# Davidson County Insights: Davidson County, North Carolina

> A free guide to Davidson County, NC from StoneBridge Solutions Inc.: local businesses, landmarks and history. Source: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/

## History of Davidson County, NC

Davidson County, North Carolina, was formed from Rowan County in 1822 and named for Revolutionary War general William Lee Davidson, who was killed at Cowan's Ford in 1781. Its county seat is Lexington, named for the 1775 Battle of Lexington in Massachusetts, and its largest city is Thomasville. Settled along the Yadkin River by German, Scots-Irish and English families in the 18th century, the county later grew through mining, the North Carolina Railroad, textiles and furniture. Today it is known for Lexington-style barbecue, Thomasville's Big Chair and High Rock Lake. The 2020 census counted 168,930 residents.

### Quick facts

- Formed: 1822, from Rowan County (source: https://www.america250.nc.gov/blog/2025/07/28/revolutionary-origins-nc-county-names-davidson)
- Created by: The North Carolina Legislature, from what was Rowan County (source: https://www.co.davidson.nc.us/DocumentCenter/View/7165/2021-Davidson-County-CHNA-Full-Report)
- Named for: Gen. William Lee Davidson, Revolutionary War officer killed February 1, 1781, at Cowan's Ford on the Catawba River while delaying Cornwallis's advance (source: https://www.america250.nc.gov/blog/2025/07/28/revolutionary-origins-nc-county-names-davidson)
- County seat: Lexington (source: https://www.america250.nc.gov/blog/2025/07/28/revolutionary-origins-nc-county-names-davidson)
- County seat name origin: Lexington is named for Lexington, Massachusetts, site of the opening battle of the American Revolution in 1775 (source: https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/davidson-county-1822/)
- Later boundary changes: Parts of the county were annexed to Forsyth County in 1889 and 1921 (source: https://www.america250.nc.gov/blog/2025/07/28/revolutionary-origins-nc-county-names-davidson)
- Area: 567.70 sq mi total, 553.18 sq mi land, 14.52 sq mi water (U.S. Census Bureau figures as reported by Wikipedia; the county's own FY2026 budget summary cites 549 sq mi) (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davidson_County,_North_Carolina)
- Population (2020 census): 168,930 (source: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/davidsoncountynorthcarolina/PST045223)
- Municipalities: Denton, Lexington, Midway, Thomasville and Wallburg (plus a portion of High Point) (source: https://www.co.davidson.nc.us/DocumentCenter/View/7165/2021-Davidson-County-CHNA-Full-Report)
- Lexington nickname: "Barbecue Capital of the World" (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexington,_North_Carolina)
- Thomasville nickname: "Chair City", after its furniture industry and the Big Chair monument (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomasville,_North_Carolina)
- Denton historic nickname: "Cross Tie Capital of the Country" (peak of B. I. Harrison's cross-tie business, 1917-1918) (source: https://www.townofdenton.com/community/town-history/)
- First Native people: The Saponi were the first Native people of the Yadkin Valley and present-day Davidson County (source: https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/davidson-county-1822/)

### How did Davidson County get its name?

Davidson County was created from Rowan County in 1822 and named for Gen. William Lee Davidson, a North Carolina officer in the American Revolution. Davidson was killed on February 1, 1781, at Cowan's Ford on the Catawba River while trying to slow Lord Cornwallis's advance toward Guilford Courthouse. Lexington became the county seat.

Davidson was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to Irish immigrant parents, and his family later moved to the North Carolina piedmont. An earlier Davidson County, created by North Carolina in the 1780s for the same general, became Davidson County, Tennessee, so the two are separate places.

The county seat's name also looks back to the Revolution: Lexington is named for Lexington, Massachusetts, where the war's first shots were fired in 1775. Parts of Davidson County were later annexed to Forsyth County in 1889 and 1921.

Sources: https://www.america250.nc.gov/blog/2025/07/28/revolutionary-origins-nc-county-names-davidson, https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/davidson-county-1822/, https://www.co.davidson.nc.us/DocumentCenter/View/7165/2021-Davidson-County-CHNA-Full-Report

### Who were the first people and settlers in Davidson County?

The Saponi were the first Native people of the Yadkin Valley and present-day Davidson County, and they had left the area by the mid-1700s. European settlers of German, Scots-Irish and English descent then arrived along the Yadkin River, many traveling south from Pennsylvania on the Great Wagon Road through Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.

Settlement patterns split roughly north and south: German Lutheran and Moravian communities clustered in the northern part of the county, while Scots-Irish and English hamlets formed to the south. The Scots-Irish and German migrants who filled the North Carolina backcountry came almost entirely from Pennsylvania down the Great Wagon Road.

These farming communities stayed small into the early 1800s. The land along the Yadkin was part of Rowan County until Davidson County was formed in 1822.

Sources: https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/davidson-county-1822/, https://www.ncpedia.org/great-wagon-road

### Did Daniel Boone live in Davidson County?

Daniel Boone's family moved to the Yadkin Valley in 1750, and local legend says they spent their first year in or near the cave at today's Boone's Cave Park near Lexington. Historians have not found verified evidence that the Boones lived in the cave, and Daniel Boone's documented homestead was across the Yadkin in what is now Davie County.

The Daniel Boone Memorial Association dedicated an arrowhead monument at the cave on April 30, 1910, and the Daughters of the American Revolution added a 1913 plaque marking "Daniel Boone's Trail from North Carolina to Kentucky, 1769." When no evidence of Boone's residence was found in the 1960s, the site lost its state historic site designation. The state kept it as a park from 1971 to 2002, and Davidson County took over operations in 2003.

Today Boone's Cave Park is on the North Carolina Daniel Boone Heritage Trail, with walking trails, picnic areas, primitive camping and canoe access to the Yadkin River.

Sources: https://docsouth.unc.edu/commland/monument/974/, https://ncdanielboonetrail.org/ccdadmin/Printable-Teachers-Guide-edited-by-Nancy.pdf, https://ncdanielboonetrail.org/nc-trails/interactive-trail-map

### What role did the Revolution and the Yadkin River crossings play?

In 1781 Gen. Nathanael Greene's American army crossed the Yadkin River at Trading Ford and passed through what is now Davidson County while retreating ahead of Lord Cornwallis, a maneuver that set up the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. A marker on the Lexington square, dedicated in 1919, honors Greene and Daniel Boone.

The county's namesake, Gen. William Lee Davidson, died in the same campaign at Cowan's Ford on February 1, 1781, while trying to slow Cornwallis's crossing of the Catawba River.

The Davidson County Historical Museum's history of the Lexington square records that the state Historical Commission and county commissioners honored Boone and Greene in 1919.

Sources: https://davidsoncountyhistoricalmuseum.com/the-square, https://www.america250.nc.gov/blog/2025/07/28/revolutionary-origins-nc-county-names-davidson

### Was the first silver mine in the United States in Davidson County?

Yes. Silver was found near Lexington in 1838, and the Washington Mine opened there on January 7, 1839, as the first silver mine in the United States. It was later reopened as the Silver Hill Mine, supplied lead to the Confederacy during the Civil War and closed for good in 1882.

Prospector Roswell A. King bought the land and, with John W. Thomas, received a charter from the General Assembly in 1839. Losses in refining forced the Washington Mining Company to close the mine in 1852. A New York firm reopened it in 1854 as the Silver Hill Mine and owned the surrounding town; by the late 1850s, rented enslaved laborers had increasingly replaced white wage workers.

The mine ran again after the war but stopped in 1882 because of continuing refining problems and title disputes. A short-lived gold rush in the 1830s had also drawn miners to the county.

Sources: https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2016/01/07/nineteenth-century-silver-mining-davidson-county, https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/davidson-county-1822/

### How did the railroad shape Thomasville and Lexington?

The North Carolina Railroad, which ran from Goldsboro to Charlotte, crossed Davidson County in the 1850s. State legislator John W. Thomas led the fight for the line, laid out Thomasville on its route in 1852, and saw the first train pass through on January 20, 1856. Rail access later helped Lexington and Thomasville become textile and furniture centers.

Thomas lobbied for the track to run three miles north of his home, bought property along the route, and built a depot, general store and gristmill, so the community was first known as Thomas Depot. A post office opened in 1853 and the General Assembly incorporated Thomasville in 1857. His North Carolina highway historical marker (K-35) calls him the "Founder of Thomasville."

Railroads also built smaller towns: the line that reached Denton in 1906 later became the High Point, Thomasville and Denton Railroad.

Sources: https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2024/01/10/john-w-thomas-1800-1871-k-35, https://historynet.com/thomasville-north-carolina-civil-war/, https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/davidson-county-1822/, https://www.townofdenton.com/community/town-history/

### What happened in Davidson County during the Civil War?

Davidson County saw no major battles, but it supported the Confederate war effort. The Silver Hill Mine produced lead, a Thomasville firm made boots for the army, and in March 1865 Thomasville became a hospital depot for wounded from Averasboro and Bentonville. Later that year the Lexington courthouse interior burned while Union troops occupied the area.

Thomasville had just over 300 residents when the war began. Shelly Brothers & Company supplied boots to the Confederate Army, and Gov. Zebulon Vance exempted its 24 male workers from conscription. In 1865, wounded Confederates and some Federal prisoners arrived by train and were treated in a tobacco warehouse and several churches; 34 patients died and were buried in a common plot in the town cemetery.

In Lexington, the 1858 courthouse interior burned in 1865 under suspicious circumstances that locals blamed on occupying Union forces. A local citizen saved some records, and officials repaired the building after 1868 using the surviving walls and columns.

Sources: https://historynet.com/thomasville-north-carolina-civil-war/, https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2016/01/07/nineteenth-century-silver-mining-davidson-county, https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2024/01/11/old-davidson-county-courthouse-k-44

### Why is Thomasville called the Chair City?

Thomasville is called the Chair City because of its long furniture-making history and its Big Chair monument. The Thomasville Chair Company built the first giant chair in September 1922. After weather damaged it and it was scrapped in 1936, a concrete-and-steel "World's Largest Chair" was built downtown starting with a cornerstone laid January 9, 1951.

The original chair used enough material to make 100 ordinary chairs. A local chamber of commerce formed in 1948 and revived interest in replacing it; the new sculpture took six months to build, was made by a Winston-Salem company and was painted to look like furniture. It was meant to honor Thomasville's role in the furniture industry, where Thomasville Furniture was a major employer.

The Big Chair stands in downtown Thomasville near the 1870-71 railroad depot, which now serves as the town's visitor center.

Sources: https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2016/01/09/thomasville-chair-fit-paul-bunyan, https://historynet.com/thomasville-north-carolina-civil-war/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomasville,_North_Carolina

### What role did textile mills play in Davidson County?

Textiles and furniture became the county's main industries after railroads arrived. The best-documented example is Erlanger Mills, which New York textile owners built north of Lexington starting in 1913 to supply cotton fabric for their Baltimore underwear factory. It began production on March 28, 1914, with a planned mill village around it.

By the 1920s the Erlanger village had 325 houses, two churches, schools, a hotel, hospital, clubhouse, company store and dairy. Executives sold the houses to employees in the 1950s after the area was annexed by Lexington, and the Erlanger family sold the mill to Parkdale Mills of Gastonia in 1972. The Erlanger Mill Village was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

Textile and furniture manufacturing remained central to Lexington's economy through most of the 20th century, until the late 1990s, when most manufacturers moved production to Asia and Mexico.

Sources: https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2016/03/28/lexington-landmark-erlanger-mills, https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/davidson-county-1822/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexington,_North_Carolina

### How did Lexington become known for barbecue?

Lexington's barbecue tradition dates to 1919, when Sid Weaver opened the town's first barbecue restaurant in a tent in the middle of town, and Jesse Swicegood opened a stand soon after. They trained other cooks, including Warner Stamey. The Lexington Barbecue Festival began on October 27, 1984, and the city calls itself the Barbecue Capital of the World.

The festival grew out of an idea that Joe Sink Jr., publisher of The Dispatch, raised with BB&T in 1983. About 30,000 people attended the first festival and ate 3,000 pounds of barbecue; attendance passed 100,000 in 1994 and reached an estimated 200,000 in 2014. The festival was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19 and returned in 2022.

The Davidson County Historical Museum notes that barbecue in Lexington first served crowds who came to town for court sessions on the square.

Sources: https://thebarbecuefestival.com/p/history, https://davidsoncountyhistoricalmuseum.com/the-square, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexington,_North_Carolina

### When was High Rock Lake created?

High Rock Lake was created in 1927, when High Rock Dam on the Yadkin River was completed and workers closed its gates to flood the basin. The dam, about 101 feet high, was built to generate power for an aluminum smelter and was later owned by Alcoa. Tuckertown Dam, downstream, followed in 1962.

High Rock is the northernmost of the Uwharrie Lakes and covers about 15,180 acres at full pool. Tuckertown was the last of three dams built downstream of High Rock; the others were Narrows Dam (1917) and Falls Dam (1919). Alcoa sold its four Yadkin River dams to Cube Hydro in February 2017.

The lake's creation turned farm roads such as Stokes Ferry Road into lake crossings and made creekside property into waterfront.

Sources: https://www.salisburypost.com/?p=264688, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Rock_Lake

### What is the history of the Lexington square and Old Courthouse?

Lexington's square is dated to 1824, when work is believed to have begun on the first county courthouse, completed in 1825. Its 1858 replacement, built by George Dudley and William Ashley, burned inside in 1865 and was rebuilt. It became the "Old Courthouse" in 1958, joined the National Register in 1971 and has housed the Davidson County Historical Museum since 1976.

County officials decided in 1856 that a larger courthouse was needed to protect court records. A contemporary called the finished building a "Temple of Justice," and its state highway historical marker (K-44) describes it as a fine example of Classical Revival style.

The square has gathered memorials over time, including a 1905 Confederate monument that the city moved to storage on October 15, 2020, and that was relocated to Valor Memorial Park in Denton in 2021.

Sources: https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2024/01/11/old-davidson-county-courthouse-k-44, https://davidsoncountyhistoricalmuseum.com/the-square

### Timeline

- Before 1750: The Saponi were the first Native people of the Yadkin Valley and present-day Davidson County; by the mid-18th century they had disappeared from the area. (source: https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/davidson-county-1822/)
- 1750: Squire Boone brought his family, including young Daniel Boone, to the Yadkin Valley; local legend holds they spent their first year near the site of present-day Boone's Cave Park. (source: https://ncdanielboonetrail.org/ccdadmin/Printable-Teachers-Guide-edited-by-Nancy.pdf)
- 1781: Gen. Nathanael Greene's American army crossed the Yadkin at Trading Ford and passed through the area while delaying Cornwallis before Guilford Courthouse. (source: https://davidsoncountyhistoricalmuseum.com/the-square)
- 1781: Gen. William Lee Davidson, the county's namesake, was killed on February 1 at Cowan's Ford on the Catawba River. (source: https://www.america250.nc.gov/blog/2025/07/28/revolutionary-origins-nc-county-names-davidson)
- 1822: The General Assembly created Davidson County from Rowan County. (source: https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2024/01/11/old-davidson-county-courthouse-k-44)
- 1825: The first Davidson County courthouse, a two-story brick building designed by architect William Nichols, was completed in Lexington. (source: https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2024/01/11/old-davidson-county-courthouse-k-44)
- 1830s: A short-lived gold rush drew miners to the county, who also mined silver and copper. (source: https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/davidson-county-1822/)
- 1839: The Washington Mine near Lexington, where silver was found in 1838, opened on January 7, 1839, as the first silver mine in the United States. (source: https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2016/01/07/nineteenth-century-silver-mining-davidson-county)
- 1852: State legislator John W. Thomas founded Thomasville on the planned route of the North Carolina Railroad. (source: https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2024/01/10/john-w-thomas-1800-1871-k-35)
- 1856: The first North Carolina Railroad train passed through Thomasville on January 20, 1856, after the line was completed to the town in 1855. (source: https://historynet.com/thomasville-north-carolina-civil-war/)
- 1857: The General Assembly incorporated the town of Thomasville. (source: https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2024/01/10/john-w-thomas-1800-1871-k-35)
- 1858: Raleigh builders George Dudley and William Ashley completed the second Davidson County courthouse, now the Old Courthouse on the Lexington square. (source: https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2024/01/11/old-davidson-county-courthouse-k-44)
- 1861-1865: During the Civil War, the Silver Hill mine produced lead for the Confederate war effort. (source: https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2016/01/07/nineteenth-century-silver-mining-davidson-county)
- 1865: After the battles of Averasboro and Bentonville in March 1865, Thomasville became a hospital depot, with wounded treated in a tobacco warehouse and several churches. (source: https://historynet.com/thomasville-north-carolina-civil-war/)
- 1865: The courthouse interior burned under suspicious circumstances that locals blamed on occupying Union forces; it was repaired after 1868. (source: https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2024/01/11/old-davidson-county-courthouse-k-44)
- 1907: The General Assembly incorporated the Town of Denton on March 11, with J. E. Varner as first mayor. (source: https://www.townofdenton.com/community/town-history/)
- 1910: The Daniel Boone Memorial Association dedicated an arrowhead monument at Boone's Cave on April 30. (source: https://docsouth.unc.edu/commland/monument/974/)
- 1914: Erlanger Mills, built from 1913 on 250 acres north of Lexington with a model mill village, began production on March 28, 1914. (source: https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2016/03/28/lexington-landmark-erlanger-mills)
- 1919: Sid Weaver opened Lexington's first barbecue restaurant, a tent in the middle of town. (source: https://thebarbecuefestival.com/p/history)
- 1922: Thomasville's first Big Chair was built in September 1922 from enough material to make 100 ordinary chairs. (source: https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2016/01/09/thomasville-chair-fit-paul-bunyan)
- 1927: High Rock Dam on the Yadkin River was completed and its basin filled to form High Rock Lake; the dam initially powered an aluminum smelter and was later owned by Alcoa. (source: https://www.salisburypost.com/?p=264688)
- 1951: The cornerstone of Thomasville's concrete-and-steel "World's Largest Chair" was laid downtown on January 9, replacing the wooden chair scrapped in 1936. (source: https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2016/01/09/thomasville-chair-fit-paul-bunyan)
- 1958: A larger county courthouse was completed, and the 1858 building became the "Old Courthouse." (source: https://davidsoncountyhistoricalmuseum.com/the-square)
- 1962: Tuckertown Dam was completed downstream of High Rock, the last of the three dams built below High Rock Dam. (source: https://www.salisburypost.com/?p=264688)
- 1971: The 1858 Old Davidson County Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (source: https://davidsoncountyhistoricalmuseum.com/the-square)
- 1976: The Davidson County Historical Museum was established in the Old Courthouse on the Lexington square. (source: https://davidsoncountyhistoricalmuseum.com/the-square)
- 1984: The first Lexington Barbecue Festival was held on October 27, drawing about 30,000 people who ate 3,000 pounds of barbecue. (source: https://thebarbecuefestival.com/p/history)
- 2003: After the state operated Boone's Cave as a park from 1971 to 2002, Davidson County took over its operation. (source: https://docsouth.unc.edu/commland/monument/974/)
- 2004: The Town of Wallburg was incorporated on June 29 through Senate Bill 1127. (source: https://townofwallburg.com/history-after-incorporation)
- 2006: Midway was incorporated on June 29, becoming Davidson County's fifth and newest municipality. (source: https://midway-nc.gov/about-midway/history/)

### Towns and communities

- Lexington: Lexington is the Davidson County seat and was named for the 1775 Battle of Lexington in Massachusetts. It was incorporated by the General Assembly in the late 1820s (NCpedia gives 1827; many sources, including the city's marker, give 1828). The city is known for Lexington-style barbecue and has hosted the Lexington Barbecue Festival since 1984. (source: https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/davidson-county-1822/)
- Thomasville: Thomasville was founded in 1852 by state legislator John W. Thomas on the route of the North Carolina Railroad and was incorporated by the General Assembly in 1857. It grew into a furniture-making center known as the Chair City, home of the Big Chair monument. It is the county's largest city, with 27,183 residents in the 2020 census. (source: https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2024/01/10/john-w-thomas-1800-1871-k-35)
- Denton: Denton was known as Finch's Cross Roads until a post office named Denton, after a Texas town, opened on July 12, 1878. The railroad reached it in 1906, and the General Assembly incorporated the Town of Denton on March 11, 1907. Around 1917-1918 it was called the "Cross Tie Capital of the Country." (source: https://www.townofdenton.com/community/town-history/)
- Midway: Midway takes its name from its location midway between Winston-Salem and Lexington. After a 2005 petition drive, it was incorporated on June 29, 2006, with Norman Wilkes as first mayor. It is Davidson County's fifth and newest municipality. (source: https://midway-nc.gov/about-midway/history/)
- Wallburg: Wallburg was incorporated on June 29, 2004, through Senate Bill 1127. It held its first town election in November 2005 and opened a new Town Hall in 2011. The town owns the George W. Wall House, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. (source: https://townofwallburg.com/history-after-incorporation)
- Welcome: Welcome is an unincorporated census-designated place in Davidson County. It is home to Richard Childress Racing and the Richard Childress Racing Museum, which opened in May 2003 in RCR's former workshop and displays many of Dale Earnhardt's race cars. (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Childress_Racing_Museum)
- Southmont: Southmont is an unincorporated census-designated place in Davidson County. (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davidson_County,_North_Carolina)

## Landmarks, public art and places to visit

### The Big Chair (Monument, Thomasville)

The Big Chair is a 30-foot steel-and-concrete replica of a Duncan Phyfe armchair standing between Thomasville's two main downtown streets. Erected in 1951 to honor the city's furniture industry, it is the symbol of the "Chair City" and its most photographed landmark, decorated with tulips in spring and a Santa hat at Christmas.

The original Big Chair was built in September 1922 by the Thomasville Chair Company from lumber and Swiss steer hide, using the materials needed for 100 ordinary chairs; it stood 16 feet 6 inches tall. After years of weather exposure it was scrapped in 1936. Interest in a replacement grew after the local chamber of commerce formed in 1948, and the cornerstone of the current chair was laid on January 9, 1951. It has a steel skeleton covered in wire mesh and a half-inch layer of cement and granite, painted to look like wood.

The chair drew national attention in 1960 when vice-presidential candidate Lyndon B. Johnson greeted supporters from it during a campaign whistle-stop. It is a contributing object in the Thomasville Downtown Historic District, listed on the National Register in 2005.

Address: 6 W Main St, Thomasville, NC, Thomasville, NC
- Original chair: 1922 (removed 1936)
- Current chair cornerstone: January 9, 1951
- Height: 30 feet (including base)
- Style: Replica of a Duncan Phyfe armchair
- Materials: Steel frame, wire mesh, cement and granite
- Plaque: "The Chair" of Thomasville, "Erected 1950" (state records give the cornerstone date as January 9, 1951)
- Drawn by: Thomas Johnson ("del.", per the plaque)
- Sculpted by: James Harvey ("sculp.", per the plaque)
Visiting: Outdoor landmark in downtown Thomasville, viewable at any time.
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/the-big-chair-thomasville/
Sources: https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2016/01/09/thomasville-chair-fit-paul-bunyan, https://static1.squarespace.com/static/585d32fb03596e2c47dfe81a/t/6511e87204435a11a1610365/1695672438185/Thomasville-VisitorsGuide-2023Updates-DigitalVersion-FacingPages-09222023-IV-compressed.pdf, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomasville_Downtown_Historic_District

### Thomasville Railroad Passenger Depot (Thomasville Visitors Center) (Historic site, Thomasville)

Built in 1870-1871, the Thomasville Railroad Passenger Depot is one of the oldest surviving frame railroad depots in North Carolina. The board-and-batten building with Victorian sawnwork now houses the Thomasville Visitors Center and is the starting point for the city's self-guided historic walking trails and downtown train watching.

The depot served as a passenger station for the Richmond and Danville Railroad and later the Southern Railway until 1912, when a brick depot (no longer standing) replaced it. The frame depot was moved to the north side of the tracks and used as the freight agent's office, then given to the city by the Southern Railway. The Thomasville Historical Society raised $5,000 for a restoration in 1969, and the depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 9, 1981.

Since July 2000 it has been the Thomasville Visitors Center. Norfolk Southern's main line runs beside Main Street, and more than 40 trains pass through downtown in a 24-hour period, making the depot a popular rail-watching spot.

Address: 44 W Main St, Thomasville, NC, Thomasville, NC
- Built: 1870-1871
- Style: Victorian, board-and-batten
- NRHP listed: July 9, 1981 (ref. 81000423)
- Visitor center since: July 2000
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/thomasville-railroad-passenger-depot/
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Davidson_County,_North_Carolina, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomasville_station_(North_Carolina), https://static1.squarespace.com/static/585d32fb03596e2c47dfe81a/t/6511e87204435a11a1610365/1695672438185/Thomasville-VisitorsGuide-2023Updates-DigitalVersion-FacingPages-09222023-IV-compressed.pdf

### Thomasville Mural Walk (Public art, Thomasville)

Downtown Thomasville has 18 public murals ranging from wildlife to nostalgic historic scenes and modern thought-provoking pieces. A self-guided Mural Walk map from Thomasville Tourism links them along Main, Salem, Commerce and Trade streets and Cates Alley, close to the Big Chair and the depot visitors center.

The murals were commissioned by community groups and businesses, with funding credited to PACE Downtown, the Thomasville Beautification Committee, the City of Thomasville, Arts Davidson County, Thomasville Tourism, the NC Arts Council, the T'ville Mural Project and others. Mural locations on the official map include West and East Main Street, Salem Street, Commerce Street, Cates Alley, East Guilford Street and Trade Street.

The Commerce Walk, one of three self-guided historic walking trails that start at the visitors center, also passes several of the murals.

- Number of murals: 18 (downtown)
- Map: Thomasville Visitors Guide / Visitors Center
Visiting: Outdoor; maps available at the Thomasville Visitors Center, 44 W Main St.
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/thomasville-mural-walk/
Sources: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/585d32fb03596e2c47dfe81a/t/6511e87204435a11a1610365/1695672438185/Thomasville-VisitorsGuide-2023Updates-DigitalVersion-FacingPages-09222023-IV-compressed.pdf

### Thomasville City Cemetery and Civil War Soldiers' Plot (Historic site, Thomasville)

Thomasville's City Cemetery, dating to about 1860, holds a common plot where 34 soldiers who died in the town's makeshift Civil War hospitals are buried together, Confederate and Union alike. It is one of three Civil War Trails stops in downtown Thomasville.

In March 1865, 280 wounded men arrived by train from the Averasboro battlefield. Baptist and Methodist churches were pressed into service as hospitals, and the L.L. Thomas Hotel served as headquarters. Of those who died, 26 were Confederates, 4 were Federals and 4 were unknown, and all were buried together in one plot. In 1908 a Georgian who had served in the hospital raised funds for headstones as a tribute to the soldiers and to the local residents who nursed them.

Address: 205 Memorial Park Dr, Thomasville, NC, Thomasville, NC
- Cemetery established: circa 1860
- Soldiers buried in common plot: 34 (26 Confederate, 4 Union, 4 unknown)
- Headstones placed: 1908
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/thomasville-city-cemetery-civil-war-plot/
Sources: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/585d32fb03596e2c47dfe81a/t/6511e87204435a11a1610365/1695672438185/Thomasville-VisitorsGuide-2023Updates-DigitalVersion-FacingPages-09222023-IV-compressed.pdf

### Thomasville Downtown Historic District (Historic district, Thomasville)

The Thomasville Downtown Historic District is a 27-acre National Register district of commercial and civic buildings built between 1871 and 1938. It includes the Big Chair, the former City Hall and Post Office, and the separately listed railroad depot, and is the setting for the city's mural and history walking tours.

Listed on the National Register on September 1, 2005, the district contains 46 contributing buildings, one site, two structures and two objects in Italianate and Classical Revival styles. Notable contributing properties include the Big Chair, the former City Hall (1938), the former U.S. Post Office (1926), the First National Bank of Thomasville (1922), the C. R. Thomas Block (about 1900) and the Lambeth Furniture Company/Thomasville Chair Company building.

Address: Roughly bounded by Main, Trade, Guilford and Commerce streets, Thomasville, NC, Thomasville, NC
- NRHP listed: September 1, 2005 (ref. 05000940)
- Area: 27 acres
- Period: 1871-1938
- Contributing resources: 46 buildings, 1 site, 2 structures, 2 objects
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/thomasville-downtown-historic-district/
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Davidson_County,_North_Carolina, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomasville_Downtown_Historic_District

### Salem Street Historic District (Historic district, Thomasville)

The Salem Street Historic District is a 16.5-acre residential neighborhood in Thomasville with 33 contributing buildings from about 1861 to 1957, including Queen Anne and Colonial Revival houses and two historic churches. Thomasville's self-guided Historic Homes Walk (0.87 miles) passes through it.

Listed on the National Register on August 9, 2006, the district includes Heidelberg Church, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, the White House, the Strickland-Long House, the Morris-Harris House and the Leon A. Kress House. The Historic Homes Walk begins at the Thomasville Visitors Center and highlights homes from the mid-1800s.

Address: 108-301 Salem St, 6-12 Forsyth St and 6 Leonard St, Thomasville, NC, Thomasville, NC
- NRHP listed: August 9, 2006 (ref. 06000688)
- Area: 16.5 acres
- Period: about 1861-1957
- Contributing buildings: 33
Visiting: Private homes; view from public sidewalks.
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/salem-street-historic-district-thomasville/
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Davidson_County,_North_Carolina, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_Street_Historic_District, https://static1.squarespace.com/static/585d32fb03596e2c47dfe81a/t/6511e87204435a11a1610365/1695672438185/Thomasville-VisitorsGuide-2023Updates-DigitalVersion-FacingPages-09222023-IV-compressed.pdf

### T. Austin and Ernestine L. Finch House (Historic site, Thomasville)

The T. Austin and Ernestine L. Finch House is a 1921 Renaissance Revival and Mediterranean Revival residence on East Main Street in downtown Thomasville. Listed on the National Register in 2019 for its architecture, it is one of the key sites marked on Thomasville Tourism's downtown map.

The National Park Service record gives a period of significance of 1921 to 1938, with architecture as its area of significance. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 26, 2019.

Address: 17 E Main St, Thomasville, NC, Thomasville, NC
- Built: 1921
- Styles: Renaissance Revival, Mediterranean Revival
- NRHP listed: August 26, 2019 (ref. 100004321)
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/t-austin-finch-house-thomasville/
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Davidson_County,_North_Carolina, https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/100004321, https://static1.squarespace.com/static/585d32fb03596e2c47dfe81a/t/6511e87204435a11a1610365/1695672438185/Thomasville-VisitorsGuide-2023Updates-DigitalVersion-FacingPages-09222023-IV-compressed.pdf

### Historic Finch Field (Historic site, Thomasville)

Finch Field is a city-owned baseball park built in 1935 by Thomasville Furniture Industries as a recreation outlet for its employees. It has been the area's center of baseball for decades and is home to the High Point-Thomasville HiToms summer collegiate team, with games from May to October.

Finch Field first served as the home of the Thomasville Chair Makers in the Class D Carolina State League, followed by a string of minor-league clubs including the Thomasville Tommies, Dodgers and the High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms, through 1969. It has also hosted American Legion baseball, Thomasville High School, youth leagues, track meets and religious revivals. The current HiToms of the Coastal Plain League have played here since 1999. The ballpark is owned by the City of Thomasville and managed by its Parks and Recreation Department.

Address: 7003 Ball Park Rd, Thomasville, NC, Thomasville, NC
- Built: 1935
- Owner: City of Thomasville
- Capacity: 2,000
- Current tenant: High Point-Thomasville HiToms (Coastal Plain League), since 1999
Visiting: Baseball games May through October.
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/finch-field-thomasville/
Sources: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/585d32fb03596e2c47dfe81a/t/6511e87204435a11a1610365/1695672438185/Thomasville-VisitorsGuide-2023Updates-DigitalVersion-FacingPages-09222023-IV-compressed.pdf, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finch_Field

### John Warwick Thomas Founder Statue (Monument, Thomasville)

A statue of John Warwick Thomas (1800-1871), the founder of Thomasville, stands on West Main Street downtown. Thomas, a legislator who led the fight for the North Carolina Railroad, gave the city its name, and the statue is one of the key sites on Thomasville Tourism's downtown map near the depot and Big Chair.

Thomasville Tourism's downtown map lists the founder statue on W. Main Street alongside the depot, the Big Chair and the 1968 clock tower. A separate state highway marker (K-35) honoring Thomas stands south of town near the site of his home, Cedar Lodge.

Address: W Main St, Thomasville, NC, Thomasville, NC
- Honors: John Warwick Thomas, 1800-1871, founder of Thomasville
Visiting: Outdoor; viewable at any time.
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/john-warwick-thomas-statue/
Sources: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/585d32fb03596e2c47dfe81a/t/6511e87204435a11a1610365/1695672438185/Thomasville-VisitorsGuide-2023Updates-DigitalVersion-FacingPages-09222023-IV-compressed.pdf, https://www.dncr.nc.gov/nc-historical-markers-guide-summer-2026/open, https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/thomas-john-warwick

### North Carolina Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Monument, Thomasville)

The North Carolina Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a red-brick memorial wall in Veterans Memorial Park at the I-85 rest area near mile marker 100, about two miles south of Thomasville. Dedicated on Memorial Day 1991, it lists more than 1,600 North Carolinians killed or missing in Vietnam.

The memorial was sponsored by the North Carolina Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program and the NC Department of Transportation, which donated the site; private donations covered the $600,000 cost. The center panel lists over 1,620 North Carolinians killed or missing, with their home counties at the foot of the monument, and the main inscription honors the 216,000 North Carolinians who served. A brick walkway leads to the wall, and evergreen trees planted by the NC Forest Service surround it. Congressman Howard Coble and Lt. Gov. James Gardner spoke at the May 27, 1991 dedication.

Address: I-85 Davidson County Rest Area, near mile marker 100, Thomasville, NC
- Dedicated: May 27, 1991
- Names listed: Over 1,620 killed or missing
- Cost: $600,000 (private donations)
Visiting: Located inside the I-85 Davidson County rest area.
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/nc-vietnam-veterans-memorial/
Sources: https://docsouth.unc.edu/commland/monument/35, https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=63387, https://static1.squarespace.com/static/585d32fb03596e2c47dfe81a/t/6511e87204435a11a1610365/1695672438185/Thomasville-VisitorsGuide-2023Updates-DigitalVersion-FacingPages-09222023-IV-compressed.pdf

### Old Davidson County Courthouse / Davidson County Historical Museum (Museum, Lexington)

The 1858 Old Davidson County Courthouse on the square in Uptown Lexington is one of North Carolina's finest antebellum public buildings and home to the free Davidson County Historical Museum. Visitors can tour exhibits spanning 12,000 years of county history and the restored second-floor courtroom.

Completed in 1858, the stuccoed temple-form courthouse has a portico of fluted Corinthian columns and an octagonal clock tower. Its interior was burned in 1865 and rebuilt around 1867, and it was remodeled in 1918. Most county offices moved to a new courthouse in 1959. The building was listed on the National Register on June 24, 1971, is a contributing property in the Uptown Lexington Historic District, and was rededicated in 2014 after a 12-month exterior restoration.

The museum, a branch of the Davidson County Public Library, holds more than 17,000 artifacts and offers rotating exhibits, a research library and tours including a Black History Tour and Uptown Lexington wayfinding. A state highway marker (K-44) stands at Main and Center streets.

Address: 2 S Main St, Lexington, NC 27292, Lexington, NC
- Completed: 1858
- Style: Classical Revival
- Interior burned / rebuilt: 1865 / about 1867
- NRHP listed: June 24, 1971 (ref. 71000576)
- Restoration: Exterior restoration completed 2014
- Admission: Free
- State marker: K-44
Visiting: Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; free admission (per museum website).
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/old-davidson-county-courthouse-historical-museum/
Sources: https://www.davidsoncountyhistoricalmuseum.com/home-1, https://www.davidsoncountyhistoricalmuseum.com/museum-handbook, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Davidson_County_Courthouse_(North_Carolina), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Davidson_County,_North_Carolina, https://www.dncr.nc.gov/nc-historical-markers-guide-summer-2026/open

### Uptown Lexington Historic District (Historic district, Lexington)

The Uptown Lexington Historic District is Lexington's National Register-listed downtown, a 13.5-acre core of commercial and government buildings dating from 1824 to 1946 around the 1858 courthouse square. It is the setting for the Pigs in the City sculptures, murals and the Barbecue Festival.

Listed on May 16, 1996, the district contains 52 contributing buildings, three sites and one object in Early Commercial, Renaissance and Classical Revival styles. Notable buildings include the former U.S. Post Office (1911-1912), the Smith-Thompson Block (1900), the Hinkle Block (1902-1907), Hedrick's Hall (1902), the Hankins Building (1902), the Raper Building (about 1907) and the Buchanan-Siceloff Building (1923-1929). The separately listed Old Davidson County Courthouse anchors the square.

Address: Main St from 3rd Ave to 2nd St, Lexington, NC, Lexington, NC
- NRHP listed: May 16, 1996 (ref. 96000570)
- Area: 13.5 acres
- Period: 1824-1946
- Contributing resources: 52 buildings, 3 sites, 1 object
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/uptown-lexington-historic-district/
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Davidson_County,_North_Carolina, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uptown_Lexington_Historic_District

### Pigs in the City (Public art, Lexington)

Pigs in the City is Lexington's public art program of fiberglass pig sculptures, each painted by a local artist with its own theme, celebrating the city's barbecue heritage. Started in 2003 by the nonprofit Uptown Lexington, Inc., the pigs line Main Street around the square, and a Summer 2026 map lists 30 in Uptown.

The first exhibition in 2003 featured 20 pigs, each sponsored for $1,000, and won Best Downtown Special Event at the 2004 North Carolina Main Street awards. New pigs are added in most years; some remain on permanent display around Lexington. Visit Lexington's Summer 2026 Pig Map numbers 30 pigs in Uptown, including several at the Lexington Visitor Center (2 N Main St) and the Davidson County Historical Museum, plus more "around town" at sites such as the public library and farmers market. The map notes that some pigs may be indoors.

Address: Uptown Lexington (around the courthouse square), Lexington, NC
- Started: 2003
- Organizer: Uptown Lexington, Inc. (nonprofit)
- Pigs on Summer 2026 Uptown map: 30
- Material: Painted fiberglass
Visiting: Outdoor walking tour; Pig Map available from Visit Lexington, 2 N Main St.
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/pigs-in-the-city-lexington/
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigs_in_the_City, https://www.visitlexingtonnc.com/pigsinthecity, https://www.visitlexingtonnc.com/_files/ugd/e4b479_bad53e3e588f4683904ceaf08aeef6bb.pdf

### Lexington Residential Historic District (Historic district, Lexington)

The Lexington Residential Historic District is a 264-acre National Register district west and south of Uptown Lexington with 804 contributing buildings from about 1854 to 1957. Its Queen Anne and Craftsman houses span early 20th-century subdivisions such as Park Place and Westover Heights, plus the Lexington City Cemetery.

Listed on April 19, 2007, the district takes in the Park Place, Robbins Heights, Courtenay, Rosemary Park, Hillcrest, Oak Crest and Westover Heights subdivisions. Notable buildings include Hillside (1854), the Brookshire House (1900), Wennonah Mill houses (1910) and the Parkview Apartments (about 1927 and 1930). Landscape architect Earle Sumner Draper is among the designers associated with the district.

Address: Roughly bounded by State St, W 5th St, Martin St, Westside Dr, Southbound St and W 9th Ave, Lexington, NC, Lexington, NC
- NRHP listed: April 19, 2007 (ref. 07000350)
- Area: 264 acres
- Period: about 1854-1957
- Contributing resources: 804 buildings, 1 site, 1 structure
Visiting: Mostly private homes; view from public streets.
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/lexington-residential-historic-district/
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Davidson_County,_North_Carolina, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexington_Residential_Historic_District

### Erlanger Mill Village Historic District (Historic district, Lexington)

The Erlanger Mill Village Historic District is an 85-acre textile mill village in north Lexington with 282 contributing buildings. Its bungalow-style worker houses, built about 1916 to 1929 by the Erlanger Mill Company, were laid out by landscape architect Earle Sumner Draper, making it a well-preserved example of a planned Southern mill village.

The mill complex was built from 1913 through the 1960s. The district also includes Erlanger Baptist Church (1936) and Erlanger Graded School (about 1920). It was listed on the National Register on January 9, 2008.

Address: Roughly bounded by Winston Rd, Short, 7th, Hames, 2nd, Rainbow, Park Circle and Olympia streets, Lexington, NC, Lexington, NC
- NRHP listed: January 9, 2008 (ref. 07001371)
- Area: 85 acres
- Houses built: about 1916-1929
- Contributing resources: 282 buildings, 7 structures
- Planner: Earle Sumner Draper
Visiting: Mostly private homes; view from public streets.
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/erlanger-mill-village-historic-district/
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Davidson_County,_North_Carolina, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erlanger_Mill_Village_Historic_District

### Lexington Industrial Historic District (Historic district, Lexington)

The Lexington Industrial Historic District preserves the factory and mill buildings that grew up along the North Carolina Railroad corridor just southeast of Uptown Lexington, next to the Wennonah Cotton Mill village. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.

The district is roughly bounded by East 1st Street and South Salisbury Street, the NC Railroad corridor, and the western lot lines of the Wennonah Cotton Mill village. It was listed on the National Register on May 15, 2019.

Address: Roughly bounded by E 1st and S Salisbury streets, the NC Railroad corridor and the Wennonah Cotton Mill village, Lexington, NC, Lexington, NC
- NRHP listed: May 15, 2019
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/lexington-industrial-historic-district/
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Davidson_County,_North_Carolina

### Lincoln Park Historic District (Historic district, Lexington)

The Lincoln Park Historic District is a neighborhood south of Uptown Lexington that was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 21, 2026, the same day as nearby Dunbar High School. It is one of the county's newest National Register listings.

The National Park Service weekly list for May 18-21, 2026 records the district as listed on May 21, 2026, under reference SG100013053, with boundaries roughly along South Talbert Boulevard, Arthur Drive and Booker.

Address: Roughly bounded by South Talbert Blvd, Arthur Dr and Booker, Lexington, NC, Lexington, NC
- NRHP listed: May 21, 2026 (ref. SG100013053)
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/lincoln-park-historic-district-lexington/
Sources: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/weekly-list-2026-05-22.htm, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Davidson_County,_North_Carolina

### Dunbar High School (Historic site, Lexington)

Dunbar High School in Lexington was built in 1951 and named for poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. It served Black students until it closed as a high school in 1968 after integration, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 21, 2026.

Preservation North Carolina has protected the school with covenants since 2009 and announced its sale in 2025 to a developer planning to adapt the building for housing. The National Park Service listed the property on May 21, 2026 (reference SG100013049).

Address: 301 Smith Ave, Lexington, NC, Lexington, NC
- Built: 1951
- Closed as high school: 1968
- NRHP listed: May 21, 2026 (ref. SG100013049)
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/dunbar-high-school-lexington/
Sources: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/weekly-list-2026-05-22.htm, https://www.presnc.org/news/historic-dunbar-school-in-lexington-sold-new-developer-plans-to-adapt-property-into-new-housing-units-serve-needs-of-local-community/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Davidson_County,_North_Carolina

### Grimes Brothers Mill (Historic site, Lexington)

Grimes Brothers Mill, also called the Lexington Roller Mill and Excelsior Mill, is a four-story Italianate brick flour mill built about 1885 in Lexington. It ground flour until about 1960, was converted to bank use in the early 1960s, and is listed on the National Register.

The mill measures roughly 34 by 40 feet, with a basement and a shallow-pitched shed roof. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 2, 2002.

Address: 2 N State St, Lexington, NC, Lexington, NC
- Built: about 1885
- Style: Italianate
- Operated as mill until: about 1960
- NRHP listed: May 2, 2002 (ref. 02000443)
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/grimes-brothers-mill-lexington/
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Davidson_County,_North_Carolina, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimes_Brothers_Mill

### First Reformed Church (Historic site, Lexington)

First Reformed Church is a Late Gothic Revival church built in 1927-1928 a block from the Lexington courthouse square. Designed by architect Herbert B. Hunter, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 and remains one of Uptown Lexington's landmark buildings.

The church was added to the National Register on April 28, 2000. Its interior is also in the Late Gothic Revival style.

Address: 22 E Center St, Lexington, NC, Lexington, NC
- Built: 1927-1928
- Architect: Herbert B. Hunter
- Style: Late Gothic Revival
- NRHP listed: April 28, 2000 (ref. 00000417)
Visiting: Active congregation.
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/first-reformed-church-lexington/
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Davidson_County,_North_Carolina, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Reformed_Church_(Lexington,_North_Carolina)

### Grace Episcopal Church (Historic site, Lexington)

Grace Episcopal Church is a one-story red brick Late Gothic Revival church built in 1902 on South Main Street in Lexington. Designed by the firm Hook & Sawyer, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

The church sits on South Main Street near the Dr. William Rainey Holt House. It was added to the National Register on December 20, 2006.

Address: 419 S Main St, Lexington, NC, Lexington, NC
- Built: 1902
- Architects: Hook & Sawyer
- Style: Late Gothic Revival
- NRHP listed: December 20, 2006 (ref. 06001138)
Visiting: Active congregation.
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/grace-episcopal-church-lexington/
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Davidson_County,_North_Carolina, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Episcopal_Church_(Lexington,_North_Carolina)

### Dr. William Rainey Holt House (Historic site, Lexington)

The Dr. William Rainey Holt House on South Main Street was built in 1834 by Holt (1798-1868), a Lexington physician and advocate of scientific agriculture. It is listed on the National Register, and a state highway marker (K-56) on South Main Street notes his home and his plantation, Linwood.

State highway marker K-56, erected in 1995, reads that Holt was a physician and advocate of scientific agriculture whose plantation "Linwood" was 6 miles southwest, and that he built his home here in 1834. The house was listed on the National Register on June 23, 1983.

Address: 408 S Main St, Lexington, NC, Lexington, NC
- Built: 1834
- NRHP listed: June 23, 1983
- State marker: K-56 (1995)
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/dr-william-rainey-holt-house/
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Davidson_County,_North_Carolina, https://www.dncr.nc.gov/nc-historical-markers-guide-summer-2026/open

### Robert F. Sink Historical Marker (Historic marker, Lexington)

This North Carolina highway historical marker (K-68), placed in 2023 in Uptown Lexington, honors Lt. Gen. Robert F. Sink (1905-1965), who commanded the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division in World War II and lived nearby.

The marker text notes that Sink commanded the 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, during World War II and commanded Fort Bragg from 1957 to 1960.

Address: 3 N Main St, Lexington, NC, Lexington, NC
- Marker ID: K-68
- Erected: 2023
Visiting: Roadside marker; viewable at any time.
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/robert-f-sink-marker/
Sources: https://www.dncr.nc.gov/nc-historical-markers-guide-summer-2026/open

### Finch Park (Park & nature, Lexington)

Finch Park is a City of Lexington park of more than 60 acres, described locally as the largest park in Davidson County. It offers playgrounds, softball fields, picnic shelters, a fishing pond, a mountain bike trail and a hiking trail down to Abbotts Creek, and a large multipurpose field.

A local report lists two playgrounds, three softball fields, five shelters, a pond, a mountain bike trail, a large multipurpose field and a hiking trail leading to Abbotts Creek.

Address: 15 Paul Beck Rd, Lexington, NC, Lexington, NC
- Size: More than 60 acres
- Operator: City of Lexington Parks and Recreation
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/finch-park-lexington/
Sources: https://davidsonlocal.com/news/lexington-parks-are-the-place-to-be-this-spring, https://www.lexingtonnc.gov/PARKSANDREC

### Old City Lake Park (Park & nature, Lexington)

Old City Lake Park sits on the banks of Lexington's City Lake, a small reservoir that now serves as an emergency water supply. The city park is popular with anglers and allows canoes but not speedboats, and has shelters, grills and a shaded playground.

Lexington's utility documents describe City Lake as an emergency water supply holding about 150 million gallons, with Lake Thom-A-Lex as the city's regular source.

Address: 2429 City Lake Rd, Lexington, NC, Lexington, NC
- Operator: City of Lexington
- City Lake volume: about 150 million gallons (emergency supply)
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/old-city-lake-park-lexington/
Sources: https://davidsonlocal.com/news/lexington-parks-are-the-place-to-be-this-spring, https://www.lexingtonnc.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/5043/639143692622870000

### Lake Thom-A-Lex Park (Park & nature, Lexington)

Lake Thom-A-Lex is a 1950s reservoir on upper Abbotts Creek that supplies drinking water to both Thomasville and Lexington. Its lakeside park on Yokley Road, listed among area attractions by Thomasville Tourism, gives the public waterfront access close to both cities.

The lake impounds the upper section of Abbotts Creek and initially held 2.2 billion gallons; Lexington reports it has been the city's regular drinking-water source since it was built in the 1950s. The cities of Thomasville and Lexington share it as a water supply.

Address: 700 Yokley Rd, Lexington, NC, Lexington, NC
- Built: 1950s
- Original capacity: 2.2 billion gallons
- Water source for: Lexington and Thomasville
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/lake-thom-a-lex-park/
Sources: https://www.lexingtonnc.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/5043/639143692622870000, https://thomasville.org/departments/utilities/water/water-history, https://static1.squarespace.com/static/585d32fb03596e2c47dfe81a/t/6511e87204435a11a1610365/1695672438185/Thomasville-VisitorsGuide-2023Updates-DigitalVersion-FacingPages-09222023-IV-compressed.pdf

### Boone's Cave Park (Park & nature, Lexington)

Boone's Cave Park is a Davidson County park of over 100 acres on the Yadkin River, linked by local legend to Daniel Boone's family, who settled in the area around 1750-1751. It offers about 7.5 miles of trails, a small river cave, a 46-acre Natural Heritage Site, fishing, paddling access, disc golf and tent camping.

Squire Boone brought his family, including 16-year-old Daniel, from Pennsylvania to the Yadkin Valley around 1750. No documents prove the Boones lived on the park land, but local names such as Boone's Cave, Boone's Bottom, Boone's Ford and Boone's Spring support the tradition. The cave is about 140 feet long and mostly requires crawling.

Forty-six acres are designated a Natural Heritage Site with Appalachian wildflowers and trees; around 100 native wildflowers and more than 125 butterfly species have been recorded. A riverside Eastern cottonwood measures 169 feet tall. An old stone foundation and chimney remain from a Civilian Conservation Corps caretaker's cabin. The park is part of the Daniel Boone Heritage Canoe Trail.

Address: 3552 Boones Cave Rd, Lexington, NC 27295, Lexington, NC
- Size: Over 100 acres
- Trails: About 7.5 miles
- Natural Heritage Site: 46 acres
- Cave length: About 140 feet
- Operator: Davidson County Parks & Recreation
Visiting: County brochure (2019): May 1-Sept 18, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sept 19-Oct 31, 8 a.m.-7 p.m.; Nov 1-Apr 30, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Closed New Year's Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Tent camping by reservation; call 336-242-2285.
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/boones-cave-park/
Sources: https://www.visitlexingtonnc.com/_files/ugd/e8fa0a_36bb025f117b456ca9bd075a70b7be7c.pdf, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boone%27s_Cave_Park, https://www.visitlexingtonnc.com/outdoors-recreation

### Yadkin River Park (Park & nature, Davidson County)

Yadkin River Park is a Davidson County park at the northern tip of High Rock Lake, inside the Trading Ford and Yadkin River Crossings historic districts. It offers about 3 miles of trails through Civil War-era Fort York earthworks, river access and the restored Wil-Cox Bridge walkway, and is the end of the Daniel Boone Heritage Canoe Trail.

The site has been a gathering place for roughly 10,000 years and a crossing point for exploration, commerce and war. The park's first phase opened in 2019. Its historic features include the 1924 Wil-Cox Bridge and the entrenchments and rifle pits of Fort York. The park adjoins about 1,000 acres of state game lands with 15 miles of shoreline managed by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission.

- Opened: 2019 (first phase)
- Trails: About 3 miles
- Operator: Davidson County Parks & Recreation
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/yadkin-river-park/
Sources: https://www.yadkinriverkeeper.org/news/2019/3/23/yadkin-river-park-in-davidson-county-bridging-the-past-present-and-future, https://www.visitlexingtonnc.com/outdoors-recreation

### Wil-Cox Bridge (Historic site, Davidson County)

The Wil-Cox Bridge is a 1924 concrete open-spandrel arch bridge crossing the Yadkin River between Davidson and Rowan counties. Roughly 1,300 feet long with seven arches, it once carried US 29/70 and is now a pedestrian walkway in Yadkin River Park and the Davidson County greenway system.

Built from 1922 to 1924 at a cost of about $212,000, the bridge replaced the Piedmont Toll Bridge and was named for highway commissioners W. E. Wilkinson of Charlotte and Elwood Cox of High Point. It is one of six bridges of its type built in North Carolina and the longest. The State Historic Preservation Office found it eligible for the National Register as an example of an open-spandrel concrete bridge. NCDOT closed it to traffic in 2010; it later served as a detour until traffic moved to a new bridge in February 2014, and Davidson County took ownership.

- Built: 1922-1924
- Length: About 1,300 feet
- Design: Concrete open-spandrel arch, 7 spans
- Current use: Pedestrian bridge, Yadkin River Park
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/wil-cox-bridge/
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wil-Cox_Bridge, https://shpo-images.dncr.nc.gov/ER_92-8556.pdf, https://www.yadkinriverkeeper.org/news/2019/3/23/yadkin-river-park-in-davidson-county-bridging-the-past-present-and-future

### Daniel Boone Heritage Canoe Trail (Park & nature, Davidson County)

The Daniel Boone Heritage Canoe Trail is a 22-mile paddling route on the Yadkin River along the Davidson, Davie and Rowan county lines, with 10 historic locations marked by numbered navigational markers. The Davidson County stretch, about 9.5 miles, runs from Boone's Cave Park to Yadkin River Park.

The trail is a section of the longer Yadkin River State Trail and ends at the York Hill access at Yadkin River Park at the head of High Rock Lake. Paddlers commonly launch at Boone's Cave Park, where Baptism Rock is a river landing.

- Length: 22 miles
- Davidson County segment: About 9.5 miles
- Historic stops: 10
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/daniel-boone-heritage-canoe-trail/
Sources: https://threeriverslandtrust.org/daniel-boone-heritage-canoe-trail, https://threeriverslandtrust.org/oc-davidson-county, https://www.yadkinriverkeeper.org/news/2019/3/23/yadkin-river-park-in-davidson-county-bridging-the-past-present-and-future

### High Rock Lake (Park & nature, Davidson County)

High Rock Lake is a 15,180-acre reservoir on the Yadkin River along the Davidson-Rowan county line, with about 360 miles of shoreline. Created in 1926-1927 to power Alcoa's aluminum works at Badin, it is the area's main destination for boating, fishing and lakeside camping, with free public boat ramps.

The dam was built by the Tallassee Power Company, an Alcoa subsidiary. The lake reaches about 19 miles upstream to the mouth of the South Yadkin River and is 59 feet deep at the dam. Alcoa operated the Yadkin hydroelectric system until selling it to Cube Hydro Carolinas in 2016. There are no motor size limits, and the lake is open 24 hours a day. Islands in the lake are part of the state's Yadkin River Game Land.

- Surface area: 15,180 acres
- Shoreline: About 360 miles
- Dam built: 1926-1927
- Depth at dam: 59 feet
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/high-rock-lake/
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Rock_Lake, https://www.visitlexingtonnc.com/outdoors-recreation, https://www.ncwildlife.gov/media/905/download

### Tuckertown Reservoir (Park & nature, Davidson County)

Tuckertown Reservoir is a Yadkin River lake just below High Rock Lake, bordering southern Davidson County near Denton. Completed in 1962 for hydroelectric power, it is used for boating, paddling and fishing, with much of its shoreline in state game lands open for public recreation and several public boat access areas.

The reservoir touches Davidson, Stanly, Montgomery and Rowan counties, with Tuckertown Dam at its south end above Badin Lake. Alcoa operated it until selling the generating facilities to Cube Hydro Carolinas in 2017. It lies at the western edge of the Uwharrie Mountains, near Uwharrie National Forest and Morrow Mountain State Park.

- Completed: 1962
- River: Yadkin
- Counties: Davidson, Stanly, Montgomery, Rowan
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/tuckertown-reservoir/
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuckertown_Reservoir, https://www.yadkinriverkeeper.org/news/tuckertown, https://www.ncwildlife.gov/media/905/download

### Yadkin College Historic District (Historic district, Yadkin College)

The Yadkin College Historic District preserves the 125-acre village that grew around Yadkin College, a Methodist Protestant school that opened in 1856, became coeducational in 1878 and closed in 1924. The 1856 college building, an 1886 church, 19th-century houses and the village cemetery survive.

Listed on the National Register on February 25, 1988, the district has 38 contributing buildings, four sites and five structures. Along with the 1856 college building it includes one antebellum house, 11 houses from about 1870-1890, the Yadkin College Methodist Protestant Church (1886), the Yadkin College Cemetery, and the sites of the 1881 college building, a post office, blacksmith shop and jail. State highway marker K-24 on US 64 east of the Yadkin River points to the college building.

Address: North and south sides of SR 1194, west of SR 1436, Yadkin College, NC, Yadkin College, NC
- College opened: 1856
- College closed: 1924
- NRHP listed: February 25, 1988 (ref. 88000165)
- Area: 125 acres
- State marker: K-24 (1941)
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/yadkin-college-historic-district/
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Davidson_County,_North_Carolina, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yadkin_College_Historic_District, https://www.dncr.nc.gov/nc-historical-markers-guide-summer-2026/open

### Jersey Settlement Meeting House (Jersey Baptist Church) (Historic site, Linwood)

The Jersey Settlement Meeting House is an 1842 Greek Revival brick church near Linwood, home to a Baptist congregation founded around 1755 by settlers from New Jersey. Regulator leader Benjamin Merrill, executed after the Battle of Alamance, was a member. The church and adjacent cemetery are both National Register-listed.

The gable-front brick building is four bays long and two bays wide; a belfry was added in 1897-1899 and a portico in 1945. The meeting house and the Jersey Baptist Church Cemetery were each listed on the National Register on July 10, 1984.

Address: SR 1272, near Linwood, NC, Linwood, NC
- Congregation founded: about 1755
- Current building: 1842
- Style: Greek Revival
- NRHP listed: July 10, 1984 (ref. 84002032)
Visiting: Active church.
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/jersey-settlement-meeting-house/
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Davidson_County,_North_Carolina, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey_Settlement_Meeting_House

### Pilgrim Reformed Church and Cemetery (Historic site, Lexington)

Pilgrim Reformed Church, known early as Leonard's Church, was established about 1757 by German Reformed settlers northeast of Lexington. Its National Register-listed cemetery holds about 350 burials, with folk gravestones carved by local stonecutters and the earliest dated 1781. State marker K-49 notes the church's history.

The congregation is traditionally credited to Valentine Leonard (Leonhardt); the present church is the fourth building on the site. The 3-acre cemetery was listed on the National Register on July 10, 1984, as part of a group of Davidson County Anglo-German cemeteries noted for late 18th- and early 19th-century folk gravestones. Marker K-49 (1978) stands at SR 1844 and SR 1813.

Address: SR 1843, northeast of Lexington, NC, Lexington, NC
- Established: about 1757
- Burials: About 350
- Earliest gravestone: 1781
- NRHP listed (cemetery): July 10, 1984 (ref. 84002145)
- State marker: K-49 (1978)
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/pilgrim-reformed-church-cemetery/
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Davidson_County,_North_Carolina, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilgrim_Reformed_Church_Cemetery, https://dncr.nc.gov/blog/2024/01/11/pilgrim-church-k-49, https://www.dncr.nc.gov/nc-historical-markers-guide-summer-2026/open

### Trading Path Historical Markers (Historic marker, Denton)

Two North Carolina highway markers in Davidson County (K-20 and K-21, both 1941) note the route of the colonial Trading Path, a 17th-century trade route from Petersburg, Virginia, to the Catawba and Waxhaw peoples in the Carolinas that passed through the county.

Marker K-20 stands on SR 2205 (Old US 64) at NC 109 north of Denton, and K-21 stands on NC 8 north of Southmont. Both carry the same text describing the colonial trading route.

Address: SR 2205 (Old US 64) at NC 109 north of Denton; NC 8 north of Southmont, Denton, NC
- Marker IDs: K-20, K-21
- Erected: 1941
Visiting: Roadside markers; viewable at any time.
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/trading-path-markers/
Sources: https://www.dncr.nc.gov/nc-historical-markers-guide-summer-2026/open

### John W. Thomas Historical Marker (Historic marker, Thomasville)

State highway marker K-35 (1952) honors John W. Thomas (1800-1871), founder of Thomasville. As a legislator he led the fight for the North Carolina Railroad, which built the town's economy, and was a friend of education. His home, Cedar Lodge, stood nearby.

The marker stands south of Thomasville near the site of Cedar Lodge. A founder statue also stands on West Main Street downtown.

Address: SR 2184 (Old NC 109) at SR 2168 (Cedar Drive), south of Thomasville, Thomasville, NC
- Marker ID: K-35
- Erected: 1952
Visiting: Roadside marker; viewable at any time.
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/john-w-thomas-marker/
Sources: https://www.dncr.nc.gov/nc-historical-markers-guide-summer-2026/open, https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2024/01/10/john-w-thomas-1800-1871-k-35

### John H. Mills Historical Marker (Historic marker, Thomasville)

State highway marker K-32 (1950) honors John H. Mills, first head of the Oxford Orphanage (1873-1884) and of the Mills Home in Thomasville, and former president of Oxford Female College. His grave lies 100 yards north of the marker at Rich Fork Baptist Church.

The marker stands on Old Highway 29 west of Thomasville in front of Rich Fork Baptist Church.

Address: Old Hwy 29 west of Thomasville, in front of Rich Fork Baptist Church, Thomasville, NC
- Marker ID: K-32
- Erected: 1950
Visiting: Roadside marker; viewable at any time.
Page: https://davidsoncountyinsights.com/places/john-h-mills-marker/
Sources: https://www.dncr.nc.gov/nc-historical-markers-guide-summer-2026/open