The town of Cornelius is located in Mecklenburg County. It was was founded in 1893 but was not incorporated until 1905. The town was borne because of a dispute over cotton weighing. In the late 1800's, there were two thriving cotton firms Davidson, North Carolina. They disagreed on whether an official town cotton weigher should be appointed. A heated election was held and legislation enacted, and finally a town cotton weigher was hired. The company that originally opposed the appointment relocated outside of the Davidson town line and founded Cornelius.