Newspapers / The Journal-Patriot (North Wilkesboro, … / June 27, 1940, edition 1 / Page 35
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: .. ; rAL-PATBIOT^l ' is W MM •«$#- MiS^ /M-’' StctkmS >ml„ V-f ^ PubUshed Hotidi^ ftad TburaUurB. asCrtfc *^-5; * HutmcalSketchei Of Wilkes Coimty By John Crouch (Continued (rom paee 8, Sec. 4) ptnyed'endWlM^t «nd nMlUr tbnt hlfr' ileaomilkiuiM. Boon promoted blur to - PrMidtM Blder. Aa>out fsio, »4 C.. he was etaeted BUhop, ta srhleh CapMlty he eerred hU church end race uotll his death in 1899. Ho WM omicrant agent to Cali fornia for about a year, before he was elected .Bishop; with this ex ception his life was spent In the eerrlce of his church. the CUEVBIiAND OAK The old oak tree that stands north of the court house and In front of the old I. T. Prevette residence is a relic of Revolu tionary times when Colonel Cleve- M land was engaged in suppressing the Tories. Several Tories '..'ere hung to this tree by Cleveland and his associates. Among the number was Captain Riddle and two other Tories who had prev iously captured Cleveland at Old Field and would have killed him. doubtless, had it not been for the timely rescue by his brother. Cap tain Robert Cleveland. There was several other Tories hung to this tree. Coyle and Brown, two notor ious horse thieves, were hung there with the clothes-line they had sto.en from Maj. Wilfong and conTerted into halters to lead away the Wilfong’s horses. It is not known where nor in what manner the remains of the Tories were executed here were buried: but is reasonable to sup pose that they were not taken very far away and that no great pains were taken t. inter them very securely. Dr. F. H. Gllreath recently found a joint of the spin al column of a human being In the lot back of I. S. Call & Co’s store. It is thought that, that was a part ef the remains of some one •r Of Uxu'T^rUa executed by Cleve- " land and doubtless the remains of all those Tories are scattered In the same locality. Rl-FUS A. SPAINHOUR - By Frank B. Hendren Rufus A. Spainhour was born in Burke county in 1839 and came to this county first in 1859 and entered New Hope Academy. He remained here, part of the time as pupil and part ol the ^ vime as an a.ssistant to bis broth- er. who was principal of the academy, until the commence ment of the war when he together w'ith his brother and several of the pupils of the school enlisted • in company B, First Regiment N. C. Troops. He served throughout the war. He was made Quarter Master of his regiment. Returning to hi.j native county, Burke, after the war he enga.ged in teaching school '.or about two venrs, and again returned to Wilkes county and taught school at Oak Forest for about two years. He then bought out the late W. H. Reeves’ mercantile bu.siness at that place and conducted it two years. He has been in the mercantile business ever since either at Moravian Falls cr at Wilkeaboro and is one of the most successful merchants and busi ness men In the county. Being one of the most public-spirited and liberal men in the county he has done as much for the material and educational upbuilding of the county as any man who has ever lived in it. It was lar.gely through his energy and influence that . Moravian Falls Academy was built and maintained through so many years of conspicuous use fulness to this and many sur rounding counties. He represent- K ed this county in the lower house of the General .Assembly in / 1880 and has held several other positions of trust and usefulness, being at present chairman of the County Board of Education. LOVER’S liEAP About a mile wes’c of Wilkes- boro there Is a precipice that ov- b erhangs the south side of the Yadkin river which is known as Lovers’ Leap. Tradition has it that many years ago when there * were but few white people in this country, a young Indian fell In love with a native Squaw and were engaged to be married. The father of the Indian girl refused 1 "^ to give her up, and she and her lover consented to end their lives by leaping from the cliff into the liver, which they did. Ever since the place has been known as Lov ers’ Leap. COURT HOUSES ABTD jAUiS AlthoDYh it was decided by the committee appointed by the Oen- •nl AsmbM'' la. 1777 tbst tiw coartbonM ahonld I)pate4 ..... i- "w NOEmiJWESBOBO. N. C,. W ':rir 1-^54^ ’ where the Mulberry Field Meet-) There is much pathetic remeiii ing House stood it'was liot until about 1799 that the question was finally decided and a wooden courthouse built. Frdm the for mation of the County to that time, embracing a period of about twenty-two years, the regular courts were h'^ld at various plac es, sometiraef in houses and some times out in the open tilr under the trees. It is said that many times the courts were held pear Brown’s Fo~d, and at other times over near Fairplalns and on the hill whbre the late Jdhn Finley lived. There was strong opposition to building the courthouse at the Mulberry Fields notwithstandin.g the State’s committee had decid ed that it should be built there and Rachel Stokes and Rebecca ■Wellborn had deeded to the coun ty fifty acres for the site. The people across the Blue Ridge con tended that the county seat should be located nearer the cen ter of the county. Hamilton Hor ton had secured a charter tor a turnpike from Holman’s Ford to New River and the road was built; a stage line was then put into operation from Guilford Courthouse to Knoxville. Tenn. Emigrants from the east came this way and many of them set tled across the Blue Ridge about the ^)ld Fields on New' River, a- long the Watauga river and Beav er Dam creek. A considerable set tlement had sprung up across the mountains which was protesting against building the courthouse at Mulberry Fields. The settle ments across the mountains con tinued to grow and the agitation about the location of the court house was not ended until Ashe county was formed and all the territory across the Blue Ridge was given to the new county, em bracing all of the present counties of Alleghany, Ashe and Watauga, and probaibly more. There is so’ive dispute as to when the first courthouse was built and where it was located, but I think it safe to say that it was built about the year 1799 and was located near where the Chronicle building now stands. The fifty acres of land—including the Mulberry Fields—given to the county for a courthouse site by Rachel Stokes and Rebecca Wellborn was divided into lots and sold, with the exception of the courthouse plot and two pub lic lots, one at the old North spring and the other at the old South spring. The money accru ing from the sale of the lots was used to erect the courthouse. The house was mide of ^,ogs and fas tened together with wooden pins. Part of the logs of the old court house were used in constructing Dr. W. C. Greens’ residence, which is still standing. Between the years of 1820 and 1830, tn order to accomodate the rapidly increasing population, it was necessary to build a larger courthouse. Then was the old brick building—35 x 45 feet— with the stene foundation built. Frank D. Hackett tells me that his father was appointed to sup erintend the construction of that bouse and he was placed under a bond of 110,000 for the faith ful performance of his duty. It was one of the best courthouses In the State at the time of its con struction. This building was torn down this year, 1902, and the new house now being constructed by L. W. Cooper & Co.; of Char lotte, will 1>e completed by.tfor. .let, of this yeu. ' ' brance connected with the old courthouse that has just beer torn down. Within its walls wlve- and mothers have heard the sen tence of death passed their bus bands and sons. Within its wall, have been tried those who had taken the lives of father and cliild. The ablest jurists in the State—such as Col. Polk, Arm- field, Linney, Pearson, Glenn. Bower and others—have made the old temple ring, with their pleadings for mercy and just.ee. And the politicians and states men—such as Settle, Linney. Pritchard. Ransome and Vance— have cheered the multitudes and fired the patriotism and ambi tion of thousands by their ora tory. This volume is too small to give the history of this old build- ng. Us walls have been pulled down but it will be many a day before it Is forgotten. Wilkes county’s first jail was built immediately after the coum ty was formed and was located on This is a picture of North Wilkesboro’s first pos office, which was ^so the city’s first store build ing. J. R. Finley operated the store and was the fcwn’s first postmaster. The building was located on thfc present site of Forest Furniture company. the southwest corner of the pres ent courthouse lot. The stocks, whipping post and pillery were, near the jail. The first jail was a lyiodeu structure and It is said that Colonel Cleveland kept Tory prisoners In it during the Revo lutionary war. About the year 1828 this jail was sold and torn down and a part of the timber 'jsed ill the building of the old Noah hotel. A new jail was built on the hill where Esq, R. M. Sta ley lives, and that jail remained until about I860, when the pres ent jail was completed. HARRY HOLLAND Who has not read the story of the Indian in the hogskln during the Revolutionary war? An In dian had been disguised in this way and had been deceiving the pickets of the patriots army and when they got within range of the ficticious hog he would shoot them down. Harry Holland, being a soldier lir the patriot army, was on picket duty and discovered what he thought was a large ho-g. Now the North Wilkeaboro postoffice occupies the above pictured imiUlng, erected by the gov^- ment at its present location on C street a few years ago. The building is of modem uesign and erect- ed according to the latest approved plans for effiebnt postal service. After watching the supposed hog for a short time he noticed that it had actions peculiar for a hog, and instead of being frightened a- way was coming nearer him. Hol land suspicioned that it might be a false hog and he shot and killed it. and no, it proved to be an In dian in a hog akin with rifle cocked ready to shoot the pa triot soldier. Harry Holland was a native of Wilkes county; was born and raised near Millers Creek, and was burled on the W. B. Owlngs plantation. After the war wa over and dur Independence was won, and the soldiers had return ed home, Holland would take great delight in telling this story, and probably there are people yet alive who have heard him tett it. Agricultural Possibilities At this time agriculture is not regarded as a very profitable in dustry in Wilkes, but the fault Is in the people and not in the na tural resources. 'There is not a seetjon in the world of equal area that surpasses Wilkes county In agricultural possibilities. And in a few years when the people shall have learned the truth of this statement W^ilkes will be one of the finest agricultural counties in the State. Our climate is so diver sified that we can grow the sug ar beet In one end of the county and cotton in the other. In fact, almost anything grown In a tem perate climate may be found in Wilkes. of acres of this kind of land that has been turned out as worthless. This land will all be reclaimed and will make old Wilkes county rich. It Is not the purpose of this book to tell how that can .be done, bi’t the State Department of Agri culture will cheerfully give any Information you may desire along this line, or any other item dis cussed in this chapter. Several years ago stock raising was an Important industry in this county but it has been neglected until there is not a thousand dol lars’ worth of stock exported in a whole year. Before the Clrll stock raisers of WilkM drove their cattle on foot to i*hil- adelphia and other northern the The red clay soli so abundant ^ in the county Is the richest land Kx>«-. but the cattle are not here. to be found. There are thousands I (Continued on page four) M —Before lhe'CelebraBon--Duriiig IheCeWwetii^AftertheCeldMoii— e W - /S Y«iir Horton’s — * /•. .... HSjr Store PboMSOp “Sw. ■-T ' .’ 1
The Journal-Patriot (North Wilkesboro, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
June 27, 1940, edition 1
35
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