Thomasville, North Carolina

== History == John Warwick Thomas was born June 27, 1800, and by age 22 owned 384 acres (155 ha) in the Cedar Lodge area after marrying Mary Lambeth, daughter of Moses Lambeth.

In 1848 he became a state senator.

This Piedmont Triad community was established in 1852 and hosts the state's oldest festival, "Everybody's Day".

In 1855 the North Carolina Railroad was built through Davidson County, reaching Thomasville November 9.

On January 8, 1857, Thomasville was incorporated and occupied one square mile, with the railroad dividing the town into north and south sections.

In 1860 Thomasville had 308 people.

Westmoreland also made chairs at home starting in 1866, and his factory on what became Randolph Street went up in 1879 but burned in 1897 and was not rebuilt.

After the Civil War the town had only 217 residents, but by 1880 the population was 450, reaching 751 by 1890.

Cramer Furniture was said to be the South's second largest furniture company in 1901.

Thomasville Chair, started in 1904, soon became the town's leading furniture manufacturer.

By 1909 Jewel Cotton Mills and Amazon Cotton Mills gave Thomasville another industry, textiles.

Sellers Hosiery Mills of Burlington opened in 1913, and Thomasville Hosiery in 1916.

By 1916, 2,000 chairs a day were being made citywide.

The original "Big Chair" was constructed in 1922 by the now-defunct Thomasville Furniture Industries (formerly the Thomasville Chair Company) out of lumber and Swiss steer hide ...

The HiToms play at Historic Finch Field in Thomasville, which was built in 1935.

However, this chair was scrapped in 1936 after 15 years of exposure to the weather.

From 1937 to 1969, Finch Field was the home to many minor league teams.

In 1951, a larger concrete version of the chair was erected with the collaboration of local businesses and civic organizations and still remains today.

The Big Chair gained national attention in 1960 when then presidential candidate Lyndon B.

The oldest plant still standing as of 1990 was that of Standard Chair, built in 1898.

The 1995 Bulldogs were the first team in the history of NC football to go 16–0.

== Local sports == === Thomasville Senior High Bulldogs === Thomasville Senior High School Bulldogs won the state 1AA Football Championship from 2004 to 2006, and again in 2008.

In 2005, The Bulldogs were the first school in the history of NC athletics to win championships in football, women's basketball, and men's basketball and men's soccer in the sam...

The HiToms won the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Petitt Cup, the Coastal Plain League Championship.

In November 2008 the band traveled to Greensboro, NC where they participated in Asymmetrix Ent.

=== 2010 census === As of the census of 2010, there were 26,757 people, 10,537 households, and 7,013 families residing in the city.

After the last two plants closed in 2014, the Thomasville Furniture Industries Showroom became the only part of the company still located in Thomasville but it's now closed.

=== Climate === == Demographics == === 2020 census === As of the 2020 United States census, there were 27,183 people, 11,190 households, and 6,789 families residing in the ...