Charming Piedmont Towns

Statesville: Shopping, NASCAR & History

It’s hard to believe that Statesville, with its wide range of shopping opportunities and NASCAR team workshops, was ever on the fringe of the frontier. But if you come to town with shopping or NASCAR on your mind, you ought to take a little time to step back into history, too.

Statesville’s Fort Dobbs Historic Site, built in 1756, once marked the westernmost frontier of the colony. During times of extreme danger, like when a Cherokee raiding party was at large, colonists camped behind the log walls of the fort. It’s worth a visit when you are in the area. The most beautiful of Statesville’s many historic residential districts is the East Broad Street/Davie Avenue Historic District. Gothic Revival, Queen Anne, and Italianate homes grace the tree-lined streets here. Some have been transformed into restaurants, bed and breakfasts, and shops.

Downtown Statesville’s architecturally rich retail district is relatively “young” for a historic district since an 1855 fire destroyed most of the downtown area. City Hall, built in 1892, is one of the finest examples of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in the southeast. Beaux-Arts fans will love the Old Iredell County Courthouse built in 1900. 

If the old buildings put you in the mood for antiques, you are in the right place. At 117 South Center Street, you will find the 18,000-square-foot Westmoreland Antiques and Collectibles. Right down the street at 114 North Center Street is the Antique Market of Statesville, one of the oldest antique stores in Statesville. Once the antique shopping whets your appetite, it’s time to move on to some full contact outlet action. We’ll start at Newtowne Shopping Center on Broad Street off I-77 at Exit 50 where we find JR Tobacco Outlet. It’s the world's largest cigar and cigarette outlet, and carries discount perfumes, linens, books, clothing, house wares, dolls, and western wear.

Take I-77 North to I-40 West for more outlets at Crossroad's Shopping Center off of Exit 151. Here you will find the Russell Stover Candies Outlet, as well as the Thorlo Socks Factory Outlet. Gentlemen, while the ladies are shopping, start your engines. NASCAR is a major business in the Statesville area. Groups are welcome at Evernham Racing, which boasts two Dodge drivers – Bill Elliott in the #9 Dodge and Elliott Sadler in the #19 Dodge.

From antique shopper and history buff to NASCAR fan and outlet aficionado, there’s plenty to keep the whole family occupied while visiting Statesville.

added: December 31, 2008

updated: July 21, 2009