Casar

Cleveland County’s northernmost town was mentioned in Shelby’s New Era newspaper–using the name “Casar”–as early as 1886. According to Casar historian and former mail carrier, Andy Pruett, Casar was once called “Race Path” and in 1890 was incorporated as such. Just four years later, the name was changed back to Casar but was misspelled “Caesar” somewhere in the process of getting name changes to and from the postal service. The spelling of the name was officially changed to Casar in 1973. Casar’s first mayor was Hamp Brackett.

Casar’s Beginnings

According to Pruett, the first settlers to the area that is now Casar, arrived about 1802. They were Benjamin Newton, Ebenezer Newton, George Newton, and Peter Lewis.

Early Casar businessmen were John Jones and Hassie Fortenberry and his three sons, Frank, David, and Will. F. S. Royster and S. S. Royster also started in Casar but later moved to Shelby. F. S. Royster became the first superintendent of Cleveland County Schools.

Casar’s first mayor was Hamp Brackett. Its first doctor (c. 1900) was Dr. J. F. Hunt; first dentist followed in 1909–Dr. C. M. Peeler.

Casar Schools

The first school, a small one-room building, was built about 1889 on a high knoll along the Casar-Lawndale Road.

Some years later a two-story school was built in the same location. The photo below shows that building with students and teachers gathered along its front porch.

Bayard T. Falls, Superintendent of Cleveland County Schools, summarized the status of Casar area schools in his 1905-1906 annual report to the school board:

In 1925, during a period of school consolidation, a new brick building was built about a half mile from the original school. This school accommodated the students of four former schools: the former 2-story Casar, Pruett, McNeeley, and Newton’s Grove Schools. Casar Elementary School celebrated its centennial in the fall of 2025.

Mary Lou Richards Palmer wrote a history of Casar schools for the Heritage of Cleveland County, Vol. I book in 1982. Below is an excerpt:

“Prior to 1925, the four-teacher Casar School held classes in a frame building a short distance northwest of the present Casar Post Office. In 1925, the first part of the Casar School building was built, consolidating Newton Grove, McNeilly, White and Casar School. A few years later Philbeck, another one-teacher school, was closed with students assigned to Casar School.

In 1924, Zion and Whisnant Schools in Cleveland County, Rose Hill and Union in Rutherford County were merged to become Moriah School. Moriah was discontinued in 1962 with students being assigned to Casar. *

Beginning the 1960-1961 term, the Casar students in grades ten through twelve attended Burns School at Polkville. This plan was in effect until 1966 when the present Burns High School was opened.

In the year 1966-1967 Casar School was an elementary school with grades one through eight. In the 1969-1970 term, grades seven and eight were assigned to junior high at Central Cleveland, leaving Casar an elementary school with grades one through six.

In the spring of 1970 a new primary building was started at Casar. Just before the Christmas holidays the primary department, consisting of three first, two second and two third grades was moved into the new building Also in this building are the media center, the lunchroom, and administrative offices. This school is still in use at the present time.

Casar Churches

church	date established
Canaan Baptist Church
Casar Baptist Church
Casar United Methodist Church
Corinth Baptist Church
Morris Memorial Baptist Church
Mount Moriah Community Church
New Home Church
Pisgah Baptist Church
Olive Grove Baptist Church
South Mountain Church
Zoar Baptist Church

Unique to Casar. . .

Sightings of “Knobby,” a Sasquatch-type creature, have been reported out of the Casar and Carpenter’s Knob area. The legend dates back to the 1970s, with some speculating it originated in those days with local moonshiners hoping to keep people away from their stills in the Dirty Ankle Road area. 

But in the winter of 1979, several residents around Carpenter’s Knob reported encounters with an apelike animal. Among the early sightings were those by 88-year-old Minnie Cook. She saw the animal after going outside her house to see why her dogs were barking. The reports created quite a stir, and soon people were referring to the unknown animal as “Knobby,” after its proximity to Carpenter’s Knob.

Reports have described Knobby as being extremely tall–with one account claiming it was 10 feet tall, with six fingers on each hand–and having a terrible odor. The sightings and the talk died down for 30 years. Then, in 2010, Casar resident Tim Peeler reported an apelike creature coming onto his property just north of Casar. There has not been another sighting since that time. (See more under Folklore.)

Casar Through the Years

Additional Information about Casar, NC

Casar, NC Wikipedia entry

Casar Elementary School