New London, North Carolina
| New London, North Carolina | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 Location of New London, North Carolina |
|
| Coordinates: 35°26′41″N 80°13′7″W / 35.44472°N 80.21861°WCoordinates: 35°26′41″N 80°13′7″W / 35.44472°N 80.21861°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | North Carolina |
| County | Stanly |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.6 sq mi (1.6 km2) |
| • Land | 0.6 sq mi (1.6 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 732 ft (223 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 600 |
| • Density | 530.7/sq mi (204.9/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 28127 |
| Area code(s) | 704 |
| FIPS code | 37-46820 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1013929 |
New London is a town in Stanly County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 600 at the 2010 census.
The Town of New London is governed by a Mayor and a five-member Town Board, the current Mayor of New London is Tate Daniels who was elected in 2013.
A Brief History of New London
New London began originally as Bilesville around 1830 when Thomas Biles, Jr. and Elizabeth Betsy Sides Biles moved to their farm at the highest elevation in then Montgomery County. The new town was named in honor of Uncle Tommy Biles who owned the land at the time. The first homeowners and merchants numbered fourteen and it wasn’t long before the new town boasted a number of industries.
To the south of Bilesville was a small settlement called Albemarle. The area was still a part of Montgomery County when gold was discovered. The gold was discovered in 1859 on the Howell Parker farm, there began some of the first mining operations. The nearest church to Bilesville was Bethel which was east of town. The first church in town was Bilesville Methodist. As families increased there was a need for a school with the first one being a log structure erected in 1884.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, the mine lay undisturbed until sometime in the 1870s when an English mining concern known as New London & States Co., Ltd. purchased the mine property. The English company sent Capt. William Nance to be in charge of the operation. With the gold and other industries going full speed, surely Bilesville needed a richer-sounding name. W. A. Judd from England, now in charge of the mining operations suggested the name be changed to “New London”, hardly anyone objected.
A meeting was held at the Academy to discuss the name change. Mr. Judd impressed the gathering as he described how he thought this rich settlement could grow as big as his native London, England as the residents were already building large fine homes. With the coming of the railroad, industry would increase and be more productive. The state legislature was petitioned for a change of name, the request was granted and New London was officially incorporated March 25, 1891.
The Parker Mine was operating two shifts by this time and soon the New London Cordage Mill was built and operated six 12-hour days. Soon the Yadkin Brick Company was in operation and soon its handmade colonial brick were known across the county. Another of New London’s large businesses, Culp Lumber Company, was begun when John L. Culp came from Cabarrus Country and started a large livery stable and later began the lumber operation.
When Parker Gold Mine became too expensive to operate in 1894 the English sold the property and returned to England. Dr. R. W. Ivey was the town dentist and also the postmaster. Dr. J. A. Allen came from Yadkin County and gave New London its first medical doctor. The first two automobiles in town were a Reo, owned by W. L. Cotton, who owned the bottling shop, and a chain driven Franklin owned by C. R. Brinkerhoff.
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