Wednesday May 20th was a laid back day, so I am using this blog to share the story of the quiet town of Littleton, North Carolina, and some lesser-known facts about its past. Surprisingly, much of its recent revival traces back to one humble man.
Lumber trucks still roll through downtown Littleton, carrying timber from nearby forests to a paper mill east of town. They pass straight through, stopping only at the town’s single traffic light. Not long ago, those trucks moved through a nearly deserted downtown.
Like many small towns in North Carolina and across the country, Littleton had been losing population for decades, dropping from about 1,000 residents in 1960 to just over 600 in 2023. Most downtown businesses had closed, and the last train passed through in 1982. Although Lake Gaston attracted vacationers, most travelers bypassed Littleton. Today, however, Main Street is lined with parked cars and thriving businesses filling once-empty storefronts.
Ed Fitts, a 1957 graduate of Littleton High School, grew up in the town and later earned a degree in industrial engineering from North Carolina State University. He built a successful packaging company that became one of the nation’s largest suppliers of fast-food containers. Ed and his wife, Deb Fitts, often returned to Littleton, and it was painful for him to watch his old school—where he once played football for the Blue Jays—fall into disrepair. After selling his container business, the couple opened a winery in Napa Valley, which they sold in 2019 so they could focus more fully on Ed’s hometown.
Ed and his wife, Deb, set out to restore both the school and the town. Over the past eight years, their efforts have helped transform Littleton into a destination. They have opened an upscale restaurant, a brewery, a coffee shop, and a wine store. They also renovated the former high school, converting part of it into the Lakeland Cultural Arts Center, and founded a private K–6 school that offers scholarships to students in need.
One of Ed’s first major projects was saving his old school, which had sat vacant since 1973 and was close to demolition. The building is now home to Littleton Academy, which opened in fall 2022. It began with grades K–6 and adds one grade each year, with plans to become a full K–12 school by 2029. Fitts believes that a strong educational system is essential to a healthy community. Many students attend Littleton Academy on scholarship, giving them access to a high-quality education regardless of family income.
The former Lakeland Cultural Arts Center, now called the Acorn Center, is a world-class theater in Littleton. First opened in 1978, it has survived for more than 40 years through the dedication of volunteers. With support from Deb and Ed Fitts and the Ed Fitts Charitable Foundation, the theater recently underwent a major renovation and expansion. The new Ed Fitts Amphitheater, part of the Acorn Center complex, now hosts outdoor concerts and performances throughout the summer.
The foundation’s first completed business project was Daphne’s Coffee Shop, which opened in December 2020 and was named after Ed’s mother. Since then, other projects have followed. Over the past six years, the foundation’s projects have brought new energy and optimism to Littleton. The Ed Fitts Charitable Foundation has played a major role in this transformation. It renovated the Lakeland Cultural Arts Center, Littleton Academy, Bloom Space Entrepreneur Center, Main Street Mercantile, Daphne’s Coffee Shop, the 5-Star Blue Jay Bistro, and The Fix Salon, and it also helped bring the Roanoke Valley Veterans Museum to town.
You will not find Ed’s name prominently displayed around town—not on the school, the arts center, or the restaurant. One of the few visible signs of his impact is the Wi-Fi access funded by the Ed Fitts Charitable Foundation, which helped bring internet connectivity to a rural town that had previously been overlooked in broadband expansion efforts. As consultant Stacey Woodhouse observed, “In every small town, there’s somebody who made it. But the difference is, they don’t come back to help.”
Littleton also features public art that celebrates its history and culture. Karen Harley, a Haliwa-Saponi artist, was commissioned by the Ed Fitts Foundation to paint a mural on the gymnasium exterior representing students and school activities.
Harley also painted the mural on the exterior of the Roanoke Valley Veterans Museum.
We also visited Timber Waters Brewing Company, again, and learned more about how it began. In March 2024, construction was nearly complete, with plans to open by early June of that year. The brewery was Ed Fitts Charitable Foundation’s latest project, adding to its growing list of efforts supporting Littleton’s revival. According to Ryan, the brewery uses a state-of-the-art system in which the grain is not seen again after it goes in until it comes out at the end of the process. Timber Waters now distributes its products throughout the region.
Stay tuned for more Two Lane Adventures.
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