This page is dedicated to the citizens, both past and present, of Waco, North Carolina and to the history that runs deep in the soil of this small town.
The Town of Waco is located in the eastern portion of Cleveland County in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. The community was first known as "Ramsey Crossings" after local farmer Joe Ramsey. In 1879 a movement was started to establish a post office. At the height of the movement, a young man in his twenties, George Washington Kendrick, returned from the Brazos Area of Texas and suggested the town be called Waco after a city along the Brazos River. The community liked the sound of the name Waco and accepted it as the official name of the town.
In 1880 Kendrick was sworn in as the town's first Postmaster. In the late 1800's Waco was an active farming town that supported a busy railroad depot, feed and seed stores, a bank, post office, two churches, and several general merchandise stores. Farmers and families traveled by wagon or on horse back from as far as twenty miles to come to Waco to sale their goods and purchase items they needed. In 1883 solicitations were made to build a school, and the Waco Academy was constructed. Although the building changed over the years, the school stood on the same piece of land until finally closing its doors more than 100 years later. Cotton fields covered the landscape intertwined with pastures full of cattle. Many families looking for a quite place to raise a family were drawn to Waco. Out of those families have come doctors, lawyers, educators, pastors, politicians, entertainers, athletes, and beauty queens, all proud to call Waco home.
