It was a hot afternoon in August 1856 when people in southern Iredell County, North Carolina, gathered for a special event. The train was on its way, bringing officials, a brass band, and the economic future. John Franklin Moore viewed the railroad tracks as an opportunity to fulfill his dream of starting a community and building a town. He knew that trains would bring customers and new citizens and carry freight to and from markets. Moore took a bold step by providing land for a depot and siding and offering land for homes and businesses. Moore's Siding prospered and grew, and in 1873, the village was incorporated and named Mooresville to honor the founder. Generations of Mooresville citizens have taken daring steps into the future, building a community that is more than just a place--it's a home. This is a story of Mooresville, the Queen of Iredell.

In the Piedmont region of North Carolina, a small community of farmers set up near the Catawba River, and on March 3, 1873, the town of Mooresville was created. Much of the town's early history centered on crops and textiles. In 1960, the Cowans Ford Dam

The rumble of trains carrying people, cotton, and freight to and from Moore s Siding was the song of a vibrant community. People worked to build homes, schools, and churches as early as 1760. They got a town, Mooresville, in the bargain. James Elbert Sherrill, George C. Goodman, and the Turner brothers supported the growing economy. Love of community led Winnie Hooper and Elizabeth Matheson to champion recreation. Shaw Brown saw people in need and worked to establish a Christian mission. Mayor Joe Knox and Rep. Robert Brawley embraced change and led a mill town toward a technological future. Success at home led to success far away for artist Selma Burke, Mooresville Moors pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm, New York Parties author Punky Brawley, and Reynolds Tobacco president S. Clay Williams."

A Farmsteadin Morgan County, IN has stood as a sentinel on the South West corner of Mooresville since 1859 whenWilliam Monroe Macy (WMM), 1820-1911, built the home. It stands in 2010 as the residence of Donovan and Joyce Robinson. WMM was prosperous by local community standards of the period, however, that did not afford him much leisure. He managed many diverse businesses which kept him and his entire family hard at work every season of the year. This book focuses primarily on the personal journal Alva Perry Macy wrote during 1872 while living on this Farmstead.The activities he records are through the eyes of a 14 year old who seems fascinated with the industry around him. The farm life of the 1870s would not be considered the good old days by most young adults of today. His focus on local people and their names will hopefully provide todays history buffs a chance to put a bit of life on the stark printed pages of genealogy records. To put the "journal" in perspective, the family history has been explored to properly position the Mooresville Macys of 1872. The Robinsons gathered many facts about the Macys in libraries and from surviving descendants. Many stories have been told numerous times by other authors. The Robinsons have compiled what they believe to be an accurate account of the MacyFarmstead.... and offer it to the interest of others. Alva is a ninth generation derivative of Mayflower passengers (John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley) of 1620. His ancestors also include the early Nantucket settlers (Thomas Macy) who challenged the raw wilderness of the 1600s. The Macys were somehow driven for 300 years to continue in that vein as they moved inland and westward from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

It was a hot afternoon in August 1856 when people in southern Iredell County, North Carolina, gathered for a special event. The train was on its way, bringing officials, a brass band, and the economic future. John Franklin Moore viewed the railroad tracks as an opportunity to fulfill his dream of starting a community and building a town. He knew that trains would bring customers and new citizens and carry freight to and from markets. Moore took a bold step by providing land for a depot and siding and offering land for homes and businesses. Moores Siding prospered and grew, and in 1873, the village was incorporated and named Mooresville to honor the founder. Generations of Mooresville citizens have taken daring steps into the future, building a community that is more than just a placeits a home. This is a story of Mooresville, the Queen of Iredell.