Early Landholders of Denton
Native Americans
Lord Granville
The first landholders in this area were Native Americans. A number of artifacts and relics were discovered in the vicinity of present-day Spring St. near the E. Salisbury St. intersection. People have found arrowheads in their fields and garden spots around Denton for years.
Lord Granville was a descendant of Sir George Carteret, one of the Lords Proprietors. Lord Granville decided to sell his interest in North Carolina to King George II. King George purchased this large tract of land. It encompassed a tract of land that reached from the Virginia border to about five miles south of Denton. After the Revolutionary War, however, King George lost this land holding, and the land became the property of the state of North Carolina.
North Carolina
North Carolina began to sell various tracts of this land to individuals after the Revolutionary War. The first tracts of land sold by North Carolina are as follows:
1st – Michael Ritter, in 1778, purchased a section of land (640 acres). His western boundary, running north and south, was just a few yards west of what is now Glenn Street or Highway 109.
2nd – Benjamin Todd purchased 200 acres in 1786. This tract of land included most of the present site of Denton south of Peacock Avenue.
3rd – Mr. John Crook, in 1793, purchased 123 acres. His land ran from Ritter’s western boundary to what is now approximately the center of Denton.
4th – Mr. Leonard Eller acquired 416 acres in 1793, the same day as Mr. Crook purchased his land. His tract of land included the north and northwest portions of where Denton is now.
5th – In 1805 Caleb Lamb acquired 150 acres which included what is now the southwest corner of the present site of Denton.
Finch’s Hill (Red Hill)
At one time, “Red Hill” (intersection of E. Salisbury St. and S NC Hwy 109, still called by this name today) was once known as Finch’s Hill. Mr. Richardson Finch acquired 517 acres, which included “Red Hill”, in 1819. The Finch’s lived on this land until a few years before the Civil War.
Finch’s Cross Roads
It is almost certain that during the lifetime of the previously mentioned, Richardson Finch, that the vicinity of what is now Denton came to be known as Finch’s Cross Roads and will remain so until 1907.
New Post Office Will Lead to the Future Town’s Name
In 1877 a young man and local school teacher, Branson Ivey Harrison, decide that the people living within two or three miles of Finch’s Cross Roads ought to have postal service closer to home. He therefore circulated a petition and obtained signatures, asking that a post office be established which would be much more convenient for the people of his neighborhood. Sometime later he was informed by the Post Office Department that his petition had been granted, and was asked to submit a name for the new office. Not having a Postal Guide, he selected a name which was rejected by the Department on the ground that it was already in use by another office somewhere in the State. Another name which he offered was rejected for the same reason.
At this juncture Mr. Harrison had a conversation with another young man of the community, Samuel Moses Peacock, who was also interested in establishing a post office nearer his home. Peacock, who was fond of reading, had lately read something about a town in Texas called Denton. He therefore suggested that the new office be called Denton. Mr. Harrison readily accepted the suggestion and mailed the name to the Post Office Department. In due time he was informed that the name had been accepted. A short time afterward, on July 12, 1878, the new office was opened with Peacock, locally known as Mose Peacock, as the first postmaster. The office was kept by the young postmaster in a little store building near the home of his father, William Peacock, which stood about two hundred feet east of where the former Griffis Clinic, currently the South Davidson Family Resource Center, now stands. When the office was established, there were only four families living within what is now the corporate limits of Denton. East & West Peacock Avenues are named after Moses.
Dr. Able Anderson
Soon after he became postmaster, Mr. Peacock heard of a young physician, Dr. Abel Anderson, of Mocksville, who, he was told, might be interested in locating to a good community where a physician was needed and desired. Peacock wrote to the young doctor, who came, saw, and decided to relocate to the Finch’s Cross Roads area. Dr. Anderson obtained board and lodging at the home of Mr. and Mrs. William Peacock, and within a year or two was married to one of their daughters, Miranda. Dr. Anderson soon won the confidence of the people of the area, and for over forty years carried on an extensive practice, which sometimes requiring trips into Randolph and Montgomery Counties, in addition to his daily practice in southern Davidson County. Anderson Street is named after Dr. Anderson. His home sat near the intersection of Anderson St. and W. Newsom Ave.
When Moses Peacock moved to Texas in 1880, in the hope that his young wife’s health might be improved in a dryer climate, Dr. Anderson became Denton’s second postmaster. He had little time for the job and most of the duties of the office were performed by his wife, who was a very capable assistant.
Establishment of General Store
Approximately four years after the post office was established, two young natives of southern Davidson County, J. M. Daniel and B. I. Harrison, decided that the vicinity of Finch’s Cross Roads would be a good place for a general store. They erected a building which long stood on what is now S. Main St., between W. Salisbury St. and W. Newsom Ave. They stocked groceries, dry goods, and hardware, in large quantity.
B. I. Harrison succeeded Dr. Anderson as postmaster in 1883 and proceeded to move the office into the Daniel and Harrison store. During his second year in office Denton began to have daily mail service for the first time.
Within a few years the Daniel and Harrison partnership was dissolved, at which time Mr. Daniel took over the store, to which he continued to give his personal attention until 1890. After the dissolution of the Daniel and Harrison partnership, B. I. Harrison moved the post office into his residence, which stood almost precisely where the current Denton Post Office Building now stands. Our public park, Harrison Park, on the corner of N. Main St. and W. Salisbury St. bears his name. His home stood very near where the Evelyn Gallimore Pavilion now stands.
At the close of the nineteenth century there was scarcely more than a dozen families living within half-a-mile of the post office.
After the railroad reached Denton, in 1906, the area began to grow into what is now a thriving small town.
The Railroad Brings Change
In 1906, B. I. Harrison sold the right of way along the west side of his land holdings to Captain Milton Jones for $1.00. The Thomasville and Glen Anna Rail Road was able to be completed all the way to Denton. Although in use, steady, regular service did not start until 1912 when Harrison was named depot agent. He held that job until his son, Howell Harrison, succeeded him in 1926. The rail line name was changed to the Carolina and Yadkin Rail Road in 1912, when the line was extended to High Rock. Much of the tonnage hauled by the road was forest products, and B. I. soon thereafter began buying cross ties and reselling them primarily to the railroads in the northeast which were extending their lines westward. His business reached its highest point in 1917-1918. He shipped almost 200,000 ties annually, keeping 3 loading crews working fulltime. It was during this time; Denton became known as the “Cross Tie Capital of the Country”. During the recession of 1923, the rail line went into receivership. It was bought at auction that same year. The rail line was re-named The High Point, Thomasville and Denton R.R. (HPT & D) when it was reorganized in 1924.
Town of Denton Becomes Official
On March 11, 1907 the General Assembly of North Carolina passed a bill incorporating the Town of Denton. The Town’s first Mayor was J. E. Varner. Its first Board of Commissioners included; B. I. Harrison, Arthur E. Davis, J. M. Daniel, L. A. Newsom and Jesse C. Morris. John F. Carroll became our first Chief of Police.
This historical compilation was possible due to previous generations interest in preserving the past for our future knowledge. They spent many, many hours researching and simply listening to “old folks” recollections. We are thankful they documented their findings. We owe them a debt of gratitude. The above historical record was compiled from the findings and writings of:
Bert Lanier (1909-1973)
Mildred Yarborough Carroll (1913-1990)
Jim Harrison, Grandson of B. I. Harrison (1932-2018)
We invite you to dig into more of Denton’s history by visiting the Denton Area Museum,
located at Denton Town Hall, 201 W. Salisbury St., 8:30-5:00pm, M-F.
TOWN HALL
201 W Salisbury St.
Denton, NC 27239
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 306
Denton, NC 27239
HOURS
Weekdays: 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Weekends: CLOSED
GET IN TOUCH
Phone: 336-859-4231
Fax: 336-859-3381