VOL. II., NO 13.
PINEHURST, N. C, JAN. 20, 1899.
PRICE THREE CENTS.
AN ANCIENT MILL.
Erected in 1813 by James Ray,
a Noted Gunsmith.
His Dwelling Built in 1818 Contains Many
Relics of ye Olden Time.
A Picturesque Old Place to which our Vil
lagers Make Frequent Trips.
The region about I'inehurst is rich in
relics of ye olden time. Some of the
country people still reside beneath the
roof that sheltered their forefathers a
hundred years or more ago, and the old
looms, spinning wheels, and tools of
various kinds, which in those days were
made more for wear than for beauty, are
still to be found in daily use in many of
the old homesteads. The houses were
made of logs of the native pine, some of
them squared, but a large portion just as
they were cut in the forest and merely
having the limbs lopped oft" and the
notches cut to hold the ends together.
That this wood is nearlv indestructible
is evidenced by the sound condition of
the logs in scores of these old dwellings
which have been exposed to the elements
for about a century.
The steam railroad is a comparatively
modern intruder in this peaceful country,
and the relic hunter has as yet failed to
despoil these homes of their aucient
treasures, many of which were brought
from over the sea by the first settlers
when they emigrated from Scotland.
Many of the people still have plaids
that were worn by an old grandsire who
was a member of a Scottish clan, and
the possessors take great pride in ex
hibiting them. Numerous other relics
connected with the history of this state
are also to be found, and a person who
is at all interested in the antique cannot
fail to derive a great deal of pleasure
from visits to the homes of these hospit
able people.
One of the most popular of the many
walks and drives about I'inehurst is over
the road to Mr. II. A. McKenzie's home
and the pond and mill close by. This is
one of the most picturesque places in this
vicinity and has an interesting history
dating back nearly one hundred years.
Scores of our villagers make frequent
trips to the quaint old mill with its moss
covered timbers and restless water
wheel, and the kodak is often called up
on to preserve the choice bits of scenery
as reminders of a pleasant visit.
Mr. McKenzie's place is about two
miles from Pinehurst in a northwesterly
direction, and is reached by a good road
leading from the gate at the northeast
corner of our village. There is also a
path used by the country people that is
somewhat shorter. The way leads
through the woods of pine and oak, over
slightly rolling gronnd, past the Rine
hurst lake, and as the soil is always dry
our townspeople find a walk in this di
rection very enjoyable. After traveling
about one and one-half miles the visitor
finds himself on the crest of a small hill,
with the pond and old mill at his feet,
while just beyond the stream and on the
top of a knoll is the McKenzie home
stead. Descending the hill the old dam
is soon reached, along the top of which
is a path, and the sluiceway is crossed bv
a narrow foot bridge of plank back of
the mill.
The carriage road runs along the low
ground just below the dam and the teams
cross the stream by a ford. Alongside
the road is another foot path, the wet
places being crossed by a bridge com
posed of a single log hewn Hat on top
and having a light hand rail to steady
the pedestrian and prevent him from fall
ing into the stream. This style of
bridge, called a foot log, is very much
used in the country about our village,
and in some cases the logs are raised
three or four feet above the water or
mud and the hand rail is generally miss
ing. We fancy that some of our city
maidens would think twice before at
tempting to cross such a structure, es
pecially as some of these bridges extend
over swamps a hundred yards wide, and
oftentimes the logs are none too securely
fixed, but the country lassies think
nothing of skipping along these ele
vated paths.
What is now the McKenzie homestead
was first settled by James Hay, a noted
machinist and gunsmith, who was known
throughout the state for the excellence
of his workmanship.
"A gunsmith was he, aud a 'son of a gun'
Though that last trite remark be taken in fun,
As meaning that he was a typical man
Of the state where corn liquor abounds."
Mr. Kay came to this section when a
voung man and first lived with his sister
and her husband, a Mr. Black, whose
cabin was located some distance from
the mill site. At that time the country
about here was a wilderness covered
with a dense growth of hard pine, and
settlers were few and far between.
The most of the land belonged to the
state and Mr. Kay soon entered several
larire tracts, among them being the lot
on which the homestead and mill now
stand.
ThP first dam and mill at this place
were erected by him in 1813, and the
wntPi- wheel, a kind of wooden turbine,
fnmished the power to run a grist mill,
cotton gin and such primitive machinery
as he used in manufacturing guns, axes
and other tools. His gun and uiacK
omtn Chn was Placed close by the mill
t tbnsP. davs there were no such
things as cast steel axles, hatchets, ham
mers, etc., and the tools ana vaium
kinds of iron work were all made by
hand. The iron-worker was si great man
in the community, and Mr. Kay s work
was so well and favorably known that he
was besieged with applicants to learn
the business and often had ten or a dozen
men at work at one time. He made
hammers, hatchets, axes, augers, chisels,
drawing knives. in fact, all kinds of
tools and ironwork, including nails the
process of making cut nails not having
been invented at that time, and all the
nails used were hand made.
r aruiium ii n umr m i f"" JJ-Vy urn i J
MCKENZIE'S MILL.
Hut it was as a gunsmith that he was
most widely known. At that time a gun
was considered one of the necessaries of
life and was to be found in every house
hold. Living in a, forest abounding in
wild animals the hardy pioneer depended
largely on his rifle to protect his family
and crops as well as to supply his larder
with meat. Mr. Kay made the gun bar
rels from rods of steel. The outside was
roughly shaped on the anvil and then
finished on a stone that run by water
power in the old mill. The boring of
the barrel as well as the grooves that
transformed it into a rifle were also done
by hand and it must have taken an ex
pert workman with the crude tools avail
able to turn out the finished weapons
whose accuracy is a matter of history.
All metal implements made by Mr. Kay
were stamped with his initials, and to
have a "Ray" rifle was the ambition of
all the young men in this part ot the
country. A few of these old guns are
still in use, and it would be hard work to
convince the owners that the old weap-
ous will not shoot farther and straightei
than any made by modern machinery.
The old gunsmith must have been a
mechanical genius and his aim was al
ways to do a job right, regardless of the
amount of time it took. Among the
many articles manufactured by him was
a surveyor's compass of wood. It is said
to be a fine instrument and was used in
surveying most of the land in this sec
tion. It now belongs to a man living
not far from our village and is still in
use, the owner preferring it to one of
modern make.
The irrist mill was a place of great re
sort and farmers living many miles away
brought their corn here to be ground in
to meal ready to be manufactured into
the corn bread that was and still is a
staple article of food in this section.
The cotton gin also was a great con
venience, as most of the cloth used by
the people was made by the women at
home.
The first mill and dam were washed
away bv a freshet in 1820, and the loss
was a severe one to the owner. Had
luck seemed to attend him after this.
While rhopping wood with an axe lie
had the misfortune to cut a bad gash in
his leg below the knee, and although the
wound healed outside it was continually
breaking open, and he was unable to do
much hard work afterward. He also
lost a thumb by the explosion of ai gun
and so could not hold a hammer to work
iron.
In spite of his trouble the old fellow
did not lose heart, but made prepara
tions for rebuilding the mill on a larger
scale. Timber was hewn for the new
buildings that he hoped to put up when
he got better, but that time never came,
and most of the lumber was consumed in
forest fires. The mill site was not used
again until Mr. McKenzie bought the
place and erected the present structure
in May, 1873. Part of the timber that
Mr. Kay prepared was used by Mr. Mc
Kenzie in building his new mill and it is as
sound today as when it was first cut.
The old stones that ground the corn in
the original mill are still in use about
twenty miles aw ay. They were quarried
near here by Mr. 1 ay, who also shaped
them readv for use.
The mill now standing is used only to
grind corn, but Mr. McKenzie is making
plans for a saw mill to be erected on the
other side of the sluice, and the new
building will also contain machinery for
doing other kinds of work. The pond is
of good size and there is considerable
fall of water, and the power available is
ample for running quite a good sized
factory.
Hut a short distance beyond the mill is
the McKenzie homestead, as it is now
called. This is in a sightly location on
high ground and commands a view in all
directions. The dwelling is made of
squared logs and was erected by Mr.
Kay in 1818. It is a substantial, home
like structure, with a piazza on the front,
and the timbers seem to be as sound as
when the building was first put up.
"Now, Ray was the name of the builder strong,
'X-Kay' he is a the date of this song;
But his work lives on, and may it live long,
'Till giim old age shall over it creep."
This house was considered a fine one in
those days. It is very large for a log
house, and contains several rooms. Al
though Mr. Kay commenced the building
it was never finished by him and he only
used it to live in during the summer
months. Some of the doors and shutters
were taken from an older building, and
one of these old doors still in use was
made before the Revolution and is in
good condition yet. The house has been