Trains on Main Preview

Historical spot: US Post Office

President Franklin D. Roosevelt implemented the New Deal public works program during the great depression to get people back to work since 25% of people did not have a job. Because of this, many of the iconic highways, tunnels, and airports that we use today were built. Railroad systems were also improved during this time. Belmont City Hall, originally a US Post Office, was built because of the New Deal Program in 1940.

Historical spot: Hotel Belmont

The Belmont Hotel was built in 1906 – that’s over 110 years ago! Most of the rooms had running water. If a traveler rented a room that had hot water, they had to pay $1.50 per night. A room with cold water was $1.25 per night. Today, it usually costs $150 or more for an average hotel room!

Historical spot: Garibaldi Station

Do you know why Belmont has a "Garibaldi" festival every year? Ever wonder what Garibaldi references? In the early 1870's, the Southpoint Township was a farming area. A rail road was built through here to take trains from Charlotte to Atlanta. The trains needed to stop periodically for water for the operation of their steam engines, though. An ironworker named John Garibaldi built a wooden water tower nearby, which also had a wood yard to fire the locomotives. This water stop was called Garibaldi Station, affectionately known as "Baldy" by the locals of the time. By 1880 the US Railroad industry was the nation's largest employer outside of the agricultural sector. In 1886, Garibaldi Station was renamed Belmont.

Historical spot: Stowe Park

We all know and love Stowe Park! Robert Stowe built this park and it opened on July 4, 1951. Stowe Park had a Ferris wheel, a merry-go-round, a child’s train, mini golf, and even a dance floor!

Historical spot: Hamp's Cafe

Imagine paying just one penny for a piece of candy! This building once had large glass-front counters filled with candy that cost one penny. During World War II soldiers from Morris Field would come here to dance and have a fun time. By 1944, more than 97% of all military men would travel by train.

Historical spot: Stowe Mercantile

As the American railway industry grew, the price of food and goods began to lower. Starting in 1904, mill workers were able to go to Stowe Mercantile to shop for clothes, groceries, and items for their children. Because this was a company store for the mills, they were able to make purchases on credit so that the money was taken out of their check on payday.

Historical spot: Bank of Belmont

This building was built in 1927 by the Bank of Belmont when they outgrew their location in a hotel across the street. During the stock market crash of 1929 (referred to as Black Tuesday) which kicked off the great depression, the Bank of Belmont was closed for only one day. This was impressive because half of the nation’s banks closed during the great depression! The Chairman of the board of the Bank of Belmont left a note on the door promising everyone they would still have their money. He kept that promise - when the bank opened the next day, no customer had lost any money even though the country had lost so much money! Just like other industries, railroad companies suffered. They began to develop new ways to lower costs and attract passengers to their trains. Steam engines began to be replaced by diesel locomotives because they were more efficient and cost less to operate.

Historical Spot: Stowe Building

Trains were an important part of the mill industry; they carried lots of cargo to and from each mill.

There were over 20 mills that were developed in this area; the Chronicle Mill was the first and began in 1901. The Stowe Building was built in 1914, after R.L. Stowe Mill offices outgrew the space they were renting down the street. There were once 6 or 7 different mill corporations in this building – talk about a lot of people in one place!

City of Belmont:

This project was modeled after a similar concept in another community. Staff and volunteers were inspired to initiate this project with customizations appropriate for Belmont and added twists for extra impact. The goal for this project was to provide a fun, history-based, outdoor, educational activity targeted at children and train enthusiasts. There were several steps involved in this project that required a great deal of coordination. First, the 3D miniature train engine replicas were fabricated. Then staff enlisted help from the DBDA to locate an artist to put a creative, modern spin on this history project. To finalize the project, staff coordinated with downtown property owners and the Public Works Department installed the trains.

DBDA:

The Downtown Belmont Development Association (DBDA) was thrilled to partner with the City of Belmont on this project to provide artist resourcing, history, written content, custom printed map design, Belmont Go app tour creation, and funding assistance as a part of its ongoing effort to support public art and history in downtown Belmont. Turning to Belmont's own nationally and internationally celebrated artist, Juan Logan, for guidance, the DBDA was able to connect Mr. Logan's colleague Irisol Gonzalez with the City, and soon she was "on board" artistically painting the tiny trains. With that key component underway, the DBDA turned to its many volunteers to take on other aspects of the work. Many thanks to - DBDA Chair Angela Street, Design Committee Chair Emilie Rudisill; Design Committee member Jennifer Brown; Former City Councilman, board member, and committee member Ron Foulk; and Belmont resident Virginia Baxter for the tremendous talent, time, and effort they’ve invested in this project, as well as to the downtown property owners who agreed to host the trains on their properties.

About the Artist:

Q: What was your inspiration behind the artwork?

A: Since the train engines had specific years of operation, I felt it would be interesting to reflect what was happening in the city when those engines came around--like time travel in a way. Because adding the name graffiti style was the only specific request, combining that with historical pieces of information served as a fun way to explore and review the city's history. The freedom of graffiti combined with the rigidity of history creates a dynamic and inviting concept.

Q: What is your perspective on public art in a community?

Irisol Gonzalez www.irisolgonzalez.com is a fine artist and muralist living and working in Charlotte, NC for more than 8 years. She immigrated to the United States with her Costa Rican immediate family at the age of 10. She grew up and went to college in North Carolina, but her upbringing was traditionally Costa Rican at home. Her public work often reflects her interpretation of what it means to be a Latin American immigrant, a brown woman, and a person who has two cultures working simultaneously in every endeavor and experience. With a double major in psychology and political science from Appalachian State University, Irisol often poses moral questions from a psychological and/or political standpoint. When she’s not questioning motives in her work, she is celebrating the gift and privilege of diversity and heritage

A: Public art creates a sense of ownership and belonging to a community. I believe that public art demonstrates that "people here care".