Clock reminds residents of what town once was

Clock reminds residents of what town once was

By Kristin Reynolds The Shelby Star,
January 24, 1997

CLIFFSIDE — A strike every 15 minutes, a chime on each hour.

For the early 1900s to around the middle of the century, residents relied on the town clock while they shopped, mingled and browsed.

Sitting atop the community building in the heart of downtown, the Cliffside clock was practically a landmark on its own.

So when the town Raleigh R. Haynes founded was taken over by Cone Mills in the middle of the decade, townspeople saved the clock from destruction.

Today, it stands on Main Street as a memorial — a reminder of what the town once was.

Myrtle Mashburn, a lifelong Cliffside resident, remembers the clock’s history.

“The clock was put on top of the community building,” she said, referring to what once housed a movie theater, a library and even a gymnasium.

“(The community building) was also used as an inn,” she said. “Those were the days before hotels and motels. When people came in on business, they stayed there. There was also a kitchen and a dining area for community use.”

The community building was one of many establishments in the area.

“The Haynes Bank was downtown and there was a grocery store, drug store, a general store, restaurants and a post office,” she said.

Reprinted with permission from The Shelby Daily Star. Copyright owned by The Shelby Star.