John A. Laughridge was sheriff of McDowell County from 1910 to 1918. He is a legendary figure, both for the way he discharged his duties as well as for his kindness and fairness to everyone he met. In this clip, his granddaughter Jeanette Harris shares some of her favorite stories about her grandfather. Plus, we’ll hear from Sheriff [...]
Posts Tagged ‘oral history’
Sheriff John Laughridge Remembered
Posted in Everyday life, _Interviewee: Jeanette Harris, tagged mcdowell county, oral history on August 31, 2009 |
Hunting John McDowell and Brown’s Purchase
Posted in Cherokee, McDowells, _Interviewee: Anne Swann, tagged Cherokee, mcdowell county, oral history on August 31, 2009 |
To explore this chapter of McDowell history, we join historian Anne Swann in one of the log cabins at the Mountain Gateway Museum to hear the tale of a wrestling match that laid the foundation for the development of the county. Anne also talks about how Hunting John McDowell came to play a huge role [...]
The 1929 Marion Textile Strike
Posted in 1929 Textile Strike, Mill Village, Textiles, tagged mcdowell county, Mill Village, north carolina, oral history 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 [...]
Letters From A Homesick Confederate Soldier
Posted in Civil War, _Interviewee: Dee Daughtridge, tagged Civil War, mcdowell county, oral history on August 17, 2009 |
Dee Sawyer Daughtridge of Old Fort has deep roots in the Curtis Creek area of McDowell County and can trace her family history back eight generations. She is also fortunate to have come into the possession of letters that her great-grandfather, Green Berry Woody, wrote to his wife and children when he was a soldier in [...]
Old Fort Resident Remembers the Self-Reliant Life, a Cross-Country Adventure, and the Friendship of a Lifetime
Posted in Depression Years, Everyday life, Farming, Old Fort, _Interviewee: Binkie Adams (transcript), _Interviewee: Jessica Gibbs, tagged mcdowell county, oral history on August 15, 2009 |
Jessica “Jep” Gibbs was born in 1913. The majority of her life has been lived in the Old Fort area, and she currently resides just minutes from where she grew up. In addition to her other stories, in this clip she talks quite a bit about her friend Binkie Adams, daughter of the visionary Col. Daniel W. [...]
“Characters Make the Community”: Col. Daniel Adams and Charlie McKinney
Posted in Old Fort, Orchard at Altapass, _Interviewee: Bill Carson, _Interviewee: Terrell Finley, tagged mcdowell county, oral history, Orchard at Altapass on August 14, 2009 |
In the early days of McDowell County, strong personalities often had a sizeable and lasting impact on the community. The accomplished inventor Col. Daniel W. Adams of Old Fort worked to bring water, electricity and telephone service to the town. Adams also served as a mountain guide and designer of municipal fountains, among a myriad of other [...]
Life in the Clinchfield Mill Village
Posted in Everyday life, Marion, Mill Village, Textiles, _Interviewee: Glenys Gilbert, tagged mcdowell county, Mill Village, oral history on August 13, 2009 |
Like many small southern towns, Marion was home to several textile mill villages beginning in the second decade of the 1900s. Labor unrest led to strikes and eventually to a bloody confrontation in East Marion in 1929. That violent episode has overshadowed much of the rest of McDowell County textile mill history, but the mill village [...]
A Civil War Story of Stoneman’s Raiders…and A Gift They Left Behind
Posted in Civil War, _Interviewee: Gwen Bradsher, _Interviewee: Nancy Greenlee, tagged Civil War, mcdowell county, oral history, Stoneman's Raid on August 13, 2009 |
As the Civil War neared an end in 1865, Union cavalry commander Major General George Stoneman mounted a raid from Tennessee across the Blue Ridge Mountains into western North Carolina. His troops passed right through McDowell County and some excellent stories have been handed down about the his raiders’ unwelcome visits to homes in the area. Stoneman’s [...]
Harold McCurry of Montford Cove Reminisces on the Front Porch of the Albertus Ledbetter House
Posted in Everyday life, Farming, Montford Cove, Spring House Farm (Ledbetter House), _Interviewee: Harold McCurry, tagged mcdowell county, oral history on August 12, 2009 |
Stepping through the front door of the Albertus Ledbetter House could be the closest thing to stepping back in time you’ll ever experience. Lovingly restored by Arthur and Zee Campbell, the house has all its original doors with the original locks and hinges. The 1826 spring house, with rock retaining wall and sluice, has been brought back [...]
Special Delivery- No Cash Needed
Posted in Everyday life, _Interviewee: Dean Branch, tagged mcdowell county, oral history on August 11, 2009 |
Dean Branch now lives in Marion and spent much of his youth in the mountains of Mitchell, Yancey, and McDowell counties. He’s a collector of historical oddities and a great spinner of stories. Here, he tells us about “Little Tom”, a mountain midwife who rendered his services in exchange for some “refreshment.” Listen to Dean [...]
Brackettown: Gold Mining Center of the Country
Posted in Brackettown, Civil War, Gold, _Interviewee: Wade Nanney, tagged Civil War, Gold, mcdowell county, oral history on August 11, 2009 |
Today, many think of the Brackettown Community located in the southeast corner of McDowell County as “the middle of nowhere”. But two centuries ago, the area was the gold mining center of the country and was home to dozens of families engaged in farming and logging as well. Wade Nanney, whose family arrived just over [...]
Daughter of Former Sheriff Remembers Roller Skating in the Courthouse, a Jailbreak Thwarted by an Older Sister, and More
Posted in Everyday life, Marion, _Interviewee: Betty Gibbs, tagged mcdowell county, oral history on August 11, 2009 |
Back in the 1930s, being sheriff of McDowell County meant that your entire family became part of the process. Betty Adkins Gibbs, daughter of Sheriff Oscar Adkins, remembers how living in the courthouse just steps away from the jail cells and the court room got everyone in the family involved in some way (willingly or not). In [...]
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- _Interviewee: Albert Joyner (1)
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- _Interviewee: James Haney (2)
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- _Interviewee: Jessica Gibbs (2)
- _Interviewee: Jessie May Roper Groves (2)
- _Interviewee: Joe Williams (2)
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- _Interviewee: Mark Hall (2)
- _Interviewee: Max Woody (1)
- _Interviewee: Mildred Kelly (1)
- _Interviewee: Nancy Greenlee (1)
- _Interviewee: Nona Rhinehardt (1)
- _Interviewee: Peggy Silvers (1)
- _Interviewee: Pete Gibbs (2)
- _Interviewee: Richard Stanley (1)
- _Interviewee: Rick Acrivos (1)
- _Interviewee: Robert Hawkins (1)
- _Interviewee: Steve Little (1)
- _Interviewee: Terrell Finley (2)
- _Interviewee: Terry McKinney (1)
- _Interviewee: Wade Nanney (1)
- _Interviewee: Wayne Roland (1)
- _Interviewee: Willard Burgin (1)
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