Piedmont Wagon Company
Why it's listed
Built about 1889, this L-shaped, two-and-one-half-story brick building in Hickory is the oldest remaining industrial building in the city. It is the only survivor of the Piedmont Wagon Company, which once covered thirteen acres beside two railroad lines. The company began on the Catawba River in 1878 and moved to Hickory in 1880 for rail access and more capital. It became the town's first major industry, employing about one hundred workers in 1890 and producing as many as 1,000 horse-drawn wagons a month for farms across the Southeast. Demand collapsed as motor vehicles spread, and production ended in the 1940s. A fire in 1958 destroyed the rest of the plant, and the site was bulldozed in 1960. The building has segmental-arched openings, corbelled gable parapets and roof cupolas. Its founder, George C. Bonniwell, was an architect, engineer and builder. The site has shrunk to about one acre and was last used for storage.
Significance in brief: The Piedmont Wagon Company was Hickory's first major industry and a key to the town's growth from 1880 to the 1920s. At its height it produced up to 1,000 wagons a month, making it one of the largest wagon builders in the country. The building is the oldest remaining industrial building in Hickory and is linked to founder George C. Bonniwell, called Hickory's "Father of Industry."
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 85000592, listed March 15, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Main Ave. NW, Hickory |
|---|---|
| County | Catawba County |
| Listed | March 15, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85000592 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1889 |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Commerce, Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as unoccupied and used for storage; described as deteriorated, overgrown with vines, with window openings bricked in during the late 1970s. The nomination calls it basically sound but affected by deterioration and vandalism. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 35.73229, -81.35443 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 85000592.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18156827
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.