Belmont History Walk Preview

From Agriculture to Industry

Transportation can change everything. Before becoming Belmont, this area was a trading center for the farmers settled in the South Point Township. In 1870, in the heart of the Civil War Reconstruction Era, the Richmond & Danville Railroad, a predecessor of Southern Railway, organized the Atlanta and Richmond Air-line for the purpose of building a line from Charlotte to Atlanta. The line crossed the Catawba river at Wells Plantation south of Sloan's Ferry. In 1871, John Garibaldi, a Mecklenberg County ironworker, built a wooden water tank near this spot as a water stop, also with a wood yard to fire the locomotives. In Sept 1873, the rail line was completed. The addition of this significant infrastructure spurred growth at this rail stop, which became known as Garibaldi Station, or as the locals affectionately called it... "Baldy."

In 1876 a Benedictine Order founded a monastery on a 500 acre tract of the Caldwell Plantation North of this rail stop. In 1883 this monastery became Maryhelp Abbey, and a school which would become Belmont Abbey College.

Garibaldi station was renamed Belmont in 1886, from the urging of Right Reverend (later bishop) Leo Haid of St Mary's College, (aka Belmont Abbey). The monks wished to disassociate from the name "Garibaldi," as at the time the global reference for that name would have been the military leader Giuseppe Garibaldi who led the unification of Italy in opposition to the Pope and the Catholic church. Belmont was incorporated as a town on March 6, 1895. The corporate limits were set at one-forth mile each direction from the rail road crossing.

Trains have long been a feature inherent in Belmont’s culture. And although no longer with active fueling or passenger stations, current day Belmont still has its share of trains and train watchers. Listen to Belmont Native Bob Atterberry's fond memories of barbershop cuts and trains.

Belmont Community Garden (formerly Southern Railway Depot for the previous Charlotte Atlanta Air-Line Railroad)

If you've ever had the occasion to be stopped by a passing train in Belmont, consider that once upon a time, Belmont had two railroad stations, the Southern and the Piedmont & Northern (P&R). The structure for the P&R Station can still be seen across Main St. Near the current location of the Belmont Community Garden once stood the Southern Railroad Freight Station and based on the map from 1922 just across the tracks in the park once stood also a Southern passenger depot, with a lively business selling tickets to both Atlanta and to Charlotte. Today's discussions of having a light rail extended to Belmont from Charlotte seem small in comparison to the buzz this addition in rail infrastructure must have caused.

Listen to Belmont native Max Robinson describe how the railroad factored into the choice of Belmont's first name...Garibaldi Station.

Southpoint Pet Hospital (formerly the Leeper Store, G W Howe Company, Addy's)3 N Main St, Belmont NC 28012

Now a veternarian's practice, this space had a long history as a mercantile store. The original structure, the Leeper store, was wooden and catered to the train traffic.

Later, on this spot was G W Howe company, then Addy's, a general store. Addy Walker, an employee of the G W Howe company, took over operations after Clarence P. Armstrong Sr who ran G W Howe Company was robbed and murdered in the back of his store. The person accused of committing the murder was acquitted and later evidence came to light that he was indeed innocent. The murderer has never been found.

Belmont resident Max Robinson has vivid memories of being across the street the day the death was discovered.

Belmont Bookshop & Belletique (Formerly Western Auto, Belmont Drug Store -original location, Cohen's Dress Shop, & Mr. Paul's Bicycle Shop)

7 N Main St, Belmont NC 28012

These locations have seen a variety of businesses in their pasts. The Belmont Drug Store actually began here, before pharmacist Robert Bailey Suggs built the building which still displays the business's name up the street, but most remember the spaces as Western Auto (which at the time sold everything from bicycles to TVs), Cohen's Dress Shop & Mr. Paul's Bicycle Shop.

Cherub's on the Green (Formerly Burns Paint & Wall Covering, Belmont Barbershop, the Belmont Grill and the Belmont News and Record)

13 N Main St, Belmont NC 28012

This green space, leased by Cherub's for events and for use as a Christmas Tree lot during the Holidays, used to house numerous small businesses, including a paint store, a barbershop, a grill and a news and record store. The Belmont Barbershop, in particular, was a bustling place employing about 4 barbers. The mill houses had only bath tubs, no showers. In the wintertime some of the inhabitants would use the bathtub for coal storage. The women and children would bathe in a washtub a couple times a week, but some of the men would save up for a shave and a shower at Belmont Barbershop on Saturdays. The Belmont News and Record was a gathering place for the youth in town.

Listen to Belmont native Jack Page's recollections of the Belmont Barbershop and Max Robinson's teenage memories of the Belmont Grill and the Belmont News and Record.

Cotton Candy Factory, Cherubs ,Bliss Gallery (formerly Hotel Belmont)

21 N Main St, Belmont NC 28012

The mills brought a lot businessmen to town with no place to stay, so the Hotel Belmont was built to meet this demand for lodging. The 14 room Hotel Belmont was built in 1906 by George Milton Gullick. The hotel suites were on the upper floor and were more like a long term Bed And Breakfast. On the bottom floor, in addition to housing the hotel offices, it accommodated the first brick and mortar offices of Chronicle Mills and Lineberger Mills (from which came Stowe Mills), the first location for the Bank of Belmont, the hotel office and a hotel coffee shop.

The building boasts a unique architectural feature on the front facade. It was customary during the early 1900's for bricks to be made in onsite kilns. While the majority of the bricks in this building were made from the Catawba river mud, heated and kilned on site, the front facade has some dyed red, very smooth bricks that came from Charlotte, which were laid by a special mason. A noted architectural feature is that the mason utilized some of the thinest mortar to create a very tight fit and a very upscale cosmetic look circa 1906.

The commercial contract to build the hotel building was only 3 sentences, which in summary promised ...to make things work.

The back part of the Hotel Belmont building tells a history of progress and evolution in and of itself. Originally housing one of the town’s blacksmiths and livery stables (because horse was still a common means of transportation at the time), to later becoming a carriage wheel repair shop. Then as cars started coming onto the scene, it morphed into a Goodwrench store and a Firestone repair store

When telephones came to Belmont, the very first telephone switch board here was in the Hotel Belmont. A switchboard operator sat in the check-in area of the hotel at a board and manually connected calls by inserting a pair of phone plugs into the appropriate phone jacks on a board. The brick building with no windows, still standing behind this structure, was the first “MaBell” telephone building built here.

Listen to current Belmont resident and Great-Grandson of George Milton Gullick describe the Hotel Belmont rooming options.

Formerly Belmont Drug Store

31 N Main St, Belmont NC 28012

Belmont Drug Store, also known as Rexall Drug Store, was owned and operated by pharmacist and prominent citizen Robert Bailey Suggs. The building you see today, built in the 30's, has kept a good bit of its original layout. As you walked in Belmont Drug, it had booths on the left, a soda fountain on the right, and the back of the space had fixtures that held product. The soda fountain was a big draw from day one. Folks were particularly fond of the freshly squeezed orange aid and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Along the left side of the building, there used to be a set of stairs ascending to the 2nd floor to the office of Dr. McDowell, a local physician. You didn't even need to make an appointment for Dr. McDowell. When you needed medical attention, you just climbed up the stairs and sat in the waiting room.

Regen's Salon & Jolie (formerly Fite & Bumgardner and Hinson's Furniture)

33 N Main St, Belmont NC 28012

Built in 1925, this structure was formerly Fite & Bumgardner Furniture Store, later to be the home of Hinson's Furniture. The building had a big freight elevator in the back, supporting Fite & Bumgardner's other business as a funeral home. On the third floor of this space you could also buy your casket, covering your needs for all stages of life!

Fite & Bumgardner Funeral Home later moved to a location on Central Avenue, eventually becoming McLean Funeral Home.

Waterbean Coffee & Belmont's Specialty Foods (formerly Nu Mode Clothing, and School Specialties)

35 N Main St, Belmont NC 28012

Formerly the location of Nu Mode Clothing store, School Specialties put up a new structure on this site in 1971. In the late 1940's, Richard S Cromlish Sr, started School Specialties, a business in Belmont selling school related materials to teachers and schools. As his business expanded, he decided to open up a store space on Main St and also include items of interest to the general public, such as paper products and Hallmark greeting cards, one of the only places in the county at the time offering this brand. This space is now home to Waterbean Coffee and Belmont's Specialty Foods.

Montcross Area Chamber of Commerce (formerly the Belmont Post Office)

115 N Main St, Belmont NC 28012

Built in 1940 as a US Post Office, this building exemplifies the Depression-era WPA post offices. The interior features an oil on canvas mural of Major William Chronicle and the South Point Boys of the Revolutionary War by artist Peter DeAnna. The building was converted to City Hall in 1973. The building currently houses the Montcross Area Chamber of Commerce. The lot is the former site of the James P. Stowe house, erected around 1891, which was relocated in 1938 to accommodate the construction of the new post office. The James P. Stowe house was moved to the rear of City Hall alley and still stands there today as apartments.

James P Stowe House (also owned, but not occupied, by Robert Bailey Suggs)

41 N Main St, Belmont NC 28012

This home, built in 1891 for James P Stowe, a prominent businessman, was moved in 1938 from the site that is currently branded as City Hall where the post office building was then built. This house was also a home owned, but not occupied, by Robert Bailey Suggs house, after Suggs married J.P. Stowe's daughter.

Robert Bailey Suggs was a pharmacist and one of the founders for the Bank of Belmont and Belmont Savings and Loan. He was also involved in ACME Spinning Company. As the story goes, passed down to his grandson, Robert S. Cromlish Jr, the name ACME came about as a combination of the initials "A.C." for A. C. Lineberger and "me", representing Robert Bailey Suggs. AC & me = ACME

Belmont Capital Advisors (formerly George M. Gullick House)

123 N Main St, Belmont NC 28012

This commercial property was originally built in 1898 as the home for the local merchant, George M. Gullick, who built the Hotel Belmont. It is one of the oldest remaining clapboard houses on Main St.

George Gullick loved trains. The upstairs hallway is designed to look like the interior of a pullman car roof. It has an inverted vaulted bead board ceiling. Rail transportation also made architectural features like the interior millwork and mantels more accessible.

Listen to George Gullick's great-grandson, Jonathan Taylor, reminisce about spending time as a young boy at this home with his grandparents.

The Stowe Building (former mill offices)

100 N Main St, Belmont NC 28012

The R. L. Stowe Mill offices outgrew the space they were renting at the Hotel Belmont and built a building on this site in 1914. The building was designed by J M McMichael, a noted NC architect. Originally, a Presbyterian church had resided on this site.

Originally red brick, Skipper Graham re-designed the building and painted it all white in the 1970's. A large addition was built in 1988.

To understand the magnitude and importance that mills played in the community, see the list below of some of Belmont's early mills:

Chronicle Mills (1901), Imperial Yarn Mills (1905), Majestic Manufacturing Co (1907), National Yarn Mills (1914), Climax Spinning Co (1915), Acme Spinning Co (1919), Sterling Spinning Co (1919), Crescent Spinning Co (1919), Linford Mills (1920), Perfection Spinning Co (1920), Stowe Spinning Co (1920), Eagle Yarn Mills (1920), Aberfoyle Mill (1925), Stowe Thread Co (1928), Belmont Hosiery Mills, Inc. (1928), Hatch Full-Fashioned Hosiery Co (1928), Knit Products Corp (1929), Piedmont Processing Co (1931)

Listen to Robert Lee Stowe III give further detail about the many mill offices that operated from the Stowe Building.

Belmont Historical Society (former home of Robert L Stowe Sr family) & Yates Abernathy Mill House

40 E Catawba St, Belmont NC 28012

Robert Lee Stowe Sr, who was a textile pioneer, built this home on Catawba St in 1899 and lived here with his wife and 4 children until 1917 when they moved to a home he built on Main Street. Originally this home had no bathrooms or electricity. The separate outside kitchen, a common practice due to fire hazard, is no longer there, but the wash house still exists. The home was transferred by the Stowe Foundation to the Belmont Historical Society, a Cultural and Heritage Learning Center.

Located behind the home is an authentic mill house indicative of the time period of the1920's. It was relocated from the Acme Mill Village in North Belmont.

Listen to Belmont native Jack Page describe the significance of mill villagers' kitchen gardens.

Formerly Abram Stowe House

35 E Catawba St, Belmont NC

Fittingly repurposed as the Millican Pictorial History Museum, this is the oldest surviving structure in Belmont. It was built in 1868 by Abram Stowe, one of the first merchants in Belmont, soon after his return from the Civil War. Abram Stowe, who was later postmaster and mayor of Belmont, constructed this traditional frame house near his general store.

Chronicle Mill

92 E Catawba St, Belmont NC 28012

The Chronicle Mill, associated most often with Robert L Stowe Sr and Abel C Lineberger, was a result of investment and vision by entrepreneurs in the textile industry. The organization of the Chronicle Mill in 1901 saw the beginning of the town's rise as one of the premiere cotton manufacturing centers. The near future saw the organization of numerous mills in Belmont, changing it from a rural community to an urbanized manufacturing town. In 1900, Belmont had a population of 145 people. By 1930, Belmont had grown to a town with twenty mills and a population of 3,793. At the peak of the textile boom, 60% of the town's workers were employed by the mills.

This mill was named in honor of Major William Chronicle, a revolutionary war hero, whose family home once stood on the Chronicle mill property. Major Chronicle died at age 25 in the Battle of Kings Mountain. A grave marker at Kings Mountain National Military Park memorializes the presumed location of his death.

Jeckyll & Hyde (formerly Dixon Ford & Kimbrell's Furniture)

10 E Catawba St, Belmont NC

This structure was originally built in 1935 by Frank Dixon as a Ford Dealership, later becoming Kimbrell Furniture. Now, rehabilitated to highlight some of its original features, the space may feel even more reminiscent of its earliest beginnings, as you're just as likely to see a bit of machinery incorporated in the steam punk decor of this stylish brewery.

Listen to Max Robinson's first memories, as a boy of two, going with his Dad to buy a car.

Nellie's Southern Kitchen (former first location of Dixon Service Station/Recap Shop & Garrison's Clothing Store)

36 N Main St, Belmont NC 28012

Nellie's Southern Kitchen (NSK), a restaurant owned by Kevin Jonas - father of the Jonas Brothers, used to be a garage in the 1920's, as well as Garrison's Clothing which sold both men's and women's attire. These days the location, after a variety of businesses and some serious renovation, while still upholding a strong sense of style, is more apt to emit the sounds of live music and the aroma of fresh baked biscuits than the clanging of wrenches and smell of motor oil.

Former Wells Fargo, Originally Bank of Belmont (2nd location)

32 N Main St, Belmont NC 28012

In 1927, the Bank of Belmont moved from the Hotel Belmont across the street and built this elegant, 3 story, Neoclassical Revival building.

During Black Tuesday (the stock market crash of 1929 which kicked off The Great Depression), the Bank of Belmont was closed for only one day.

Mr Stowe, the Chairman of the board of the Bank, hand wrote a letter and taped it to the front door which said he would personally guarantee all of the deposits in the bank and the bank was open for business the very next day. No customer lost any money.

A tunnel still exists that at one time connected the bank to the original drive through. It was created for security purposes in the moving of cash from the bank to the drive through. Wachovia, a former tenant, tore down the original drive through, so now it is a tunnel to nowhere.

Listen to Jack Page describe his adventures as a young boy and the understanding folks at the Bank of Belmont.

North Star Realty (formerly Belk-Matthews Department Store)

26 N Main Street, Belmont NC 28012

This property was deeded to Belk Matthews Co in 1899 and remained a fixture in downtown Belmont for many, many years. It sold hosiery, accessories, jewelry, fabric, patterns, women's and men's clothing, housewares, linens, and shoes of all kinds.

Listen to Eloise Buthe describe Belmont's Belk at which she worked on the weekends during high school in the late 1940's. Her department was ladies hosiery, which was of much importance to women in those days. The products they sold included Vision Hosiery, which was run by Henry Lineberger and manufactured in Belmont (formerly Hatch Hosiery). Vision Hosiery was a very popular brand known for stockings with seams running up the back.

The Collective (formerly The Eagle 5 & 10)

24 N Main St, Belmont NC

Formerly this building housed a large 5 & 10 store, called The Eagle, which sold a variety of inexpensive household items - candy, fresh nuts, toys, housewares, and more. Frank Woolworth founded the first American Five and Dime store, with the idea being that everything was purchased from the manufacturer and the inexpensive price was fixed, eliminating the need to haggle. By the 1930's the Woolworth franchise had bowed to inflation allowing a 20 cent top charge. Although this space is no longer occupied by a 5 & 10, the concept is still in practice elsewhere with certain Dollar stores, as a nickel or a dime in 1935 has the buying power of just under a dollar or two by today's standards.

Listen to Eloise Buthe describe her missions to the Eagle.

The Bearded Buffalo (formerly Robinson's Drug Store / Shepherd's Jewelry / Ford Hardware)

16 N Main St, Belmont NC 28012

Formerly Robinson's Drug Store / Shepherd's Jewelry / Ford Hardware, this space occupied by Friends stays true to character as a place where people can gather and socialize. In prior days, it was a gathering place for teachers who lived at the local Teacherage. A Teacherage was a facility that was provided for the housing of local teachers, with room and board. Teacherages were most commonly in practice in the first quarter of the twentieth century when public schools began to be opened in rural NC. The availability of comfortable lodging for teachers was a way to attract candidates for those positions.

Listen to Belmont native Jack Page describe how Robinson's Drug Store was much more than just a pharmacy, and the small intricate wonders of Ford's Hardware when he was a boy.

Catawba River Outfitters (Formerly Stowe Mercantile)

6 N Main St, Belmont NC 28012

In 1904 this building was erected and served as the company store for the mills. The majority of the town's population in the 20th century worked at one of the mills. The mill workers could go to Stowe Mercantile and put their clothes, groceries and items for their children on charge. The money would then be taken out of their check on payday.

Listen to Max Robinson, raised on the Climax Mill village, describe the process of charges and payment with Stowe Mercantile.

Station / South Main Cycles (formerly Piedmont and Northern Railroad Depot)

4 N Main St, Belmont NC 28012

In the early 1900's, an electric interurban line between Charlotte and Gastonia was under construction. This interurban line was called the Piedmont and Northern Railroad and ran through Mount Holly carrying both people and goods. In 1916, a spur line was built for this line to the town of Belmont. Although much of the track has been removed, the Mission RR Depot structure, built in 1915, still exists. It also once housed a telegraph office. The ticketing and seating areas of the Depot were segregated. A reminder of this past can be seen by the existence of two front doors on the building.

The Everyday Market (formerly Oswalt's Cafe and most recently Caravan Coffee)

7 - 11 S Main St, Belmont NC 28012

Like most small towns in the South, there are parts of Belmont's history that never should have been. But in this instance, Vince Hill, a Belmont native, property owner of 7-11 S Main St and former business owner of Caravan Coffee, has transformed this structure not only physically, but also in the spirit of inclusiveness. From a cafeteria, which would not welcome him inside the establishment growing up, to a building which he purchased, renovated heavily, and opened as a coffee shop - open to all and frequented by many. A most fitting kind of transformation, for any time. Mr. Hill recently retired and sold his business which has reopened as The Everyday Market.

Listen to Vince Hill from 2018 describe his experiences growing up in Belmont during desegregation and beyond.

William Henry Salon (formerly US Post Office and JW Armstrong Grocery/Armstrong Lewis Meat Market)

15 S Main St, Belmont NC 28012

Built in 1922, this building was Armstrong Grocery / Armstrong Lewis Meat Market, which at one point also contained post office boxes. The tile floor at the entrance of the building is a hint of its past use as a post office.

Listen to Eloise Buthe reflect on her experiences ordering from Armstrong Grocery.

Old Stone Steakhouse (formerly Belmont Police, City Hall, Jail, Court & Fire Dept)

23 S Main St, Belmont NC 28012

Built in 1905, originally on this site, was Belmont's City Hall, containing a police station on the first floor, court on the 2nd floor, a jail in the basement, and the fire department beside it. Due to logistical issues of bringing the prisoners up from the basement to the 2nd floor court (past people waiting on the first floor paying their water bill), the City of Belmont in 1961 built a separate jailhouse just behind this location. If you look just behind Old Stone Steakhouse to the Jailhouse building, on the second floor you can see a door that leads to nowhere. Originally, that door connected to a walkway that led to the back of the courtroom. In 1962, the citizens of NC passed a bill to centralize the justice system. It took a while for this change to take effect, but by 1968, the county had taken over responsibility for housing criminals for municipalities and the jailhouse was no longer used.

Listen to Jack Page describe the wonders of the American LaFrance fire truck as a young boy.

Sammy's Neighborhood Pub (formerly Citizen's grocery)

23 S Main St, Belmont NC 28012

Built 1940, this structure was formerly Citizen's grocery. In the 1960's, it was also a pool hall.

Elevation Church (formerly the Iris Movie Theater and Parson's Furniture)

27 S Main St, Belmont NC 28012

Built in 1920, this structure has changed its appearance significantly through the years. Although physically no longer revealing an outward hint of its past, it was once the bustling Iris (movie) Theater, owned by Mr. E. E. Wade. Mr. Wade also owned the Gem Theatre in East Belmont and the Gay Theatre in North Belmont. A map from 1922 indicates "Moving Pictures" for this space. Noted architect Hugh E. White made significant alterations to the building in 1935, which can be seen in some of the historical photos that exist from the time.

Listen to Jack Page describe the theaters' various drives to support the WWII war effort.

NC Budo (formerly Car Dealerships)

101 S Main St, Belmont NC 28012

Built in the 1930's. Note the curved rooftop for a hint to its past. In the 30's and 50's, it was home to various car dealerships, including Chevrolet & Dodge.

Oak Ridge Dental Arts (Formerly Women's Club and Library)

203 S Main St, Belmont NC 28012

Built in 1916 by Minnie Stowe Puett, a prominent Belmont citizen, advocate for women and advocate for the welfare of the people in the mill villages, this structure served first as a women's club, later becoming a community center for club meetings and then a library. Minnie Stowe Puett was involved in the Women's Suffrage Movement and the Equal Rights Amendment of the 1930's. Also in the 1930's, she was appointed the Gaston County Historian under a Historical Commission of NC movement.

Minnie Stowe Puett set aside money that at her death she wished to go towards the building of a hospital in Belmont. As things turned out, in 1947 the money was used instead for the construction and stocking of our current library location, the Minnie Stowe Puett Library. An oil portrait of her hangs inside Belmont's current library at 125 N. Central Ave.

Alexander Memorial Baptist Church (Formerly Main Street Methodist Church)

208 S Main St, Belmont NC 28012

Formerly the Main Street Methodist Church, this structure was built in 1912 in a gothic revival style. The rear addition was built in the 1920's and the education building was added in 1955. It was acquired by Alexander Memorial Baptist Church in 1976.

The first church organized west of the Catawba River was actually Goshen Presbyterian in North Belmont, founded in 1764. Up Woodlawn Avenue, the old Goshen Cemetery still remains with graves going back to the early 19th century.

The Simpson Group / Two Chicks Sandwiches & Scoops (formerly Cafe/Bar/Coffee Shops and most recently Garibaldi Realty)

100 & 102 S Main St, Belmont, NC 28012

As the former Hamp's Cafe, this structure once had a large glass front counter with penny candy. During WWII it became a place for the soldiers from Marsh Field to dance and meet the local girls. Other previous businesses were Main Street Coffee Shoppe / Mitch's Cafe & Bar / Hagley's Tailor Shop and Cleaners. Jack Rhyne, was the owner of Main Street Coffee Shoppe and a former Mayor of Belmont.

Stowe Park (formerly Blacksmith Shop & Giles Hoover Farm)

24 S Main St, Belmont NC 28012

Stowe park, formerly a farm, was opened on July 4, 1951. It was built by Robert Stowe of RL Stowe Mills who modeled it from a park that existed in West Charlotte. Stowe Park was built with a ferris wheel, merry go round, soda shop, picnic shelter, child's train, miniature golf course, dance floor and more. Originally it was segregated on all but certain days. It was desegregated in the early 1960's.

Listen to Belmont native Bob Atterberry describe his childhood at Stowe Park.

Fighting Yank Statue (formerly Livery Stable, Atlantic Gas Station and Southpoint Lifesaving Crew)

Near this site once stood a Livery Stable and, later on, Atlantic Gas Station and Southpoint Lifesaving Crew. Belmont resident Archie Austin witnessed a little boy being hit by a car on Main Street. He called an ambulance, but the child passed away before it arrived. Archie Austin decided that Belmont needed something better and he instigated and was pretty much the founder of Southpoint Lifesaving Crew.

At the end of World War II, citizens of Belmont raised funds to purchase a sculpture honoring WWII veterans. Ernest Viquesney, an Indiana artist, created this statue "Spirit of the Fighting Yank". The statue is one of only five like it in the nation. The statue was dedicated in 1946. Its original location was on the campus of the then Belmont High, later to become Belmont Middle School. A group of citizens formed with a mission to restore the statue and place it in a more visible location, after it was vandalized and knocked off its pedestal in 2011. After significant efforts and fundraising, the damage endured by the eight foot zinc statue over the years was repaired and it was moved to Stowe park in 2014, as a private citizen and veteran's group effort.

Belmont has been and continues to be full of civic-minded people actively seeking ways to improve our community.

Please feel free to continue your tour with a visit to the Millican Pictorial History Museum at 35 E Catawba St where many more historical photos and memorabilia are available for view and prints are available for purchase.