Conover developed in the mid-1800s as a Y intersection of the Richmond and Danville Railroad traversing North Carolina. Although originally called Wye Town, legend says the name Canova was adopted and transposed to Conover after several years, and it was eventually incorporated as such in 1877. The new German and Scotch-Irish settlers surely may have said, "Here we will make our home." By the early 1900s, Conover was about to come out of the mist. They built schools and a college, and wooden store shacks were replaced with sturdy brick buildings. A new passenger rail service provided the townspeople with vital links to cities across America. Images of America: Conover, a compilation of previously unpublished photographs, presents images of the businesses and people that created today's Conover.
Donald Barker, author and lifelong Conover resident, is not new to writing history. In 2007, he wrote For the Love of the Game, a history of the Newton-Conover Twins baseball team, and his latest, Big Time for a Dime, is a history of theaters in the Catawba Valley. Images of America: Conover will instruct, entertain, and delight readers of all ages.