City of Gastonia’s 141st birthday – historical photo gallery

January 18, 2018 Features

Horse-drawn carriages in downtown Gastonia in 1900. — 1900 - Main Street in Gastonia. Courtesy of Gaston County Arts & History Museum.

On Jan. 26, the City of Gastonia celebrates its 141st birthday. It was on that date in 1877 that the City became incorporated. The little town started with 140 residents where two railroad lines crossed. We have much to be proud of and a bright future.

To mark the occasion, we’ve compiled and posted photos of Gastonia’s people and places from 1877 to the present. Click on each image to enlarge it.

1877 – 1909

Front page of newspaper from 1894 — 1894 – Front page of Gastonia Gazette newspaper. Courtesty of NC Digital Heritage Center.

List of cotton mill in Gaston County in 1897. — May 1897 – List of cotton mills in Gaston County. Courtesy of NC Digital Heritage Center.

City street with horses pulling covered wagons. 1897. — 1897 – City street. From City photo archives.

Horse-drawn carriages in downtown Gastonia in 1900. — 1900 – Main Street in Gastonia. Courtesy of Gaston County Arts & History Museum.

Four mules pulling a cart with a large block of granite. — Parks Reid Huffstetler and his mule team hauling granite down Main Street around 1900. Courtesy of Bruce Huffstetler.

Electric lines pulled to the ground at Main and Marietta in 1906 ice storm. — 1906 – Main and Marietta in an ice storm. From City photo archives.

Photo of Main Avenue with horse-drawn carriages, cars and people. Around 1900. — Circa 1900 – Corner of Main and Marietta. From City photo archives.

Young woman and young girl working at Loray Mill. — 1908 – Girls running warping machines in Loray Mill. Photo by Lewis Wickes Hines. Courtesy of Library of Congress.

Postcard showing Loray Mill building in 1908. — 1908 – Loray Mill. Courtesy of UNC System Libraries.

1910 – 1919

Main Street with buildings, a few horse-carts and people in 1912 — 1912 – Main Street looking west. Courtesy of UNC System Libraries.

Section of Gaston Progress newspaper from 1912 describing Gastonia as a "City of Magic Energy" — 1912 – Gaston Progress newspaper from July 4, 1912. Courtesy of NC Digital Heritage Center.

Gastonia City Hall in 1915 — 1915 – Gastonia City Hall. From City photo archives.

Menu from Armington Hotel, Sept. 12, 1915 — Sept. 12, 1915 – Dinner menu from Arlington Hotel. Courtesy of Tom McPhaul.

Postcard of Loray Mill from 1915 described as Largest Cotton Mill Under on Roof in The South — 1915 – Loray Mill. From City photo archives.

Armington Hotel in 1915 — 1917 – Armington Hotel. Built in 1915 at 216 W. Airline Ave. Torn down in 1959. From City photo archives.

South Street looking toward Main in 1917 — 1917 – South Street looking north toward Main. From City photo archives.

Preface page of Gastonia City Directory from 1918 describing the city as a "one-generation town (that) looks forward to the future with most bright prospects." — 1918 – Gastonia City Directory. Courtesy of NC Digital Heritage Center.

Cars outside Gastonia Public Works building in 1918 — 1918 – Gastonia Public Works building at Falls Street and Page Avenue. From City photo archives.

1920 – 1929

Handwritten U.S. Census form from 1920 — 1920 – U.S. Census record for Gaston County. Courtesy of UNC Digital Innovation Lab.

Grainy image of Armington Hotel from around 1920 — Circa 1920s – Armington Hotel on Airline Ave. From City photo archives.

Dump-type truck marked "City of Gastonia Garbage Dept." — Circa 1920s – City of Gastonia garbage truck. From City photo archives.

Album cover called Gastonia Gallup with "Cotton Mill Songs & Hillbilly Blues" — Circa 1920s – Gastonia Gallup record album jacket. Courtesy of Old Hat Records.

Parade on Main Avenue around 1920 — Circa 1920s – Parade in downtown Gastonia. Courtesy of Millican Pictorial History Museum.

Exterior of Gaston County Courthouse — 1922 – Gaston County Courthouse and Confederate monument. From City photo archives.

Cars parallel parked along Main Avenue in 1929 — 1929 – Main Avenue. Courtesy of Millican Pictorial History Museum.

Protesters carrying a sign that says United Textile Workers of America, marching down Main Avenue 1929 — 1929 – Labor Day march in downtown Gastonia. Courtesy of Millican Pictorial History Museum.

1930 – 1949

Electric rail cars 1930 — 1930 – Piedmont and Northern electric railway train. Courtesty of UNC Charlotte Librarry

Truck with extending arm marked City of Gastonia Electric Dept. — Circa 1930s – City Electric Department truck. From City photo archives.

About 20 City Electric and Water employees on and around a City truck — 1932 – City Electric and Water employees. From City photo archives.

Superlatives from 1933 Gastonia High School yearbook, "The Spinner" — 1933 – Gastonia High School yearbook superlatives. Courtesty of NC Digital Heritage Center.

Cars fill Main Avenue in 1936 — 1936 – Main Avenue. Courtesty of NC Digital Heritage Center.

Presidential motorcade when President Roosevelt visited Loray Mill in 1937 — 1937 – President Roosevelt visits Loray Mill community. Courtesty of Gaston County Arts & History Museum.

Cars parked along and driving on Main Avenue in 1938 — 1938 – Main Avenue. Courtesy of Millican Pictorial History Museum.

Gastonia Public Library with bookmobile in front in 1939 — 1939 – Public Library, Gastonia. Courtesy of Millican Pictorial History Museum.

Children competing in Soap Box Derby races — 1939 – Soap Box Derby, Gastonia. Courtesy of Millican Pictorial History Museum.

Minute Grill with "Air Conditioned" sign in about 1940 — Circa 1940s – Minute Grill. Courtesy of NC Digital Heritage Center.

Dozens of children on a fire truck parked at City Hall — Circa 1940s – Children and a fire truck at City Hall. From City photo archives.

Baton twirlers lead the way in a 1940s parade on Main Avenue — Circa 1940s – Parade on Main Avenue. Courtesy of Gaston County Arts & History Museum.

People standing around and pointing to a large Firestone "earth mover" tire — 1942 – Firestone Tire display. Courtesy of Gaston County Arts & History Museum.

Large group of children outside Dairy Queen in June 1949 — 1949 – Dairy Queen in Gastonia. Courtesy of Gaston County Arts & History Museum.

1950 – 1959

People boarding buses to go to work at Firestone plant — Circa 1950 – Buses at the Firestone Textile Plant in Gastonia. Courtesy of Gaston County Arts & History Museum.

Tony's Ice Cream building with cars parked nearby — Circa 1950s – Tony’s Ice Cream. Courtesy of Tony’s Ice Cream.

City Electric Department truck — Circa 1950s – City of Gastonia Electric Department truck. From City photo archives.

Exterior of Gaston Memorial Hospital — 1950 – Addition to Gaston Memorial Hospital. Courtesy of Gaston County Arts & History Museum.

Main Avenue with cars parked on either side and in the middle — 1954 – Main Avenue, Gastonia. Courtesy of Tom McPhaul.

Firefighters pose near back of fire truck — 1952 – Gastonia Fire Brigade. Courtesy of Gaston County Arts & History Museum.

Christmas lights hanging over busy Main Avenue for the Thanksgiving Parade — 1954 – Thanksgiving Parade, downtown Gastonia. Courtesy of Tom McPhaul.

Five people looking at a display of tires — 1955 – Firestone Plant 20th anniversary open house. Courtesy of NC Digital Heritage Center.

Firestone Textiles 20th anniversary brochure — 1955 – Firestone Plant 20th anniversary brochure. Courtesy of Gaston County Arts & History Museum.

Sign on building says "1955 - Welcome to Firestone Textiles Open House" — 1955 – Firestone open house. Courtesy of Gaston County Arts & History Museum.

Exterior of Abernethy Elementary School — 1957 – Abernethy Elementary School. Courtesy of Timothy Craig Ellis and Vintage Gastonia.

1960 – 1979

Sign outside Ashley High School — 1965 – Ashley High School yearbook. Courtesy of NC Digital Heritage Center.

Car parked outside Citizens Bank and the time and temperature sign — 1965 – Main Avenue, Gastonia, with Citizens Bank time and temperature light-up sign. Courtesy of NC Digital Heritage Center.

Two pages showing architecture at Hunter Huss High School — 1967 – Hunter Huss High School yearbook. Courtesy of NC Digital Heritage Center.

Santa and three children at Loray Mill — 1967 – Santa Claus visits Loray Mill. Courtesy of Loray Digital Archive.

Cars driving on one-way Main Avenue in the 1970s — Circa 1970s – Main Avenue, Gastonia. From City photo archives.

Looking down on cars and shoppers at Marietta and Main — Circa 1970s – Marietta and Main. Courtesy of Millican Pictorial History Museum.

Hundreds of spools of white thread at Firestone plant — 1971 – Spools at Firestone Textile Plant. Courtesy of Gaston County Arts & History Museum.

Woolworths building and downtown Gastonia — 1974 – Downtown Gastonia. Courtesy of Timothy Craig Ellis and Vintage Gastonia.

Display of tires by Firestone Textiles — 1976 – Firestone Textiles. Courtesy of NC Digital Heritage Center.

19 students standing outside Hunter Huss High School — 1977 – Hunter Huss High School Health Occupations class. Courtesy of NC Digital Heritage Center.

1980 – 1999

Two men working at Firestone plant — 1991 – Inside the Firestone Textiles plant. Courtesy of NC Digital Heritage Center.

Outside of Firestone plant in 1992 — 1992 – Firestone Textiles exterior. Courtesy of NC Digital Heritage Center.

Heavy equipment ready to dismantle Firestone plant — 1994 – Firestone Textiles plant closed. Courtesy of NC Digital Heritage Center.

Ceremony to open new Police Department headquarters — 1997 – Police Chief Jack Postell presents a hard hat to Captain Danny Cochran during Gastonia Police Department building groundbreaking. Also on the stage: City Engineer Flip Bombardier and late Mayor Jick Garland.

Several dozen uniformed police officers at the ceremony for new police headquarters — 1997 – Officers attending the groundbreaking for new City Police headquarters.

2000 – 2009

Dozens of school children around a newly planted tree — 2004 – Arbor Day tree planting. From City photo archives.

Families wave hello as they ride the Lineberger Park train — 2006 – Lineberger Park train. From City photo archives.

Building being torn down — 2008 – demolition of Boys & Girls Club building to provide space for water plant expansion. From City photo archives.

Building being torn down — 2008 – Fidelity Bank demolition. From City photo archives.

Exterior of Gaston Memorial Hospital — 2008 – Gaston Memorial Hospital. From City photo archives.

Sunset at Rankin Lake — 2008 – Rankin Lake. From City photo archives.

Two people at the T-Rex bones display at Schiele Museum — 2008 – Schiele Museum. From City photo archives.

Top - old building. Bottom - park. — 2009 – Before and after – Top photo shows the back of the Center Theatre (formerly Temple Theatre), which was demolished to create Center City Park. From City photo archives.

Top: demolition of old building. Bottom: newly finished park. — 2009 – Before and after. Top photo shows demolition of Center Theatre on Main Avenue to create Center City Park, bottom photo. From City photo archives.

Building being torn down — 2009 – Demolition of First Union National Bank. From City photo archives.

Inside of bank before it was torn down — 2009 – First Union National Bank interior before demolition. From City photo archives.

Young girl at Hope for Gaston event — 2009 – During Hope for Gaston event. From City photo archives.

2010 – 2017

Band playing on stage surrounded by Gastonia banners — 2010 – South Street Pedestrian Plaza dedication. From City photo archives.

Crowd of people enjoying the pedestrian plaza dedication — 2010 – Opening of the South Street Pedestrian Plaza. From City photo archives.

Aerial view of people gathered at the Pedestrian Plaza dedication — 2010 – Pedestrian Plaza dedication. From City photo archives.

Unwrapping Ghillie Dhu sculpture — 2010 – Unwrapping the Ghillie Dhu sculpture. The words mean “tree spirit” in Scottish folklore. Sculpture created by Harry McDaniel. From City photo archives.

Girl doing handstand in street with sidewalk-chalk drawings around her — 2011 – #Greatpeople! Arts on Main celebration. From City photo archives.

Baseball field — 2011 – Sims Park. From City photo archives,

Gastonia Conference Center exterior at night — 2012 – Gastonia Conference Center. Replaced Fidelity Bank and First Union National Bank buildings. From City photo archives.

Dozens of people in the swimming pool at Lineberger Park — 2012 – Lineberger Park pool. From City photo archives.

Young boy has caught a fish while fishing at Rankin Lake — 2012 – Rankin Lake. From City photo archives.

Ghillie Dhu sculpture — 2013 – Ghillie Dhu in Center City Park. From City photo archives.

Entrance to Commercial Building showing architectural details — 2013 – Commercial Building constructed in 1923 at Main Avenue and South Street, From City photo archives.

Exterior of Caromont Regional Medical Center — 2014 – Caromont Regional Medical Center. Courtesy of ColeJenest & Stone.

Flags flying outside buildings — 2014 – Gastonia Technology Park. From City photo archives.

Experior of and signs at Tony's Ice Cream — 2014 – Tony’s Ice Cream. From City photo archives.

Train cars moving through Gastonia — 2015 – Railroad trench near downtown. Gastonia developed in the 1870s because two rail lines crossed here. From City photo archives.

Fruits and vegetables on display at Farmers Market — 2015 – Farmers Market. From City photo archives.

People eating and drinking at Growler USA in former Loray Mill — 2017 – Growler USA in the old Loray Mill building. From City photo archives.

Ghillie Dhu on a sunny day — 2017 – The Ghillie Dhu on a beautiful day in Gastonia. From City photo archives.

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