Thomasville is a city in Davidson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 27,183 at the 2020 census. The city was once notable for its furniture industry, as were its neighbors High Point and Lexington. This Piedmont Triad community was established in 1852 and hosts the state's oldest festival, "Everybody's Day".

History

John Warwick Thomas was born June 27, 1800, and by age 22 owned in the Cedar Lodge area after marrying Mary Lambeth, daughter of Moses Lambeth. By age 30 he was a state representative. In 1848 he became a state senator. He pushed to get a railroad built through Davidson County and even invested money. Knowing the railroad was coming, Thomas built the community's first store in 1852 at present-day West Main and Salem streets, and the community was named "Thomasville" for its founder. In 1855 the North Carolina Railroad was built through Davidson County, reaching Thomasville November 9. On January 8, 1857, Thomasville was incorporated and occupied one square mile, with the railroad dividing the town into north and south sections.

In 1860 Thomasville had 308 people. After the Civil War the town had only 217 residents, but by 1880 the population was 450, reaching 751 by 1890.

Long Bill Whiteheart may have been the first to make furniture; he made split-bottom chairs at home. D.S. Westmoreland also made chairs at home starting in 1866, and his factory on what became Randolph Street went up in 1879 but burned in 1897 and was not rebuilt. The oldest plant still standing as of 1990 was that of Standard Chair, built in 1898. Other furniture companies were Lambeth Furniture, Thompson Chair, and Queen Chair Company.

Cramer Furniture was said to be the South's second largest furniture company in 1901. Thomasville Chair, started in 1904, soon became the town's leading furniture manufacturer. By 1916, 2,000 chairs a day were being made citywide.

By 1909 Jewel Cotton Mills and Amazon Cotton Mills gave Thomasville another industry, textiles. Sellers Hosiery Mills of Burlington opened in 1913, and Thomasville Hosiery in 1916.

The Abbott's Creek Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery, Brummell's Inn, Church Street School, Emanuel United Church of Christ Cemetery, Shadrach Lambeth House, Mitchell House, Randolph Street Historic District, Salem Street Historic District, Smith Clinic, Thomasville Downtown Historic District, and Thomasville Railroad Passenger Depot are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Big Chair

thumb|[[The Big Chair]]

Thomasville is commonly referred to as the "Chair Town" or "Chair City", in reference to a 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 now-defunct Thomasville Furniture Industries (formerly the Thomasville Chair Company) 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. 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".

Geography

Thomasville is located in northeastern Davidson County and is bordered to the east by the city of Trinity in Randolph County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city of Thomasville has a total area of , of which , or 0.07%, is water.

|date=August 2010

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Thomasville had a population of 27,183.

There were 10,890 households and 6,789 families. Of all households, 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 39.5% were married-couple households, 18.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"

|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census

!scope="col"| Race

!scope="col"| Number

!scope="col"| Percentage

|-

!scope="row"| White

| 16,147

| 59.4%

|-

!scope="row"| Black or African American

| 5,559

| 20.5%

|-

!scope="row"| American Indian and Alaska Native

| 218

| 0.8%

|-

!scope="row"| Asian

| 410

| 1.5%

|-

!scope="row"| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

| 9

| 0.0%

|-

!scope="row"| Some other race

| 2,704

| 9.9%

|-

!scope="row"| Two or more races

| 2,136

| 7.9%

|-

!scope="row"| Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

| 4,537

| 16.7%

|}

2010 census

As of the census

The 1995 Bulldogs were the first team in the history of NC football to go 16–0.

Championships

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! Award

! Years

|-

| Football State Champions

| 1964, 1988, 1991, 1995, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008

|-

| Basketball State Champions (Men's)

| 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007

|-

| Basketball State Champions (Women's)

| 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005

|-

| Wrestling State Champions

| 1960, 1961, 1962, 1973, 1991

|-

| Soccer State Champions (Men's)

| 2005

|}

High Point-Thomasville HiToms

Thomasville is also home to the High Point-Thomasville HiToms of the Coastal Plain League, a collegiate summer baseball league sanctioned by the NCAA. The HiToms won the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Petitt Cup, the Coastal Plain League Championship. The HiToms play at Historic Finch Field in Thomasville, which was built in 1935. From 1937 to 1969, Finch Field was the home to many minor league teams. Hall of Famers such as Eddie Mathews once played for the High Point-Thomasville HiToms of the original Coastal Plain League.

Media

Print

The Thomasville Times, a bi-weekly community newspaper, covers the city. In addition, three larger daily Triad newspapers cover Thomasville: The Winston-Salem Journal, The High Point Enterprise and The Greensboro News & Record.

Notable people

  • Johnny Allen, MLB pitcher
  • Chad Barefoot, politician
  • Dan Clodfelter, politician, attorney, and former acting mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Frank H. Fleer (1860-1921), confectioner and co-founder of the Fleer Corporation
  • Akeem Davis-Gaither, NFL linebacker
  • Tom Hall, MLB pitcher
  • Mickey Hawks, rockabilly pianist, best known for his song "Bip Bop Boom"
  • Brad Hoover, NFL fullback
  • Walter Lambeth, U.S. Representative from North Carolina
  • W. A. Lambeth, medical professor who was the first athletic director at the University of Virginia
  • Victoria Livengood, opera singer
  • Norris McDonald, American environmentalist
  • Wil Myers, MLB player for the San Diego Padres
  • Bolo Perdue, NFL player
  • Liston Pope, clergyman
  • Larry Thomas, NASCAR driver
  • Brian Vickers, NASCAR racer
  • Hiram Hamilton Ward, former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
  • Sam Watford, politician, state senator from Davidson County, former Davidson County Commissioner
  • Kariamu Welsh, contemporary dance choreographer, scholar

See also

  • Thomasville Public Library

References

  • City of Thomasville official website
  • Thomasville Tourism Commission
  • Preserve America Community: Thomasville, NC