Serving Belmont, Mount Holly, Stanley, Cramerton, and McAdenville | Volume 79 • Issue 1 • Wednesday, January 1, 2014
75¢
UNC professor Morrill addresses Planning Board By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Historic preservation in downtown Belmont has been a hot topic lately, and a recent meeting of the Planning Board that saw UNCCharlotte professor of history Dr. Dan Morrill share ideas on how the town can preserve its charm in the midst of development warmed things up even more. Getting Morrill as a guest speaker was a feather in the Planning Board's cap. He has been a professor of History at the University of North Carolina since 1963 and Consulting Director of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission for 25 years. He has written numerous books and
scholarly articles about aspects of local history. He is especially knowledgeable and passionate about buildings and landscapes that reflect history. “Dr. Morrill of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission presented an overview of historic preservation and the options that the City could take to preserve historic buildings in town,” said assistant city manager Adrian Miller. “He provided a list of tools that the city can use, and there was a lot of discussion about the appropriate role of government in historic preservation.” Morrill didn't just give a history lecture to the Planning Board and others who attended the meeting, he challenged the group to put
on their thinking caps. “Dr. Morrill’s underlying question to Belmont is “What do you want?” Miller said. “If we want to preserve historic structures, then we could adopt a local historic district that would require a property owner to obtain city approval before making any changes to his or her house. Another option that can act as “historic district light” is a neighborhood conservation overlay zoning district that has some restrictions on what owners can do but not nearly as many as a full-blown local historic district. There was discussion about whether Belmont was concerned primarily in preserving the historic structures in the downtown
See HISTORIC, Page 2
Photo by Alan Hodge
The 1910 R.B. Suggs House at 207 N. Main St. in downtown Belmont is just one many historic homes in that area. The Belmont Planning Board met recently with historian and author Dr. Dan Morrill of UNC-Charlotte to discuss how historic preservation could be part of an overall growth plan.
GYC battles teen pregnancy By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Adolescent pregnancy, the dread of many parents and teens, is on the run in Gaston County thanks to a cooperative effort between several agencies who are making education and abstinence their watchwords. Recently released statistics show that Gaston County's teen pregnancy rate has fallen sharply over the past couple of years- especially in comparison to the North Carolina state rate. From 2011-2012 the Gaston rate fell by 13 percent compared to the state figure of just 4.2 percent. Another encouraging statistic shows that the usually marked disparity in pregnancy rates between African-American and white teens in Gaston County has been virtually wiped out. Yet another bit of
Gaston County good news is the fact that younger teens between the ages of 15-17 years saw a decline in pregnancy rates. One of the agencies in the forefront of the fight against teen pregnancy is Gaston Youth Connected, which is part of a $5.8 million Centers for Disease Control project of the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Campaign of North Carolina. In a press release, Gaston County HSS Director Chris Dobbins praised the work GYC is doing. “Without a doubt, GYC is an MVP in the battle against teen pregnancy in Gaston County,” Dobbins said. “Their collaboration with our department and other community partners has helped stem the tide of what was, several years ago, a local public health crisis.”
GYC was launched in October 2010 and is planned to operate at least until September 2015. GYC program support specialist Amanda Fuller recently presented a program to the Gastonia City Council where she outlined some of the progress that had been made in the campaign against teen pregnancy. “Since the start of GYC in 2010, the Gaston County pregnancy rate has dropped by twenty-eight percent,” Fuller said. “In 2012 there were just 42.7 pregnancies per 1,000 girls aged fifteen to nineteen years.” The total number of 2012 teen pregnancies in Gaston was 273. Out of that number, 72 percent, 196 of the total, were girls ages 18-19 years. The remaining 77 pregnancies, 28 percent, were girls 15-17 years. The racial makeup of the
pregnancies revealed the fact that 182 of the girls were white, 52 were African-American, 35 were Hispanic, and three were listed as “other”. In 2007, Gaston County's AfricanAmerican teen pregnancy rate was 108.6 per 1,000 population compared to 69.0 percent white. “Only four North Carolina counties have lower African-American teen pregnancy rates,” Fuller said. “In Gaston County they are no more likely to become pregnant.” According to Fuller, Gaston now ranks 48th in North Carolina's 100 counties as far as teen pregnancies are concerned. GYC is attracting widespread attention in the adolescent age group. “So far 1,377 youths have taken part in GYC programs,” said Fuller. “Last
Photo courtesy Dieter Melhorn
Dieter Melhorn of Cramerton caught this monster blue catfish in Lake Wylie near the South Point Access Area recently. The whopper cat weighed a whisker over 60 pounds and Melhorn enticed it to bite a chunk of white perch on his hook. Melhorn is president of the Carolina Catfish Club. year the average age was 14.5 years.” Fuller says that 79 percent of the participants were from what were considered “high-risk” areas of the county as far as teen pregnancy was concerned. Forty-four percent of the
participants had had sex before contacting GYC. Interestingly 53 percent of the participants were male. “GYC participants significantly increased their knowledge on how not to
See GYC on Px
Historic preservation in eastern Gaston County By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Historic preservation in Mount Holly and Belmont has spotlighted not only the architecturally important homes in those cities but their downtown districts as well. However, the other municipalities in Eastern Gaston County- Stanley, McAdenville, Ranlo, and Lowell, have plenty of fascinating historic structures as well. Given the fact that Stanley was once a thriving railroad terminus and gold mining town known as Brevard Station, it's not surprising that there are several
historic buildings there. Still standing on NC 27 at 112 S. Main St. in downtown Stanley is the McLurd House. This two-story, frame structure was built by merchant R.L. McLurd just before the Civil War across the street from the railroad station where Confederate soldiers boarded trains taking them to camps near Raleigh. Another important historic home in Stanley is the circa 1895 Miles Carpenter home. Located at 121 S. Main St., this two-story house was built by John Clemmer for Carpenter who was a banker. Lowell is the location for an interesting mix of historic textile mill houses, commercial buildings, and churches. One of the most unique historically significant buildings in Lowell is known as the “Teacherage”. Dating to 1924, and located on NC Hwy. 7 and Teacher-
age Rd., this brick building is the last known example in Gaston County of dormitories built for the specific purpose of housing teachers. Located on the main square in downtown Lowell, the historic Commercial Building is aptly named since it still houses several retail businesses. Built in the 1920s, the two-story Commercial Building once was home to the Bank of Lowell, which went under during the Great Depression. It has also been home to a pharmacy and doctor office. Lowell also has several architecturally interesting churches. First Baptist Church at 200 W. First St. was built in 1929 for a congregation that was organized in 1892. The imposing brick structure is supported on its front face by six massive Doric columns. Another historically important church in Lowell is Wright's Chapel
Photo by Alan Hodge
The recently renovated circa 1880s dwellings in downtown McAdenville are a good example of how historic preservation can not only add to a community's charm, but serve a practical purpose as well. AME Zion located at 701 African-American commu- best preserved examples of Cobb Street. Dedicated on nity in Lowell for over a mill village architecture still July 18, 1908 and rebuild in century. standing in Eastern Gaston 1923 following a fire, this Just a stone's throw from brick church has served the Lowell, Ranlo has one of the See PRESERVE, Page 3
6,000 pairs of eyes read what you’re reading right now. Let’s grow your your business business in in 2013. 2014. Let’s grow Advertise on the Banner News front page!
Call Pat at 704-689-7970 or Annie at 704-906-9607