During the late 1910s and early 1920s, local politicians and businessmen began to see that Albemarle needed a new hotel. In mid-March 1922, Dr. W.C. Fitzgerald, a local dentist, announced that he would build a new hotel. Contracts for the construction of the Albemarle Hotel were awarded on April 3, 1922. Goode Construction would construct the building, Albemarle Plumbing would do all the plumbing and heating and E.L. Hearne would do all the electrical work. A few months later, Dr. Fitzgerald attended the Southern Furniture Exposition in July to find what he needed to furnish his new hotel. The building was finished in January 1923, and an opening soon followed. During the first week of operation, there were visitors from 13 states including North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Colorado, along with Washington, D.C. Today’s picture, from the January edition of the local school newspaper, shows the hotel right before it first opened for business. {Lewis Bramlett – Stanly County Historical Society}