Thomasville

Thomasville began as a farming settlement in 1852 and grew into a city that would later earn the All-America City designation. Its development depended on the railroad, and the same line that fueled that growth still runs through the center of downtown.

Local entrepreneurs used the rail connection to ship goods and built factories that turned out furniture and other products. Furniture remains the city's best-known trade, but its past reaches well beyond that industry. The narrative introduces residents such as John W. Thomas and T. Austin Finch, and it recalls influential organizations that have since faded from memory, including the Thomasville Shooting Club.

The community's customs are part of its story as well. Thomasville hosts Everybody's Day, the oldest street festival in North Carolina.