Lewisville Historical Society

In 1859, Lewis Case Laugenour invested his wealth, which he acquired during the California Gold Rush, into establishing a town called Lewisville in Forsyth County, NC. In the late 1700s, the sourrounding area was visited by frontiersmen, Colonial soldiers, and pioneers journeying down the Great Philadelphia Wagon Road. Travelers often stopped at Shallow Ford on the Yadkin River to camp until the river was safe to cross with wagons, horses and livestock on their way to a new home, to war or to trade in nearby Moravian settlements. Over time, this area of rolling hills, rich bottomland, streams and abundant wildlife was settled. By the late 1800s, Lewisville became a bustling stopover for travelers who utilized campgrounds, the tavern and the trading post to rest for the journey on to Winston and Salem. Today, in the emerging Yadkin Valley wine region, Lewisville is a community-oriented village surrounding a town square with plentiful sidewalks, parks, churches, small businesses, schools and a public library.

Lewisville Historical Society members collected photographs from their archives and area residents to create Images of America: Lewisville. Editor Merrikay Everett Brown came to the area in 1984, has managed the Lewisville Branch Library for 25 years, and was the first president of Lewisville Historical Society. Editor Darla Morgan Johnson has Lewisville family heritage as well as career experience as a public library manager, nature educator and metadata specialist with DigitalForsyth.org.