How the Kannapolis History Associates began.

Kannapolis History Associates was born in crisis. A landmark building was scheduled for demolition and no one was in a position to save the furnishings or woodwork inside. David Murdock, a California financier, had just bought Cannon Mills and the surrounding town of Kannapolis, North Carolina. The YMCA was on mill property and it was decided to relocate the facility.

A YMCA was an early project of Cannon Mills and Kannapolis founder James W. Cannon, the first being built in 1907. Successive buildings, each larger and grander than its predecessor, were put up on the drive encircling the town lake. The Kannapolis "Y" had all the usual YMCA amenities and more. Besides an indoor swimming pool, gymnasiums and running tracks, there was a library, meeting rooms and recreation centers for youth and adults. The recreation centers had a bowling alley, pool tables, ping-pong tables and places for board games. The YMCA kitchen prepared thousands of sandwiches daily, which were sent throughout Cannon Mills Plant 1 and Plant 4 on vendor carts known as "dope wagons." The proceeds from food sales were put back into the "Y" operation, which resulted in the largest YMCA membership in the world.                     

New buildings for the "Y" and a new county library were partially financed by Mr. Murdock and put on the edge of town, but not all of the furnishings could be moved. Myrtle Alexander and Mabel Brown, friends whose husbands were law partners, raised $3,500 to buy things at auction held in March 1987. They bought $3,600 worth of things and found storage space for the items, ranging from mahogany tables to bowling balls. The YMCA board of directors donated many more items to the Associates.

In April 1987 an organizational meeting resulted in the birth of "Kannapolis History Associates." Since then the organization has been adding to its storehouse of Kannapolis treasure, looking for the day all of it can be properly displayed. A few items are in the Foy and Gertrude Hinson History Room at the Kannapolis Branch Library, 850 Mountain Street.

For several years K.H.A. has held a Tour of Homes, featuring houses in the former mill village