Hickory – In celebration of the City of Hickory’s 150th anniversary, Hickory Landmarks Society Executive Director Patrick Daily will present a three-part lecture series highlighting significant times in Hickory’s history.

Patrick Daily

Hickory Tavern: Origins and History
Saturday, October 3 | 2 p.m. | Drendel Auditorium

The City of Hickory originated with an 18th century log tavern, a hostelry located along the Lincolnton-Morganton Road where stage passengers and travelers by horse could find food, drink, and lodging. This lecture will discuss the city’s early roots as a tavern.

1870 Hickory: It Was a Good Year
Thursday, October 29 | 6 p.m. | Drendel Auditorium

What was Hickory like 150 years ago? This lecture will revisit the year 1870 in Hickory and describe what life was like in the post-Civil War village of Hickory Tavern. Historical references, anecdotes, and images from the time will be presented. Facts and stories compiled from letters written between 1870 and 1880 by early resident Frank Clinard will provide further insight into this pivotal time in Hickory history.

The Piedmont Wagon Company: Hickory’s First Industry
Thursday, November 12 | 6 p.m. | Drendel Auditorium

Wagons were a key to the growth of Hickory as a city. Beginning in 1878 along Horsford Creek, Piedmont Wagon quickly gained success and rivaled the work of leading wagon companies at the center of the industry. Gristmill operator Andrew Ramseur and George Bonniwell, a Pennsylvania lumberman, developed a system of mass production for wagons of multiple varieties. By the 1890s, the company was that was established produced as many as 1,000 wagons per month and distributed them throughout the Southeast until the rise of automobile transportation led to its decline. During this lecture, Daily will present the industry’s rise and fall over a nearly 90-year period and share the exciting story of the historic factory building’s preservation and revival as a major adaptive re-use project in Hickory.

All lectures are free and open to the public. The Drendel Auditorium is located on the SALT Block at 243 Third Avenue NE in Hickory. In the interest of public safety and per SALT Block protocols, masks are required for all event attendees. Anyone not wearing a mask will not be permitted to enter.

The events will also be live streamed on the Hickory Landmarks Society’s website, http://hickorylandmarks.org, and Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/Hickory-Landmarks-Society-Inc-111587048881745/.

Daily is an accomplished author and has served on numerous historical, preservation, and museum organization boards and committees. As Executive Director of the Hickory Landmarks Society, a non-profit historic preservation organization, he manages five historic landmark properties, three of which are historic house museums, and has helped to develop the largest collection of Hickory’s material culture and historical records to be found.

For more information about the City of Hickory’s 150th anniversary and upcoming 150th events, please visit www.HKY150.com.