February 11, 2008

The best way to anywhere

By Cindy Jacobs

One hundred years ago, Mooresville residents had good reasons to be proud of their town. A wide variety of businesses, industry and services were available to citizens and visitors. Life was good and likely to get better for the growing community.

And Mooresville residents could travel to and from the Catawba River on a “modern” highway.

A macadam road (now Highway 150 West) had been built for wagons and light horseless carriages traveling to the new bridge leading to Catawba County and points west. A rock quarry was located near the road in Iredell County to supply materials. Road builders may have selected the location of the roadway due to its proximity to the large supply of raw materials.

Later that same quarry would be the source of rip-rap to stabilize the shoreline of the largest manmade lake in North Carolina. Evidence of the quarry can be seen today at Duke Power’s Pinnacle Access Area on Lake Norman.

Leaders worked to find ways to attract business and people to Mooresville. By 1908, there were more than 180 miles of improved roads in Iredell County, the first mile built out of Mooresville in 1903.

Community boosters were confident that the new Central Highway route would be through downtown and bring customers, visitors and prosperity to Mooresville. They organized and worked hard to convince highway officials that the best route for the new road would be through Mooresville.

Other groups promoted a route through Statesville that crossed the Catawba River at Buffalo Shoals.

Using the slogan “The Best Way to Anywhere is by Mooresville,” a caravan organized on Main Street to begin its journey along the Salisbury-to-Asheville highway.

The locals were part of a goodwill tour on behalf of the good roads campaign.

The motorcade traveled to the Catawba River for a picnic and rally on behalf of road projects. Some made it as far as Hickory. It is said that it took the cars and motorcycles more than three hours to get from the Mooresville Bridge across the Catawba River back to town.

In 1938, Thomas M. McKnight published a photo of the boosters in a predecessor of the Tribune, The News Leader. He identified the members of the caravan with the inimitable McKnight-style prose:

“Gene Edmiston is driving car number one. Sam McNeely is on the front seat with him, while W.P. Carpenter and Harry Deaton brave the elements in the rear seat. The man with the motorcycle is Grey Sloop, with Frank Freeze on his right. George Jones is driving car number two, with Watt Melchor on the front seat with him.

“E.J. Miller is the gent with the flag. With him is W.M. Neel. We don’t know the driver in car number three. Ross Johnston is in the front, with O.I. Bradshaw and A.C. Kerley in the rear. John Kennette is riding alone in car number four - the tightwad! Fred and R.W. Freeze are in car number five. Palmer Pressley and Ernest Mills are at the controls of car six. Branch McNeely is climbing into car seven, with Clarence McNeely following in car seven. You can’t read the banner on the first car, but it says; The Best Way to Anywhere is by Mooresville. Some slogan! And some vehicles! And some doings!”

Cindy Jacobs is an author and Mooresville historian.