When state legislator Stephen Cabarrus sought a compromise between quarreling Scotch-Irish and German settlers over the location of Cabarrus County's seat, his appeal led to a "concord" that gave birth to one of North Carolina's most charming cities. Not long after its 1796 founding, Concord began a transformation from an agricultural community into a textile-manufacturing mecca as captains of industry built empires exploiting the cotton that so abundantly...