Iredell County
The History of Mooresville, North Carolina
Mooresville has had three economies in a hundred and fifty years: cotton, then the hardware and home-improvement business, then motorsport. The street grid barely changed through any of it.
Moore’s Siding
John Franklin Moore was a local farmer. In 1856 a railroad was laid along a ridge that crossed his property, and Moore put a depot on his land. The settlement that gathered around it was called Moore’s Siding. After the Civil War he encouraged brick-making and building. He died in 1877, and his wife Rachel carried on pushing the town’s growth.
Incorporation, 1873
The North Carolina General Assembly incorporated the Town of Mooresville on March 3, 1873. J. R. McNeely served as the first mayor. The town marked the 150th anniversary of that act in 2023.
What followed is a recognizable small-town sequence: the first water plant in the early 1890s, a telephone company in 1893, a library in 1899, and the first of many textile mills in 1900. D. E. Turner and Company opened its hardware store in 1899 and kept what is believed to be the town’s first gasoline pump. The Mooresville Telephone Company of 1908 was run by Sally Miller and Mary Perry, known locally as the Hello Girls.
The cotton mill
The Mooresville Cotton Mills began operations in 1893. By 1914 the mill had 550 employees and it grew into the largest employer in the county, with an annual payroll that reached $7 million. In 1916 it put up forty houses for workers within walking distance of the plant, in what is still known as the mill village. The mill closed in 1999, having run for a hundred and six years.
Three historic districts
Mooresville is unusually well documented. The Mooresville Historic District was listed on November 24, 1980 and expanded on April 23, 2020, covering sixty-two contributing buildings from 1890 to 1960 in Renaissance, Italianate and Romanesque Revival styles. The Mooresville Commercial Historic District followed on March 26, 2003, with thirty-five contributing buildings developed between about 1872 and 1952, including the 1916 Carnegie Library and the 1895 Carlisle and Gilbert Building.
The Mooresville Mill Village Historic District was listed on April 24, 2012 and covers 160 acres with a period of significance from 1902 to 1930. More than four hundred houses were built in that span for the workers coming to the cotton mill.
Race City USA
The town’s own description is that Mooresville is best known as the home of many NASCAR racing teams and drivers, along with an IndyCar team and racing technology suppliers, which has earned it the nickname Race City USA. Lowe’s Companies, founded in 1921, moved its corporate headquarters here in 2003.
The lake and after
Lake Norman reaches its northern end near Mooresville, and Lake Norman State Park sits on the Iredell County shore near Troutman, on 1,328 acres Duke Power donated in September 1962. The lake, Interstate 77 and the racing industry between them turned an Iredell County mill town into a commuter and motorsport center.
For families, the practical consequence is jurisdictional. Mooresville is in Iredell County, so its family cases are heard in Statesville rather than Charlotte, even though many residents work in Mecklenburg. That difference is covered in the history of Statesville and Iredell County.
A mill town, three districts and a hundred and fifty years
Mooresville has more of its own history on the National Register than any other town on this shore of the lake, and the growth curve to go with it.
| District | Listed | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Mooresville Historic District | November 24, 1980, expanded April 23, 2020 | 62 contributing buildings and 8 sites, from 1890 to 1960, including the depot of about 1920 and First Presbyterian Church of 1899 |
| Mooresville Commercial Historic District | March 26, 2003 | 35 contributing buildings developed between about 1872 and 1952, including the 1916 Carnegie library and the 1895 Carlisle and Gilbert Building |
| Mooresville Mill Village Historic District | April 24, 2012 | 160 acres; more than 400 houses built between 1902 and 1930 for the cotton mill’s workers |
Frequently asked questions
How did Mooresville get its name?
From John Franklin Moore, who put a depot on his land when the railroad crossed his ridge in 1856. The settlement was first called Moore’s Siding.
When was Mooresville incorporated?
March 3, 1873, by act of the North Carolina General Assembly. J. R. McNeely was the first mayor.
Why is Mooresville called Race City USA?
Because of the concentration of NASCAR teams, drivers, an IndyCar team and racing technology suppliers based in the town.
What happened to the Mooresville Cotton Mill?
It opened in 1893, grew to be the largest employer in Iredell County, and closed in 1999. Its mill village is a National Register historic district.
What county is Mooresville in?
Iredell County. Family law cases from Mooresville are heard in Statesville, not Charlotte.
Sources for this article
Iredell County cases, Huntersville office
Mooresville families file in Statesville. Adkins Law appears in Iredell County and can tell you at the outset which courthouse your matter belongs in.
Adkins Law, PLLC · 9620 Sherrill Estates Road, Huntersville, NC 28078
Keep reading
This article is local history, offered for general interest. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney–client relationship. Historical accounts are drawn from the sources listed above; where sources disagree, that is noted in the text. For advice about your own situation, speak with a licensed North Carolina attorney.