About Us:

Located in the beautiful Southern Piedmont Region of North Carolina, China Grove is a business friendly community that still retains the warmth and charm of a small town.

Most insist that the name derives from a very popular grove of chinaberry trees located next to the old depot, which was dismantled in 1974. The grove provided welcomed shade for weary travelers and horses, especially during those hot summer days. Until about 1920 there were remnants of this grove, but the few surviving trees apparently died from abuse created by traffic and the old depot. The Town applied to the North Carolina Legislature for a charter, which was granted on March 11, 1889. It is assumed there was a settlement here in China Grove as early as 1710. The Town was first known as Savits Mill. Then, in 1846, the name was changed to Lutherville, but in 1849, it was given the name as we know it now, China Grove.

China Grove had its beginnings prior to the American Revolution. The town served as an early stagecoach stop. One claim to fame is that the first Rural Free Delivery Mail was made in North Carolina at the China Grove Post Office on October 23, 1896. It was only the second RFD made in the United States.