Editing New London, North Carolina (section)

== History ==

New London was founded as the unincorporated settlement of Bilesville, north of [[Albemarle, North Carolina|Albemarle]], ''circa'' 1830, and named after Thomas "Uncle Tommy" Biles, a local landowner and farmer.  At the time, the land was part of [[Montgomery County, North Carolina|Montgomery County]] until Stanly County was formed in 1841.  Near the area where the first [[Carolina Gold Rush]] took place, gold was found near Bilesville and the first mine was opened in 1859, though it closed during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]].  When the New London & States Company purchased the mine to reopen it in the early 1870s, and at the suggestion of company executive W. A. Judd, the settlement voted to rename itself after the company.  The settlement became officially incorporated as a town on March 25, 1891.  The main gold mine, known as the Parker Mine (after the farmer on whose land it was discovered) ceased operation in 1894, though several other local industries continued to provide employment for the town, including a cordage mill, a lumber mill, a brick mill, and a livery stable.  In 1923, less than three years after the adoption of the [[Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Nineteenth Amendment]] granting women the right to vote, the town elected Mrs. T. V. Staton as their mayor, becoming the first female mayor, as well as the first female to serve in municipal government in the state.  The mine was reopened for a time starting in 1934, and throughout the 1920s and 1930s, modern amenities such as telephone service, electrical service, paved roads, and a state highway were built in town.  Town sewer and water service was completed in 2002.<ref>{{cite web |title=History of New London, North Carolina |url=https://www.newlondonnc.org/history/ |website=newlondonnc.org |publisher=Town of New London, North Carolina |access-date=January 20, 2021}}</ref>