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Town of ElkinNorth Carolina
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EXPLORE

History

A woolen mill opened on Elkin Creek in 1877 and grew into Elkin's largest industry.

Then and now

Sepia photograph of West Main Street with early automobiles parked along the storefronts.
Then: West Main Street, date unknown.Photo: Town of Elkin
People walk along West Main Street past brick storefronts, the Reeves Theater sign, and classic cars at the curb.
Now: West Main Street, with classic cars at the curb.Photo: Town of Elkin

Timeline

  1. About 12,000 years ago

    The meeting of the Yadkin River and Big Elkin Creek drew people as early as Paleo-Indian times.

  2. About 1840

    Richard Gwyn left Jonesville to settle on the north side of the Yadkin River, drawn by forested hills and the waterpower of Elkin Creek.

  3. About 1850

    Within a decade, Gwyn and his family established the Elkin Manufacturing Company.

    Water pours over an old stone mill dam among leafy trees.
    Old mill dam of the Elkin Manufacturing Company along Big Elkin Creek.Photo: Indy beetle, May 16, 2020, CC0. File page (another website)

  4. 1877

    Alexander Chatham and Thomas Lenoir Gwyn opened a small woolen mill farther up Elkin Creek. The mill grew into Elkin's largest industry, Chatham Manufacturing, known for Chatham blankets, including wool blankets for soldiers in World War I and World War II.

    An engraving of the Elkin Valley Woolen Mill in the 1800s, with smokestacks and mill buildings.
    The Elkin Valley Woolen Mill in the 1800s. The mill became the Chatham Manufacturing Company.Photo: Anemisis1, CC BY-SA 4.0. File page (another website)

  5. 1889

    The year on the Town logo. The Elkin Police Department dates service to the same year.

  6. 1890

    The Northwestern North Carolina Railroad arrived. Brick stores, industries, and fine houses followed.

  7. 1897

    Thomas Lenoir Gwyn and his wife, Amelia, sold nearly 6 1/2 acres to the Town for Hollywood Cemetery, now on the National Register.

  8. 1920s

    Elkin license plates began carrying the slogan "The Best Little Town in NC."

  9. April 1998

    Elkin became a North Carolina Main Street community.

  10. 2000

    The Downtown Elkin Historic District joined the National Register of Historic Places.

  11. 2007

    The Gwyn Avenue-Bridge Street Historic District joined the National Register.

  12. 2012

    The Main Street Advisory Board started the mural grant program.

  13. 2014

    The Farmers Market shelter opened, built with an NC Tobacco Trust Fund Commission grant.

  14. May 26, 2023

    The Social District opened.

  15. 2025

    Downtown Elkin earned NC Main Street Accreditation, and the rotating sculpture program began.

Walking tour & museum

The Downtown Highlights Walking Tour (PDF, 2025) takes about 2 hours and shares 14 fun facts. Downtown holds two National Register districts. The oldest homes stand west of downtown along West Main Street past Big Elkin Creek, not yet listed. Downtown Highlights Walking Tour(PDF)

Gwyn Museum

139 Church Street, next to the Foothills Arts Council.

Owned by the Town and run by the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

The Town describes the museum as the oldest building in Surry County used as a school or church.

Admission: Free, with donations welcome.

Hours: Call Town Hall at 336-258-8900. 336-258-8900.

More history

Rail lines through downtown belong to the Yadkin Valley Railroad. Yadkin Valley Railroad(another website)