Lincolnton: Photographs from the Clyde R. Cornwell Collection

Lincolnton was born as a starting point for westward expansion in the days when America’s frontier was Western North Carolina and Tennessee. The first textile mill in the South was built in Lincolnton, and although the industry suffered early setbacks, by the late 19th century, mills dominated the local economy. Today, Lincolnton manages to maintain its quiet Southern small-town atmosphere while offering the opportunities of a bustling, thriving city. Lincolnton’s early history is recorded in deeds, will books, journals, and letters. From the 1940s through the 1970s, Clyde R. Baby Ray Cornwell (1912-1987) captured Lincolnton in images that showcase mill villages, civic organizations, parades, local government, and residents. No distinctions between race, gender, or socioeconomic background were seen through his lens. All of the photographs in Images of America: Lincolnton are from the Clyde R. Baby Ray Cornwell Collection, part of the permanent collection of the Lincoln County Museum of History.