They say the odds of a young man becoming a major league baseball player are practically one in a million, but those odds were even greater in the old days. Baseball had far fewer teams and little competition from the NFL and NBA for the best athletes. It was truly an elite group of players and very difficult to break through. Yet, despite those odds, the small community of Paw Creek, on the outskirts of Charlotte, NC, produced five major league baseball players during the middle portion of the Twentieth Century. Those players were Whitey Lockman, Tommy Helms, Pete Whisenant, Ken Wood and Paul Campbell. Even more amazing was the fact that four of the players grew up in a small mill village of about fifty homes. Known as the Homestead Mill Village, the village was renowned for its strong baseball teams and passionate interest in the sport. In addition to the major leaguers, there were also several outstanding minor league players that grew up in the Paw Creek area. As former Charlotte Observer sports columnist, Ron Green, once wrote,"Paw Creek might have turned out more good baseball players per square foot than anyplace else in the country." Three of the Paw Creek players participated in a World Series and two became managers. Four of the five hit grand slam home runs during their careers, and as a group they accumulated over 3500 major league hits.

This site is dedicated to the legacy of the Paw Creek major leaguers and their remarkable story. It includes numerous images and links related to the players and their careers. To learn about the modern era of Paw Creek major leaguers click here.

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