Stanley, North Carolina is a small town, but one of the oldest in Gaston County, actually beginning in the early to middle 1700's. An elusive prospector named Stanley panned for gold in a creek that came to bear his name. Mr. Stanley left the area and his exact identity was lost to time, however, a community sprang up along the creek which became known as Stanley's Creek Community. During the Civil War years, the town's railroad depot, Brevard's Station, named for the original landowners, the Alexander Brevard family, was a major departure point for soldiers leaving for the war, and also for sending provisions to soldiers in the field.

Stanley, North Carolina actually had its beginning in the middle to late 1700’s when pioneers first began arriving in the wilderness of the Catawba River region. Some of the early settlers made their first homes along the banks of a small creek which emptied into a larger creek before reaching the river. This small creek was named Stanley’s for a gold prospector who had ventured into the territory and then moved on farther south. The congregation of settlers quickly began being referred to as the Stanley’s Creek Community.

The Stanley’s Creek Community existed over one hundred years before incorporating as a town, and this is one of the oldest settlements in today’s Gaston County. Our town has remained one of the smaller towns in the county, but does not lack for historical significance.

Over the years our area was visited by several prominent people; a botanist and adventurer, André Michaux; the British General Lord Cornwallis; Civil War General Stonewall Jackson who married a lady from near Stanley; and many others. However, the ingredient that gives our town the distinction of being a terrific place is the folks who have chosen to live here.

A diverse group, from the original landowners who were the Native Americans, or the Catawba Indians, to the wealthy landowners, the merchants, the craftsmen such as blacksmiths, furniture makers, potters, saddle makers, etc., as well as the teachers, the preachers, the homemakers, the outlying farmers, the students, the gold miners, the athletes, the mill workers, to all just plain good folk, have made Stanley what it was in the past, what it is today and what it will be tomorrow.

The recording of the History of Stanley was spurred by a poem written in 1989 by Sara H. Grissop. Town officials were inspired to form a committee to gather and record bits and pieces of information regarding Stanley’s past; and thus began the Stanley Historical Association.

Many pictures have been included in our book, "Echoes and Shadows of Two Centuries, 1750 - 1950, The History of Stanley, North Carolina" as well as information taken from newspaper clippings that reported on instances as they happened, with an attempt to convey the type of life lived by our ancestors.

Eight years of research and many trips to obtain information have been made. Every effort was given to document information and to record references used, though mistakes are inevitable when genealogy is involved, and for any error we apologize. The genealogy is presented in an effort to show readers how the early settlers can be connected to the people of today.

Our small town of Stanley is growing with new development on the horizon. We know not what the future holds for us. But feel an ever increasing desire to record the history of our town, with a desire that the children of today and the children of the future will have knowledge of and take pride in this unique small town in which we live.