Early Settlement & Founding

Before Davie County appeared on any map, the land was home to the Saura (Cheraw) people, a Siouan-speaking tribe who lived along the Yadkin River and its tributaries. Archaeological evidence suggests they inhabited this region for centuries before European contact, farming the rich bottomlands and hunting the forests that covered the Piedmont.

By the mid-1700s, the first European settlers began arriving. Most were Scots-Irish and German families traveling south along the Great Wagon Road from Pennsylvania through the Shenandoah Valley. They were drawn by the promise of fertile land and the opportunity to carve out independent homesteads. These early families — with names like Mock, Foster, and Smith — cleared fields, built log dwellings, and established the churches and meeting houses that would anchor community life for generations.

The area was part of Rowan County, a vast jurisdiction that originally covered much of western North Carolina. As population grew, calls for a more accessible county seat led to the formation of Davie County on December 20, 1836, carved from the northeastern portion of Rowan and named for William Richardson Davie. Mocksville was designated the county seat, and the first courthouse was constructed shortly thereafter.

Civil War Era

When North Carolina seceded from the Union in 1861, Davie County — like much of the Piedmont — was divided in sentiment but largely answered the call to arms. Local men enlisted in Confederate regiments, including the 4th North Carolina Infantry and the 13th North Carolina Infantry, serving in campaigns from Virginia to Gettysburg.

The most dramatic event of the war in Davie County came in April 1865, during the final weeks of the conflict. Union General George Stoneman led a cavalry raid through western North Carolina, targeting railroads, supply depots, and factories. Stoneman's forces passed directly through Davie County, moving through Mocksville and the surrounding countryside. While the raid caused disruption, the county was spared the large-scale destruction seen in other parts of the South.

The war's aftermath reshaped the agricultural economy. The end of slavery forced the transition to tenant farming and sharecropping, while the county's reliance on tobacco and corn continued. Recovery was slow, but the resilience of farming families and the gradual return of trade helped the community rebuild through the Reconstruction years.

Growth & Development

The arrival of the railroad in the late 1800s transformed Davie County. Depots sprang up in Mocksville, Advance, and other communities, connecting local farmers to broader markets and encouraging the growth of small industries. Tobacco warehouses, grist mills, and general stores clustered near the rail lines.

The textile industry arrived in force with the construction of the Cooleemee Cotton Mill in 1898 by the Erwin family. The mill and its surrounding company village created a new kind of community in Davie County — one built around the rhythm of shift whistles and industrial production. At its peak, the mill employed hundreds of workers and shaped the identity of an entire town.

• 1898 — Cooleemee Cotton Mill opens, launching the county's textile era
• 1909 — The current Davie County Courthouse, a Classical Revival landmark, is completed
• 1920s–1940s — Agriculture diversifies; tobacco remains king but dairy and poultry operations grow
• 1950s–1970s — Improved highways and proximity to Winston-Salem begin shifting the county toward a more suburban character
• 1999 — Bermuda Run incorporates as the county's newest town

Preservation & Heritage

The Davie County Historical and Genealogical Society, established to preserve and promote local history, maintains archives of documents, photographs, and family records dating back to the county's founding. The society hosts regular programs, publishes historical research, and assists residents in tracing their family roots.

The Davie County Courthouse (1909) remains the most prominent historic structure in the county, its Classical Revival facade anchoring the Mocksville town square. Other preserved landmarks include the Old Davie County Jail, the Brock-Lazarus House, and numerous churches and cemeteries that contain the names of founding families.

In Cooleemee, the Textile Heritage Center and Mill House Museum tell the story of mill village life through artifacts, photographs, and oral histories. The annual Mill Festival draws visitors from across the region to celebrate the town's unique industrial heritage. Across the county, historic home tours, cemetery walks, and community festivals keep Davie County's rich history alive for new generations.