City of Belmont

History of Belmont

(adapted from The Architectural Heritage of Gaston County by Kim Withers Brengle, 1982)

The history of Belmont is inextricably linked with the history of the textile empires developed by two local families, the Stowes and the Linebergers. In other Gaston County communities, those who established textile factories also directed other aspects of community development. This was also the case in Belmont.

In the third quarter of the nineteenth century, a small community began to grow in the Southpoint section of Gaston County just west of the Catawba River. Abram Stowe (1842-1897) returned to this section after serving in the Civil War. He built a handsome Greek Revival home (still the oldest known structure in Belmont) and opened a small mercantile store. He later became postmaster and town depot agent for the new Atlanta and Charlotte Airline Railroad, which was constructed in 1871. Additional stores were soon built near the community's railroad stop, Garibaldi Station. The station was named for John Garibaldi, who had supervised construction of a water tank near the new railroad. In 1883, Garibaldi Station was formally changed to Belmont. In 1895, by an act of the North Carolina General Assembly, an area within a 1/4 mile radius from the intersection of Main Street and the railroad was incorporated as the Town of Belmont.

Two Catholic institutions were integral to Belmont's growth, both before and after the town's incorporation. In 1872, Father Jeremiah O'Connell, a missionary priest, purchased a 500 acre tract known as the Caldwell farm, less than one mile north of Garibaldi Station. The land was then donated to the Benedictine Monks of Saint Vincent's Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, for the establishment of a school and a religious community. The result--Maryhelp Abbey and its men's college--grew steadily. In 1887, the Sisters of Mercy established a convent and school for girls nearby. Belmont Abbey College (formerly St. Mary's College) now maintains an active enrollment of over 1500 students with both traditional and nontraditional courses in the liberal arts and humanities. Sacred Heart College (formerly, Sisters of Mercy girl's college) closed in 1984 and reopened in 1994 as the Gaston Christian Middle and High School. The remainder of the Sisters of Mercy campus has been dedicated to Holy Angels, a nonprofit health care facility which includes an Aids Hospice, P.U.S.H. (People Understanding the Severely Handicapped), and Catherine's House, a facility for homeless mothers.

The campuses of Belmont Abbey College and Sacred Heart are a tribute to the skill of an esteeemed local architect, Father Michael McInerney, O.S.B. McInerney came to Belmont Abbey as a student at the turn of the century and remained as resident architect for the two Belmont schools. Among his most notable contributions are Saint Leo's Hall at Belmont Abbey College and the Administration Building at Sacred Heart.

Belmont was still a small town at the turn of the century, with a population of only 145. This was soon to change. The organization of Chronicle Mills in 1901 marked the beginning of Belmont's development as a textile center. Chronicle was the first of the nearly twenty mills built in Belmont through 1930, expanding the town population to 3,793. Leading this dramatic growth were Robert Lee Stowe, his brother Samuel Pinckney Stowe, and Abel Caleb Lineberger.

Generally credited with the birth of the textile industry in Belmont, Robert Lee Stowe Sr. was involved in all aspects of the town's development for over a half-century. Stowe (1866-1963) was born in Southpoint Township, eldest child of Charles T. Stowe. In 1899, he and his brother-in-law W.B. Puett opened a mercantile store in Belmont. When Puett withdrew from the business, Samuel Pinckney Stowe (1868-1956) joined his older brother to form Stowe Brothers. Known as the Stowe Mercantile Company, the store continues to stand on Main Street in its second location, which was constructed in 1904.

Abel Caleb Lineberger (1859-1948) was born near Lowell, North Carolina. His father, Caleb John Lineberger, was the founder in 1852 of Gaston County's second textile mill, the Woodlawn, or "Pinhook" Mill. A.C. Lineberger gained experience in the textile business first with his father's company, then with the Tuckaseegee Manufacturing Company near Mount Holly. When R.L. and S.P. Stowe asked Lineberger to join them shortly after the organization of Chronicle Mills, a long and successful partnership was formed. Lineberger's manufacturing knowledge and the Stowes' merchandising skill led to a substantial textile empire.

The architecture of Belmont reflects both the growth of this empire and the success of its leaders. The Bank of Belmont, organized by R.L. Stowe in 1906, was housed originally in the Belmont Hotel, as was the office of R.L. Stowe. As the number of mills and owners' fortunes increased in the 1920's, a more impressive bank building was erected and a more prominent site was found for the mill office. At town center, the R.L. Stowe Mills Office occupies the top of a small rise facing Main Street.

Mills and mill villages extend east of the commercial district. Chronicle Mill is nearest to the center of town. Its mill village homes-- simple, gable-end houses laid out on a grid--are representative of mill housing at the turn of the century. Mill villages themselves reflect changing styles and ideas over time. In some areas, house structures differ from one side of the street to the other. In contrast to the earlier grid of houses extending away from the mill, villages of the Sterling Spinning Company, built about 1919, were comprised of hip-roofed, engaged-porch houses built on two streets curving around the mill.

The homes of Belmont's textiles and business leaders were built for the most part on or near North Main Street, north and west of the center of town. Shaded by large trees, North Main Street is lined with large houses reflecting the variety of styles popular between 1910 and 1930. The two houses of A.C. Lineberger--built ca. 1909 and 1919-1921 and designed by noted Charlotte architect C.C. Hook--handsomely illustrate the economic success of Belmont's industry. Alum autowelting barege arteriole; prompter unsatisfied.
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