Fun Facts

DID YOU KNOW…

• Spring Lake became a Town on April 9, 1951 when the N.C. General Assembly passed House Bill 791 establishing the Town of Spring Lake.
• Mayor Grady Howard was elected the first Mayor of Spring Lake in 1951. The first Aldermen were W.A. Holland, Howard L. Hall, R.G. Creech, Marcus J. Winters and Samuel E. Sutton.
• A building permit was issued in 1952 to build Starlight Drive-in Theater. The starlight Drive-In Theater opened on September 20, 1952. This land later evolved into Skyland Shopping Center in 1964.
• Spring Lake Hardware opened in 1946 at 116 N Main Street and remained in business at the same location with the same name until October 2003.
• In 1958, Town Government moved into a new building at 11 Spring Avenue (what is now the Police Annex.) The ground floor was used as a two stall fire station for the volunteer Fire Department while the upper floor was used for the rest of Town Government. In 1979, the Town Government moved into the brand new municipal complex, where it is still located today, at 300 Ruth Street.
• Spring Lake’s first bank was established in March 1960; the first doctor in November 1962 and the first Savings & Loan in 1964.
• On December 12, 1977, Marvin W. Lucas was sworn into office as Alderman. This was a landmark occasion as he became the first African American sworn into office for the Town. He was also the first African American from Spring Lake to be elected to the General Assembly (which occurred January 2001.)
• Evelyn Q. Parker was installed as Mayor on December 10, 1979 and served for two terms. Up until 2000, she held the honor of being Spring Lake’s only female Mayor.  In 2000, Ethel T. Clark was sworn in as Mayor becoming the Town’s first African American Female Mayor.
• Hardee’s was the first fast food restaurant in the Town. It started with just a “walk up stand.”   They were followed in 1976 by McDonald’s.
• Main Street in Spring Lake evolved from the Old Plank Road of the 1800s to become the main thoroughfare in the Town until 1942 when the Bragg Boulevard bypass was built.
• On October 1, 1960, the United States Post Office established city delivery mail service in Town and to some residents in the nearby urban area. On January 1, 1966, the Post Office moved from 108 N. Main Street to a new facility at 225 N. Main Street where it remains today.
• In November of 2019,  Taimoor Aziz, aged 32, was the first Pakistani-American to be elected into office. Mr. Aziz received the most votes of any other incumbent, making him our Mayor Pro Tem as well as an Alderman.

Mr. Howard Pate, Jr. served as Town Historian for many years until his passing December 2016. It was after that, Mrs. Jami McLaughlin was appointed Town Historian. She is currently serving in this position.

On January 23, 1978,  Spring Lake’s Mayor Hobson and the Board of Alderman heard from the Spring Lake Chamber of Commerce an initiative to sponsor a student contest for the establishment of a town flag and motto.  The contest would involve drawings and slogans to be judged by the Chamber.  The ultimate decision over the flag’s content, appearance and logo, would be made by the Board of Alderman.  The Board concurred, embracing this as an opportunity to spark interest in our local government and to expand participation by our youth in municipal affairs.

We can imagine the excitement this contest generated, and the challenges that the Chamber must have faced in narrowing student submissions down to the One which would garner local interest, capturing the town’s spirit and hope of the future.

Marvin Mauldin, Spring Lake Chamber of Commerce appeared before the Mayor and Alderman on June 12, 1978, to present the results of the student contest.   Mr. Mauldin described the Flag and Motto as a composite of three student drawings, which were derived from the submissions of these students:  Patty Adams, Jay Byrd, and Juantia Yarnell.   The motto heard by the Board was, “Unity for Prosperity,” and was an instant hit.  The source of the motto is unclear, but has been attributed to the inspiration and effort of those Students, Faculty and Chamber Members that participated in the contest.

The Town Flag and Motto survives today and is a testament to the vision that those students demonstrated and the wisdom of the adults which adopted, what is today, a continuing example of local pride and continuing commitment of collaboration for the pursuit of prosperity by all those that congregate in our proximity, where truly there is “Unity for Prosperity.”