Lake Norman Towns Turn 150

Never ones to be known as bedroom communities, the Lake Norman towns of Mooresville and Huntersville are celebrating their 150th birthdays. The Charlotte Observer and other national publications are sharing a bit of the history of these two towns and how they came to be. Rebuilding just a few years after the end of the Civil War, each town was fighting for their identity and in this sesquicentennial year, we thought we’d share how these two wonderful cities got their starts. 

According to the archivist and historian at the Mooresville Public Library, back in 1873 the village of Moore was unincorporated and was unable to perform in the same way as a town or city. Deciding to incorporate as an official town gave them the ability to levy certain taxes which would solve a lot of their reconstruction problems. On March 3, 1873, the village of Moore became the town of Mooresville with a population of just twenty five. 

A week before the village of Moore became the town of Mooresville, the tiny village of Craighead incorporated as a town and renamed themselves Huntersville in honor of major landowner Robert Boston Hunter. 

Now, the newly minted towns of Mooresville and Huntersville would seek to create their own identities outside of the much larger city of Charlotte. In some ways, it’s still something they’re trying to do in 2023. 

Huntersville 

At its creation, Huntersville was less than 1-square mile and its saving grace was the railroad that ran straight through the middle of town. This rail access led to growing industry and as farming and textile plants formed, the town grew. By the mid-1940s, Duke Power and Southern Bell were the major employers of Huntersville residents. It modernized quickly by adding grocery stores, banks, car dealerships, and by being known as the town with the most and best paved streets. Today, Huntersville clocks in at over 63-square miles with a population of over 60,000. 

Mooresville

Founded the same week as Mooresville, it was cotton mills that made the town boom. In fact, the mills were so successful that they received numerous WWII contracts for linens and fabric that would eventually be used to make parachutes. The biggest influence for the town of Mooresville came in 1959 with the creation of why we’re all here today: Lake Norman. It took four years to build the dam on the Catawba River and two years to fill the lake. Today, it’s still the largest man-made lake in North Carolina and is often referred to as the Inland Sea. 

After incorporating with a scant 25 residents, in 2023 Mooresville is now home to over 50,000 people.