After reading up on the history of the Flood of 1916, it's no surprise that there is a historical…read moremarker to commemorate this tragic event. It's a good spot for the marker as we're right next to the Catawba here. First, the marker which reads: "Devastated western N.C. and western Piedmont; destroyed homes, crops, mills, bridges. Ten lives lost, July 16, in washout of trestle 1 mile south." From websites, "Decades before hurricanes had names, when weather wasn't forecast so much as it was broadcast, it rained for a solid week over western North Carolina. And then it rained again, harder than it had ever rained before."

This marker needs a refresh as it is quite faded. It reads, "Stuart W. Cramer (1868-1940) Engineer…read moreand inventor. Pioneered advances in textile mill air conditioning. Home 3 mi. SW." Online we find more, "Stuart Warren Cramer (1868-1940), though perhaps unexceptional as a textile executive, contributed significantly to the cotton mill industry through his engineering and invention skills. Born in Thomasville to a furniture manufacturer, young Cramer was educated at the United States Naval Academy. For two years he worked for D. A. Tompkins in Charlotte. In 1895 he established his own business and, over the next ten years, designed and equipped over 150 (or roughly one-third of all) cotton mills in the South." "An active Republican, he collaborated with James B. Duke in establishing Duke Power Company. Cramer, who kept homes in Cramerton and Charlotte, died in 1940 and is buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Charlotte." "Most significant about Stuart W. Cramer is the role he played in the development of air conditioning. The holder of over sixty patents, Cramer pioneered humidity control and ventilating equipment for cotton mills and installed scores of such systems at plants across the South. In a paper read before an ACMA convention on May 16-17, 1906, Cramer coined the term "air conditioning." Credit for the invention of air conditioning does not belong to one person. Yet, even the biographer of W. H. Carrier attributes to Cramer eleven technological advances and "outstanding work which later had a large part in the air conditioning industry."" Thank you, Mister Cramer. [Review 12587 overall, 2379 of 2019.]

A simple bridge that crosses the South Fork of the Catawba River, this new bridge was completed in…read more2014 and connects Lakewood Road and North Main Street, a popular corridor from Cramerton to U.S. 74, Belmont, Charlotte and other points east. The bridge is 40 feet wide and is 444 feet long. One lane in each direction with a pedestrian/bicycle space on each side. It's named after local mill executive C.C. Dawson, who died in 1965. It replaces the original bridge that was dismantled in 2012 and cost $160,000. This new bridge ran to $4m. [Review 116 of 2025 - 4085 in North Carolina - 23683 overall]

This marker is located along New Hope Road a short distance north of the Interstate and in front of…read morethe Lutheran Chapel Cemetery. There is parking in the cemetery parking lot to stop and read the marker. It has the same text on both sides, reading "Textile mill owner, bank executive, philanthropist, and benefactor of present Lenoir-Rhyne University in 1923. Grave is nearby." Online, there is more information. "Daniel Efird Rhyne, business leader and benefactor of Lenoir-Rhyne College, was born on February 8, 1852, to Moses H. and Margaret Hoffman Rhyne. He grew up on a farm near Woodlawn in what was then Lincoln County, now Gaston. He eventually had a hand in renaming his hometown Mount Holly, after the textile town of the same name in New Jersey. Rhyne attended Lincoln County's common schools and, from 1871 to 1872, he pursued studies at North Carolina College, a Lutheran institution in Mount Pleasant. "Rhyne entered the cotton mill industry at age twenty-two when he and his brother Abel built the Mount Holly Cotton Mill at the confluence of Dutchman's Creek and the Catawba River. In 1887 he and his brother-in-law J. A. Abernethy erected the Laboratory Cotton Mill just south of Lincolnton, and then later the Daniel and Wampum Mills in Lincolnton. Their ventures are credited with bringing industry, business, and a population explosion to Lincoln County. Aside from cotton mills, Rhyne also owned and operated Lincoln Lithia Inn, a summer resort with celebrated healthful spring water, and he was an investor in the Piedmont Wagon Company in Hickory. His property holdings in western counties were extensive and he was an officer and substantial stockholder in several mills and banks. "Rhyne enjoyed sharing his wealth with Lutheran churches in areas near to his home and work. He is credited with significant gifts to at least twelve churches in Lincoln, Gaston, Iredell, Mecklenburg, and other nearby counties. Daniel Rhyne made generous contributions to the Lutheran-run Lenoir College in Hickory. In 1923, the school changed its name to Lenoir-Rhyne College in honor of their benefactor. Rhyne died on February 25, 1933 and was buried in the cemetery at Lutheran Chapel Church in Gastonia." [Review 186 of 2025 - 4093 in North Carolina - 23750 overall]

This is a hidden treasure! We encourage everyone to see this slice of history. Being from Detroit,…read moreMichigan it was especially exciting to see Thomas Edison's Dynamo! To imagine Thomas Edison being in Dallas thinking of inventions. Inventing the dynamo! To imagine life in the mill days. To imagine life in the olden days! The art exhibits were fun too! I wish I remember our volunteer's name , he made the experience vivid and we learned a lot! Truly exciting! Great exhibition!

This place is an amazing accidental find for us. Tucked in the back streets of Dallas NC this…read moremuseum offers a peek into the history of Gaston County told by local volunteers. Once you get a quick run down of the history of the historical building you begin a self guided tour that was 4 year old approved. Not all exhibits are fully geared at children either. It is well blended to allow children to be stimulated while adults are able to take in the rich history. We lost track of the time and ended up spending 3 hours & still didn't see everything!! We will go back another time for sure!! There is no charge but donations should be made. I gave 5 bucks b.c it was what I had on hand & we bought some stuff at the gift shop. It's an awesome little gem and a great way to spend the day for any age group. If you haven't been check it out!! Lamar gave us our historical over view and made sure we had a fantastic afternoon. I always appreciate a friendly staff.

This marker is challenging to visit as it is located on a very busy roadway with no space to…read moreproperly stop. If you time the light right, you can get here without getting honked at, otherwise you need to go into the shopping center and walk a good distance. The marker reads, "Goshen Presbyterian Church. Established in 1764. Rev. Humphrey Hunter, the first minister, arrived in 1796. Moved to present site, 2 miles northwest, in 1956." Online, there is more information. "By the 1760s many Scots-Irish immigrants, most of whom were Presbyterians, had moved into the North Carolina backcountry. In 1764 the Presbyterian Synod of New York and Philadelphia send representatives to the colony to organize churches and establish boundaries of influence. The men, Alexander McWhorter and Elihu Spencer, are credited with setting up Goshen Presbyterian Church in what is now Gaston County. Oral tradition holds that there was already a log structure in use by locals for educational and religious purposes. All early records of Goshen have been lost, so the first official record of the church is from the minutes of the Synod of New York and Philadelphia in 1767 when the congregation at "Goshen in the fords of the Catawba" requested a preacher. "The first minister to accept Goshen's call was Humphrey Hunter, who arrived in 1796 and split his time evenly with nearby Unity Presbyterian Church, established in what is now Lincoln County in the same year as Goshen. The congregation built a frame church in 1839. A white frame building was constructed later in North Belmont across the street from the present site. Finally, the present structure, a modest brick church was built in 1956. "Goshen Presbyterian is the parent church of six congregations that serve surrounding communities, as follows: New Hope Presbyterian, Dallas Presbyterian, Belmont Presbyterian, Mount Holly Presbyterian, Stanley Presbyterian, and Castanea Presbyterian. It is the oldest active church in Gaston County." This is marker number O-20. It was erected in 2015 by the North Carolina Office of Archives and History. Two stars because it's hard to get to and the item being recognized isn't here. [Note: I added and reviewed the MARKER. Yelp merged it with the CHURCH.] [Review 119 of 2025 - 4088 in North Carolina - 23686 overall]

It has been so long that we've been able to walk into a library, coming to this one felt like such…read morea privilege. We were a little lost finding a parking space since we came in through the staff parking side, and there are no "main doors." But the library is so large, having little doors all around I suppose is most suitable. So that's another thing, it's large! And I love it! It's a two story library (from what I saw), with clearly marked sections and a wonderful children's area. We immediately got ourselves library cards and began toward the children's section. My son was excited to choose new books to read (all dinosaurs and trucks of course), my daughter had a blast exploring a new open space, and neither of them wanted to leave at the end. They offer plenty of reading areas, small tables with activities, and a little computer area for children as well. The staff were extremely friendly and gave us some flyers on family events. I LOVE when libraries have tons of community events. Movie nights, crafts, toddler reading times, and bingo are all offered. They apparently have a separate auditorium for it all, which we didn't get to see, but sounds really exciting. We are excited to come again when we go for a new round of books.

Lovely clean big building Well organized with very helpful…read morestaff There is a decent audible book section that I use the most. The children section is wonderful. There is a quiet seating section just for them where they can sit and read for as long as they want. There is someone to help the kids find books they might like. Several computer stations upstairs so you won't have to wait They also have a copy machine. The best sellers go fast any you usually have to be put on a wait list. You still need to get a card to check anything out but that only takes a few minutes to get

A secondary branch to the main Gaston County Library, the Union Road Branch is much smaller…read more They may not have as vast a selection of the main library, but they still have a good amount of books. I almost like this one better because you can actually browse pretty much every book on every shelf. Plus, it's not nearly as crowded so you have a lot of space to yourself without worrying about the other people around you. It's nothing large, but they do carry a good amount of books. And with the quaintness & quietness, this place can be a welcomed change from the hustle & bustle of the main county library.

We attend the toddler time here with our kids on occasion and while this location may be smaller…read morethey seem a lot more organized and put on a great show for the kids! My son loves chasing the bubbles afterwards!

Lowell Branch is the "craft center" branch in Gastonia. It's a small library with a variety of odds…read moreand ends inside, including lots of kid-friendly stations. You'll find everything from your basic: book, DVD, computers and electronic resources. But, if you walk to the back of the library, you'll also discover a light board along with craft books, art supplies and even a handful of children's toys. Lowell branch also offers an multimedia room where they host activities for all ages, this summer I stuck around to watch kiddos making ice cream with cream, sugar, vanilla, ice and rock salt. However, as far a libraries go, Lowell is a very low-key, country branch. The librarians are friendly but it's very basic. You won't find a lot of space to study, but they do offer 2-3 round tables that might sit two if you don't both have a lot of things and outlets can be round in the floor. Hours are also limited for this local branch but if you have an electronic vehicle, you'll be in luck. They offer a electronic wifi charing station and of course free wifi.

Cool library/tech center for kids. I know it doesn't make sense to most but this place has a bunch…read moreof tech gadgets and creative centers for kids to explore and create artwork to take home. Very cool twist on a normal library.