Kannapolis Tutors Come To You

Less than a half hour from downtown Charlotte, Kannapolis, North Carolina is a suburb in Cabarrus County. Originally occupied by the Catawba Native Americans, the land which would become Kannapolis didn’t see European settlement until the late 18th century when Scottish, Irish and German immigrants established small farms. The area remained sparsely populated throughout the 19th century. In 1906, however, textile entrepreneur James W. Cannon changed everything when he purchased 800 acres in Cabarrus County to build a textile mill. Cannon had opened his first mill in nearby Concord nearly 20 years earlier. Cannon was at the forefront of the “New South” economic policy which sought to bring industrialization to mostly rural southern communities. Cannon saw that while the south was providing the cotton, northern industry was reaping the profit by manufacturing finished products and selling them back to southern consumers. By the early 1900’s Cannon Manufacturing was a household name and Kannapolis became the capital of Cannon’s empire. Although sources vary, the city’s name seems to derive from Cannonopolis, an early name of the town. Soon enough, Cannon was the largest manufacturer of towels and sheets in the world. Unlike other mill towns which exploited their workers, Cannon built homes, a YMCA and civic center, theaters, daycare centers and a hospital for mill workers. Unfortunately, by the late 20th century the textile industry’s strength in the southern United States had waned and in 2003 the final textile mill in Kannapolis owned by Pillowtex closed and filed for bankruptcy. More than 4,000 workers were fired making it the largest one day layoff in state history. In 2004 the mill was purchased by billionaire David Murdock who promptly tore it down to make way for the North Carolina Research Campus which combines forces with several southern universities to make discoveries in nutrition, disease prevention and farming. Some of the land once owned by Cannon has recently been purchased by the city of Kannapolis to provide a shopping district including a farmers’ market and renovated commercial space.

A Kannapolis tutor will be able to keep you ahead of the academic curve so you can take time away from the books to enjoy the many things to do in Kannapolis and the Charlotte metropolitan region. Originally built by Cannon Mills Company in 1936, the Gem Theatre is the only surviving theater from the early days of Kannapolis. In its heyday, it hosted such luminary performers as Roy Rogers and his horse Trigger, Tex Ritter and Lash LaRue. In 1972 a private group bought the theater from Cannon and has kept it alive ever since. It is known as the “Gem of a Showplace” and continues to screen first run movies.

One of the more popular things to do in Kannapolis is attend a Kannapolis Intimidator Class-A baseball game at Intimidator Stadium on the eastern edge of Kannapolis. The team is an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox Major League organization and fields a team of young players in the 14-team South Atlantic League. The 4,700-seat state of the art stadium features luxury boxes, conference room and picnic shelters. Several current and former MLB players have swung a bat for the Intimidators including Jimmy Rollins, Clayton Richard and Marlon Byrd.

At the heart Kannapolis’s downtown village, Dale Earnhardt Plaza is highlighted by a 9-foot tall statue of the iconic NASCAR driver who was killed in an accident during the 2001 Daytona 500. A North Carolina favorite, Earnhardt had a celebrated racing career which is documented by a series of murals from renowned motorsports artist Sam Bass at the Earnhardt Tribute Center, also in the village.