Tar Heel Travels

Salisbury
An oasis on the bustling Piedmont marked by many footprints of history

By Bill F. Hensley

Salisbury is one of North Carolina’s prettiest and most historic towns. It is an idyllic haven of stately homes and churches, quiet, tree-lined streets, spacious parks and friendly people who are anxious to display the hospitality that has been a town trademark for 250 years.

It’s rich in heritage, too, and is a place you would be proud to call home. But if you can’t live there, you can drop in on the Rowan County town that has opened its arms to visitors since the days of Andrew Jackson, George Washington and Daniel Boone, who came to enjoy the many pleasures of this quintessential North Carolina community that now is an oasis in the bustling Piedmont area.

In downtown Salisbury you will find a classic main street, monuments, museums, an art center and gallery, an old-fashioned ice cream shop, antique stores and other interesting retail outlets. In nearby Spencer, a fascinating transportation museum will entertain and educate for hours.

Despite an ever-growing business climate, Salisbury has maintained its enviable small-town charm and unique personality. It’s home to about 26,000 residents who aren’t anxious to swap their casual, treasured lifestyle for greener pastures or big city amenities. Proudly, this is where they want to be, and they make no apologies.

The county was founded in 1753 and its growth was influenced by two major thoroughfares: an east-west Indian trading path and a north-south route that began in Pennsylvania, bringing in German and Scotch/Irish settlers to the fertile farmland.

The area received another economic boost when the railroad came to town in 1855, a stop between Goldsboro and Charlotte. Forty years later, the Southern Railroad built a massive railway repair facility a few miles from town that was to become the largest in the South. A new town — Spencer — was created and soon a machine shop, roundhouse, storehouse and office building were added. The site is now the North Carolina Transportation Museum, an interesting and educational attraction that showcases history of transportation through railroad exhibits, antique automobiles and the beautifully restored 1924 roundhouse.

The first thing a visitor to Salisbury should do is stroll the streets and take in the sights of the past. A free guided walking tour will provide a nostalgic visit through dozens of old homes and buildings, including the Utzman-Chambers House, the Josephus Hall house, the old Rowan County Courthouse (now the Rowan Museum), and the Governor Ellis house. Visitors also enjoy walking the campuses of Livingstone and Catawba colleges and attending cultural events and athletic activities at these institutions.

Of special interest to Civil War buffs is a tour of the Salisbury Confederate Prison, a yarn mill that was converted to house Yankee prisoners during the war between the states. Built to hold a thousand soldiers, at one time it had nearly 10,000 inmates, many of whom died while incarcerated. The prison was abandoned just before Gen. George Stoneman stormed into town in 1865 and destroyed the facility and much of the surrounding area. It is estimated that more than 11,000 prisoners died at the facility.

Dan Nicholas Park is a beehive of activity where families may picnic, fish, ride paddle boats and a miniature train, play miniature golf and mine for gems. The National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame honors the nation’s media celebrities with plaques, memorabilia and interactive exhibits. The association was founded in 1959 by a local restaurant owner, the late Pete DiMizio.

In the county, the 185-acre Lazy 5 Ranch in Mt. Ulla features more than 600 exotic animals. Drive through in your car or see the animals from a horse-drawn carriage. In nearby Gold Hill, the once thriving gold mining town is alive again with preservation and revitalization projects that will enable visitors to relive the period of the mid 1800s. Other towns in Rowan County that share in the colorful history of the region include East Spencer, Granite Quarry, Landis, Cleveland, China Grove, Faith and Rockwell. Throughout the year, each of the towns is the scene of festivals, parades, celebrations and special events of interest.

Salisbury reeks of history, heritage, legends and lore and, fundamentally, hasn’t changed much since Daniel Boone began his childhood explorations in Rowan County, Andrew Jackson attended law school in 1784, George Washington visited in 1791, and the railroad had 22 trains daily coming and going from the Salisbury depot in 1908.

Be assured it’s a place you will enjoy seeing. It’s much more than a whistle stop; it’s a destination. For more information contact the Rowan County Convention and Visitors Bureau at 800-332-2343 or visit www.visitsalisburync.com.

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