Thumbs up, down — Idling trucks waste fuel

By Joanie Morris Kannapolis Citizen • Doug Goodnight called to tell us about a thumbs down he observed in Landis. Work is being done on the railroad crossing there and Goodnight saw one of those trucks that can run on the road or the railroad tracks. “It just sat there and idled for hours,” he said. Goodnight thought added the truck driver should have turned his truck off, because of the waste of fuel. Oil was up $8 a barrel on  Read More →

Cherish and protect your church history

By Norris Dearmon For the Kannapolis Citizen It appears that as we grow older, history has a lot more meaning to us than when we were much younger. I find it interesting that people can suddenly become interested in a particular piece of history. Church history for our local congregations seems to be very popular these days. It may be because some have been around for 100 years or more now and are celebrating their centennial. Some have become concerned about their archives and the possible loss... 

Gin-spinner speeded up thread-making

By Norris Dearmon For the Kannapolis Citizen In the very early beginnings of textiles, everything was made by hand. I remember seeing a pair of hand carding blocks my grandmother had. Her mother had used the blocks in making cloth for many years. The blocks were about 8 or 10 inches long, about 4 inches wide, with handles on each block. On the blocks were rows of small, stiff wires bent on the end to create a kind of comb. By placing cotton or wool on the blocks and pulling it along the two blocks,... 

Remembering — Dirge for Two Veterans

By Walt Whitman The last sunbeam Lightly falls from the finish’d Sabbath, On the pavement here, and there beyond it is looking, Down a new-made double grave. Lo, the moon ascending, Up from the east the silvery round moon, Beautiful over the house-tops, ghastly, phantom moon, Immense and silent moon. I see a sad procession, And I hear the sound of coming full-key’d bugles, All the channels of the city streets they’re flooding, As with voices and with tears. I hear the great drums pounding, And... 

There when you need them

A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure — if you want to call it that — of calling 911. Connor had fallen, bumped his head and started crying. Just as suddenly, he passed out. Of course, my husband and I were panicked and I immediately picked up the phone while Corey worked to make sure Connor came to and didn’t go to sleep. I never expected to really need to call 911. I’ve got the number to the police department dispatch on speed dial, and I figured it would be easier to just call them than... 

C.A. Cannon loyalty ran deep here

By Norris Dearmon For the Kannapolis Citizen C.A. Cannon was always loyal to various groups whom he had dealings with. One of his favorites was the Kannapolis Volunteer Fire Department. He loved to show the new equipment, which the company had bought for the department. Of course, the primary function of the department was to protect all of the properties of the company. They also protected other properties with the help of other local fire departments. Most of the volunteers were employees of the... 

Remembering Cannon High
Classes of ’41 and ’42 share fond memories as they dedicate marker

It amazes me when I get to cover events like the one that took place Saturday at A.L. Brown High School. The J.W. Cannon classes of 1941 and 1942 dedicated a marker at the school — near the tennis courts — to the old high school, which was there for what seems like ages to all the people in Kannapolis who went to the school. Members of the classes of 1941 and 1942 gathered at the marker to dedicate the ground, hugging one another and telling stories about when they were in school. The president... 

Workers filled boarding houses

By Norris Dearmon For the Kannapolis Citizen When J.W. Cannon started the new town of Kannapolis, he knew it would need housing for the employees. He immediately began building houses as the mill was being built. Not long after the mill began operation, the need was more than he realized. To have a place for new employees when they arrived in town, he began building boarding houses. One of the first was built for ladies only, The Martha Washington Inn. It was on a short street (First Street) just... 

Degree teams and blackballs

By Norris Dearmon For the Kannapolis Citizen From the early years until even now, Kannapolis has had fraternal organizations. In pictures of the first parades in Kannapolis, organizations were Woodmen of the World (WOW), the Redmen and Patriotic Order Sons of America (POS of A). All are still active, mostly in the insurance industry of the organization. Regular monthly meetings are not usually held today. The organizations first gathered in a meeting hall over Hoffman’s Cafe, on the northeast corner... 

Letters

Great leadership on school board The accomplishments of the Kannapolis City School system over the past decade are too much for me to list in this article. The accomplishments are a direct result of the leadership provided by the elected board members, chaired by Lee Efird, Superintendent Dr. Jo Anne Byerly, the principals, teachers and employees. They all work together as a team to ensure the children receive the best opportunities possible in education. Personally, I have never heard one word over... 

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