March 2012 MARC News

Rockingham County Historical Society Museum & Archives, P. O. Box 84, Wentworth, NC 27375 www.rockinghamcountyhistory.com | (336) 394-‐4965 | [email protected]

MARC NEWS Museum & ArchivesofRockingham County

IN THIS ISSUE

Feature Article 1

Letter from the Director 2

Lucy Mooney: Lending a Helping Hand

3

Mr. History’s Highlights from the Past

4

Recent Events 5

Cast-Iron Memories 6

MARC Grand Opening 7

MARC Phase 1 Exhibit Plan 8

Upcoming Events 9

RCHSMA In Action 10

Journey to the Dan 11

MARC your Calendar 12

A quarterly publication of the Rockingham County Historical Society Museum & Archives

Vol. 2, No. 1March 2012

Two Artists, Two Exhibits, One Goal!Two Rockingham County ar3sts, Ki7y Williams and Carol M. Highsmith, are using their skills and sharing their talents to create authen3c and exci3ng exhibits to share history and evoke memories for visitors at the MARC opening this August.

Many of you may know local ar3st Ki7y Williams. If you do not, you have likely seen her work. Ki7y painted both the Reidsville Mural on Scales Street and Eden’s Ba7eau Mural on Washington Street. Now, she is crea3ng a mural as the backdrop for one of the exhibits at the MARC. Ki7y is a Madison resident, a member of the Rockingham County Historical Society Museum & Archives Board of Directors, the Arts Council, and a dedicated historic preserva3onist.

For the Great Wagon Road mural, she photographed the area around Chestnut Knob (aka Wart Mountain) in Henry County, Virginia, where se7lers branched off the Great Wagon Road to cross the Mayo River and make their homes in Rockingham County. Then she sketched the scene as their journey might have appeared. The results of this first step are stunning! Ki7y expects to begin pain3ng the mural mid-‐April. Visit us on Facebook to watch her progress.

Rockingham County na3ve and na3onally renowned photographer Carol M. Highsmith might be less familiar around here, but that is about to change. Carol’s work is one of six exhibits featured at the Library of Congress, where she is acclaimed as America’s photographer. Her work hangs alongside Depression Era photographer Dorothea Lange and Civil War photographer Ma7hew Brady.

Carol was born in Leaksville and raised in Madison. AXer her family moved to Minnesota, she came back each year to spend summers with her cousins at Granny Carter’s. Now she is bringing her Rockingham County images home to create a special exhibi3on for the opening of the MARC.

One sec'on of the Great Wagon Road exhibit, drawn by Ki:y Williams

“Kate Carter… in the log cabins where photographer Carol M. Highsmith's great-‐

grandfather, Pleasant Jiles Carter (1847-‐1931) and grandfather, Yancey Ligon Carter

(1873-‐1947) were born and lived in Wentworth, North Carolina.”

Beginning with this issue (due to the rising costs of paper, prin3ng, and postage), we will only print eight

pages of the twelve-‐page newsle7er. Pages 5 thru 8 are not included in the

print version. Please remember that the full-‐color, twelve-‐page

version is available on-‐line at rockinghamcountyhistory.comIf you’ve missed any of the previous issues, you can find them there, too.

http://www.rockinghamcountyhistory.com


mailto:[email protected]


MARC NEWS! PAGE2

Rockingham County Historical Society Museum & Archives, P. O. Box 84, Wentworth, NC 27375www.rockinghamcountyhistory.com | (336) 394-‐4965 | [email protected]

Letter from the Director2011 was a great year for the Rockingham County Historical Society Museum & Archives. We accomplished so much together as an organiza3on and we began the process of building a museum in earnest. It has been an invigora3ng experience that bodes well for our future. Let’s remember a few of our accomplishments. We…

• Did a lot of housekeeping• Organized working commi7ees to meet on a regular schedule to meet and

set goals• Developed strategic plans, policies, processes, and an administra3ve

organiza3on• Developed our logo and launched a branding campaign• Built meaningful partnerships with en33es both inside and outside of the

county• Acquired the lease to the Historic Courthouse in Wentworth• Received funding support and completed a restora3on project at Wright

Tavern• Opened Wright Tavern Historic Site to the public and built great new

exhibits• Received funding and produced marke3ng materials, including the MARC

News• Presented well-‐received and well-‐a7ended community programs• Delivered educa3on programming op3ons to the public schools• Exceeded our Challenge Grant goal in record 3me• A7racted the Smithsonian Ins3tu3on Traveling Exhibi3on Journey Stories

to be our opening showcase• Secured an exhibi3on for the mark opening, “The Journeys of a Hometown

Girl” by Library of Congress photographer Carol M. Highsmith• Managed limited resources well and lived within our budget• Formed meaningful, sa3sfying and fun personal rela3onships• Delivered on our mission “To preserve, promote, disseminate and exhibit

the history, culture, human and natural resources of Rockingham County, North Carolina for the benefit of present and future genera3ons.”

We can pat ourselves on the back; we have done a great job by working together. And, we have every reason to believe that with your con3nued support, our 2012 list of accomplishments will exceed our expecta3ons once again. At the top of the list will be the Grand Opening of the Museums & Archives of Rockingham County. Now, there’s something to be proud about!

I hope you enjoy this issue of the MARC News!

Kim Proctor, Execu(ve Director

In 1981, when Madison had completed the move and restora8on of the Governor Scales Law

Office, a costume ball was held as a celebra8on. Two newly married young women were featured in The Messenger’s promo8on of the event. They ac8vely par8cipated then and are s8ll ac8ve in

preserving the history and tradi8ons of Rockingham County today as members of the

RCHSMA Board of Directors.

“Robbin Dodson is shown with a dress which belonged to her great grandmother, Mary Mahalia Carter Knight, who lived from 1847 to 1933. This dress along with a host of other unusual ouHits will be seen at the PreservaJon Ball Oct. 3, reservaJons for which are now being taken at the Madison Municipal Building.”

“Jean Bullins, is shown holding a dress being made for her by her mother-‐in-‐law, Mrs. C. G. Bullins. She plans to wear the gown to the First Madison Historical PreservaJon Ball Saturday, October 3 at the Moose Lodge.”





MARC NEWS! PAGE3


Lucy Lela Hardy Mooney was good in her soul, almost to a fault. Because her sons served in “the” World War II, she made it her mission to help soldiers. She always hoped that someone would be equally as kind to her boys if the opportunity presented itself.

Mrs. Mooney was assisted by her daughter, Iris, the youngest of twelve children. Iris worked at Mayodan Drug Store, which was also the bus stop in Mayodan. This gave Iris a perfect vantage point to see servicemen as they stepped off the bus and to talk with them when they came inside for coffee and food.

If the soldiers had liJle money and an overnight wait, Iris would invite them to visit the Mooney home on FiLh Avenue. There, Mrs. Mooney and her family treated the soldiers like royalty. Since the house was small with only four rooms, the living room was reserved for their guests. The soldiers enjoyed the comfort of a couch and a bed there. And, Mrs. Mooney prepared fine meals

for her visitors. She would cut off ham slices in the smokehouse, cook her prized canned goods, and make fried apple pies. Many soldiers corresponded with Mrs. Mooney long aLer their visits were over.

Over the years, Mrs. Mooney’s back steps became a place for vagrants and the homeless to eat. Her reputa(on for helping the needy was transferred from train to train. Many travelers showed up on her doorstep and shared stories about places like Chicago, SeaJle, Denver, Houston, Tampa, and New York.

Mrs. Mooney’s grandchildren were spellbound by the tales they heard from visitors, and the children oLen dreamed of faraway places. When the youngest grandchild was learning poetry about America as a fiLh grade student, the child spoke as if she knew something about all the ci(es that were men(oned in the poems. Her classmates did not believe the child’s tales, but their teacher, Ms. Price, helped the other children to understand that you don’t have to go somewhere to know a place; you come to know places through reading and listening to stories about them.

Lucy Mooney: Lending a Helping HandBy: Elaine McCollum

The photographs of the Mayodan Drug Store were taken by Pete Griffin who lost the ability to walk during his childhood. He was confined to a wheelchair for mobility and oBen spent Cme in downtown Mayodan snapping photographs of people and places. These pictures were taken by Pete in the mid-‐1940s and are from the collecCon his father, Joe Griffin, entrusted to Jeff Bullins. ExaminaCon of several photographs that seem to have been made on this day indicate that Main Street was blocked off, as if there was a parade or event scheduled for Second Avenue.

A Journey Stories Ar3cleVisit the Journey Stories exhibi3on at the MARC to

learn more.





MARC NEWS! PAGE4


Mr. History’s Highlights from the PastBob Carter, County Historian

“Plug Tobacco”By Nancy Woodburn Watkins, Madison (Printed in the Daily News, c.1960)

Henry Belk’s disserta(on on chewing tobacco and its 100-‐year-‐old factory is preJy vague, and its loca(on of the Mosely planta(on of the Horace Penn Moore is the Bethany sec(on of Rockingham County seems s(ll more vague to this old lady of a tobacco Dan River valley. Mr. Belk should have called the chew cakes, flavored with licorice, dried peaches, etc., “plug tobacco,” as different from selected leafage, twisted into rolls for pocket bi(ng, called “quids.”

Shortly quid tobacco was plain leaf, rolled for pockets, and bore the price of the treated pressed cakes. Every planta(on had its “plug” screw press, and even old in Madison (1818-‐1850) many back yards had plug mile-‐powered screw-‐downs for leafage brought in from planta(ons of the town dwellers, most of whom had town residences on acre lots. The “plug” was treated for “Down South” covered wagon trade. The big chew cakes were cut to fit sturdy oak plank small boxes and these were plugged (ghtly inside. So “plug” was a luxury and “quid” was home “chaw.” The licorice trade was foreign and most important. Planters experimented with flavors to get a tasty cake. R. J. Reynolds’ first absorp(on was in the plug trade and his “Brown’s Mule” every oldster recalls. This trade nourished wagon making, boxmaking, and aLer 1880 wooden hogheads in which to screw-‐press the untreated leaf and ship to Reynolds in Winston. The hogshead industry yielded to the big gasoline trucks of the past 20 years. Horse drovers throve by impor(ng from the mountains over Kentucky way. Workers would load the plug boxes into long beds of covered wagons in September and start driving the two-‐horse wagons toward the coJon-‐growing South, with wayside camp cook utensils hung on the wagon. All stores en route were canvassed and the small boxes were bought as trade warranted. Several men went with each camp wagon, and, usually, a dog. Barter brought food en route. Some comical stories persist here from 80-‐year-‐olds of first rice cooking. Homebound loads were chiefly grosses of coffee beans and sugar, plus luxury of cloth and table ware.

Note: The above ar8cle was wriTen by Nancy W. Watkins (1884-‐1966), a local historian of Madison, North Carolina, in reply to the Greensboro Daily News columnist Henry Belk's ar8cle that had appeared in one of his previous columns. Belk's column was wriTen about an old tobacco factory on the Horace P. Moore's farm in the Bethany area of Rockingham County. The tobacco factory stood un8l 2011 when the building was demolished due to its poor condi8on. A por8on of the lumber from the building was incorporated into a new house erected nearby by Horace P. Moore's granddaughter and husband.

Image: Edward King,and James Wells Champney,illust.“Ge]ng a Tobacco Hogshead Ready for Market,”in The Great South; A Record of Journeys in Louisiana, Texas, the Indian Territory, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland (Harcord, Conn.: American Publishing Co., 1875). Documen8ng the American South. 2002. University Library, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 2 February 2012 <hTp://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/king/ill407.html>.





http://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/king/ill407.html

http://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/king/ill407.html

MARC NEWS! PAGE5


Recent Events

Christmas CelebraOon Fills the Senses

Members and guests of RCHSMA celebrated the Christmas holiday together in fine style on December 11. Wright Tavern was the segng for hustle and bustle and holiday cheer as old friends and new friends enjoyed the event together. For many visitors, this was their first opportunity to experience the new exhibits and renova3ons recently completed at the Tavern. Meg Manuel and Program Commi7ee members carefully wrapped the Tavern in authen3c Christmas decora3ons to enhance the mood for the day. And the selec3on of period specific refreshments, such as mincemeat pie, roasted sweet potatoes, meatballs, Queen’s cake and other treats provided a tasty understanding of hospitality in the early 19th century.

As if visitors could feel more fes3ve, the aXernoon tours at High Rock Farm, owned by RCHSMA board member, Richard Teague, bedazzled visitors as its own beauty was enhanced by elegant holiday décor. Richard and his staff were gracious hosts for the tour, allowing guests to mill about the local landmark to

enjoy the personal collec3ons of art and furniture in the historic residence. And, the chestnuts roasted on an open fire and served to visitors added the perfect touch at the largest chestnut farm in the Mid-‐Atlan3c.

Plans are in the works to host a similar event in December of 2012. Given the enthusiasm of par3cipants this year, you will want to grab a 3cket as soon as they become available; we almost sold out the 100 3ckets available for this year!

VisiOng Neighbors Programs Provide EducaOonal OpportuniOes

The Programs Commi7ee is always on the lookout for meaningful programs in neighboring coun3es that might provide educa3onal opportuni3es for RCHSMA members. Our par3cipa3on in “The Crossing the Dan” events was the first Visi3ng Neighbors program of 2012.

On February 10, RCHSMA Board member and Rockingham County Historian, Bob Carter, and Dr. Larry Aaron, author of The Race to the Dan: The Retreat that Rescued the American RevoluJon, presented a program at the MARC about Rockingham County’s connec3on to the southern troops’ maneuvers that set the stage for the defeat of the Bri3sh in the American Revolu3on. While the MARC event did not get the publicity needed to draw the large crowd for which it was worthy, the group in a7endance benefi7ed by being able to ask ques3ons and par3cipate in a discussion with the experts.

The Daughters and Sons of the American Revolu3on and the Historical Society of Halifax County, VA, welcomed RCHSMA members on February 18 at their commemora3on of the river crossing. Several RCHSMA members made the trip to South Boston, VA, to enjoy the program presented by Phillip Greenwalt, an interpreta3ve ranger at George Washington’s Birthplace Na3onal Memorial. In the words of Bob Carter, “It was a beau3ful day with excellent speakers and a nice lunch. AXer the meal, the presenta3on by a large group of Revolu3onary War reenactors created an interes3ng spectacle with the Bri3sh figh3ng from the south banks of the Dan River and the Americans on the north shore.” Bob cheerfully reported, “We won the ba7le!”

The Virginia historical groups celebrate the Crossing of the Dan each year on a weekend close to the February 14 anniversary of the actual event. They have also created a permanent exhibit at the Prizery, South Boston’s Performing Arts Center. For more informa3on, visit www.prizery.com.

Tavern Hours Office Hours

Thursday & Friday10 am to 4 pm

Tuesday-Friday 10 am to 4 pm

AND BY APPOINTMENTAND BY APPOINTMENT





http://www.prizery.com

http://www.prizery.com

MARC NEWS! PAGE6


Francois Villon famously asked, “Where are the snows of yesterday?” To the greatest French writer in the 15th century, the answer to this ques8on was a philosophical maTer. However, I have a ques8on that is more prac8cal: where are the cast iron pots, cauldrons and skillets of yesterday?

These items and their uses were an essen8al part of my childhood in Rockingham County. I saw them in excursions throughout the county in the 1950’s and 1960’s. They showed up in towns and in the country.

In my home, we didn’t have an iron cauldron, but we did have a 25-‐inch iron skillet. We also had (and I inherited and s8ll use) a “warm morning” stove. In the one-‐room schoolhouse in the Hayes Chapel area, where my mother was the teacher, we had a pot-‐bellied stove that kept us nice and toasty. I cannot recall who lit the fire in it. Maybe one of the older boys was entrusted with the key and came early to fire the stove, or maybe my mother stoked the coals when we arrived. In any case, we wore lap robes in the car, and by the 8me that warmth wore off, the heat in the pot-‐bellied stove was rising.

Of course, cast iron items can be purchased from the Internet these days, but they are new and they don’t awaken the memories that were burned into the hard-‐to-‐wield, hard-‐to-‐lio and hard to cool-‐down pieces that I fondly recall.

One of our neighbors had a cook stove equipped with a pie warmer. Upon entering her home, you could smell apple pie, cornbread, pork chops, greens, and coffee. She also used a cast-‐

iron cauldron outside for washing laundry. I remember the day her husband had a washing machine delivered and installed. His wife was grateful and invited my family over to inspect it. But the next Monday morning, she filled the cauldron with buckets of water, dumped clothes into it, lit a fire under it, and did her washing as she always had.

Another cauldron I recall was used for preparing Brunswick stew near Highway 220 in Madison, in the Freetown area. A fire crackled underneath, lots of stock filled the big pot, and people took away quart-‐sized Mason jars filled with yummy stew. Around the pot, especially in cool weather, laughter and fellowship reigned among friends and neighbors.

Wright Tavern seems to have had mostly fireplaces—nice ones—but I sure wish the proprietor had invested in at least one or two pot-‐bellied stoves for those shivery mornings when warming one’s hands and body at the same 8me would have been a priority.

Cast-Iron MemoriesBy: Fletcher Dalton

A cast iron Dutch oven from the Wright Tavern’s Cast Iron CollecCon.

A Journey Stories Ar3cle

Visit the Journey Stories

exhibi3on at the MARC to

learn more.





MARC NEWS! PAGE7


EXHIBIT FLOOR PLAN

Open Now!

The Wright Tavern Historic Site

Thursday & Friday 10am-4pm

Opening August 2012

Featuring

Journey Stories

Journey Stories is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and the North Carolina Humanities Council.

Rockingham County Historical Society Museum & Archives

P.O. Box 84, Wentworth, NC 27375 Telephone: 336-394-4965,: E-mail: [email protected]

Web-site: www.rockinghamcountyhistory.com

Smithsonian Institution Travelling Exhibit





MARC NEWS! PAGE8


CSC Carol Highsmith Exhibit

Rooms E4, E4

Room GC

Sites Exhibit #3

Great Desert to the

West

Rooms E1, E2,

E3 Education Wing TJHA

Workshop &

Meeting Room

Room GD

Sites Exhibit #4

Local Exhibit: Railroads &

Tobacco

Room Proposed for

Historic Restoration

Room GB

Local exhibits:

/Batteau

Room GA

Sites Exhibit #2

Boundaries

Room GE

Sites Exhibit #5

Mobility

Local Exhibits: Autom

obiles &

Airplanes

Room GG

Sites Exhibit #6

Local Exhibits:

CSD:

Theater Under

Construction during Journey Stories

CSB

Room CSA1

Local Exhibits:

Room CSA2

Future Book Store

Room CSA3

Gift Shop

CSC CSC

Room GF

(Hallway)

Local Exhibit:

Artifact Vault

CSB

The R

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ations an

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lor co

ding o

n th

is floor p

lan co

rrespond

with

the U

p-‐Fit P

lan, To

tal Cost Estim

ates, and Sp

onsorsh

ip Packages.

CS=C

ommon Sp

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ace





MARC NEWS! PAGE9


Upcoming Events

Spring FesOval & Easter Egg Hunt

Make plans now to celebrate the season at the Spring Fes(val and Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 7. RCHSMA and the Wentworth Presbyterian Church will host this event jointly, and both the Wright Tavern historic site and the church will be open to visitors. This family-‐friendly celebra(on promises to be lots of fun for all ages:

• Hunt for Easter eggs (Bring your baskets at 11:00 am)

• Par(cipate in an Easter bonnet compe((on (Have your bonnet on at 12:00 noon)

• Join in an old-‐fashioned cake walk aLer the bonnet compe((on

• See historic and modern Easter egg collec(ons

• Learn new methods to decorate eggs

• Play games throughout the day

• The event is FREE (Of course, dona(ons are always welcome!)

Fes(vi(es are scheduled from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Gather family and friends to join you for the celebra(on!

Our Quest for Journey Stories

What is a journey? The Thesaurus provides several words which help us to understand the various concepts this word implies: passage, crossing, excursion, trip, voyage, expedi(on, ride, drive, or flight.

On August 12, 2012, we will celebrate the grand opening of the MARC by hos(ng the Smithsonian Ins(tu(on Traveling Exhibit, Journey Stories. This exhibit, in addi(on to the local displays we are crea(ng, will provide visitors the opportunity to journey through (me among the stories and relics of history.

In prepara(on for the Journey Stories exhibits, we will be visi(ng loca(ons around the county to collect stories of your journeys. We encourage you to think about the journeys in your life and to be prepared to tell us your stories when we are available in your community. Maybe your most meaningful journey involved travel – in a car, bus, boat or plane. Or perhaps your favorite journey is a passage through (me – remembering the folkways, tools and techniques from days now gone. We want to preserve stories about Rockingham County life on the farm, in the mills, and in schools, as well as your stories about the people and places of your hometown.

Whether you are 15, 50, 75, or 100 years old, many things have changed

To put you in the mood for sharing memories, we are publishing some of the stories that have already been shared. Beginning with this newsleJer, ar(cles relevant to the Journey Stories exhibit will be “tagged” to iden(fy them as Journey Stories.

As you read tagged stories, let your mind wander to your experiences and make notes of your special recollec(ons. Don’t worry if you are not an eloquent writer – if you have the memories we can provide writers and videographers. Just be sure to submit them to us – by email or mail (so we can publish some of them in the summer newsleJer) – or bring them to us as we visit your community over the coming months.

in your life(me. What are the memories you treasure that you wish to preserve? What people, places, customs or ac(vi(es do you want to be remembered? It is our sincere hope that you will allow us to document these stories and preserve them for future genera(ons.






MARC NEWS! PAGE10


1. I will footnote (or endnote) all my sources (none of this MLA or social science parenthe8cal business).

2. If I do not reference my sources accurately, I will surely perish in the fires of various real or metaphorical internal regions and I will completely deserve it. I have been warned.

3. I will respect the hard-‐won historical gains of those historians in whose steps I walk and will share such knowledge as is mine with all other historians (as they doubtless will cheerfully share it with me).

4. I will not be ashamed to say “I do not know” or to change my narra8ve of historical events when new sources point to my errors.

5. I will never leave a fallen book behind.

6. I will acknowledge that history is created by people and not by impersonal cosmic forces or “isms.” An “ism” by itself never harmed or helped anyone without human agency.

7. I am not a sociologist, poli8cal scien8st, interna8onal rela8ons-‐ist, or any other such “ist.” I am a historian and deal in facts, not models.

8. I know I have special responsibility to the truth and will seek, as fully as I can, to be thorough, objec8ve, careful, and balanced in my judgments, relying on primary source documents whenever possible.

9. Life may be short, but history is forever. I am a servant of forever.

Stewart, Richard, Ph.D., “Historians and a Historian’s Code,” ARMY HISTORY, No. 77 (Fall 2010), p. 46. Dr. Stewart is the US Army’s Chief Historian.

Extraordinary opportuni8es require extraordinary effort. The opportunity to open the MARC with a Smithsonian traveling exhibit and an extraordinary display by a talented and interna8onally renowned photographer will require financial support for the effort. We need to reach and hopefully exceed our goal of raising over $135,000 in private dona8ons, as well as seeking grants and corporate contribu8ons of $195,000. We can do it. It will take all of us to accomplish it.

The dona8ons we received exceeding our 2011 Challenge Grant goal demonstrated a strong founda8on of support from people across Rockingham County. However, crea8ng the professional museum facility and programs that are planned for the MARC will require substan8al and

long-‐term investments, in addi8on to grass-‐roots support.

We encourage all RCHSMA members and friends to assist in fundraising efforts. If your employer makes matching gios to chari8es, be sure to request those funds when you give to RCHSMA. If you are associated with an organiza8on or founda8on or if you have rela8onships that could gain corporate dona8ons, you can be the catalyst to encourage these investments in the MARC. Contact Kim Proctor, Execu8ve Director, to arrange for presenta8ons or documenta8on that would be needed to secure these sponsorships. Investments in the MARC will become our gio to the genera8ons to come.

RCHSMA In Action: Fundraising

The Historian’s Code





MARC NEWS! PAGE11


Journey to the Dan RiverBy: Fletcher Dalton

On a hot midsummer day, my great-‐grandmother shooed her eight youngest children onto the concrete front porch of their brick house, which was located on a li7le rise some few hundred feet from the Dan River in Madison. The morning chores had been done and lunch was over. The other children were due home from the tobacco fields, so this was a chance for those at home to enjoy the breeze as it waXed up from the river bo7oms.

The smallest children squeezed into the swing; some of the larger ones and Great Granny sat in rocking chairs. Baby James was not on the porch. He was frepul and making a loud racket, so Great Granny put his crib just inside the screen door where he could feel the fresh air.

The children were noisy and soon ran into the yard, knowing not to get beyond eyesight or to go into the basement, which was cool but off limits. Every few minutes, Great Granny peeked through the screen to check on James. When she was sa3sfied that he was calm, she turned back to the porch and cau3oned the children not to stay in the sun too long and to watch out for snakes. For a 3me, quiet prevailed.

The sky clouded over and for a moment it looked like rain was coming. Then, suddenly, Great Granny stood up and drew her hand to her throat. Her head was inclined as though she was listening for something she did not hear. The children ins3nc3vely stopped playing and looked toward the porch. Great Granny snatched the screen door open and stared at the crib. She picked up Baby James and shook him gently, then vigorously. There was no response from the baby who had been squalling migh3ly just a short 3me earlier.

“Hage, lock the door and y’all come with me. Quick! Come on!” Great Granny was half yelling, half crying, and holding Baby James on her shoulder so the other children could not see his face. They sensed something terrifying, however. They formed a procession to the Dan River, the children tagging behind Great Granny and thinking that the problem was with the adult not the baby. But they realized when they got to the river that the one in danger was Baby James.

Great Granny kept trying to wake James by dashing river water into his face, kissing him, and nearly bap3zing him in the river. She had gone in barefoot, and only when they were trudging home disheartened did she realize that stones and twigs were impeding her walk. But Mage ran up to her and said, “Mother, I’ve got your shoes.” This brought another soul-‐deep sob from Great Granny.

Nobody understood Sudden Infant Death Syndrome then, so James’s death was recorded as “accidental.” As was common at that 3me, undertakers brought Baby James’s body to the family home. Great Granny did not accept the casket. Instead, she and the children decorated the crib with flowers from the yard, and she dressed Baby James in white. At the wake, his brothers and sisters took turns rocking the crib.

James was buried in the Goodwill Church cemetery outside of Madison. The brothers and sisters who journeyed to the river on that fateful day were laid to rest in graves surrounding his. Even though they spent a short 3me with James on Earth, each of his siblings carried the memory of James and his mother’s desperate love for her small child throughout their lives.


Visit the Journey Stories

exhibi3on at the MARC to learn more.





MARC NEWS

March 2012

FROM:ROCKINGHAM COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM & ARCHIVESP. O. BOX 84WENTWORTH, NC 27375

Vol. 2, No. 1

MAIL TO:

PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAIDWENTWORTH, N.C.PERMIT NO. 2

MARC Your Calendar!April 7th: Spring FesJval & Easter Egg Hunt, 10-‐2pm, Wright Tavern, WentworthApril 28th: Garden Tour of Wentworth, 9am-‐3pm (email [email protected] for 3ckets and informa3on)May 12th: On The Quest for Journey Stories, 10am-‐1pm, Eden May 26th: On the Quest for Journey Stories, 10am-‐1pm, ReidsvilleJune 2nd: On the Quest for Journey Stories, 10am-‐1pm, MayodanJune 9th: 1816 Living History Day, 10am-‐2pm, Wright TavernJuly 4th: 4th of July Celebra3on (Watch for Details)

Watch the web-‐site at www.rockinghamcountyhistory.com for addi3ons and updates, call Wright Tavern, or visit any Thursday or Friday,

10am-‐4pm, for more details.

Return Service Requested

Contact Us at (336) 394-‐4965 or by email at [email protected] us on the web at www.rockinghamcountyhistory.com

Opening in August 2012

Editor-‐in-‐Chief: Kim Proctor

ContribuOng Editors:

Lucy BerryJean BullinsRebecca CiprianiFletcher DaltonRobbin DodsonJudy WallBrenda WardGinger Waynick

ContribuOng Photographers:

Jeff BullinsCarol HighsmithKim ProctorKihy Williams

County Historian: Bob Carter

Design, Layout: Rebecca Cipriani

Printed by: Twin Rivers PrinOng & Graphic Arts, Inc. Madison, NC









Documents

March 2012 MARC News