Cleveland County
… was formed in 1841 from Rutherford and Lincoln Counties. Cleaveland was originally used, but the present spelling was adopted in 1887. In the SW section of the state, it is bounded by the state of South Carolina and by Rutherford, Burke, Lincoln, and Gaston Counties. It was named for Col. Benjamin Cleveland (1738-1806), noted partisan leader of the W frontier and one of the heroes of the Battle of Kings Mountain. Area: 466 sq. mi. County seat: Shelby, with an elevation of 85 ft. Townships, now numbered 1 to 11, were formerly River, Boiling Springs, Rippys, Kings Mountain, Warlick, Shelby, Sandy Run, Polkville, Double Shoals, Knob Creek, and Casar. Produces wheat, oats, corn, dairy products, hogs, livestock, poultry, soybeans, nursery products, squash, honey, glass products, textiles, bakery products, limestone, and mica.
