NC League of Municipalities

The oldest incorporated town in Jones County, having been settled in 1779 and incorporated in 1834 then re-incorporated in 1849.

On November 27, 1962, while speaking in Rocky Mount, Dr. Martin Luther King used his soon-to-be famous refrain, “I have a dream,” which would be heard by a much larger audience from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial the following August.

An ancient Indian Mound located in the heart of town serves as a reminder of an earlier time when the Cherokee lived in and around what is now called Franklin. Streets with names like Wayah, Ulco, Iotla and Watauga reflect Indian heritage.

“Well connected” Wilson boasts Greenlight, North Carolina’s only all fiber optic network. This city service provides faster Internet access, as well as superior TV images and dependable phone service.

The damming of the Catawba River in 1963 to create Lake Norman was as influential as the cotton industry to Cornelius’ development and growth.

The Wakelon School Building was built in1909 and was the first school in eastern Wake County. Today it is the Zebulon Municipal Complex.

Baseball great Rube Walker, born in Lenoir in 1926, was the Brooklyn Dodger catcher behind the plate when Bobby Thomson hit “The Shot Heard Round the World” in 1951.

Brittain Store, now the Summerfield Town Hall, was built in the 1870s by George J. Smith. William Parrish donated it to the town and it was restored in the 1990s.

Tobaccoville was named for a plug chewing tobacco factory owned and operated in the 1870s. The Orrender Tobacco Factory was the principal landmark in the area, and the name "Tobaccoville" was suggested for the post office.

In 1961, Cataloochee Ski Area opened as N.C.’s first ski resort, and today has the longest operating calendar east of the Mississippi.