Gaston was originally
called Snag Town, and under the latter name was platted in 1855. The
name Gaston was adopted when the railroad was built through the town in
1901.
Gaston currently has a preschool, elementary, and high school in the
Wes-Del community school district. It also has a few churches, an ice
cream parlor/restaurant called The Barking Cow, a funeral home and a few
cemeteries located outside of the town center, a volunteer fire
department and police department, a Dollar General and several small
businesses. The town has also had a newspaper, The Voice, which was
released every other week until it was discontinued in May 2016 after
producing a total of 8 volumes and 124 newspapers for over 10 years.
Wes-Del Middle/High School has produced WDN, a weekly video featuring
students reporting the current events occurring in the school, and
released it on YouTube. Wes-Del Middle/High School also became the first
school to let students work on personal projects to be released to the
school if desired and give out awards red carpet style in 2016.
The motorcade transporting Vice President Mike Pence and Karen Pence
passed through Gaston on May 18, 2019. The motorcade passed in front of
Wes-Del High School where contestants and volunteers in the school's
first color run had gathered and the vice president was saluted by
volunteer fireman and Gaston police as he made his way to deliver a
speech at Taylor University's graduation. He also delivered a speech at
the nearby Delta High School.
Gaston is hoping to grow by opening new businesses and attractions. The
town is hoping to reach a population goal of 2,500 by 2025.
We are committed to preserving democracy and freedom by recognizing the constitutional rights of all.
We
are committed to nurturing the public trust by maintaining
professionalism in every facet of our operations and demanding the
highest levels of personal and professional integrity.
We value partnerships with diverse communities to ensure safety, security, and mutual trust.
Gaston Fire Department was formed in 1908 when the town of Gaston
purchased 3 buckets to be used for firefighting. Gaston Fire was
incorporated in 1961. The Gaston Fire station was significantly damaged
in 2004 by fire. The department suffered major damage, losing a tanker
truck, and an ambulance. Despite the damage the department was only out
of service for 8 hours.
Currently the fire department has 18 all
volunteer members that respond to approximately 600 calls per year. With
a total of 8 apparatus.