July 2012 MARC News

12
Rockingham County Historical Society Museum & Archives, P. O. Box 84, Wentworth, NC 27375 www.rockinghamcountyhistory.com | (336) 3944965 | [email protected] MARC NEWS Museum & Archives of Rockingham County IN THIS ISSUE Feature Article 1 Letter from the Director 2 Soldier’s Perspective 3 Tobacco--the Way It Was 4 Recent Events 5 Journey Stories 6 Journey Stories 7 225 Year Old Mystery is Solved 8 Upcoming Events 9 Recalling the Reidsville Racetrack 10 Chinqua Penn 11 MARC your Calendar 12 A quarterly publication of the Rockingham County Historical Society Museum & Archives Vol. II, No. 2 July 2012 Your Museum is Ready for YOU! With opening renova.ons completed, the historic courthouse in Wentworth once again displays its original architectural features and beauty. Research and exhibit designs are done and high tech gallery ligh.ng is installed. The Museum and Archives of Rockingham County (MARC) is ready for YOU! Opening day on August 11 will be a fes.ve celebra.on, including the Opening Ceremony at 10am and ac.vi.es on the museum green. We invite you all to aJend! In conjunc.on with unveiling the first phase of local exhibits and an exhibi.on of photographs by Carol Highsmith (a Library of Congress photographer with local .es), we are honored to be one of only six sites in North Carolina selected to host the Smithsonian Ins.tu.on’s Traveling Exhibit, Journey Stories. This exhibit from the Smithsonian’s much acclaimed Museum on Main Street program spotlights the na.on’s defining stories of immigra.on, transporta.on, and the personal journeys of Americans. It is rare for a brand new museum to host such a pres.gious program. Our selec.on as a host site is tes.mony that MARC Execu.ve Director Kim Proctor and the MARC Board of Directors have developed a plan for a firstclass museum. Now it’s .me for all the ci.zens of Rockingham County and the Triad region to help make the MARC successful. The MARC can’t be your museum un.l you make yourself part of the MARC. Come and see; share your knowledge, experiences and ar.facts; and, support the MARC with your con.nued visits, .me, talents and financial resources. By working together for the MARC, we can share our heritage with the Rockingham County genera.ons to follow. Get on your MARC, get set, GO! Due to the rising costs of paper, prin2ng, and postage, we print eight pages of the twelvepage newsle8er. Pages 5 thru 8 are not included in the print version. Please remember that the fullcolor, twelvepage version is available online at rockinghamcountyhistory.com If you have missed any of the previous issues, you can find them there, too. Journey Stories has been made possible by the MARC and the North Carolina HumaniOes Council. Journey Stories is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboraOon between the Smithsonian InsOtuOon and State HumaniOes Councils naOonwide. Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the United States Congress.

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Full Color Version of the Rockingham County Historical Society Museum & Archives Newsletter

Transcript of July 2012 MARC News

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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

Soldier’s Perspective 3

Tobacco--the Way It Was 4

Recent Events 5

Journey Stories 6

Journey Stories 7

225 Year Old Mystery is Solved

8

Upcoming Events 9

Recalling the Reidsville Racetrack

10

Chinqua Penn 11

MARC your Calendar 12

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

Vol. II, No. 2July 2012

Your Museum is Ready for YOU!With  opening  renova.ons  completed,  the  historic  courthouse  in  Wentworth  once  again  displays  its  original  architectural  features  and  beauty.    Research  and  exhibit  designs  are  done  and  high  tech  gallery  ligh.ng  is  installed.  The  Museum  and  Archives  of  Rockingham  County  (MARC)  is  ready  for  YOU!  Opening  day  on  August  11  will  be  a  fes.ve  celebra.on,  including  the  Opening  Ceremony  at  10am  and  ac.vi.es  on  the  museum  green.    We  invite  you  all  to  aJend!

In  conjunc.on  with  unveiling  the  first  phase  of  local  exhibits  and  an  exhibi.on  of  photographs  by  Carol  Highsmith  (a  Library  of  Congress  photographer  with  local  .es),    we  are  honored  to  be  one  of  only  six  sites  in  North  Carolina  selected  to  host  the  Smithsonian  Ins.tu.on’s  Traveling  Exhibit,  Journey  Stories.  This  exhibit  from  the  Smithsonian’s  much  acclaimed  Museum  on  Main  Street  program  spotlights  the  na.on’s  defining  stories  of  immigra.on,  transporta.on,  and  the  personal  journeys  of  Americans.    

It  is  rare  for  a  brand  new  museum  to  host  such  a  pres.gious  program.  Our  selec.on  as  a  host  site  is  tes.mony  that  MARC  Execu.ve  Director  Kim  Proctor  and  the  MARC  Board  of  Directors  have  developed  a  plan  for  a  first-­‐class  museum.    Now  it’s  .me  for  all  the  ci.zens  of  Rockingham  County  and  the  Triad  region  to  help  make  the  MARC  successful.    

The  MARC  can’t  be  your  museum  un.l  you  make  yourself  part  of  the  MARC.  Come  and  see;  share  your  knowledge,  experiences  and  ar.facts;  and,  support  the  MARC  with  your  con.nued  visits,  .me,  talents  and  financial  resources.  By  working  together  for  the  MARC,  we  can  share  our  heritage  with  the  Rockingham  County  genera.ons  to  follow.

 Get  on  your  MARC,  get  set,  GO!  Due  to  the  rising  costs  of  paper,  

prin2ng,  and  postage,  we  print  eight  pages  of  the  twelve-­‐page  newsle8er.  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.com

If  you  have  missed  any  of  the  previous  issues,  you  can  find  them  

there,  too.

Journey  Stories  has  been  made  possible  by  the  MARC  and  the  

North  Carolina  HumaniOes  Council.  Journey  Stories  is  part  of  Museum  on  Main  Street,  a  collaboraOon  

between  the  Smithsonian  InsOtuOon  and  State  HumaniOes  Councils  naOonwide.  Support  for  Museum  on  Main  Street  has  been  provided  by  the  United  States  

Congress.  

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

Letter from the Director

When  I  arrived  in  the  fall  of  2010,  opening  a  county-­‐wide  museum  was  the  goal.    As  I  reflect,  I  find  it  hard  to  describe  the  last  year  and  a  half.  Words  like  upliIing,  fulfilling,  surprising,  challenging,  exhaus2ng,  nerve-­‐wracking,  and  overwhelming  come  to  mind.      

Always,  I  have  been  surprised  by  the  excellent  work  of  the  Historical  Society  over  the  last  five  decades.    The  organiza2on  was  ahead  of  its  2me!  I  have  been  upliIed  by  the  support  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  so  many  good  partners,  and  so  many  generous  people.  I  have  been  challenged  daily  and  pleased  as  those  challenges  are  met.  I  have  been  fulfilled  by  the  opportunity  to  use  my  skills  and  be  part  of  a  project  that  will  bring  something  very  special  to  the  people  of  Rockingham  County.  

Some2mes,  I  have  been  exhausted  by  the  constant  ac2vity.  I  have  felt  that  nerve-­‐wracking  concern  that  things  would  not  go  as  planned,  and  I’ve  been  overwhelmed  by  the  never-­‐ending  piles  of  work  that  clu8er  my  desk.  AIer  all,  I’m  just  human.    But  every  morning  when  I  get  up  and  every  night  before  I  go  to  sleep,  I  am  grateful  for  the  opportunity  to  share  my  passion  for  history  and  make  a  difference  for  genera2ons  to  come.  I’m  simply  thrilled  to  be  here  in  Rockingham  County  and  working  on  this  project.

Now,  it  is  my  great  pleasure  to  announce  that  the  Museum  &  Archives  of  Rockingham  County  (MARC)  will  open  to  the  public  on  Saturday,  August  11,  2012.  The  ribbon  cu[ng  ceremony  will  start  at  10am  and  the  museum  will  be  open  un2l  4pm.  There  will  be  ac2vi2es  to  enjoy  on  the  museum  green  all  day,  reminiscent  of  the  days  of  old  when  court  was  in  session  and  everyone  came  from  miles  around  to  the  county  seat  of  Wentworth.    

I  hope  you’ll  join  me  at  the  MARC  on  the  11th.  It  won’t  be  the  same  without  you.  And  I  promise,  it  will  be  a  day  to  remember!

Kim Proctor,  Execu.ve  Director

Volunteer  Guild  Members  Needed!

  When  we  open  the  MARC  on  August  11th,  we’ll  need  all  the  help  we  can  get  to  keep  the  doors  open.    Manning  an  historic  complex  requires  lots  of  hands  and  minds  to  provide  a  meaningful  and  memorable  experience  for  visitors.     Over  the  last  several  months,  many  of  you  have  expressed  an  interest  in  helping.  I’m  sure  others  have  been  wai2ng  for  the  2me  to  grow  nearer  to  throw  your  hat  in  the  ring.  Now  is  that  2me!   If  you  believe  in  the  importance  of  preserving  our  history,  if  you  enjoy  working  with  people,  if  you  have  some  spare  2me,  and  if  you’re  looking  for  a  way  to  make  a  difference,  we  have  the  perfect  opportunity  for  you  to  serve  our  community  and  enjoy  yourself  at  the  same  2me.   Beginning  August  11th,  the  MARC  will  be  open  Wednesday  through  Friday  from  2pm  un2l  8pm  and  Saturday  from  10am  to  4pm.  Each  day  we  will  need  help  in  numerous  areas.  I  have  listed  some  of  those  posi2ons  below.

• Office  Recep2onist• Museum  Recep2onist• GiI  Shop  A8endants• Gallery  Hosts• Tour  Guides  at  the  MARC• Tour  Guides  at  Wright  Tavern• Hospitality  Providers• Program  Assistants• School  Group  Tour  Guides• Data  Entry  Assistants• Ar2fact  Accession  Assistants

  Ideally,  we  would  like  volunteers  to  commit  six  to  eight  hours  per  month  in  two  or  four  hour  blocks.  If  you  have  addi2onal  2me,  we’ll  be  glad  to  have  you  as  oIen  as  you  like.     You  won’t  be  leI  on  your  own.  You  will  be  trained  and  friends  will  be  available  to  help  when  you  are  at  the  MARC.    You  will  be  provided  with  a  training  manual  that  will  prepare  you  for  your  assignments  and  familiarize  you  with  the  exhibits  at  the  MARC  and  Wright  Tavern,  as  well  as  a  tour  at  both  the  museum  and  the  historic  site.   Our  first  training  session  will  be  held  Tuesday,  July  31st  from  6-­‐8:30pm,  Saturday  August  4th  from  10am-­‐1pm,  and  Tuesday,  August  14th  from  2-­‐4:30pm.  Volunteers  are  required  to  aaend  at  least  one  training  session.     If  you  are  interested  in  joining  the  Volunteer  Guild,  please  call  the  office  at  336-­‐394-­‐4965  or  e-­‐mail  us  at  [email protected].  Include  the  days  and  Omes  that  you  are  available  and  your  area  of  interest.     All  of  us  at  the  MARC  appreciate  your  considera2on  and  hope  you  choose  to  join  us  as  we  share  Rockingham  County’s  history  with  the  public.

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

Soldier’s  PerspecOve  of  WWII  Leads  to  Photography  Career  By:  Jean  Bullins

  When  Pete  Comer  was  dra^ed  into  the  Army  at  the  age  of  18,  he  could  hardly  imagine  the  life-­‐long  journey  upon  which  he  was  embarking.  This  journey  took  him  to  places  in  the  United  States,  to  Europe,  and  back  to  Madison,  North  Carolina  for  a  remarkable  career.   Pete  first  reported  for  duty  at  Fort  Bragg  on  June  28,  1945.  A^er  the  ini.al  processing  he  traveled  to  LiJle  Rock,  Arkansas  and  Fort  PickeJ,  Virginia  to  complete  his  basic  training.  The  soldiers  were  transferred  between  bases  by  train.  He  recalled  the  thick  black  soot  from  the  train  engines  that  covered  their  uniforms  as  it  blew  through  the  open  windows  of  the  cars.   On  March  6,  1946,  Pete  traveled  to  New  Jersey  to  board  the  USS  George  Washington,  a  transport  ship  bound  for  Europe.  Once  in  Europe,  Pete’s  vantage  point  of  World  War  II  changed  dras.cally.  He  was  assigned  to  the  Signal  Corps  and  trained  as  a  mo.on  picture  photographer.  This  duty  allowed  him  to  know  in  advance  when  important  events  were  going  to  happen,  and  he  became  a  witness  to  historic  events.  He  also  gained  experience  in  a  photo  processing  lab  in  Munich,  Germany.  Films  from  loca.ons  all  over  Germany  were  brought  there  for  processing  and  then  transported  to  fighter  planes  for  delivery  back  to  Washington,  where  they  s.ll  remain  in  military  archives.     A^er  his  military  discharge,  GI  Bill  benefits  enabled  Pete  to  begin  photography  school  in  Kansas  City  in  1948,  and  he  opened  Comer’s  Studio  in  Madison  in  1952.  As  the  business  grew  Pete’s  wife,  Jackie,  joined  him  to  handle  customer  service  du.es  while  Pete  concentrated  on  the  photography  and  prin.ng  opera.ons.    Pete  says,  “The  business  evolved  and  grew  through  the  years.  People  were  so  great  to  support  us.”  The  truth,  however,  is  that  Pete’s  sole  ambi.on  was  to  make  the  best  photographs  he  could  make,  and  he  was  rewarded  for  his  work  ethic  by  the  trust  and  patronage  of  his  clients  for  54  years.  Pete  made  educa.on  a  life-­‐.me  commitment  by  par.cipa.ng  in  con.nuing  educa.on  and  conven.on  seminars  throughout  his  career.  He  has  aJended  every  mee.ng  of  the  Professional  Photographers  of  North  Carolina  Conven.on  since  1950.   Through  his  leadership  in  Combat  Airmen/Joshua’s  Troops  of  Mayodan,  Pete  ac.vely  seeks  to  preserve  and  share  the  experiences  of  former  soldiers.  This  group,  organized  in  2006,  meets  monthly  at  the  Dan  Valley  Community  Center.    All  branches  of  the  military  except  the  Coast  Guard  are  represented,  and  the  membership  includes  par.cipants  in  all  United  States  conflicts  from  World  War  II  to  the  war  in  Iraq.  In  addi.on  to  sharing  their  stories  at  schools  and  churches,  members  worked  with  local  author,  Marilyn  Swinson,  to  publish  “Scars  of  War,”  a  book  based  on  interviews  with  more  than  40  members  of  Joshua’s  Troops.   We  are  most  grateful  for  Pete’s  interest  and  support  for  the  Museum  and  Archives  of  Rockingham  County.    Historical  photographs  he  has  taken  are  already  a  part  of  the  Special  Collec.ons  at  Rockingham  Community  College.    Recently,  he  donated  much  of  his  equipment  to  us.  MARC  Execu.ve  Director,  Kim  Proctor,  said  she  is  “excited  about  the  opportuni.es  equipment  of  this  quality  will  provide  for  the  museum.    Photographs  and  photography  are  both  integral  parts  of  the  museum  archival  process.”

Pete  Comer  is  posing  with  two  of  his  favorite  photographs.      The  portrait  of  Ollie  Tatum  won  several  first  place  prizes  in  trade  shows.  The  picture  on  the  right  captured  Pete  at  work  for  the  army  during  World  War  II.  

AJourney  StoriesArOcle

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

As  the  young  tobacco  plants  took  root  and  began  to  grow,  so  did  the  grass!  My  Daddy  would  say,  “The  lower  terrace  is  looking  ‘wooly.’”  So  out  came  the  three-­‐foot  cul.vators  and  old  Maude,  the  sorrel  mare  who  never  stepped  on  a  plant,  swung  around  without  promp.ng  at  the  end  of  each  row,  and  obeyed  voice  commands.  Daddy  trusted  her  so  much  that  the  reins  (we  called  them  “lines”)  were  around  his  neck.  

A  good  cul.vator,  plowing  a  half  row  at  a  .me,  would  leave  about  four  inches  at  the  top  of  the  “list”  or  ridge  that  had  to  be  “smacked  off”  with  a  hoe.  Hoeing  was  also  an  art.  You  flaJened  the  list  both  pulling  the  hoe  and  pushing  it,  coming  ever  so  close  to  the  plant  but  not  daring  cut  it  off.  If  you  were  a  careless  older  child,  that  was  invita.on  for  a  whipping!  If  you  were  a  devious  one,  you  stuck  the  plant  back  in  the  ground  in  hopes  your  Daddy  would  think  it  vic.m  to  a  cut  worm!  Your  last  lick  with  the  hoe  was  to  pull  some  dirt  around  the  plant.  The  sun  was  hot  and  the  rows  were  long,  but  looking  back  on  a  newly  hoed  row  of  tobacco  plants  was  a  preJy  sight.  Now  it  was  ready  to  “take  off.”  

A^er  about  three  plowings  with  the  cul.vator,  the  tobacco  was  “laid  by.”  This  was  done  with  a  very  wide  cul.va.ng  point  called  a  “sweep.”  It  made  a  furrow  in  the  middle  of  the  row  and  threw  loose  soil  around  the  base  of  the  plants.  Any  ambi.ous  crab  grass  that  could  be  covered  with  dirt  would  die;  crab  grass  must  have  light  to  live.  However,  if  you  were  cursed  with  Bermuda  grass  in  your  tobacco  fields,  it  would  climb  out  from  under  a  virtual  mountain  of  dirt!  This  some.mes  requiring  “chopping”  on  the  day  of  laying  the  crop  by.  No  respectable  farmer  would  have  a  grassy  tobacco  patch.  

The  tobacco  plant  blooms  more  by  age  than  by  height;  so  the  fear  of  every  farmer  before  the  days  of  irriga.on  was  that  the  plants  would  “buJon  out”  before  they  got  sufficient  height  and  leaves.  Seeing  blossoms  in  waist  high  plants  was  a  sickening  sight;  seeing  them  when  tobacco  was  about  54-­‐60”  high  was  a  beau.ful  sight.  

If  the  blooms  were  not  snapped  off,  the  top  leaves  of  the  plant  would  never  grow  large;  so  every  plant  had  to  be  “topped.”  Topping  tobacco  was  fun;  you  pulled  with  your  fore  finger  and  middle  finger  and  pushed  with  your  thumb  and  heard  the  succulent  stem  snap.  Looking  back  the  en.re  field  began  to  take  on  a  level  look  as,  ideally,  every  plant  was  topped  at  about  20-­‐22  leaves  and,  with  some  July  rains,  every  leaf  would  mature  as  it  ripened,  making  even  the  “.ps”  weigh  in  good  on  the  warehouse  floor!  

The  week  of  July  4  o^en  gave  a  brief  respite;  therefore  lots  of  churches  had  homecomings  or  revival  mee.ngs  that  week.  There  were  also  horse  shows,  baseball  games,  and  picnics.  But  the  fun  and  frolicking  would  be  short-­‐lived.  

Tobacco  was  relentless  in  its  demand  for  back-­‐breaking  labor.  Once  the  plants  were  topped  and  could  not  grow  up,  some  of  the  energy  was  diverted  to  growing  “suckers.”  Suckers  were  miniature  plants  which  grew  out  from  the  stalk  just  where  the  leaves  were  aJached—all  twenty  of  them!  The  “ground  suckers,”  if  le^  neglected  would  grow  all  the  way  up  through  the  plant  and  basically  ruin  it,  plus  making  the  leaves  difficult  to  prime.  The  top  suckers  would  make  the  plant  top  heavy  and  suscep.ble  to  wind  and  rain  in  summer  storms.  LiJle  was  more  sickening  that  to  go  out  one  morning  a^er  a  storm  during  the  night  to  see  your  precious  livelihood  lying  prostrate  on  the  ground.  Emergency!  “Today,  we  got  to  set  up  tobacco.”  This  had  to  happen  quickly  before  the  leaves  began  to  turn  up  to  the  sun.

AJourney  StoriesArOcle“Laying  Tobacco”

Tobacco—the  Way  It  Was:  “Laying  by”  Ome  By:  Dr.  Donald  W.  Haynes

Don  Haynes  is  a  Rockingham  County  naEve.  He  is   a   reEred   Methodist   minister   and   currently  serves   as   an   interim   pastor   at   Kellum   Grove  ChrisEan   Church   in   the   western   part   of   the  county.

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

Recent Events

Journey  Stories  Keep  Flooding  InBy:  Fletcher  Dalton

Ci2zens  of  Rockingham  County  are  responding  enthusias2cally  to  our  request  for  stories  to  supplement  the  forthcoming  Smithsonian  Ins2tute  Journey  Stories  Exhibi2on,  which  opens  at  the  MARC  on  August  11.

Some  stories  have  come  by  mail  and  email,  some  on  tape,  and  some  as  personal  interviews  with  MARC  staff  and  volunteers.  Even  youngsters  have  remembered  significant  life-­‐stretching    events  and  shared  them  with  us.

There  is  s2ll  2me  to  share    your  school  experiences,  courtships,  cross-­‐county  travels,  tobacco  jobs,  factory  tales  or  other  life  memories.    We  want  to  preserve  your  stories  and  to  laugh  with  you,  cry  with  you,  shiver  at  your  scary  stories,  watch  you  learn  how  to  ride  on  horseback  or  in  an  automobile,  or  understand  your  challenges  in  the  face  of  modern  progress.

Your  stories  help  us  to  weave  the  fabric  of  life  in  Rockingham  County,  North  Carolina,  and  every  story  is  a  memory  to  be  treasured.    Let  us  hear  from  you  soon!

Spring  FesOval

Wanda  Moyer,  of  Stoneville,  selected  two  hats  from  her  collecEon  of  more  than  100  hats  for  the  Easter  Parade  at  Wright  Tavern  in  April.  Wentworth  Presbyterian  Church  joined  the  MARC  to  sponsor  a  Spring  FesEval  to  provide  an  opportunity  for  people  to  come  together  as  a  community  to  celebrate  spring  tradiEons  such  as  the  hat  parade,  egg  decoraEng,  cake  walks,  and  an  egg  hunt.  

Despite  a  week  of  record-­‐breaking  heat,  more  than  500  people  ventured  out  to  par2cipate  in  the  July  fourth  celebra2on  sponsored  by  the  Museum  and  Archives  of  Rockingham  County,  the  Town  of  Wentworth,  and  Rockingham  Community  College.  The  aIernoon  event,  held  at  the  Historic  Village  at  RCC,  provided  the  perfect  blend  of  patrio2sm  and  pizzazz.

The  presenta2on  of  the  Declara2on  of  Independence  was  a  memorable  highlight  of  the  day.  Elected  officials  and  ci2zens  from  across  

all  of  Rockingham  County  took  turns  reading  aloud  por2ons  of  the  document  which  was  the  very  heart  of  the  first  Independence  Day  celebra2on.  Judge  Ed  Wilson,  who  a8ended  with  his  family,  was  exactly  right  when  he  said,  “This  is  the  way  to  spend  the  Fourth  of  July!”  

Visitors  of  all  ages  enjoyed  a8ending  Ward  Triche’s  class  at  the  Village  Schoolhouse  and  experiencing  school  with  the  atmosphere  and  resources  –  or  lack  of  resources  –  that  our  grandparents  oIen  described.  The  Rockingham  County  Mineral  Club’s  sluice  was  another  favorite  a8rac2on  among  the  youngest  guests.    Of  course,  with  the  temperature  approaching  100  degrees,  a  water  slide  and  free  snow  cones  provided  both  fun  and  relief  from  the  heat.

July  4  CelebraOon  is  a  Sizzling  Success                        By:  Jean  Bullins

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

A  Journey  Stories  Ar2cle

Visit  the  Journey  Stories  

exhibi2on  at  the  MARC  to  

learn  more.

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

EXHIBIT FLOOR PLAN

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

225  Year  Old  Mystery  Is  SolvedBy:  Charles  Rodenbough

On   April   11,   1787,   Governor   Richard   Caswell   wrote   to   ex-­‐Governor  Alexander  MarDn   from   Kinston,   I   have   “forwarded   TesDmonials   under  seal   of   the   state   to   the   papers   relaDng   to   estates   of   Messrs  Farley.”  Martin  had  just   been  appointed  by  Caswell  as  one  of  the  five  delegates  

from  North  Carolina  to  the  ConsDtuDonal  ConvenDon  in  Philadelphia  and  he  was  shortly  to  leave  for  that  city.  What   these   tesDmonials  were   and   to  whom  MarDn   was  presumably   directed   to   carry   them,   has  conDnued  to  be  a  mystery.    On  March  1,  after  225  years,  they  were  found  by  Charles  Rodenbough  when  he  and   Bob  Carter   made  a  research  trip   to   the  Virginia  State  Archives   in  Richmond,   Virginia.     They   were  located  in  a  document  file  box  with  papers  concerning  a  US  Circuit  Court  Case  in  1805,  Dinwiddie,  Crawford  &  Co.  vs.  Henry  Skipwith,  et.  al.

The  soluDon  to  the  mystery  of  the  “lost  tesDmonials”   is  that  they  were  a  copy  of  the  will  of  Francis  Farley,  late  of  AnDgua.   Francis  died  April  1,  1779  at  sea,  having  just  le^  AnDgua  on  his  way  to  Virginia.   His  ship  was  being  pursued  by  a  French  warship  and  had  to  duck  into  Guadalupe  where  he  was  buried.   A  copy  of  his  will,   certified  by   Thomas  Shirley,   Governor   of   the  Leeward  Islands,   had  been  sent  to  Rockingham  County  where  Farley  owned  the  26,000  acres  known  as  the  Sauratown  or   Land  of  Eden.     Rockingham  County  had  been  formed   from  Guilford  as  of  1785   and  Thomas  Henderson,  brother-­‐in-­‐law  of  Alexander  Martin,  had  been  Clerk  of  Court  in  Guilford  and  now  held  the  same  office  in  Rockingham.

In  Virginia,   Francis  Farley’s  daughter-­‐in-­‐law,   widow  of  his  son,   James  Parke   Farley   (died  May   1,  1777)   had   just  married  Rev.   John  Dunbar,  an  Irish  Priest.     Dunbar  was  in  the  process  of  having  himself  declared  administrator  of  the  Estate  of  Francis  Farley  and  James  Parke  Farley  in  Virginia  and  North  Carolina  and  guardian  of  the  four  minor   daughters  of   James  Parke  Farley.     For   that   purpose  Dunbar   had  made  Alexander   Martin  his  attorney,   and  appointed  the  famous  Anti-­‐   federalist   legislator,  Willie   Jones,   as  his  surety  at  £50,000.

The  cerDfied  copy  of  the  Francis  Farley   Will  was  sent   to  Henderson   from  AnDgua.     He  certified  it  as  Clerk  and  sent   it  along  with  the  surety,   administration,  and  guardian  documents  to  Governor   Caswell  who  placed  the  Great   Seal  of   the  State  upon   them.     Returned  to  Rockingham  County,   these  were  the  “testimonials”  that  Governor  Caswell  was  requesting  Governor  Martin  to  deliver  to  Rev.  Dunbar  and  the  Farley  heirs  in  Richmond,  Virginia.   In  later  years,   that   family  had  reason  to  use  these  same  documents  in  other  cases  at   law  including  the  Dinwiddie,  Crawford  case  in  1805.    That  is  how  these  papers  got  into  the  Archives  at  Virginia.

  Missing  from  Rockingham  County  are  pages  40,  41  of  Deed  Book  A  (just  before  a  recording  of  the  appointment  of  James  Taylor  as  Steward  of  the  Sauratown)  and  a  copy  of  the  Francis  Farley  Will  which  is  believed  to  have  once  been  among  the  recorded  Wills  in  Rockingham.     All  these  papers  have  now  been  copied,  along  with  many  other  documents  found  in  the  US  Circuit  Court  case  and  they  are  being  deposited  as  part  of  the  newly  established  Rockingham  County  Archives.

AJourney  Stories

ArOcle

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

Upcoming Events

MARC  HOURS

MARC  ADMISSION

Wednesday,  Thursday  &  

Friday  2  pm  to  8  pm  

Saturday  10  am  to  4  pm

Adults    ...................................$5.00Students  &  Senior  Ci.zens  ....$3.50Children  (ages  4-­‐12)  ..............$2.50Maximum  cost  per  family....$20.00

New  Website!By:  Ginger  Waynick

Coming  August  3    www.themarconline.org

Even  before  the  museum  doors  open  to  the  public,  you  can  get  a  glimpse  of  all  the  good  things  happening  with  the  Rockingham  County  Historical  Society  Museum  and  Archives.    On  August  1,  we  will  debut  our  new  website  at  www.themarconline.org  to  keep  you  informed  of  MARC  news  and  informa.on!

Designed  by  local  webmaster  Roy  Sawyers,  the  site  will  feature  news  and  events  at  the  historic  complex,  including  copies  of  the  MARC  newsleJer;  on-­‐line  access  to  the  historical  collec.ons  in  the  archives;  ac.vi.es  and  resources  for  families,  students  and  teachers;  and  resources  for  genealogists.  

The  site,  which  also  features  site  search  and  email  func.ons,  is  part  of  the  con.nuing  effort  to  raise  the  museum's  profile  and  provide  interac.on  between  site  visitors  and  the  museum  and  its  ar.facts.    MARC  Execu.ve  Director  Kim  Proctor  views  the  new  web  presence  as  part  of  the  logical  progression  in  the  development  of  the  new  organiza.on.    "Now  that  we're  closing  in  on  our  Grand  Opening,"  she  noted,  "we  want  to  have  an  absolutely  state  of  the  art  website."

Publicity  Chair  Ginger  Waynick  explained,  “We  plan  to  make  more  and  more  documents  and  informa.on  available  on-­‐line  and  to  make  them  more  easily  accessible.”  No  website  is  ever  finished,  and  our  goal  is  to  provide  the  resources  that  site  visitors  need  as  the  museum  and  the  website  con.nue  to  evolve.  

The  new  website  provides  access  for  the  museum  staff  to  do  constant  updates  to  insure  that  it  will  always  be  up-­‐to-­‐date.    With  all  that  is  happening  at  the  MARC,  you  will  surely  want  to  bookmark  www.themarconline.org  on  your  Internet  browser  and  visit  there  o^en!  

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

 

  Jimmy  Waynick,  born  in  1920,  lived  in  the  "racetrack"  neighborhood  at  the  corner  of  Northup  Street  and  Pennrose  Drive  in  Reidsville,  NC.    His  father,  Fletcher  Watson  Waynick,  ran  a  blacksmith  and  machine  shop  there  and  the  family  lived  alongside  the  shop  on  Northup  Street.  The  Waynick  shop  was  later  moved  to  the  current  golf  course  and  used  as  a  maintenance  shed.

   Jimmy  explained,  “By  the  Dme  I  was  born  it  (the  track)  was  abandoned.    I  don’t  even  know  what  kind  of  races  they  held  there.”  Other  Reidsville  sources  indicate  that  trojng  horses  were  raced  at  the  track.    The  only  race  Jimmy  saw  there  was  at  the  Harvest  FesDval  in  the  fall  of  1926.  He  recalled,  “All  the  grandees  of  the  town  with  horses  would  mount  holding  long  poles  (lances).  Several  poles  were  placed  along  the  track  with  a  ring  on  each  pole,  and  the  grandees  raced  down  the  track  to  try  to  spear  a  ring."    

  The  story  Jimmy  was  told  about  the  eventual  bankruptcy  of  the  track  was,  "that  the  great  Dan  Patch  (a  record  breaking  stallion)  was  scheduled  to  race  there  and  when  all  the  preachers  found  out,  they  got  together  and  prayed  for  rain.  It  rained  for  the  enDre  week  and  that  was  the  end  of  racing  in  Reidsville."  Eventually  the  abandoned  track  was  used  as  a  dumping  site  for  local  residents.    Jimmy  noted  that  "neighborhood  kids  found  a  lot  of  abandoned  toys  there."  According  to  Waynick,  the  old  grandstand  was  on  the  back  of  what  is  now  South  End  School.

 

  Jimmy  also  remembered  when,  in  1930,  local  developer,  Charlie  Penn,  developed  the  site  for  American  Tobacco  Company  foremen  housing  and  built  the  golf  course  and  Pennrose  Park  Country  Club  where  they  sDll  stand.    Jimmy  and  the  local  kids  watched  as  the  Park  was  being  built,  and  he  said,  “While  black  men  with  mules  and  drag  pans  were  used  to  level  the  property,  the  Waynick  and  Miller  homes  across  Northup  Street  were  saved.    Kids  got  cement  off  the  construcDon  site  and  built  roads  under  the  Miller  house  for  our  toy  cars."

Recalling  the  Reidsville  RacetrackBy:  Ginger  Waynick

A

Journey  Sto

ries

ArOcle

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MARC NEWS! PAGE11

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

  The  MARC  is  pleased  to  offer  you  the  opportunity  to  preserve,  in  your  name,  one  or  more  of  the  treasures  we  acquired  from  the  Chinqua  Penn  aucDons.  We  hope  you  will  find  the  items  of  interest  to  you  and  that  you  will  pledge  your  support  to  the  MARC,  so  it  can  be  a  secure  and  accessible  permanent  home  for  this  collecDon.  

  Each  item  is  available  for  you  to  sponsor  in  the  Chinqua  Penn  exhibit  at  the  MARC.    We  request  that  you  underwrite  a  value  for  your  selecDon  by  pledging  an  annual  contribuDon  over  the  next  five  years.  There  are  30  items  for  which  sponsorships  range  from  $200  per  year  to  $750  per  year.    The  sponsorships  for  the  remaining  14  items  range  from  $1,000  to  $10,000  per  year.  You  will  be  idenDfied  as  the  contributor  for  the  item  you  select.  Your  annual  sponsorship  contribuDons  will  automaDcally  include  your  historical  society  membership  dues,  as  well.

  We  are  hopeful  that  a  posiDve  result  from  the  regrenul  demise  of  the  Penn  estate  will  be  a  renewed  sense  of  interest  in  historic  preservaDon  among  Rockingham  County  ciDzens.  The  purpose  of  the  MARC  is  to  collect,  preserve  and  share  the  rich  and  diverse  history  of  Rockingham  County.  No  doubt,  there  are  collecDble  items  of  interest  in  every  home  in  the  county.  We  need  the  MARC  to  educate  ciDzens  about  the  stories  these  items  represent  and  the  value  of  preserving  them.  And,  we  need  the  museum  faciliDes  to  insure  that  the  history  of  this  county  is  known  in  generaDons  to  come.  

  Insuring  the  long-­‐term  success  of  the  MARC  requires  significant  financial  support.  It  is  a  huge  undertaking  to  build  a  first  class  museum,  but  with  your  assistance  it  can  be  done.  We  are  grateful  to  our  first  sponsors,  Skip  and  Tilda  Balsley,  Sunshine  Bishopric,  and  Tom  and  Gloria  Butler,  for  sharing  our  vision  and  invesDng  in  the  future.    If  you  are  interested  in  seeing  the  Penn  collecDon  and  making  a  contribuDon,  please  contact  Dan  Mosca  at  336.656.0028  or  336.587.7332  (cell)  to  schedule  an  appointment.

Chinqua  Penn  Will  Not  Be  ForgoaenBy:  Kim  Proctor

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MARC NEWS

July 2012

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

Vol. II, No. 2

MAIL TO:

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

MARC  Your  Calendar!August  3:  debut  of  new  website  at  www.themarconline.comAugust  11:  10  am,  GRAND  OPENINGAugust  16:  7-­‐8:30pm,  BaReau  NavigaEon  on  the  Dan  River  -­‐  Lindley  Butler,  Ph.D.August  26:  2-­‐3pm,  Sauratown  (Land  of  Eden)  -­‐  Charles  RodenboughSeptember  7:  6-­‐8pm,  Our  Stories,  Ourselves  -­‐  Lorenzo  “Logie”  MeachumSeptember  14:  7-­‐8:30pm,  Freedom  under  ConstrucEon:  Building  Blocks  of  the  Civil  Rights  Movement  -­‐  Panel  discussion  and  tour  of  the  exhibitSeptember  17:  7-­‐8:30pm,  Tobacco:  the  Backbone  of  Rockingham  County  Economy  -­‐  Bob  Carter,  Rockingham  County  HistorianSeptember  20:  7-­‐8:30pm,  The  Significance  of  Churches  to  African  Americans  during  ReconstrucEon  -­‐  Dr.  Reginald  Hildebrand

Watch  the  website  for  event  addi2ons  and  updates

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

Opening August 11, 2012

Editor-­‐in-­‐Chief: Kim  Proctor

ContribuOng  Editors:

Lucy  BerryJean  BullinsRebecca  CiprianiFletcher  DaltonRobbin  DodsonJudy  WallBrenda  WardGinger  Waynick

ContribuOng  Photographers:

Robbin  DodsonKim  Proctor

County  Historian: Bob  Carter

Design,  Layout: Rebecca  Cipriani

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

IT’S TIME TO RENEWif the membership year on your mailing label is not 2012