Odell School, North Carolina
Encyclopedia
Odell School is an unincorporated community
in northwestern Cabarrus County
, North Carolina
, United States
, named for W. R. Odell Elementary School, a part of the Cabarrus County Schools
system. It lies between Huntersville
and Concord
.
Other colloquial names for the community which originated near the turn of the 20th Century included Gandersburg and Pinchgut. Gandersburg stemmed from a community sport where a live goose was tied head-down in a large tree behind the Will Johnson General Store and horseback riders would attempt to snatch the head from the goose while going at full gallop. Pinchgut referred to the hard times the community went through during Civil War
Reconstruction.
on its route between Mooresville
and Concord.
1929 was a pivotal year for the community, as North Carolina
built a paved, 2-lane road through the area. The road was originally signed as North Carolina Highway 74. In 1935, U.S. Route 74
was built through North Carolina, and the state highway was re-signed as North Carolina Highway 73
, more commonly as Davidson-Concord Highway. With the completion of this highway, the antiquated bridge on the Statesville Road over Coddle Creek
was demolished, and the lower end of Statesville Road was re-routed to link to Poplar Tent Road and Derita Road, crossing Highway 73 and forming what is now considered the center of the Odell School Community. This road is currently known as Odell School Road.
In the late 19th Century, the mill village of Kannapolis was founded in northern Cabarrus County, and a road was extended from Baker's Creek in that village to join with the Statesville Road just west of Coddle Creek
. This road was known for many years as Mooresville Road, then Mooresville-Kannapolis Highway. It now forms a major part of Dale Earnhardt
Boulevard, or North Carolina Highway 3.
rooms and was brick veneered in the 1930s.
By the middle of the 20th Century, plans were being made for reconstruction of the church facilities. An educational wing was built in 1963. This was followed by a new sanctuary, connected to the educational wing, in 1969. The former sanctuary was demolished soon after. A greatly expanded fellowship hall and ministry center was built, replacing "The Hut" in the 1990s. The latest project, remodeling and expansion of the church sanctuary, was finished in 2004.
Founded as a congregation in the Presbyterian Church in the United States
, or Southern Presbyterian denomination, a 1980's merger brought it into the fold of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
.
. Through the process of mergers, the congregation is now a part of the United Methodist Church
.
The original sanctuary was constructed on Odell School Road just south of Shiloh Church Road, and was a frame structure, outfitted with an open steeple and three bells. Despite the name, this church was never located on Shiloh Church road, but rather to the south of it.
In the 1930s, the sanctuary was remodeled and the steeple enclosed to a more traditional design. An educational wing and fellowship hall were constructed in the 1960s, and the sanctuary was replaced with a brick structure in the 1990s.
The original sanctuary building still exists, having been moved to a site on Shiloh Church Road and converted to a private residence.
This church is located east of the Coddle Creek
Reservoir on North Carolina Highway 73
. Odell Baptist Church is a constituent church of the Southern Baptist Convention
.
, when African-American members of Poplar Tent Presbyterian Church decided to form their own congregation. Their original sanctuary was a frame structure built off of Odell School Road.
This building served the congregation for nearly a century, being replaced with a brick structure in the late 1960s. For most of its history, Cedar Grove Presbyterian Church has shared a pastor with nearby Bethpage Presbyterian Church, Concord.
Founded as a congregation of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.
, denominational merger has brought them into the fold of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
.
in 1966, and grades 6 through 8 to Northwest Cabarrus Middle School in 1988. A replacement school on Moss Farm Road (off Harris Road) was constructed, and Kindergarten
and elementary grades began the 2007-2008 school year in the new facility. The Cabarrus County Schools
administration has established an advanced learning center in part of the original Odell School, but plans have been made to sell the facility and grounds, and it will probably be used for commercial development in the near future. Beginning with the 2009-2010 school year, high school students in grades 9, 10 and 11 began attending the newly constructed Cox Mill High School
, located on the southern edge of the Odell School community. 12th grade continued to attend Northwest Cabarrus High School
to graduate in 2010, and in the fall of 2010 Cox Mill expanded to a full four-grade high school.
The Odell Volunteer Fire Department is housed in a modern facility on Highway 73, and has expanded to provide First Responder and Ambulance
services for the area. Most of the firefighters are trained as Emergency Medical Technicians. The department serves as backup and assistance to the Concord (NC) Fire Department for emergency calls to Concord Regional Airport
.
In 2010, Odell Volunteer Fire Department built its first substation...a 5-bay facility on Shiloh Church Road. The station was designed to function as a fully stand-alone fire department, in anticipation of future annexation in the area by Concord, Kannapolis and/or Davidson
In the late 70s, sale of the facility resulted in a name change to Brian Center-Odell, although the facility remained privately owned by one of the officers of the Brian Center Corporation. A later split with the corporation resulted in a name change to Odell Nursing Center.
A major expansion in the 1980s doubled the number of beds in the facility, and was followed by a sale in 1990 to Kentucky-based Cardinal Health Care. In 1995, Cardinal built a new facility near Kannapolis, North Carolina
and transferred the nursing services out of the Odell School community.
The buildings currently function as a retirement/assisted living
facility.
, Esso
and finally Exxon
gasoline and petroleum products.
Through the early part of the 20th century, William Johnson owned the store. His son, Thomas Johnson assumed ownership in the late 1950s until the store closed in 1978, The building still stands, and is currently used as a residence.
In the mid 1950s, The Hartsell family sold the service station to W. A. (Dub) Irvin, and as Irvin's Service Station it served motorists passing through the community for over 30 years. Irvin retired and after renting the store for several years he sold it to Carl Overcash, another longtime Odell School community resident, and the name changed to Carl's General Store. Following the death of owner Ronald Overcash in 2010, the store was sold and became known as Odell Grocery. Over the years, the service station has sold Gulf Oil
, Union 76
and Phillips 66
gasoline and petroleum products and currently sells Marathon branded fuel.
. The system was operated by the Johnson Family, who ran it from their boarding house on what is now Odell School Road. The system was built in the years following World War I from surplus electrical equipment and telephone poles harvested from land in the community. At its peak, some 50 families and 5 businesses were on the exchange, which took its "company" name from the nickname of Mrs. Johnson, who served as operator.
The "Tulin" exchange served to link widely separated farm families of the day, and connect them with medical, law enforcement and other vital services in the community. One long-distance telephone line . . . to the county seat of Concord (NC) . . . was available to the exchange. Individual telephone numbers were identified by the exchange name, followed by the number of "long" rings followed by the number of "short" rings. For example, someone with the telephone number "Tulin 24" would know that they had a call when the telephone rang with two long rings and four short ones.
Telephone service on the "Tulin" exchange ended in 1942, when the lines were taken down and the telephones scrapped for salvage metals to aid the fighting of World War II
. For the next decade, telephone service to the Odell School community was limited to two lines to Concord . . . one at Odell High School and the other at Johnson's General Store. By 1952, The Concord Telephone Company
began to connect the community to both Concord and Kannapolis with rotary-dial telephone service.
, and Kannapolis
), citizens have pushed for incorporation to halt the recent attempts by the city of Kannapolis to annex the area and use it as an enlargement for their tax base.
, located on the eastern bank of Lake Norman
. The community consists of a volunteer fire department, gas station, elementary school, and 1,100 residences.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in northwestern Cabarrus County
Cabarrus County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 131,063 people, 49,519 households, and 36,545 families residing in the county. The population density was 360 people per square mile . There were 52,848 housing units at an average density of 145 per square mile...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, named for W. R. Odell Elementary School, a part of the Cabarrus County Schools
Cabarrus County Schools
Cabarrus County Schools is a local education agency headquartered in Concord, North Carolina. The system presides over the vast majority of Cabarrus County, North Carolina, the exception being an area of Kannapolis in the northern part of the county that operates its own district.-Traditional K-12...
system. It lies between Huntersville
Huntersville, North Carolina
Huntersville is a large town in Mecklenburg and Cabarrus Counties, North Carolina, United States. The population was 46,773 at the 2010 census, which makes Huntersville the 19th largest city in North Carolina. It is located about 12 miles north of uptown Charlotte. It is thought that the town...
and Concord
Concord, North Carolina
Concord is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. According to Census 2010, the city has a current population of 79,066. It is the largest city in Cabarrus County and is the county seat. In terms of population, the city of Concord is the second largest city in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area...
.
Prior Names
The oldest name for this community on record was the name given to the township, Deweese, in the mid-19th century. This was the family name of one of the land owners in the community, whose name was also given to the community schoolhouse. The land on which the schoolhouse was located is now occupied by Gilwood Presbyterian Church.Other colloquial names for the community which originated near the turn of the 20th Century included Gandersburg and Pinchgut. Gandersburg stemmed from a community sport where a live goose was tied head-down in a large tree behind the Will Johnson General Store and horseback riders would attempt to snatch the head from the goose while going at full gallop. Pinchgut referred to the hard times the community went through during Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
Reconstruction.
Roads
The main road through the community was originally known as Statesville Road, which occupied portions of the current North Carolina Highway 3, Odell School Road, Bradford Road, Macedonia Church Road and North Carolina Highway 73North Carolina Highway 73
NC 73 is a state highway that extends for through south-central North Carolina in the United States. Most of the route is a two-lane highway that passes through both rural scenic areas; however, it also serves several small and moderate-sized cities in the state, including Concord and Albemarle...
on its route between Mooresville
Mooresville, North Carolina
Mooresville is a large suburban town in southern Iredell County, North Carolina, USA. It is in the Metrolina metro area. The population was 32,133 at the 2010 United States Census...
and Concord.
1929 was a pivotal year for the community, as North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
built a paved, 2-lane road through the area. The road was originally signed as North Carolina Highway 74. In 1935, U.S. Route 74
U.S. Route 74
U.S. Route 74 is an east–west United States highway that runs for from Cleveland, Tennessee to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.-Tennessee:Established in 1987, US-74 western terminus is exit 20 on I-75 in Cleveland...
was built through North Carolina, and the state highway was re-signed as North Carolina Highway 73
North Carolina Highway 73
NC 73 is a state highway that extends for through south-central North Carolina in the United States. Most of the route is a two-lane highway that passes through both rural scenic areas; however, it also serves several small and moderate-sized cities in the state, including Concord and Albemarle...
, more commonly as Davidson-Concord Highway. With the completion of this highway, the antiquated bridge on the Statesville Road over Coddle Creek
Coddle Creek
Coddle Creek is a stream/river that rises near Mooresville in Iredell County, North Carolina. It flows through most of northwestern Cabarrus County, North Carolina where it empties into Rocky River near Harrisburg, North Carolina....
was demolished, and the lower end of Statesville Road was re-routed to link to Poplar Tent Road and Derita Road, crossing Highway 73 and forming what is now considered the center of the Odell School Community. This road is currently known as Odell School Road.
In the late 19th Century, the mill village of Kannapolis was founded in northern Cabarrus County, and a road was extended from Baker's Creek in that village to join with the Statesville Road just west of Coddle Creek
Coddle Creek
Coddle Creek is a stream/river that rises near Mooresville in Iredell County, North Carolina. It flows through most of northwestern Cabarrus County, North Carolina where it empties into Rocky River near Harrisburg, North Carolina....
. This road was known for many years as Mooresville Road, then Mooresville-Kannapolis Highway. It now forms a major part of Dale Earnhardt
Dale Earnhardt
Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was an American race car driver, best known for his involvement in stock car racing for NASCAR...
Boulevard, or North Carolina Highway 3.
Gilwood Presbyterian Church
The founding of this church occurred in November 1889 on the Deweese Schoolhouse property donated to the church by Isaiah Deweese. The first sanctuary was erected in the 1890s. A fellowship building, "The Hut" was built in the 1920s. The sanctuary was expanded by adding Sunday SchoolSunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
rooms and was brick veneered in the 1930s.
By the middle of the 20th Century, plans were being made for reconstruction of the church facilities. An educational wing was built in 1963. This was followed by a new sanctuary, connected to the educational wing, in 1969. The former sanctuary was demolished soon after. A greatly expanded fellowship hall and ministry center was built, replacing "The Hut" in the 1990s. The latest project, remodeling and expansion of the church sanctuary, was finished in 2004.
Founded as a congregation in the Presbyterian Church in the United States
Presbyterian Church in the United States
The Presbyterian Church in the United States was a Protestant Christian denomination in the Southern and border states of the United States that existed from 1861 to 1983...
, or Southern Presbyterian denomination, a 1980's merger brought it into the fold of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
Presbyterian Church (USA)
The Presbyterian Church , or PC, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. Part of the Reformed tradition, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S...
.
Shiloh United Methodist Church
This church was founded in the late 19th Century as a congregation of the Methodist Episcopal Church, SouthMethodist Episcopal Church, South
The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, or Methodist Episcopal Church South, was the so-called "Southern Methodist Church" resulting from the split over the issue of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church which had been brewing over several years until it came out into the open at a conference...
. Through the process of mergers, the congregation is now a part of the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
.
The original sanctuary was constructed on Odell School Road just south of Shiloh Church Road, and was a frame structure, outfitted with an open steeple and three bells. Despite the name, this church was never located on Shiloh Church road, but rather to the south of it.
In the 1930s, the sanctuary was remodeled and the steeple enclosed to a more traditional design. An educational wing and fellowship hall were constructed in the 1960s, and the sanctuary was replaced with a brick structure in the 1990s.
The original sanctuary building still exists, having been moved to a site on Shiloh Church Road and converted to a private residence.
Odell Baptist Church
Founded as a daughter church of Concord First Baptist Church, the Pastorium (parsonage) and the original sanctuary of the church was constructed in the early 1960s. Other buildings for the church were constructed later in the 20th Century, with the original building being converted to an educational center and the Pastorium being converted to church offices.This church is located east of the Coddle Creek
Coddle Creek
Coddle Creek is a stream/river that rises near Mooresville in Iredell County, North Carolina. It flows through most of northwestern Cabarrus County, North Carolina where it empties into Rocky River near Harrisburg, North Carolina....
Reservoir on North Carolina Highway 73
North Carolina Highway 73
NC 73 is a state highway that extends for through south-central North Carolina in the United States. Most of the route is a two-lane highway that passes through both rural scenic areas; however, it also serves several small and moderate-sized cities in the state, including Concord and Albemarle...
. Odell Baptist Church is a constituent church of the Southern Baptist Convention
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
.
Cedar Grove Presbyterian Church
This church congregation was begun following the Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, when African-American members of Poplar Tent Presbyterian Church decided to form their own congregation. Their original sanctuary was a frame structure built off of Odell School Road.
This building served the congregation for nearly a century, being replaced with a brick structure in the late 1960s. For most of its history, Cedar Grove Presbyterian Church has shared a pastor with nearby Bethpage Presbyterian Church, Concord.
Founded as a congregation of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.
United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America
The United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America was the largest branch of Presbyterianism in the United States from May 28, 1958 to 1983...
, denominational merger has brought them into the fold of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
Presbyterian Church (USA)
The Presbyterian Church , or PC, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. Part of the Reformed tradition, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S...
.
Deweese/Gilwood School
The founding of Gilwood Presbyterian Church in 1889 led to the re-naming of the community school building to Gilwood School and its relocation to a building behind the former Will Johnson General Store at the corner of Statesville Road and Mason Goodman Road (now called Windy Road).Odell High School
In 1929 W. R. Odell School was built on the corner tract of land formed by the newly routed highways. The school was named for the founder of Odell Mill, the first textile mill in Cabarrus County. Odell School consolidated community schools at Gilwood, Bethpage, Poplar Tent and Macedonia, and initially offered 11 grades of instruction in one location. The school was expanded to 12 grades in the 1940s, and remained the community's only school and namesake until further school consolidations began in the late 20th Century.County Consolidation and New Facilities
Grades 9 through 12 were moved to Northwest Cabarrus High SchoolNorthwest Cabarrus High School
Northwest Cabarrus High School, commonly referred to simply as Northwest and abbreviated as NCHS, is a comprehensive public high school located in Kannapolis, North Carolina, USA. Although inside the Kannapolis city limits, the school has a Concord address and phone number. The school is a part of...
in 1966, and grades 6 through 8 to Northwest Cabarrus Middle School in 1988. A replacement school on Moss Farm Road (off Harris Road) was constructed, and Kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
and elementary grades began the 2007-2008 school year in the new facility. The Cabarrus County Schools
Cabarrus County Schools
Cabarrus County Schools is a local education agency headquartered in Concord, North Carolina. The system presides over the vast majority of Cabarrus County, North Carolina, the exception being an area of Kannapolis in the northern part of the county that operates its own district.-Traditional K-12...
administration has established an advanced learning center in part of the original Odell School, but plans have been made to sell the facility and grounds, and it will probably be used for commercial development in the near future. Beginning with the 2009-2010 school year, high school students in grades 9, 10 and 11 began attending the newly constructed Cox Mill High School
Cox Mill High School
Cox Mill High School is a comprehensive public high school in Concord, North Carolina. It opened with grades 9-11 on August 25, 2009 and graduated its first senior class on June 11th 2011.- Background :...
, located on the southern edge of the Odell School community. 12th grade continued to attend Northwest Cabarrus High School
Northwest Cabarrus High School
Northwest Cabarrus High School, commonly referred to simply as Northwest and abbreviated as NCHS, is a comprehensive public high school located in Kannapolis, North Carolina, USA. Although inside the Kannapolis city limits, the school has a Concord address and phone number. The school is a part of...
to graduate in 2010, and in the fall of 2010 Cox Mill expanded to a full four-grade high school.
Odell Volunteer Fire Department
Organized in 1961, the community's volunteer fire department brings a consistently high level of protection to lives and property in the area. The department's "trial by fire" came on a winter night in 1963, when the gymnasium of the former Odell High School burned down. Though the gym was a total loss, the department was able to save the adjoining school buildings from destruction.The Odell Volunteer Fire Department is housed in a modern facility on Highway 73, and has expanded to provide First Responder and Ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
services for the area. Most of the firefighters are trained as Emergency Medical Technicians. The department serves as backup and assistance to the Concord (NC) Fire Department for emergency calls to Concord Regional Airport
Concord Regional Airport
Concord Regional Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located seven nautical miles west of the central business district of Concord, a city in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, United States...
.
In 2010, Odell Volunteer Fire Department built its first substation...a 5-bay facility on Shiloh Church Road. The station was designed to function as a fully stand-alone fire department, in anticipation of future annexation in the area by Concord, Kannapolis and/or Davidson
Nightingale Nursing Home
This nursing facility was founded in the early 1960s by Mrs. Bertha Hartsell and Mrs. Florence Furr, neighbors and residents of the Odell School Community. Initially an Intermediate Care Facility, by the 1970s the facility had upgraded to Skilled Nursing Facility status.In the late 70s, sale of the facility resulted in a name change to Brian Center-Odell, although the facility remained privately owned by one of the officers of the Brian Center Corporation. A later split with the corporation resulted in a name change to Odell Nursing Center.
A major expansion in the 1980s doubled the number of beds in the facility, and was followed by a sale in 1990 to Kentucky-based Cardinal Health Care. In 1995, Cardinal built a new facility near Kannapolis, North Carolina
Kannapolis, North Carolina
Kannapolis is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord and northeast of Charlotte. The population was 42,625 at the 2010 census, which makes Kannapolis the 20th largest city in North Carolina...
and transferred the nursing services out of the Odell School community.
The buildings currently function as a retirement/assisted living
Assisted living
Assisted living residences or assisted living facilities provide supervision or assistance with activities of daily living ; coordination of services by outside health care providers; and monitoring of resident activities to help to ensure their health, safety, and well-being.Assistance may...
facility.
Johnson's General Store
Johnson's General Store was owned and operated by several generations of the Johnson family, beginning in the mid-19th century, and was located at the intersection of the current Odell School Road and Windy Road. It was long recognized as a community gathering place, and as automobiles began to be owned by community residents, the store became a dealer of Standard OilStandard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
, Esso
Esso
Esso is an international trade name for ExxonMobil and its related companies. Pronounced , it is derived from the initials of the pre-1911 Standard Oil, and as such became the focus of much litigation and regulatory restriction in the United States. In 1972, it was largely replaced in the U.S. by...
and finally Exxon
Exxon
Exxon is a chain of gas stations as well as a brand of motor fuel and related products by ExxonMobil. From 1972 to 1999, Exxon was the corporate name of the company previously known as Standard Oil Company of New Jersey or Jersey Standard....
gasoline and petroleum products.
Through the early part of the 20th century, William Johnson owned the store. His son, Thomas Johnson assumed ownership in the late 1950s until the store closed in 1978, The building still stands, and is currently used as a residence.
Hartsell's / Irvin's Service Station / Carl's General Store / Odell Grocery
Closer to the center of the Odell School community, the Hartsell Store was founded in 1920 near the corner of present-day Odell School Road and Lockwood Road. When Highway 73 was routed through the community, the Hartsell family moved the store to the corner of the highway across from Odell School. There, they transformed it into a full-service gasoline station.In the mid 1950s, The Hartsell family sold the service station to W. A. (Dub) Irvin, and as Irvin's Service Station it served motorists passing through the community for over 30 years. Irvin retired and after renting the store for several years he sold it to Carl Overcash, another longtime Odell School community resident, and the name changed to Carl's General Store. Following the death of owner Ronald Overcash in 2010, the store was sold and became known as Odell Grocery. Over the years, the service station has sold Gulf Oil
Gulf Oil
Gulf Oil was a major global oil company from the 1900s to the 1980s. The eighth-largest American manufacturing company in 1941 and the ninth-largest in 1979, Gulf Oil was one of the so-called Seven Sisters oil companies...
, Union 76
Union 76
76 is a chain of gas stations located within the United States. The 76 brand is owned by ConocoPhillips. Union Oil Company of California, dba Unocal, the original owner and creator of the Union 76 brand merged with Chevron Corporation in 2005.In 1997, Unocal sold its western United States refining...
and Phillips 66
Phillips 66
Phillips 66 is a brand of gasoline and service station in the U.S. It is owned by the ConocoPhillips Company.Phillips 66 will also be the name of the future downstream company created when ConocoPhillips repositions its integrated assets and businesses into two independent, publicly-traded...
gasoline and petroleum products and currently sells Marathon branded fuel.
Tulin Telephone Exchange
Odell Community once had its own telephone exchange, independent of the Bell SystemBell System
The Bell System was the American Bell Telephone Company and then, subsequently, AT&T led system which provided telephone services to much of the United States and Canada from 1877 to 1984, at various times as a monopoly. In 1984, the company was broken up into separate companies, by a U.S...
. The system was operated by the Johnson Family, who ran it from their boarding house on what is now Odell School Road. The system was built in the years following World War I from surplus electrical equipment and telephone poles harvested from land in the community. At its peak, some 50 families and 5 businesses were on the exchange, which took its "company" name from the nickname of Mrs. Johnson, who served as operator.
The "Tulin" exchange served to link widely separated farm families of the day, and connect them with medical, law enforcement and other vital services in the community. One long-distance telephone line . . . to the county seat of Concord (NC) . . . was available to the exchange. Individual telephone numbers were identified by the exchange name, followed by the number of "long" rings followed by the number of "short" rings. For example, someone with the telephone number "Tulin 24" would know that they had a call when the telephone rang with two long rings and four short ones.
Telephone service on the "Tulin" exchange ended in 1942, when the lines were taken down and the telephones scrapped for salvage metals to aid the fighting of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. For the next decade, telephone service to the Odell School community was limited to two lines to Concord . . . one at Odell High School and the other at Johnson's General Store. By 1952, The Concord Telephone Company
Windstream Communications
Windstream Corporation is a local telephone provider. With headquarters in Little Rock, Ark., Windstream is an S&P 500 communications and technology company with operations in 29 states and the District of Columbia and about $4 billion in annual revenues...
began to connect the community to both Concord and Kannapolis with rotary-dial telephone service.
Current Issues
As of late there has been considerable push to incorporate the community. In a movement known as BLOCK (Better Land-use for Odell, CabarrusCabarrus
Cabarrus may refer to:*Cabarrus County, North Carolina*François Cabarrus French adventurer and Spanish financier*Stephen Cabarrus North Carolina politician...
, and Kannapolis
Kannapolis, North Carolina
Kannapolis is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord and northeast of Charlotte. The population was 42,625 at the 2010 census, which makes Kannapolis the 20th largest city in North Carolina...
), citizens have pushed for incorporation to halt the recent attempts by the city of Kannapolis to annex the area and use it as an enlargement for their tax base.
Location
The Cabarrus County seat of Concord is located some 11 miles east of Odell School. To the west lie the North Mecklenburg towns of Huntersville and DavidsonDavidson, North Carolina
Davidson is a town in Mecklenburg County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 7,139 at the 2000 census. It is home to Davidson College...
, located on the eastern bank of Lake Norman
Lake Norman
Lake Norman, created between 1959 and 1964 as part of the construction of the Cowans Ford Dam by Duke Energy, is the largest manmade body of fresh water located in North Carolina.-General Information:...
. The community consists of a volunteer fire department, gas station, elementary school, and 1,100 residences.