Thomasville nc
the early years
John W. Thomas was the founder of Thomasville, N. C., lived at “Fair Grove,” when the North Carolina Railroad was surveyed. He was in the State Senate when the charter was granted, and gave it his strongest support. He came here and bought about four hundred acres of land from Johnahan [sic] Winston, with a view of establishing a town. About 1854 Thomas took the contract for building six miles of the North Carolina Railroad, beginning here and going toward Lexington, while Valentine Hoover and others went toward High Point. When the railroad was completed Thomasville put on her gala attire and prepared a big “barbecue” to welcome the first passenger train and its operatives coming from the south.
Thomasville is commonly referred to as the "Chair Town" or "Chair City", in reference to a 30 foot landmark replica of a Duncan Phyfe armchair that rests in the middle of the city. The original "Big Chair" was constructed in 1922 by the Thomasville Chair Company (now Thomasville Furniture Industries) out of lumber and Swiss steer hide to reflect the city's prominent furniture industry. However, this chair was scrapped in 1936 after 15 years of exposure to the weather. In 1951, a larger concrete version of the chair was erected with the collaboration of local businesses and civic organizations and still remains today. The Big Chair gained national attention in 1960 when then Presidential Candidate Lyndon B. Johnson greeted supporters on the monument during a campaign whistle stop.[3] Although larger ones have been built, many Thomasville residents still boast that the Big Chair between the two Main Streets is the World's Largest Chair.
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Preserve America Community:
Established in 1852, Thomasville (population 25,400) celebrated its 150th birthday in 2002. An 1840s decision to pass a State tax to fund a railroad system through the area led to the founding of the community. North Carolina State Senator John W. Thomas had the foresight to realize this would be a great place to start a community, right along the tracks in almost the geographic center of the State.
The oldest remaining railroad depot in North Carolina is in downtown Thomasville. Built in 1870, the restored structure is on the National Register of Historic Places. It currently houses the Thomasville Visitors' Center. Thomasville, known as the "Chair City," has a long, distinguished history of furniture manufacturing.
Its best-known site is a 30-foot replica of a Duncan Phyfe armchair, one of three local historic landmarks. The chair, located in the heart of downtown Thomasville, is not only symbolic of the furniture industry's presence in the area, but has also held the distinction of being called the world's largest chair.
In 1960, the Thomasville Chair gained national attention when vice-presidential hopeful Lyndon B. Johnson stopped to greet local supporters from atop the chair while on a campaign whistle stop.
Thomasville's city cemetery is believed to be the only cemetery with Confederate and Federal soldiers buried in a common grave. Thomasville hosts North Carolina's oldest festival, "Everybody's Day," each September. The festival grew from an annual attendance of 25,000 to 70,000 after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
A self-guided walking tour as well as group tours, organized through the joint efforts of the Historic Preservation and Tourism Commissions, have helped the local economic picture during a downturn in the furniture manufacturing industry. Design guidelines and an architectural inventory of historic resources have increased public awareness of the importance of preservation, and work is underway to nominate Thomasville's downtown historic district to the National Register of Historic Places.
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