Earthquake tremors have shaken Rowan County before, according to Post files:
• Around 2 a.m. Dec. 16, 1811, an earthquake shook houses, toppled brick from the chimneys. It even rang the Rowan County courthouse bell. Centered near New Madrid, Mo., the quake was felt all over the Eastern Seaboard.
• The night of Sept. 1, 1886, the great earthquake that destroyed much of Charleston, S.C., sent shocks through Rowan. The Carolina Watchman reported that the streets were filled with frightened people and bricks fell from chimneys. It was one of the largest historic shocks in eastern North America, killing 60 people — none in Rowan.
• The morning of July 26, 1945, a slight but well-defined earth tremor shook parts of the Carolinas, including Rowan, for about 10 seconds. Ruby Brown of Mahaley Avenue felt the bed shaking and thought some member of the family was trying to wake her. Mary Collins of South Fulton Street thought she was having a heart attack when the tremor shook her bed and decided to see her doctor immediately.
• The night of Nov. 19, 1969, earthquake tremors shook much of the Southeast, including Rowan. Leslie Lee, Civil Defense director, was at the VA Hospital for training at the time. “Building No. 1 floated like jelly,” he said.