Denton, NC

Denton is a Davidson County town whose railroad history can be measured in cross ties. The line reached town in 1906, regular service followed in 1912, and B. I. Harrison began buying and shipping ties to railroads extending west. At the peak in 1917-18, Denton shipped nearly 200,000 ties a year, earning the nickname Cross Tie Capital of the Country. Denton FarmPark grew from a 1970 fly-in and now preserves old machinery, buildings, and a working history park, with the Southeast Old Threshers' Reunion as its big annual date. Local shorthand: railroad, timber, cross ties, and farm machinery.