Indian Trail is a town with a rich heritage. Most people know Indian Trail for the trading route which was established in the seventeenth century. This path ran between Petersburg, Va. to the Waxhaw Indian settlement; thus, the name "Indian Trail." Prior to permanent white settlement, the region was primarily the province of the Waxhaws. Due to its geographic location settlers came to the area from three sources...Highland Scots of the Sandhills region, German settlers who came down from the Catawba Valley, and others who traveled water routes from South Carolina. Land grants were issued to newcomers in 1752 and continued for another quarter century.

The first post office in Indian Trail was established on March 12, 1861 with Cyrus Stevens as postmaster. It was discontinued in 1866, but reopened under Henry Stevens in 1870 and flourished into modern times. In 1912, James Orr built a commercial block which still stands. It was used for various establishments, including a general store, post office, and movie theatre.

Before the town was incorporated, it was a big farming community. Scotch-Irish and German settlers moved into the area before the American Revolution. In 1874 the Seaboard Railroad was completed in the county. It ran from Charlotte to Monroe and went through Indian Trail. The railroad helped the town prosper by making it easier for people to get in and out of town and making goods and services more available. Gold mining was important to the community...about 100 residents strong in 1897. A business directory lists W.H. Phifer and Co., Eli Hemby and Co., and Thing and Co. as local mining enterprises. General stores were operated by A.J. Williams and Hemby & Leonard.

The first church was built in 1901, the Indian Trail Methodist, followed by the Indian Trail Presbyterian Church in 1913. The Indian Trail Presbyterian Church (shown here) met in a nearby school until the congregation voted to build a church in 1916. History records that William Henry Belk, the founder of the Belk Department Store chain, offered to furnish either the bricks for the church or a sum equivalent to the cost of bricks. The congregation, when discussing construction, voted unanimously for stone....a decision which has made the church a landmark in North Carolina.

The town became incorporated in 1907, with the city limits being designated as a circle one-half mile in radius from a point in the center of the railroad tracks.

In 1912 the population of the town was about 300. Things continued to look bright until the Great Depression when all fell apart. It wasn't until the 1960's when the future appeared brighter. Both people and industries began to see advantages in residing outside large cities. Indian Trail's growth began to spurt again.

The Indian Trail school was erected in 1923 although it had been organized since 1903. Originally all grades were taught at this school. (The photo at right is the sixth grade class of 1928). Now, however, growth has been so substantial that only grades K-5 can be taught. The original building still stands among the new additions of recent years.

Electricity came to Indian Trail in late 1927. Telephone service is reported to have started in approximately 1900 and in 1901 shared the only direct line to Charlotte with Matthews. The phone system changed hands several times between then and 1955 when purchased by the North Carolina Telephone Company, which has evolved into present day Alltel system.

The Town of Indian Trail has a wonderful park. Cecil Rogers provided the town with 15 acres of land for an athletic field. He named the park after his wife and used her maiden name - Edna Love.

A "Corner Museum" of the history of Indian Trail is located at Town Hall.