Death Keeps on Working

From Headstones to High Point Market: A $6.7 Billion Legacy Written in Stone

William Gurney Marion: 1930–1964; World War II Navy Veteran, James Clay Oakley: 1923–1983; John M. Williams: 1899–1959, all resting at Oakwood Cemetery High Point, North Carolina

And then there are the unknown graves. I found these hard to see!  There was Marker 12–B; and then I knelt to get a closer look at Marker 70, over time it had been tipped by the elements.   

Walking along the final resting place of these High Point residents, I imagined their lives.  I approached a stone in the ground and wiped away the dirt and the overgrown weeds.  No years, it merely read: Matt + Mable Johnson.  Mulling over their reality, I pictured old man Johnson waking before dawn and slumbering down to breakfast before going off to the wood factory.  That’s how Mrs. Johnson described her husband’s work.  “Mable, what you got for me this morning?” he asked pulling on his overalls.  “Matthew Johnson, I got some bacon frying, eggs over easy just the way you like ‘em, grits, corn bread and taters,” she replied, sassy as ever.  Every morning they recited the same ritual, but he knew it was just a bowl of grits n gravy and his beloved biscuits.  Didn’t take long to eat before he grabbed the paper bag with his lunch, the contents:: the last biscuit, a piece of fruit, and his worn out, dented thermos, before setting out towards the wood factory.  Throughout High Point, lights lit in the early morning hours as those first pioneers prepared for work at the small family-owned furniture factories.  It’s no mystery that many of the residents now at rest in that cemetery were on the cusp that changed a city in ways no one could know.  Those pioneers had no foreknowledge that it was their contribution that helped turn this small southern city to its present revenue of over $6.7 billion each year!

Here’s a bit U.S. history not readily known.  You see, following the Civil War years and during the Reconstruction Era there was a great need for furniture in the Southern states.  The North Carolina furniture industry began its boom in the late 19th century when developers were attracted to the city of High Point. Why? Because of its central location - there was easy access to vast raw timber forests. Transportation - it provided centralized railroad shipping throughout the U.S. as well as in the import/export industry. And through liberation of the Civil War: cheap labor!  Local furniture manufacturers needed to efficiently ‘connect buyers and sellers’ in the furniture industry.  Hence in 1909, the conception of the High Point Furniture Market was born! High Point Market (HPMKT) is the world’s largest home furnishings trade show. The Market comes to town two weeks out of the year in April and October. Last count, the Market attracted over 160,000 folks - exhibitors and buyers worldwide!

The economic impact of the Market created a boom that the city and state depend on. It’s become a catalyst for High Point’s downtown redevelopment as seen with the opening of the Nido & Mariana Qubein Children’s Museum. Six days a week, this interactive and educational children’s museum features hands-on exhibits, a playground, and a double-decker carousel (I can’t wait to ride it!). Then there’s the Truist Point Stadium opened in 2019 and features the minor league baseball stadium - home to the High Point Rockers. I promise to catch a game next spring. High Point has indeed become the place for investors and growing businesses!

Some benefits to the locals - lower property taxes! HPMKT helps keep taxes down because the Market brings in dollars from commercial property and sales taxes. There’s preparation for the Market months before it opens and after close. Warehousing the furniture, repairs, construction, restaurants prepare for the crowds and hotels beef up their properties. An assortment of temporary workers are hired - registering attendees, van and shuttle drivers and the indispensable traffic guards. Yes, the Market also provides temporary work for retirees and college students. There’s also a very unusual benefit - many residents rent out their homes to Market goers for the week - allowing for additional income or perhaps to enjoy a well-deserved vacation!

In the words attributed to Sir Isaac Newton and traced to the Middle Ages by French philosopher Bernard of Chartres: There’s no doubt that this City, ‘stands on the shoulders’ of those early High Point workers!

And me: I started a jewelry business and plan to rent a booth during the April 2025 HPMKT! Want a preview of what’s selling?

-B