Jack Page Bücher

As a youngster growing up in a small textile community, Belmont, NC, Jack was exposed to a wide variety of experiences. His mother's only rules for him were, "Be home for meals", and "Don't disgrace the family." This gave Jack freedom to explore his world, and did he ever! After his father died when Jack was twelve years of age, he spent three summers on his uncle's tobacco farm in South Carolina, which gave him lessons in economics, sociology, and human nature. Some episodes are hilarious, some are lessons in life, and all are insightful! br> Not many youngsters have been exposed to such a variety of rich experiences. The book is mainly for adults, however, youngsters can read it with pleasure and envy.

Belmont lies between the South Fork and Catawba Rivers of western North Carolina. The Catawba Indians occupied the area for nearly five centuries prior to the mid-1700s, when the king of England granted large tracts of land to prominent citizens. Other land was settled by German and Scotch Irish farmers. The coming of the Charlotte & Atlanta Railroad in 1872 established a focal point around which the community grew, and by 1895, Belmont had been incorporated. As Belmont's population grew, so did the need for jobs other than farming. In 1901, brothers Robert Lee and Samuel Pinckney Stowe organized the first of many successful cotton mills, thus establishing Belmont's development as a textile center. By the late 1900s, textiles had faded and high-density residential areas replaced the former farmland. Today, Belmont residents continue to remember and celebrate their past through local venues, such as the world-class Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens, as well as community events like the Belmont Fall Festival and Garibaldifest.