Indian Trail Was First County Road
By P. Cleveland Gardner
Some of the early colonial maps of this section indicates that the first road leading through what is now Cleveland county was an old Indian trail running north and south in the present vicinity of Kings Mountain. Perhaps the most well known road in the county was the Rutherfordton and Lincolnton stage coach road, passing through Fallston, Lawndale and Polkville. The first dirt road opened up after the formation of Cleveland county was in 1852, running from Lincoln county via Froneberger's Paper mill (now Buffalo Cotton mill), Shelby, thence to the upper Island's ford, and thence to the South Carolina line in the direction of Greenville. First overseers of this road were F. L. Hoke, Lewis Gardner, Newton Long and John W. Logan.

 Shelby Daily Star (Shelby, … / Sept. 27, 1935, edition 1 / Page 29