INSIDE...
SPORTS - 1B
Obituaries ........................ 2A Police Log ........................ 2A Lifestyles ......................... 6A
■ Ladies battle for
first in SMAC Friday, 2B
Dilling HEATING & COOLING A higher degree of trust and dependability
704.739.3446 Residential & Commercial Service Serving Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, Mecklenburg and Surrounding Counties since 1955.
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Volume 129 • Issue 1
Hinton to speak at MLK event A community-wide inspirational evening of song, words and dance sponsored by the city of Kings Mountain will celebrate the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. birthday holiday. The Rev. Dr. Benjamin Hinton of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Gastonia will be the keynote speaker at 6 p.m. on Monday, January 16, at Joy Performance Center. A Georgia native, Dr. Hinton was licensed to preach in 1982 at the age of 19 and was ordained in 1984 by the Friendship Baptist Church in his hometown of Hamilton, Georgia. He served as the pastor of the Friendship Baptist Church in Toccoa, Georgia for eight years before being called to Gastonia to be the senior pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church. Dr. Hinton is a popular and gifted speaker, preacher, evangelist, teacher, and facilitator who has taught, lectured and preached across the nation. He has addressed the General Missionary Baptist State Convention of North Carolina; the State Congress of Christian Education, Evangelism Committee, and Ministers’ Council; and the North Carolina Baptist Convention. Along with his pastoral duties, Dr. Hinton is
Servicing All Brands
committed to help impact the greater Gaston County community through active involvement in organizations such as on the Board of Directors for the following organizations: The Community Foundation of Gaston County, Gaston County United Way, and Gaston Together. Dr. Hinton is a published author. His three books are Unshakable Faith, Stay Focused & Watch God, and The Power of Your Focus. He is married to the former Tangela White of Macon, Georgia who serves with her husband as a partner in ministry as the Director of Christian Education at Tabernacle Church. They have two sons: Benjamin Samuel, II and Nathaniel Robert. Main Street Director Jan Harris invites the public.
The program, with questions and answers, runs about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Tune in to C-Span 3 January 7 at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and on January 8 at 5:35 a.m. EST.
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Predictions for 2017
Challenges and progress lib.kmherald@gmail.com
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KM Author’s book talk On C-Span 3 next week Kings Mountain author Warren Bingham’s book talk on “George Washington’s 1791 Southern Tour” that he delivered at Mount Vernon in August is being aired four times in January on C-Span 3.
Indoor Air Quality Assesments • New Installations
Looking ahead in New Year 2017, three leaders of city and county government and education predict that 2017 will be a year of challenges and progress. Mayor Scott Neisler, looking back at his first year anniversary back at city hall, calls the city an “ever evolving and vibrant community” and said that 2017 will be even better because everyone strives to be the very best. Eddie Holbrook, the newly-elected chairman of the Cleveland County Board of Commissioners, said that commissioners in their upcoming winter work session will redefine goals as well as address some long-range studies that have been conducted that will “enable us to improve other areas of county needs.” Holbrook
SCOTT NEISLER Kings Mountain Mayor
EDDIE HOLBROOK Chairman County Commission
said that most importantly the board will strive to make sure they are a cohesive board working to improve life for all our citizens. Phillip Glover, the reelected Chairman of the Cleveland County Board of Education, said that in 2016 Cleveland County Schools experienced the highest graduation rate in our history and predicts that continuing the trend of more students graduating high school prepared for college, career or military will be a major goal in 2017.
PHILLIP GLOVER School Board Chairman
The county commission will welcome a new board member, Ronnie Whetstine, who will replace the late Ronnie Hawkins, who had served four terms on the board. Reelected to a fifth term in November. Hawkins died the day after he was sworn in for another four years. Whetstine will serve two years and at the 2018 election has said he will run as a candidate for re-election. “Replacing the wisdom and experience of Ronnie Hawkins will be a challenge
to the new board,’’ said Holbrook, who said that the board will continue to work hard on Economic Development projects, hopefully increasing job availability and tax revenue for the county; look to improve the level of our work force by supporting a dual curriculum in cooperation with the school system and Cleveland Community College; continue to look at ways to improve agencies of the county, continue to assist in the growth of small business in the county and continue to examine long range facilities and energy needs of county facilities. Glover said that in addition to soaring graduation rates, Cleveland County Schools opened its first year-round school at Graham Elementary. The school is finished with the first semester and the See PREDICTIONS, Page 7A
Pieces of Kings Mountain History
First mill village born in KM in 1988 By Loretta Husky Cozart I’ve always loved learning the history of Kings Mountain, since I was in Junior High School COZART at Central. Joining the Col. Frederick Hambright DAR Chapter just fanned the flames to learn more. Recently I discovered that the earliest part of Kings Mountain history began just a block away from where I grew-up, so I must share that with you. In May 1872, Captain Freno Dilling moved his saw mill from Cherryville
to Kings Mountain, anticipating the expansion of the Charlotte-Atlanta Airline Railway through the area. When those first tracks were laid, they ran right by Capt. Dilling’s sawmill. From this location, he could supply the railroad with both ties and water for the locomotives. I often think Capt. Dilling was brilliant in choosing that location, but very little in life happens entirely by luck. Capt. Dilling served in Co. H, 49th Regiment, NC Infantry of Gaston County. Like W. A. Mauney, Capt. Dilling returned to the area after the Civil War to settle down
and make a living. I’m sure he knew the Mauney brothers and a plan was afoot to build a new community where the new railroad traversed Cleveland County. Many of the town’s early industrialists worked together to grow new businesses in the fledgling town. In 1888, Capt. Dilling and the Mauney brothers joined forces to open Kings Mountain Manufacturing Company on North Piedmont Avenue. Employees would be needed for their mill, so the owners had to build lodging for the future workers and their families. When those houses were built, Kings Mountain’s first mill
village was born. The mill property proper was in the 400 block of N. Piedmont Ave. and included the mill and outbuildings. Poplar Court was located just to the north of the mill. Across the street, the entire block bounded by N. Piedmont Ave., Walker Street, and Waco Road had additional housing. Gantt Street would be cut-in later. Today, that block is largely owned by First Wesleyan Church. When I was a child, small mill homes made up most of the block. On Piedmont Avenue, the old Kings Mountain Manufacturing Mill Store sat on See FIRST MILL VILLAGE, 7A
New 2017 exhibits planned for KM Historical Museum Kings Mountain Historical Museum is preparing for another year full of free public programming in 2017. Director Adria Focht said three big exhibits will be featured in programming for the new year. “First Peoples: American Indian History of the
North Carolina Piedmont” will be featured Feb. 11May 20, 2017; “The Great Gatsby: Cleveland County in the Roaring Twenties” will be another popular exhibit June 17-October 14, 2017; and the traditional “Toys, Games and Trains: on November 18. 2017-Jan. 6, 2018. If you missed the popular Christmas trains this holiday season there are four days left to view this exhibit
which has been enjoyed by many local people, as well as out of town residents, this holiday season. The Museum is open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. today, Thursday Friday and Saturday and Saturday is the last day to enjoy the train exhibit this season. Hours of operation yearround: Tuesdays-Saturdays 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Focht said the Museum has enjoyed record attendance in 2016.
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STUDENTS RING BELLS – Kings Mountain High School students Brianna Rochford, Mary Catherine May and Tatyana Thompson rang the bells for King Mountain Crisis Ministry during the holiday season at Love’s Fish Box in Kings Mountain. Proceeds from bell ringing during the holidays help the less fortunate, not only at Christmas, but throughout the year.
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