Denver

History

The community of Dry Pond derived its name from a small pond, which once stood at what is now the corner of Highway 16 Business and Campground Road , now the site of the local First Federal branch. The pond would dry up in the heat of summer months. Adam Sherrill and his family first settled in the area in 1747, and they were followed by John Beatty two years later. The actual location of Denver was first settled around 1770. People of Scotch-Irish and German descent from Pennsylvania, were among the first white settlers. Most of the early Scotch Irish were Presbyterians, and their first place of worship in what would become the Denver area was John Beatty's house, which was located about one mile west of Beatty's Ford, near the present-day Triangle community. Now known as Unity Presbyterian, the first meetinghouse for this congregation was originally built of logs. In 1808, it was decided to erect a larger building, and a plot of several acres was conveyed for the purpose by James Little to "James Connor, Alexander Brevard, John Reid and Joseph Graham, trustees." Dr Humphrey Hunter, a native of Ireland and a soldier in the American Revolutionary War, was pastor from 1796 to 1804. Next came Rev. Henry N. Pharr. He was succeeded by Patrick Sparrow, whose father was a potter at Vesuvius furnace, part of the Graham family's local iron industry. Sparrow was the first professor of languages at Davidson College, and afterwards president of Hampden–Sydney College in Virginia. A long-time minister at Unity was Robert Hall Morrison, who was first president of Davidson College. The Presbyterians were soon joined by early Methodists from Maryland, who initially took up residence near what is now Terrell. Longtime leaders of the Methodists in the region were Rev. Daniel Asbury…

Geography

Denver is situated on North Carolina State Highway 16, west of Lake Norman. It is about north of uptown Charlotte and southeast of Newton. Denver's northern border is the Catawba County line. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Denver CDP has a total area of , of which , or 0.14%, are water. Denver's ZIP code is 28037. The elevation is above sea level.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,947
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  4,860
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  4,365
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  3,925
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  3,857
• Eastern Bluebird

  Sialia sialis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,708
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  3,676
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,486

Most recent

• M 2.65 — 2021-08-17
  6 km N of Morganton, North Carolina
• M 2.68 — 2018-06-10
  2 km NE of Hays, North Carolina
• M 2.58 — 2015-11-15
  10 km S of Denton, North Carolina
• M 3 — 2014-12-15
  13 km NNW of Cedar Rock, North Carolina
• M 2.5 — 2014-06-12
  4 km NE of Blowing Rock, North Carolina
• M 2.9 — 2013-08-25
  3 km NNE of Blowing Rock, North Carolina