Ramseur
North Carolina
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Town of Ramseur
History
The first recorded history of the Town of Ramseur, NC was published in the Asheboro Bulletin on Wednesday, April 28, 1918. An article was written by a Ms. Inez McMath, a seventh grade student of Ramseur School. Her article was presented at the Randolph County Schools Commencement Exercise. Since this prize winning article was written, many articles concerning the Town history of Ramseur has been revised, added to and elaborated on. However the McMath paper still holds the facts.
The first inhabitants of Ramseur were the Catawba Indians as evidenced by the artifacts found in the area. The land in and around the present day Ramseur was owned by William Allen at the close of the revolutionary war and remained in the Allen family until 1840. In 1840, Hezekiah Allen and Henry Kivett built a sawmill next to the Deep River and began calling the settlement, "Allen's Falls". They recognized the waterpower available from the river and built a dam of logs, which was reconstructed several times due to flooding before a rock dam was constructed 10 years later.
In 1850, Columbia Manufacturing Company, built a small cotton mill. This construction changed the Town's name to Columbia. Henry Kivett became the first Mill superintendent. The first bridge built in Ramseur across the Deep River was constructed in 1875 of heavy plant lumber. Prior to this construction people simply crossed the river in boats or waded across. Eight new residents and a store managed by Isaac H. Foust Sr. soon followed. In 1879 Mr. William H. Watkins purchased the cotton mill and immediately began renovations and additions. Ten years later Atlantic & Yadkin built a railroad. Southern Railway later purchased Atlantic & Yadkin Railroad. Other companies followed.
The Charter for the Town of Ramseur was ratified on March 13, 1895. The town's first post office building has been restored as a museum on the grounds of the Ramseur Public Library. The home of Mr. Watkins is now the Loflin Funeral Home. The bridge now constructed across the Deep River is directly above the first and old covered bridge built in 1886.
Many more businesses followed and the first phone system was installed in 1907. It consisted of 32 telephones. Today there are more than
4000 telephones being serviced in the Town of Ramseur. The first electric company was erected in 1912.
Ramseur is home to the Blanche C. Johnson Memorial Building and houses the town's library, established in 1939, constructed and opened in 1983. The fire department still owns and maintains our first fire truck, a 1939 Ford. Ramseur has been referred to as the most conservative Town in North Carolina.
The four oldest churches built in Ramseur are Baptist, Methodist, Congressional Christian and Pilgrim Holiness. The First Baptist Church Ramseur and Jordan Memorial Methodist, though greatly remodeled are still in their original locations.
In 1978 the Town of Ramseur completed a two million dollar water project (our reservoir) capable of furnishing the Eastern half of Randolph County with water if the need arises. The Town of Ramseur incurred all expenses of this project with the exception of a minimal grant amount. Our Municipal Building on Liberty Street was completed the same year with revenue sharing money, meaning the town incurred no expenses at all. The Kermit G. Pell Water Based Recreation Facility was completed in 1984. The facility has shelters, a small playground and fishing piers. This was constructed with a 50/50 matching grant by the United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. The Town of Ramseur host a youth fishing tournament annually at this facility, the first held in 1998. The new water and wastewater plants were completed in 1991. The Town received $545,000.00 in grant monies for these plants and supplies water not only to Ramseur residents, but to Franklinville and Coleridge.
The first recorded history of the Town of Ramseur, NC was published in the Asheboro Bulletin on Wednesday, April 28, 1918. An article was written by a Ms. Inez McMath, a seventh grade student of Ramseur School. Her article was presented at the Randolph County Schools Commencement Exercise. Since this prize winning article was written, many articles concerning the Town history of Ramseur has been revised, added to and elaborated on. However the McMath paper still holds the facts.
The first inhabitants of Ramseur were the Catawba Indians as evidenced by the artifacts found in the area. The land in and around the present day Ramseur was owned by William Allen at the close of the revolutionary war and remained in the Allen family until 1840. In 1840, Hezekiah Allen and Henry Kivett built a sawmill next to the Deep River and began calling the settlement, "Allen's Falls". They recognized the waterpower available from the river and built a dam of logs, which was reconstructed several times due to flooding before a rock dam was constructed 10 years later.
In 1850, Columbia Manufacturing Company, built a small cotton mill. This construction changed the Town's name to Columbia. Henry Kivett became the first Mill superintendent. The first bridge built in Ramseur across the Deep River was constructed in 1875 of heavy plant lumber. Prior to this construction people simply crossed the river in boats or waded across. Eight new residents and a store managed by Isaac H. Foust Sr. soon followed. In 1879 Mr. William H. Watkins purchased the cotton mill and immediately began renovations and additions. Ten years later Atlantic & Yadkin built a railroad. Southern Railway later purchased Atlantic & Yadkin Railroad. Other companies followed.
The Charter for the Town of Ramseur was ratified on March 13, 1895. The town's first post office building has been restored as a museum on the grounds of the Ramseur Public Library. The home of Mr. Watkins is now the Loflin Funeral Home. The bridge now constructed across the Deep River is directly above the first and old covered bridge built in 1886.
Many more businesses followed and the first phone system was installed in 1907. It consisted of 32 telephones. Today there are more than
4000 telephones being serviced in the Town of Ramseur. The first electric company was erected in 1912.
Ramseur is home to the Blanche C. Johnson Memorial Building and houses the town's library, established in 1939, constructed and opened in 1983. The fire department still owns and maintains our first fire truck, a 1939 Ford. Ramseur has been referred to as the most conservative Town in North Carolina.
The four oldest churches built in Ramseur are Baptist, Methodist, Congressional Christian and Pilgrim Holiness. The First Baptist Church Ramseur and Jordan Memorial Methodist, though greatly remodeled are still in their original locations.
In 1978 the Town of Ramseur completed a two million dollar water project (our reservoir) capable of furnishing the Eastern half of Randolph County with water if the need arises. The Town of Ramseur incurred all expenses of this project with the exception of a minimal grant amount. Our Municipal Building on Liberty Street was completed the same year with revenue sharing money, meaning the town incurred no expenses at all. The Kermit G. Pell Water Based Recreation Facility was completed in 1984. The facility has shelters, a small playground and fishing piers. This was constructed with a 50/50 matching grant by the United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. The Town of Ramseur host a youth fishing tournament annually at this facility, the first held in 1998. The new water and wastewater plants were completed in 1991. The Town received $545,000.00 in grant monies for these plants and supplies water not only to Ramseur residents, but to Franklinville and Coleridge.