Mrs. Leila N. Hoffman’s 1962 fifth grade class with students involving the consolidation of Crouse, Long Shoals, Laboratory, and Love Memorial schools. This classroom was located in the original 1926 school building. It would be another year before we would be in one of the new classrooms. (Contributed Photo)

According to an August 27, 1962, article in the Hickory Daily Record, the new Love Memorial School held an open house on Sunday, August 26, inviting the public to tour the new building and lunchroom. The improvements included and a separate addition next to the original 1926 school building and a lunchroom facility.

Classes were scheduled to begin Wednesday, August 29, with school buses and lunchrooms in operation. At that time, a school lunch cost just 25 cents a day!

Robert Payseur served as principal of the new school. Faculty members listed in the newspaper included Connie L. Stipe, Evelyn H. Nolen, Rebecca Bauer, Margaret G. Edwards, Hazel B. Beattie, Inez R. Dellinger, James H. Yoder, Bill Francis Cole, Ann H. Peeler, Ruby H. Sain, Minnie L. Crouse, Margaret M. Dellinger, Velma S. Freeman, Lester F. Baker, Homer H. Heavner, John R. Elmore, and Leila N. Hoffman.

In 1997, Lincoln County Schools replaced the original 1926 building with a modern facility that connected to the 1962 addition, providing a new chapter in the school's continuing history.

Remembering the Good Old School Days

For generations of former students, Love Memorial represents much more than classrooms, textbooks, and report cards. It is a place filled with memories that have lasted a lifetime.

Who remembers roaming the halls with childhood friends, competing in spelling bees, or cheering on classmates in marble-shooting contests? Love Memorial even had a marble champion who advanced to state competition!

Then there were the annual operettas, when students took the stage as Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, Sir Walter Raleigh, or characters from The Lost Colony. Others proudly played their parts as flowers, butterflies, or even trees. Every role was important, and every performance became a special memory for proud parents and grandparents.

There were basketball games between county schools, talent shows, and those memorable chicken pie suppers held to raise money for the school lunchroom in the early days.

And who could forget rainy days when outdoor recess wasn't possible? Instead of heading outside to play, students sometimes learned to square dance right in their classrooms!

These are the stories, traditions, and simple moments that helped make Love Memorial a special place to grow up and even come back to be a part of the staff as a teacher or principal.

Honoring the Past, Celebrating the Present, Looking to the Future

Today, Love Memorial Elementary serves just over 300 students, drawing children from communities throughout Lincoln County. Although the school has changed considerably since its beginnings in a small rural mill community, its commitment to education, friendship, and community remains strong.

Buildings have changed, generations of teachers have come and gone, and the world outside the classroom looks very different from the one students knew in 1926. But the memories, relationships, and school spirit continue to connect those who have walked through Love Memorial's doors.

The November 8 celebration is an opportunity to bring those generations together — to remember the past, celebrate today's students and educators, and look forward to the school's next century.

Whether you attended Love Memorial decades ago, taught there, worked in the cafeteria, drove a school bus, volunteered, or have children or grandchildren attending today, you are part of the Love Memorial story.

Come share your memories, reconnect with classmates and teachers, walk the halls once again, and help celebrate a remarkable milestone.

One school. Countless memories. Generations of friendships. 100 Years of Love!

100th Anniversary Celebration, Sunday, November 8, 2026, 3–5 p.m., Love Memorial Elementary School, 1463 Love Memorial Road, Lincolnton, NC 28092

Everyone with a connection to Love Memorial — past or present — is invited to join this special celebration.   -

***Historical information was gathered from Lincoln County Schools, the September 19, 1935, edition of the Lincoln Times News, the August 27, 1962, edition of the Hickory Daily Record, and memories shared by former Love Memorial students.