Cramerton

Veterans Memorial

Cramer Mountain Club

Public Art Goat Island Park Pedestrian Bridge

Free Yoga Series

Cramerton Numbers

Population: 5,296* Land Area: 3.83 square miles Tax Rate: 47.5¢ per $100 valuation Median Household Income: $84,598** Median Housing Value: $237,774** Total Housing Units: 1,781** High School Graduate or Higher: 94.1%** Households with Internet Subscription: 88.3%**

Sources: https://censusreporter.org, US Census - *Census, April 1, 2020; **2015-2019 American Community Survey 5-year Estimates

BY PENELOPE McCLENNY

rom expanding bike paths and walking trails that link neigh-F borhoods and nearby cities to preserving historic landmarks and maintaining strong community ties, connectivity fuels the focus of the Town of Cramerton. “Over the past decade-plus, we took a look to the past and how can we look to things that were positive in the past and link to the future,” said City Manager David Pugh. Cramerton’s past as a mill town steeped in community spirit has helped guide many of the moves town residents and leaders have made, including recent renovations to Rocky Branch and Central Parks. At Central Park, trails meandering along a gentle stream as well as a community garden give visitors plenty of opportunities to visit and exercise, while expanded bike trails at Rocky Branch Park now connect the town to nearby Belmont. “Central Park is fully complete and that looks absolutely amazing,” Pugh said. “You are able to use walkability and bike-ability to get to both Cramerton and Belmont.”

Live Music At Centennial Center

Several pieces of outdoor-inspired art along the trails at Rocky Branch provide another great attraction along the cityconnecting trail. While these types of amenities are always popular in this recreation-centered town, they became especially important during the pandemic. “We were always able to say, ‘Hey, you can always get outside, you can always use our great trails,’” Pugh said. “That’s absolutely something we continue to promote as something people can use.” Beyond the trails, an exciting community project has the potential to provide the town another important connection to its past. Local residents and government leaders are teaming up with a Cramerton property owner to preserve a historic schoolhouse in the town’s Baltimore community. Thanks to their efforts, the 900-square-foot building once scheduled to be destroyed as part of a controlled burn with the fire department is now listed as a historic landmark with future plans for a museum. “This is the last one-room African American schoolhouse in Gaston County,” said Wendy Cauthen, wife of Mayor Will Cauthen who is working with the building’s owner, Fred Glenn, to get the structure preserved. Glenn was raised in the Baltimore community, and his mother attended the school. “We’re just trying to bring it back to what it was. It can be used as a small museum of the neighborhood,” Cauthen said. “It goes along with pride in our past, our whole town motto.” One of the first steps involved getting the building listed as a local historic property, a move unanimously approved by the Town of Cramerton and the Gaston County Board of Commissioners. This designation will provide guidelines for any structural changes proposed in the future as well as promote its historical preservation. The historic Baltimore school project stands as another great example of local residents eager to come together for a common goal, Pugh said. “Cramerton has pretty much always had that community spirit,” he said. Cauthen said she and Glenn have become great friends as they work together to plan a big future for the small schoolhouse. “We’ve been working as a team on this,” she said. “Cramerton’s just such a great place. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.” a

Baltimore School Restoration Volunteers