Francis Garrou High School - Impersonator Yearbook (Valdese, NC)

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TOWN HISTORY The town of Valdese was settled in 1893 by Waldensians who came from northern Italy, dose to the French border. Many people believe that the Waldensians came to America because they were persecuted by the Catholics, but that is not true. It is true that the Waldensians, ever since Peter Waldo established their religion in the 12 th century, were persecuted for hundreds of years, but that had stopped long before they came to this country. The primary reason why they left their homes in the old country was because of over-population. Some Waldenses came in contact with the Morganton Development Company. Finding that land could be bought cheaply, some deeded to move. The first group, consisting of eleven families, left the old country in the spring of 1893. The second group of more than fifty families left in the fall of the same year. When they reached Valdese, there was no town or depot, and they were in a new, strange country, among strange people, who spoke a language they could not understand. The eleven families, who had come in the spring, had made a crop. They had also constructed a big wooden building and a few small shacks. Most of the new comers stayed in the big building. Although they were crowded, no one complained. The first thing the) did was to start a saw-mill. Everyone helped to cut timber, log it to the mill, and saw it up into lumber. They built a big oven for a community bakery. One family would tend to the baking one day, and another family woidd do the work the next day. They started crops. The next year a church of stone was built and a wooden building for a school room. Soon the community grew, but the Waldenses discovered that they were not much better off than they had been in the old country. One day Francis Garrou and his brother John (Bo-bo) were talking and agreed that they should have some kind of industry if they were to progress. They went to Newton, Catawba County, and later to Manning, South Carolina, to work in the hosiery mill and to learn about the machinery and business. The first mill was made of timber cut from nearby farms and covered with corrugated metal. It employed twenty persons. The need for delivery of yarn caused a depot to be built by the railroad. A new bakery was built and the bread sent all over the state. Gradually the little shacks gave way to better homes and the thriving community grew and developed. Today we enjoy the benefits and blessings of the following institutions and industries. Churches of various denominations. The Public Library. The Community Center. The U. S. Post Office. The Valdese News. Colonial Theater. The Northwestern Bank. Valdese Building and Loan. Waldensian Baking Company. The Textile Plants. The Hosiery Plants.

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YESTERDAY ... HAS MANY MEANINGS

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SCHOOL BOARD MR. A. GRILL Mr. Grill has served on the School Board for forty-three years. MR. L. P. Guigou Mr. Guigou has served on the School Board for thirty-three years.