant that Stanley citizens did not receive their newspaper until the next day. Their mail was delayed as well. However, on 9 February 1925 the Gastonia Gazette stated that beginning on the 9th the bus line would extend to Stanley four times daily. As a result Stanley citizens would get their news and mail in a more current fashion. It also gave townspeople a more convenient means for traveling to Gastonia for shopping. The newspaper stated that "Stanley is a Gaston town that is on the upward trend with three busy mills, two yarn and one weaving; four wide awake churches, Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and Lutheran; numbers of up to date general merchandise stores; a thriving Farmer's and Merchants Bank; a splendid brick school building; an unusually large number of lovely homes for a town of 1,200 population."

A Meteor Falls in Stanley

Stanley Meat Market Small child is "Tony Derr; Calvin "Cal" Spargo, manager, in center; and Lee McLurd on right. Picture taken around 1938.