Hickory in Catawba County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Piedmont Wagon Factory
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 29, 2022
1. Piedmont Wagon Factory Marker
is listed in the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
Piedmont Wagon
Factory
1897
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1897.
Location. 35° 43.921′ N, 81° 21.33′ W. Marker is in Hickory, North Carolina, in Catawba County. Marker is on Main Avenue Northwest, 0.1 miles east of 11th Street Northwest, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1022 Main Ave NW, Hickory NC 28601, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Piedmont Wagon Company (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); T. Manley Whitener House (approx. 0.4 miles away); Elwood W. Walton House (approx. 0.4 miles away); Joseph L. Murphy House (approx. half a mile away); George W. Raby House (approx. half a mile away); Dr. James Whaley House (approx. half a mile away); John F. Miller House (approx. half a mile away); DeWitt W. Poe House (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hickory.
Regarding Piedmont Wagon Factory. Excerpt from the National Register nomination:
The Piedmont Wagon Company was Hickory'sfirst major industry and a key to the town's growth from 1880 to the 1920s. The company, established by George C. Bonniwell and Andrew L. Ramseur at a site on the Catawba River in 1878, was moved to Hickory two years later for access to the railroad and to increased capital. The plant, which in time covered a thirteen-acre lot, quickly prospered, being incorporated in 1882 and reincorporated in 1887 and 1890. The present two-and-one-half story brick building was built in 1889. The company employed over 100 workers in the 1890s and had a production capacity of 1,000 wagons per month, making it one of the country's largest wagon producers. Piedmont's primary products were horse-drawn wooden wagons, used on farms throughout the Southeast. A falloff in demand for the product began in the 1920s; production ceased in the 1940s. A major fire in 1958 destroyed all but the one remaining building.
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Also see . . .
1. Piedmont Wagon Company (PDF). National Register nomination for the property, which was listed in 1985. (National Archives) (Submitted on November 14, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
2. Piedmont Wagon Company. Hickory's development throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth century is due in so small part to the success of the Piedmont Wagon Company. (Jeremy
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 29, 2022
2. Piedmont Wagon Factory Marker
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 29, 2022
3. Old Piedmont Wagon Factory
Credits. This page was last revised on November 14, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 14, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 104 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 14, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
