The history of the Town of Boonville from 1895 to 1995 has been collected in a book that has been published by the Boonville Historical Committee.

The books are available at town hall and on sale for $15 apiece. Published by Nu-Line Publishing Co. of Elkin, its second printing was finished in 2009. The book contains many historic and interesting black and white photographs plus a lot of research done by the Boonville Centennial Celebration Historical Committee.

The books can also be purchased at Boonville Flower and Décor and the Boonville Community Public Library, both located on 67 W and the Boonville Feed Mill Store, on N.C. 601 across from the Boonville Post Office.

The book reports the crossroads settlement for this the town of Leonora on June 19, 1857. The post office opened, and the name Boonville was established on Nov. 20, 1857, with William H. Rodwell as the first postmaster.

“Tradition says that the town of Boonville was built where two Indian trails crossed,” the book reports. “It is believed that the east and west trail was used by the Cherokees, and the north and south trail was used by the Catawbas.”

There is a lot of information about Daniel Boone who made visits to this section after his parents moved from Pennsylvania to Bear Creek near Mocksville in 1750.

Boone was 22 in 1768 and came to hunt here for deer and bear on the Yadkin River. According to stories passed down, Boone camped a lot in Boonville west of Boonville Baptist Church at a large spring.

“Near this spring there was a large, hollow poplar tree,” the book says. “Early residents of Boonville said that Daniel Boone slept in this tree at night.”

The tree was destroyed in 1928 by lightning. The first house in town may have been built by Dr. Nathan B. Dozier, according to the book. Dozier or William H. Rodwell named the town after Boone.

The first mayor of Boonville was James Monroe Jones, 1895-1901. Harvey Smith was mayor in 1957-1983.

Bernard Simpson ran the Gulf station for 30 years, according to the book, and Scott “Chicken” Church ran a grocery store near the Methodist church.

“He acquired his nickname because he raised game chickens,” the book reads. “A fond memory of one of Mr. Church’es customers was the fact he gave Bibles free to the children who came into his store. Nanny Woodruff Huff says she still has her Bible.”

There was the M.V. Fleming dry goods store beside the T.L. Hayes store where you would find shoes, housewares, fertilizer, feed, school supplies and loose candy. There was a hat shop in the store.

In the summer of 1948 the Boonville Theatre opened, and on one Thursday playing was “Tarzan and the She Devil” with Lex Barker with “Blood on the Moon” with Robert Mitchum and Walter Brennah on Friday and Saturday, “Money from Home” Monday and Tuesday with Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin and “The Sun Shines Bright” with Charles Winniger and Arleen Whelan Wednesday and Thursday.

It seated 500 people, and it closed in December 1958.

There was Boonville Boy Scout Troop 653 which chartered in 1950 with Scoutmaster Harry M. Matthews.

The Boonville Fire Department was created in 1941, and it was chartered in 1953 with Chief Harvey Smith. There were 15 members with its 1951 Ford truck.