Browse any of the censuses prior to 1900 and you will see that the vast majority of people in Cleveland County farmed. When textile manufacturing became established in the county, a large number of people worked in the various “cloth mills.” In short, people in Cleveland County worked hard–and they played hard too, and had a lot of fun along the way.
It’s been said in recent years that Cleveland County is all about “barbecue, baseball, and bluegrass.” Sounds about right.
Cleveland County History 