Friday, May 1, 2009

Downtown Thomasville, NC


My wife grew up in Thomasville, North Carolina, and we were recently there on a brief sightseeing tour. Below are just a couple of sights in the downtown area - I will be posting more on Thomasville a little later. The City of Thomasville calls itself North Carolina's "Seat of Hospitality."

Above is the statue of John Warwick Thomas, the founder of Thomasville. Thomas was a businessman and politician, born June 27, 1800 in Caswell County. He married Mary Lambeth of Davidson County who was from an area known as Cedar Lodge.

Thomas was elected as a Whig representative to the North Carolina General Assembly in 1830, representing Davidson County. One of his primary interests was infrastructure and transportation, and he worked hard to bring plank roads and railroads to the area. In 1842, he was first elected to the North Carolina State Senate. In 1856 Thomas introduced a bill in Raleigh for the incorporation of Thomasville, which was ratified on January 8, 1857.

Thomas' home was directly across the street from the statue. The place is memorialized with a historical marker. The statue is viewable between Salem Street, Trade Street, and Main Street in Thomasville.




At the intersection of Salem Street and Main Street, Thomasville is the home of "The World's Largest Chair," a 30-foot reproduction of a classic Duncan Phyfe design erected as a symbol of Thomasville's heritage as a furniture manufacturer. Thomasville's largest non-governmental business interest has been Thomasville Furniture Industries. Thomasville Furniture has been in business for more than 100 years. Its original name was Thomasville Chair Company.

The original chair was actually constructed of wood and leather, in accordance with the specifications for the actual Duncan Phyfe model, in 1922. The original chair was constructed by the Thomasville Furniture company and stood about 13 1/2 feet tall. The original chair was scrapped in 1936 and a new chair, the current chair, was constructed of more durable concrete. The second chair was built through a partnership between the fledgling Thomasville Chamber of Commerce and the Thomasville Chair plant beginning in 1948.

The cornerstone was laid for the new chair in 1951 and includes a timebox including, among other things, a Bible, several photos, a city directory, and a letter from then-mayor Harry B. Finch.

During a campaign stop in 1960, Senator Lyndon Johnson (campaigning for the vice presidency) once climbed on the chair and delivered a speech to a crowd gathered in the square below (a picture of this event is hung in the visitor's center). The chair has been a gathering point for governors, mayors, beauty queens, and evangelists ever since.




Less than a block away from The World's Largest Chair, just along the railroad track, lies North Carolina's oldest remaining railroad depot. Listed in the National Register of Historical Places, the Thomasville Depot was originally built in 1870. The restoration of the depot was completed in 1977, in conjunction with the wave of patriotism and historical interest that accompanied the nation's bicentennial. Today it serves as a visitor's center for the downtown area. A section of the visitor's center in the depot has been decorated with pieces from Basset Furniture. Accessible from the depot are several walking trails that will guide the visitor through sites such as the downtown's historic churches and its historic commerce.





Downtown Thomasville also hosts the headquarters of the Baptist Children's Homes of North Carolina, established in 1885. A museum is on the premises. Winding Creek Golf Course is reputed to be one of the finest public golf courses in the state, and has hosted the Golf Channel's Drive, Chip, and Putt competition. A little further away, but still within the City of Thomasville, is Finch Field, the home of the Thomasville Hi-Toms baseball club.


Also downtown is this small monument erected by the Thomasville Lions Club. The Chamber of Commerce is almost directly across the street from this monument (which is, itself, alongside The World's Largest Chair), and closeby is also a Rotary monument containing a series of plaques which recommends guiding one's communication by the familiar formula of: "Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?"

All of the photos on this page were taken within a one-block radius of The World's Largest Chair, at the intersection of Salem Street and Main Street in Thomasville, North Carolina.

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