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Posts Tagged ‘north carolina’

Albert Joyner, Hero in the Effort to Desegregate Old Fort Elementary School

Posted in Civil Rights, _Interviewee: Albert Joyner, tagged , , on February 7, 2011 |

One Sunday in September of 1950, the residents of Old Fort were startled to see dozens of African-American children marching down the main street of town carrying signs saying “We Want Our School Back” and “What Happened to Our School”. The young students were protesting the decision to close the all-black Catawba View Grammar School [...]

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The Civil War: Hard Times on the Home Front

Posted in Burgins, Civil War, _Interviewee: Peggy Silvers, tagged , , , on September 22, 2009 |

The Burgin family looms large in McDowell County history as well as in the history of our nation.  Along with the Greenlees, Carsons, and McDowells, they were among the first settlers of what is now McDowell County. Phillip Burgin arrived in America in 1677, and his son Benjamin “Pioneer Ben” Burgin made his way to the Old [...]

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The View From Graphite

Posted in Depression Years, Everyday life, Flood of 1916, Trains, _Interviewee: Mildred Kelly, tagged , , , on September 12, 2009 |

The McDowell community of Graphite, or Graphiteville, is located just down the mountain from Ridgecrest and takes its name from the mining activity that took place there around 1900. Mildred Kelly has lived in Graphite her entire life,  as did her mother and grandmother before her. Her home is located just across the yard from [...]

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Women’s Work

Posted in Arts & Crafts, Carsons/Carson House, Everyday life, _Interviewee: James Haney, tagged , , on September 12, 2009 |

We’ve all heard the old saying “A woman’s work is never done”, and that was especially true on a farm or plantation in the old days. Dr. James Haney of the historic Carson House takes us on a tour of an exhibit in one of the upper rooms of the home devoted to “women’s work”.  [...]

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Growing Up on Crooked Creek

Posted in Depression Years, Everyday life, Farming, World War II, _Interviewee: Willard Burgin, tagged , , on September 11, 2009 |

Willard Burgin makes his home on land originally cleared by his great-grandfather in the upper reaches  of the Crooked Creek community, barely this side of the Buncombe County line.  He’s just up the road from the old Mount Hebron Bible Institute where his parents met and where he briefly went to school himself.  Nestled peacefully at the foot of [...]

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Depression Era Programs Benefit McDowell: The WPA and CCC

Posted in Depression Years, Everyday life, _Interviewee: Terrell Finley, tagged , , on September 11, 2009 |

When Franklin Roosevelt became President in 1933, nearly one-fourth of Americans were unemployed. FDR set about immediately establishing the programs of the “New Deal” to address this critical problem. Two of the most successful were the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps). The WPA put men to work constructing public buildings, [...]

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The 1929 Marion Textile Strike

Posted in 1929 Textile Strike, Mill Village, Textiles, tagged , , , on August 18, 2009 | 1 Comment »

In 1929, strikes began to break out at textile mills across the American South.  The mill workers’ discontent stemmed from long hours at low pay, deplorable working conditions, and the general callousness with which they were treated by their employers.  In the spring of ’29 a strike began in Elizabethton, TN followed by Greenville, SC and [...]

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Andrews Geyser

Posted in Andrews Geyser, Old Fort, Trains, _Interviewee: Steve Little, tagged , , on August 14, 2009 |

In the late 1800s when the railroad from Old Fort to Ridgecrest was completed, passengers were treated to a very impressive sight as their train climbed the 13 miles of switchbacks and seven tunnels to the top of the mountain. Several times during their ascent they were treated with a view of “the fountain” at [...]

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The Story of a McDowell Farm Family

Posted in Everyday life, Farming, _Interviewee: Donald Anderson, tagged , , on July 13, 2009 |

Donald Anderson recalls that “Most of my time as a youngster was spent hoeing corn”, and he comes from a long line of farmers.  His grandfather farmed land in the community that is now covered by Lake James and his father was a tenant farmer just north of Marion until, as the recipient of the first [...]

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Little Switzerland: Beauty Spot of the Blue Ridge

Posted in Little Switzerland, _Interviewee: Ann Kernahan, _Interviewee: Coles Jackson, _Interviewee: Frank Brown, tagged , on July 13, 2009 |

In the spring of 1909, Charlotte attorney Herriot Clarkson led a small group on a trip from Spruce Pine to Grassy Mountain  seeking a suitable location for a small summer resort. When they reached the top of Chestnut Ridge, the relatively flat terrain, plentiful springs and spectacular views convinced Mr. Clarkson that he had found [...]

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Montage

Posted in Everyday life, Overview, Revolutionary War, _Interviewee: Dean Branch, _Interviewee: Jeanette Harris, _Interviewee: Jessica Gibbs, _Interviewee: Jessie May Roper Groves, _Interviewee: Joe Williams, _Interviewee: Mark Hall, _Interviewee: Pete Gibbs, _Interviewee: Rick Acrivos, tagged , , , , on July 2, 2009 |

This audio montage is a small sampling of the great stories and remembrances we are currently collecting from residents all over McDowell County. We’ve heard stories of the Cherokee, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the building of the railroad, the Great Depression and other historical events. But mostly, we’ve heard stories of how real people lived [...]

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