A1. VISITOR CENTER. 245 E. Main St. THE HISTORIC DOWNTOWN WALKING TOUR BEGINS AND ENDS AT THE VISITOR CENTER. The tour covers 19 blocks and is 2.1 miles long. It will take about an hour to walk at a leisurely pace. The route for the tour is marked on the map above. Please remember that many sites are private homes and offices and are not ordinarily open to public tour.

1. MARKS HOUSE. 112 North Third Street. Located adjacent to the Stanly Museum & Visitor Center. Oldest building still standing in original town perimeter of Albemarle. Ca. 1847. Federal style architecture with traditional hall and parlor plan. Moved to this site in 1975. National Register. Authentic period furnishings. House museum open to the public.

2. SNUGGS HOUSE. 112 North Third Street. Built in the 1850s-1860s. Original core of the house was a one-story, 2 or 3 room log dwelling. Converted to a two story house in 1873. Restored by the Albemarle-Stanly County Historic Preservation Commission in 1974. Listed on the National Register. Museum open to the public.

3. STANLY COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY. 133 East Main Street. Built in 1972. The Margaret Johnston Heritage Room contains a large collection of North Carolina historical and genealogical material with emphasis on Stanly County.

4. ANTIQUE FIRE ENGINE. 100 Block of North Third Street. "City of Albemarle" first pumper ordered in Fall of 1922 at a cost of $12,500. Delivered April 1923 and still capable of operating when retired in 1961. This is a joint project of the Albemarle Optimist Club, Stanly Co. Firemen's Assoc., City of Albemarle, and the Albemarle Fire Fighters Assoc.

5. PATTERSON HOUSE. 206 East North Street. Four square house with Colonial Revival & Spanish revival elements. Built around 1918 by Frank N. Patterson and wife, Mary Snuggs Patterson. Mr.Patterson was the general superintendent of the Lillian Hosiery Mill. NRSL.

6. APARTMENT BUILDINGS. 229 and 231 East North Street. Brick duplex buildings with two apartments built by Dr. J. F. Laton in the mid-1920s. Blends both Craftsman and restrained Colonial Revival elements.

7. ALBEMARLE GRADE SCHOOL. (Now Albemarle Central Elementary School.) North Third Street. Oldest building dates around late 1890s. Brick.

8. NORTH THIRD STREET HOSPITAL. 211 North Third Street. Albemarle's first hospital. Built in 1916-1917. Prairie style brick house that was converted into a 12-bed hospital in 1924 by Drs. B. T. Tally and E. P. Brunson.

9. OLD ALBEMARLE HIGH SCHOOL. (Now Albemarle Middle School.) North Third Street. Massive brick building in Collegiate Gothic style. Built in 1924. In late 1930s, Works Progress Administration (WPA) built an adjoining brick gymnasium with Art Deco trim. NRSL.

10. A. C. HUNEYCUTT HOUSE. 271 North Third Street. Huneycutt, prominent lawyer and owner of the Stanly News Herald, had this house built in 1923. Neoclassical style with a two-story, pedimented portico with ionic columns. Hipped roof. Solarium extends from the south side.

11. ALBEMARLE NATIONAL GUARD ARMORY. 283 North Third Street. Built in 1937 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Art Deco vertical emphasis with a fortress appearance. In 1986, the building was converted to use as a Stanly County Senior Center.

12. WISCASSETT HOSIERY MILL. (Now Wiscassett Mills Co. Plant No. 3) Montgomery Ave. Part of the Wiscasset Mills complex. Yarn dyeing plant. Oldest portion of building located in the middle of the block. Ca. 1970s building located on the corner with North Third Street.

13. "NEW TOWN". North Fourth Street and Cannon Avenue area. D. A. Holbrook arrived from Rowan County to Albemarle to build Wiscassett's second mill village between 1913-1918. These well-kept houses are variations of the bungalow theme. Also known as "Bungalow Town."

14. O. D. RITCHIE HOUSE. 121 Montgomery Avenue. An imposing Neo-Georgian palatial house built of brick in 1912 by O. D. Ritchie. Ritchie was superintendent of the school systems for the Efird and Wiscassett Mills. The house has a two-story portico with ionic columns. A porte-cochere is supported by brick and granite piers.

15. THE HALL HOUSE. 343 North Second Street. Designed by one of Charlotte's most distinguished early 20th century architects, Louis Asbury. This extraordinary house was built in 1912 in the Neo-Georgian style. Brick work is in Flemish Bond. Landscaped yard and grounds. NRSL.

16. ANNUNCIATION CATHOLIC CHURCH. 400 Block of North Second Street. Marker states "Our Lady of Annunciation Catholic Church. Erected in 1934. Rebuilt 1971."

17. THE DENNING HOUSE. 415 North Second Street at the corner of Franklin Street. Built in the early 1920s. Form follows that of American Foursquare house with decorative motifs of Spanish Revival and Craftsman styles. Thomas M. ("Captain") Denning was the long-time superintendent of the Wiscassett Mills.

18. WISCASSETT SUPERINTENDENT'S HOUSE. 117 Franklin Street. Wiscassett Mills had this Dutch Colonial Revival house built around 1910 for mill supervisory personnel. It originally stood at the corner of North Second and Franklin Streets, but was moved to make way for the construction of the Denning House in the 1920s.

19. CANNON MEMORIAL PARK & PAVILION. Franklin Street. The Park Pavilion, located at 115 Glenn Street and now called the R.L. Holbrook Pavilion, was built in 1918 as a skating rink. It is made in the Craftsman style and has shingle cladding that covers the bottom portion of the walls. Since the 1940s, it has been a community center. The park was originally the playground for Wiscassett School, located on the site of the YMCA. Operated by the YMCA.

20. FIRST STREET UNITED METHODIST CHURCH. North First Street at Glenn Street. Gothic Revival church built in 1914. Congregation was organized in 1900 as "Century Methodist Church." The 2-story Education Building at 509 North First Street was erected in 1950.

21. EFIRD MANUFACTURING COMPANY MILL VILLAGE. East side of Depot Street between Fanklin and Wilson. Earliest workers' houses were probably built between 1900-1915 and maintained by the mill until the mid 1950s when the houses were converted to private ownership. Various dormer and front porch design and trim.

22. WISCASSETT MILL COMPLEX. West side of North Depot Street. One of Stanly County's largest manufacturers, was organized and incorporated in 1898 with James W. Cannon as president of the company. Building's location in the railroad yard ensured that it got coal supply needed to fuel its steam-powered equipment. Raw cotton was shipped in by rail and finished yarn products were shipped out.

23. ALL STAR FLOUR MILLS. These concrete silos soar 70 feet above downtown and are topped with gabled, framed watchmen's shelters. Built in the early 20th century. The tall weatherboard mills have loading platforms with cantilevered overhangs.

24. NORTH STREET BUNGALOWS. 222 and 216 West North Street. Built between 1910-1919 for mill executives of both Efird Mfg.Co. and Wiscassett Mills. These 2 bungalows have Craftsman detailing such as bracketed eaves and shingled gables.

25. HARRIS L. HORTON HOUSE. 204 West North Street at North First. The house was built by Horton, an Efird executive, in 1911. It has been altered from its original form and is now used for offices.

26. ALBEMARLE MINI-MALL. 129 North First Street. Two-story brick building is a good example of finely detailed, early 20th century commercial architecture. Built in the early 1920s for use as a furniture store.

27. FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 126 West North Street. Built in 1924 in restrained Beaux-Arts style. The two-story brick education building was added in 1967.

28. OLD U.S. POST OFFICE. (Now Albemarle Police Station) 203 North Second Street. Built in 1936 by the WPA. Neo-Classical style. Arched entrance. Served as the Post Office until 1967.

29. FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH. 202 North Second Street at North Street. Sanctuary building construction began during World War I and completed in 1919. Beaux-Arts style.

30. STANLY COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 116 East North Street.Organized in 1936 to promote the county's economic growth. Brochures and listings available of area and regional tourism facilities. Stanly Count Arts Council is also located here.

31. THE ALBEMARLE HOTEL. North Second Street. Built in 1923. Four-story building with Colonial Revival exterior. The first floor had a ballroom, dining room, and a large lobby at one time. NRSL

32. CENTRAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH. 172 North Second Street. Built in 1908 with a soaring belltower. Gothic Revival Style. A large rear addition, in contemporary style, was completed in 1989.

33. CONFEDERATE MEMORIAL STATUE. 100 Block of North Second Street. Marker reads "In Honor of the Confederate Soldiers of Stanly County. Erected by Albemarle Chapter No. 1025 U.D.C. 1925", the memorial originally stood in a median of North First Street and faced south. Refurbished in 1998 by U.D.C.

34. CITY HALL ANNEX. 157 North Second Street. Located across the street from the 1938 City Hall, this building was acquired by the city in 1981 and converted into municipal offices in 1982. It was formerly the Lefler Furniture Store. Albemarle Downtown Development Corporation offices are located here. Building is considerably altered.

35. ALAMEDA THEATER. 147 North Second Street. Built in 1916, blends both the Art Deco and Neo-Classical syles. Exterior was restored by the Bank of Stanly in 1990. NRSL

36. ALBEMARLE CITY HALL. 144 North Second Street. Built in the Colonial Revival style and completed in 1938, the two-story main block is flanked by one-story side wings, giving the building an "H-plan." NRSL.

37. COURT HOUSE SQUARE PARK. Located at the "Square" at the intersection of North Second and East Main Streets. Site of the 1893 Stanly County Court House. Now a landscaped mini-park and the location of an antique town clock that was restored by First Union National Bank. (See Courthouse Square Inset.)

38. OLD LIVERY STABLE. 150 East Main Street. Once a livery stable. Now the location of an antique store and furniture restorer. Good view from here of the 5-Points area to the east.

39. ALBEMARLE OPERA HOUSE. 127-133 West Main Street. Built in 1907, an example of an early 20th century commercial building in the Romanesque Revival style. In the late 1920s, carrara marble tiles were added to the street level stores as the Art Deco style was popular then. National Register.

40. COMMERCIAL ROW ON THE WEST SIDE OF SOUTH SECOND STREET. Brick buildings dating from the turn of the century are still being used for downtown businesses. Ground floor was for retail and the second floors were reserved for merchants' living quarters and for professional offices. NRSL

41. STANLY COUNTY COURT HOUSE. 201 South Second Street. Now called the Stanly County Governmental Complex, this facility is located on the site of the Old Central Hotel, Circa 1900. The present Court House was built in 1972. War memorials to the Stanly County veterans of World War I, World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War, are located in front of the building.

42. KING HOUSE. 208 South Second Street. 1850-1898. Original section of this L-shaped, two-story house was a small framed cottage erected on the lot in 1850. Remodeled in 1898 in the Colonial Revival style. Much altered since then. 1890s outbuildings.

43. FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH. 230 South Second Street. Gothic Revival style, erected in 1908. This was Albemarle's first brick sanctuary. Contemporary brick education building built in 1976.

44. WHITLEY REALTY BUILDING. 115 West South Street. Erected in 1897 for the Morrow Brothers & Heath Company. One of the oldest commercial buildings in Albemarle. Renovated in 1987 to house the Whitley Realty Company and attorneys' offices.

45. SECOND STREET PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. Located at 325 South Second Street. Church was organized in 1940 and this building was erected in 1946.

46. THE LEE APARTMENTS. 138 South Third Street. Served as a private hospital during the 1920s. Three-story brick. Has 10 apartments.

47. HOUSE RE-LOCATED FROM BADIN. 136 East South Street. This long, narrow apartment building, reflecting the unique architecture found in the nearby town of Badin, was re-located from there to this site at the corner of South Third and East South Streets in the 1930s.

48. THE STARNES HOUSE. 315 South Third Street. Built in 1928. Colonial Revival with Spanish Revival roof cladding. Francis Eugene Starnes was a prominent merchant in the jewelry business.

49. FIVE POINTS COMMERCIAL DISTRICT. East Main Street and Pee Dee Avenue. This commercial area developed in the 1920s and 1930s in response to the growth of residential streets that radiated from the eastern hub of Albemarle's original town limits. Includes the former Lillian Knitting Mill (1904), Morgan Motors (1920), and Anderson Grocery (Ca. 1928). NRSL.

50. END OF TOUR AND RETURN TO VISITOR CENTER. This brings to an end the walking tour of a portion of the heritage of Downtown Albemarle. The total walking tour has been measured at 2.1 miles. We hope you enjoyed it and will return often.