Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

During the mid-1930s, Richard Mauldin and Hoyle Earnhardt owned a taxi business known as E&M Taxi that was located on South Second Street next door to Central Lunch.

In early 1941, Tom Carpenter purchased Earnhardt’s share of the business and the name was changed to C & M Taxi. The business was officially incorporated in May 1943.

In 1971, Carpenter expanded Central Lunch into the C & M Taxi dispatch office so the taxi business was moved to a gas station that was located at the corner of South Third and East Main streets (shown here).

The business continued in this new location until September 1995 when it was closed.

According to The Stanly News & Press, the owner at the time, Frank Biggers, announced the closure was due to “prohibitive insurance rates.

{Lewis P. Bramlett – Stanly County Historical Society}