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"The City of Pleasant Living"

Kelsey Taylor

University of North Carolina at Charlotte




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This is about a small town called Shelby, NC known as "The City of Pleasant Living"
located in the seats of Cleveland County. This small but quant city is where I grew up and still
currently reside. It wasn't until I moved away for college and lived away from home that I
learned about the true beauty of my hometown. Growing up I never really appreciated the small
town living, and never really learned about the history of this town. In this paper, I will discuss
the multiple perspectives; historical, places to visit, cultural, and economic growth of the town. I
will also give my own perspective in relation to Shelby, NC.
What is the historical perspective?
What is now known as Cleveland County began in 1729. European settlers arrived in the
region, which then was known as Ansonia County. Cleveland County was formed in 1841 from
the county seats of Rutherford and Lincoln (Hartshorn, 2008). The city of Shelby was named
after a Revolutionary War hero at the Battle of Kings Mountain, named Col. Issac Shelby. The
city was declared the county seat in 1843, with many amendments and petitions postponed the
charter until 1847. The main streets of the beautiful town were named from Revolutionary War
heroes including: Warren, Washington, Lafayette, Marion, DeKalb, Sumter, Morgan and
Graham Street (Hartshorn, 2008). During the ante-bellum years, the town grew little due to poor
road conditions, lack of bridges, and the absence of rail connections, which hindered the
expansion of trade and industry in Shelby. The life and growth of Shelby and Cleveland County
was interrupted by the Civil War. Union General George Stonemans army from Tennessee, a
force of 6,000, entered western North Carolina in the spring of 1865, ravaging property, food,
and supplies in the Shelby vicinity. Cleveland County resident James Carson Elliott in the
Southern Soldier Boy: A Thousand Shots for the Confederacy wrote of Stonemans men
marauding the country in quest of horses and provisions (Quaide, 2013).
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The little town of Shelby was able to escape the task of rebuilding as there was little
physical damage during the war. In the years following the Civil War, Shelbys rural county seat
economy had changed little. The types of businesses around town were the local supporters
(carpenters, wheelwrights, silversmiths, blacksmiths, grocers, etc). The introduction of rail
service was presented by the Carolina Central Railroad in 1874. That same year the Cleveland
County Savings Bank, Shelbys first banking institution was structured. Shelbys economy was
based on the agricultural production of the countys farmers in the 1880s. There primary form of
survival was agriculture. By 1897 the civic pride had developed tremendously in Shelby with
prosperous organizations; the Masonic lodge, the YMCA, the Woodmen of the World, etc.).
There was a dramatic population increase between 1920 and 1930, causing an
exceptional building boom. The streets were expanded through town and lots were divided to
accommodate newer homes. Some of the old housessimple frame structures such as the McFee
house where author Thomas Dixon was born-were moved, with more modern houses being built
(Quaide, 2013). Though Cleveland Countys primary form of subsistence was agriculture, the
king of subsistence was cotton. During the 1920s the rise of cotton production had gone from
8,000 to 80,000 bales a year making it North Carolinas premier cotton county in 1948. Today
the county is still home to several farms, and textile plants, but Shelby is still known as the
courthouse town; as the heart of the town.
Past to Present
The Earl Scruggs Center
The former home of the old Cleveland County Courthouse is the home of The Earl
Scruggs Center right in the heart of uptown Shelby. The Cleveland County native who stumbled
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across banjo-playing at the age of 10 was born in Shelby on January 6, 1924. Today, the area that
once was the courthouse and jail now displays Scruggs ground-breaking career and the
community that gave it shape while celebrating how he crossed musical boundaries and defined
the voice of the banjo to the world (Earl Scruggs Center, 2013). The Earl Scruggs Center opened
on Saturday, January 11, 2014. The center offers intersecting attractions and information about
artists, instruments, genre, place, time and influence by a unique method of an interactive
encyclopedia. The two-level museum is accompanied by friendly volunteer guides who elaborate
on displays. Several of exhibits study the evolution of the banjo, and the remarkable bluegrass
sound that Scruggs created. There are six permanent exhibit galleries and temporary exhibits that
change twice a year. One of Scruggs quotes sums it up: You cant encore the past. If I see a
bright light shining out there, I want to go toward it (Daniel, 2014).
The Shelby City Park
The Shelby City Park has been around since about the 1950s. Its famous for its
handcrafted carrousel, which is one of the very few year-round carrousels in a traditional
family park location. The carrousel only operated from 1952 until 1982 before it was restored.
All 28 horses were repaired and painted, along with three new horses that were carved by Mr.
David Caldwell. If riding the carrousel doesnt amuse you, then you can make your way to the
miniature train that was originated in 1952, and brought back to life in 2000. The Shelby City
Park offers numerous attractions and amenities for all families and visitors. There is a public
Olympic size pool open to the community during the summer and used for special events.
There is an 18-hole golf course that is right across from the new city park recreation and
sports complex for those baseball and softball games during the summer season. I grew up going
to summer camp at the city park and had some of the best times of my life there. This park holds
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a lot of value to the city of Shelby and is just one of the beautiful sites in the town.
Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge
The first thing youll notice when you drive up to Bridges Barbecue Lodge on highway
74 is the clean and welcoming atmosphere, along with the large trees that shade the parking lot,
and the white picket fence. This BBQ joint opened in Shelby, NC was called Dedmonds
Barbecue on Highway 18. Red and Lyttle Bridges opened the BBQ joint in 1946 that soon
relocated to uptown Shelby in 1949. Dedmonds BBQ was renamed Red Bridges Barbecue
Lodge when they moved to the current location on Highway 74 in 1953. Today, Red and Lyttles
daughter, Debbie runs the business. Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge, locally known as Bridges
BBQ celebrated sixty-five years in business in 2011.
Bridges BBQ specializes in good ol Western NC pulled pork BBQ! They have BBQ
plates, BBQ trays, cheeseburgers, grilled cheese, etc. Everything on the menu is made from the
heart and with love. The BBQ has an outside brown barbecue pork. The woodsy, smoky, nutty-
flavored pork tender its that comfort food everyone loves, while receiving the nicest and best
service. Bridges has been featured in many magazines and even in the North Carolina Barbecue
Trail. If youre driving down U.S. Highway 74, theres no way you can pass by without stopping
in at Bridges BBQ. The hickory-pork aroma seeping from the pit is a temptation that no passer-
by could resist. Pit cooked Barbecue is becoming a lost art. We are one of the few places left
that slow cooks pork over hickory all night long. We feel this is the only way to old the fashion
true flavor. That is the way we have done it for 67 years and the way we will do it for years to
come (Bridges, D. 2014).
Cultural Perspective
As there are many aspects and elements that are combined to create the culture of an area.
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The first thing people notice about Cleveland County is the beauty in its rolling hills and
charming town. Its hard for one not to get attached when visiting as our city exposes the
reverence of history with their local eateries and friendliness of its people ( CCEDP, 2014).
Some of the aspects that live in Cleveland County and give us our reputation are the arts that
thrive in our small town. Shelby is known for offering more than 100 festivals each year and is
home to the largest county fair in the state. Some of the festivals celebrated each year, but are not
limited to be; Foothills Merry Go Round Festival, Real to Reel Film Festival, Art of Sound
Music Festival, etc.
Along with friendly-neighbor communities of Cleveland County, comes the comfortable
climate we have during all four seasons. The location of Shelby is amongst hiking trails in the
state and national parks. They are home to eight 18 hole regulation golf courses, four YMCA
family recreation facilities and so much more (CCEDP, 2014). John H. Moss Lake, located
between Shelby and Kings Mountain is full of boating, fishing and swimming for residents of
Cleveland County. Shelby is located in the midst of everything; located in the higher hills of the
state are Grandfather Mountain, Chimney Rock Park, Lake Lure, one of the most beautiful man-
made lakes in the world, and the Biltmore Estate, that is Americas largest home (CCEDP,
2014).
A dynamic part of any regions culture is the food. Cleveland County has a huge
selection of restaurants, with menus varying. Some of the locals favorites include that award-
winning traditional North Carolina pork barbecue, and liver mush. You want to eat fresh, then
check out the Foothills Farmers Market and pick-your-own farm favorites. The list keeps going
about the wonderful culture of this community, including education, health care, and faith. You
want to learn more about the culture of Shelby, then youll have to come visit!
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Conclusion
Do you know about the history of your hometown? Do you know how things have
changed over the years? This project was written to display that, every towns history, culture,
and people change over a certain period of time. Everyone has different views and perspectives,
and that can sometimes make things difficult. We were all brought up with different morals and
values and knowing the history of your hometown and educate you on this. This was a lot more
difficult project than I had anticipated, and gathering information about my hometown was not
easy. I gathered most of my information from sources on the internet. Though it was difficult, I
loved learning about the history of my hometown. It gave me a sense of pride knowing I was
born and raised in The City of Pleasant Living. Shelby still stands as a remarkable town for the
contributions it made to the literacy, industrial and political life of North Carolina and the United
States (Quaide, 2014).
Reflection
Throughout this experience of writing my Content Knowledge Project I learned a lot as
writer and a future social studies teacher. I learned so much about my hometown and the history
of my hometown, and even though I was born and raised here I didnt know much about the
town and the history of the town. The one thing I found to be so heartwarming and special is the
bond and community support this town has. No matter where you go, you always run into
someone you know. The more I researched the history of Shelby and gathered information I
came to find out that the town has always been a close knit and supportive community.
The other things that I found interesting were learning that Cleveland County was a big
cotton producer; cotton was king to Cleveland County. Cotton was so huge in Cleveland County
in the 1940s that they produced a larger amount per acre than any other country in the United
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States. Thats a big deal for Cleveland County. Seeing pictures of how much things have
changed over the years is amazing. Uptown doesnt even look like the same town; the roads were
so much broader back in the day. This was such a wonderful experience for me, but I just felt
like I needed more time! Its such a broad topic that could really be drawn out. There was and
still is so much to say about Shelby, I thoroughly enjoyed this experience and want to dig even
deeper to find out more about this beautiful town known as The City of Pleasant Living.

















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Resources
ABOUT THE EARL SCRUGGS CENTER. (2013, January 1). Earl Scruggs Center. Retrieved
February 15, 2014, from [Link]
Bridges, D. (2014, January 1). History of Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge. History. Retrieved
March 20, 2014, from [Link]
Cleveland Country Economic Development Partnership, Cleveland County Culture, Shelby, NC
Culture. (2014, January 1). Cleveland County Economic Development Partnership,
Cleveland County Culture, Shelby NC Culture. Retrieved April 9, 2014, from
[Link]
Daniel, D. (2014, April 3). Making some old-time music at the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby,
N.C.. . Retrieved April 22, 2014, from
[Link]
Earl Scruggs Biography . (n.d.). [Link]. Retrieved April 24, 2014, from
[Link]
Shelby City Park Carrousel Friends, Inc.. (2014, January 1). Shelby City Park Carrousel home
page. Retrieved March 13, 2014, from [Link]
Quaide, R. (2014, January 1). History of ShelbyShelby, North Carolina: A National Register
of Historic Places Travel Itinerary. National Parks Service. Retrieved March 16,
2014, from [Link]