DID YOU KNOW?
Before Cornelius was incorporated as a town, the area was known as Liverpool.
RJ Stough’s cotton weigh station became such a popular and convenient location for farmers to sell their crop, the area was nicknamed Liverpool, after the leading world cotton port of England. 
Stough and business manager and brother-in-law Charles Worth Johnston saw the potential for creating a center for cotton production. They approached local businessman J.B. Cornelius for financial backing, who readily accepted.
The Cornelius Cotton Mill, which reportedly “ran 24 hours around the clock” spurred new business and residential growth around its location and with the growth of the area, residents decided to incorporate as a town. On March 4, 1905, the crossroads formerly known as Liverpool was incorporated as Cornelius, named after the cotton mill’s primary investor J.B. Cornelius.
(photo cred: Jack Conard Jr. collection of the Cornelius Cotton Mill)
