Creedmoor, North Carolina

Creedmoor, North Carolina
—  City  —
Nickname(s): Mule Town
Location of Creedmoor, North Carolina
Coordinates: 36°7′23″N 78°41′0″W
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Granville
Founded	April 10, 1885
Incorporated	1905
Government
• Mayor	Darryl Moss
• City Commissioner	Otha Piper Jr.
• Founder	Thomas Lyon
Area
• Total	3.1 sq mi (8.0 km2)
• Land	2.9 sq mi (7.4 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2)
Elevation	374 ft (114 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	4,124
• Density	1,330.3/sq mi (515.5/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	27522, 27564
Area code(s)	919
FIPS code	37-15320
GNIS feature ID	1019853
Website	http://www.cityofcreedmoor.org/

Creedmoor is a city in Granville County, North Carolina, United States . The population was 4,124 at the 2010 census.

Brief History of the Town

Creedmoor's unusual name comes from a legend of an old lexicographer named Mr. Creed Moor who strolled through the town during the late 19th Century. In 1885, a group of twenty five taxpayers of Granville County including American Civil War Confederate veteran Robert Fleming appeared before the Board of Commissioners for the County of Granville with a petition from the Dutchville Township. The petition made a proposition to subscribe ten thousand dollars to the capital stock of the Oxford and Clarksville Railroad Company. Under the provisions of the act of the General Assembly of North Carolina which was entitled “An Act to Incorporate,” the Oxford and Clarksville Railroad Company was notified on the 28th day of February 1885. The proposal was thereby approved under the provisions of the General Assembly of North Carolina. As a result it was ordered that the election of subscribing the said sum of ten thousand dollars to the capital stock of the said railroad company be submitted to the qualified voters of the Dutchville Township and that an election be held in the said township at the proper voting place therein on the 8th day of October 1887. Over the next few years, the Creedmoor served as a railroad depot between the Clarksville and Oxford Railroads and the Raleigh and Gaston Railroads. In 1886, Thomas B. Lyon applied to the Postal Department for a post office to be located in Creedmoor. Lyon’s request was granted on the 10th day of April 1886. John Harmon was appointed as the first postmaster. In September of that same year, Samuel C. Lyon, son of Thomas B. Lyon, was appointed postmaster.

Creedmoor was incorporated in 1905, having previously been known as Creedmore. The first mayor was Joseph L. Peed (1859 - 1936). In 1888 Lyon sold part of his land to the Durham and Northern Railroad for track to run through the town. Linking Creedmoor to Henderson and Durham was a major cause of growth of this town. The old Seaboard train depot building still stands at it's location on Elm St. making it over 120 years old. Also previously located on Elm street was the original location of The First Baptist Church of Creedmoor, built in 1895. The present church building built in 1950 stands on Main Street. Mr. Lyon's body is entombed on the grounds of the original cemetery for the church, whereas Mr. Fleming's body is entombed in a small family plot on Fleming St. a road named for the founder, adjacent to Elm St. In 1917, electricity came to Creedmoor when G. H. Dove and F. J. McDuffy flipped a switch in their plant which was located on Railroad Street. Although the town is rich with history (home to four buildings on the National Registry of Historical Places) it does not hold the title of a Historical District unlike nearby Oxford and Wake Forest.

How Tobacco Changed the Town Forever

To a large degree, Creedmoor owes its existence to tobacco. Four tobacco warehouses were built in the town in the early 1900's. Tobacco was a cash crop in Creedmoor and since the building of the railroad it made shipping the plant to nearby Oxford's Tobacco Research Facility and Durham's thriving smoking tobacco industry, with its companies like W. T. Blackwell and Company Tobacco Factory, American Tobacco Company, and Liggett & Meyers. At one time Creedmoor was a larger tobacco market than Durham. Area farmers did not limit themselves to tobacco only, but also grew cotton as a profitable crop.

Mule Capital of the World

In the wake of Creedmoor’s tobacco era, mules came to Creedmoor. About forty train car loads of mules were pulled into the town each year. Mules were the ideal farm animals due to their being cross-bred of horses and donkeys, therefore their hooves were smaller than that of a horse. Their smaller feet would help them pass through the rows of tobacco without the hazard of stepping on the crop. G.M. Chappell built a barn that auctioned mules, horses, and cows from 1938 to 1962. At one time, Creedmoor was considered to be the largest mule trading center in the world and was known far and wide as the Mule Town. By 1940, over a half-million dollars were traded and spent on the pleasant, hardworking mammals. It was not until the mid-nineteen fifties that the town removed the slogan One of the Largest Retail Livestock Markets in North Carolina from its official letterhead.

Sites

Creedmoor is home to four buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places: Cannady-Brogden Farm, James Mangum House, First National Bank Building, and the Obediah Winston Farm.

Creedmoor is also the home of South Granville High School, G.C. Hawley Middle, Creedmoor Elementary, and Mt. Energy Elementary. As well as the home to the south campus of Vance-Granville Community College. The local newspaper company established in 1965 is entitled The Butner-Creedmoor News (http://www.granvilleonline.com/index.php) The city is also home to Lake Rogers, an 175-acre (0.71 km²) lake that offers picnicing, fishing, playground and boating accommodations.

Another interesting landmark is the Dr. Joseph Thompson house at 213 S. Main Street. He was the town's first medical doctor and had an office in his home to the right of the building on the main floor. There is a porte-cochere that extends off that side as well. The home is an early craftsman period structure with a wrap-around porch. Though it is not on the Register of Historic Places it was built in 1910 on land purcahsed from the Lyon family.

Geography

Creedmoor is located at 36°7′23″N 78°41′0″W (36.123081, -78.683252). Creedmoor is in close proximity to 4 major roads: Interstate 85, NC 56, NC 50, and US 15 (NC). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.1 square miles (8.0 km²), of which, 2.9 square miles (7.5 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) of it (7.14%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 4,124 people in 1,550 households residing in the city. The population density was 1330.3 people per square mile (515.5/km²). There were 1,728 housing units at an average density of 557.4 per square mile (216.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 59.5% White, 35.2% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 1.7% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.0% of the population.

There were 1,550 households out of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them. The average household size was 2.66. In the city the population was spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 13.5% from 25 to 34, 25.9% from 35 to 49, 16.3% from 50 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $60,417, and the mean income for a household was $66,187. The median and mean family income was $68,109 and $71,772, respectively. The per capita income for the city was $23,697. About 10.5% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.8% of those under age 18 and 20.9% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Creedmoor's first mayor:

• Joseph L. Peed

First City Commissioners:

• J.F. Sanderford
• Isaac Bullock
• S.C. Lyon
• Claude Garner
• L.H. Longmire.

On November 2, 1999, Creedmoor elected Darryl Moss as Mayor.

External links

• Official Creedmoor, NC website
• Mayor Moss