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If you look at a map of this state’s craft breweries, it would appear North Carolina has a raging case of measles. From Morganton to Manteo, Saxapahaw to Wilmington, almost 400 craft breweries have broken out in towns and cities across the Old North State over the last 10 years.

In many communities — but especially in the smaller ones — these breweries have become like a new town square, a place offering camaraderie and community, a sense of place for places that seemed once forsaken. And they’ve fostered new economic growth.

“Craft beer is re-energizing every North Carolina county that’s not dry (for the record, that’s 99 out of 100),” reads a report published by the University of North Carolina. “The beer industry is now firmly woven into the fabric of North Carolina, revitalizing local economies once supported by textiles, furniture, and tobacco.”

Add to that list Carthage and the horse-drawn buggy carriages it was once famous for. In the coming months, Southern Pines Brewing founder and CEO Micah Niebauer has big plans to convert the town’s iconic, rundown buggy factory into a new brewery and community gathering spot.

Not to put the cart before the horse, but Niebauer’s plans also could be the catalyst for a resurgence Carthage hasn’t seen since the buggy era.

Niebauer plans in coming weeks to close on the former buggy building, which has long sat moldering near downtown.

“I am honored to preserve the last vestiges of what put Carthage on the map,” he said. “Our company takes our mission of building and fostering community more importantly than anything we do.”

Although it is the county seat, Carthage has long been passed over for much of the growth that took hold in southern Moore. The town has instead subsisted on the infrastructure of county government and the sweat of a few entrepreneurs who have tried to cater to courthouse visitors.

A new microbrewery, complete with an outdoor event space for monthly community concerts and gatherings, could be the kind of investment that begets more investment from others who want to be part of something new. Given what has happened across the state with other craft breweries, that doesn’t seem far-fetched.

“What we’re seeing is that these breweries become like a hub. People come in and try the beer, and then they visit other establishments,” said Erick Byrd, UNC Greensboro’s director of the Center for Industry Research and Engagement. “Main Street in Mount Airy has always been an active tourist destination. Four or five years ago, if you went one block away from the tourist district, you would’ve found little more than vacant and run-down buildings. But since then, two breweries opened up in those empty spaces. Now, in the evening, that area is as active as Main Street.”

The timing for redevelopment of downtown Carthage is appropriate, given the rise of new growth occurring around town. The town’s Board of Commissioners in recent months have seen a number of new residential projects come before them seeking approvals. New homes are popping up in pockets around Carthage, especially as developers begin moving away from the expense and relative scarcity of land available in southern Moore.

The town recently received a federal grant of more than $8 million to upgrade its water infrastructure, an improvement that will be key to account for new growth in and around downtown.

“As a citizen of Carthage, I am excited about the growth we are experiencing,” said new Town Manager Emily Yopp, “but (I) also understand that this growth should be well-managed to ensure the sustainability and preservation of what makes Carthage a special place to live — its people, its heritage and its small-town atmosphere.”

Yopp and her town board have their hands full. They better be ready, because Buggytown is about to boogie.

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