Newspapers / Forest City Courier (Forest … / Nov. 8, 1928, edition 1 / Page 9
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Rutherford County Claims Youngest Historian In North Carolina Clarence Griffin Well Qualified . For Most Important Post Has Done Excellent Work in Having Markers and Monuments erected to Commemorate Important Events—Has Made Special and Intimate Study of the Battle of Kings Mountain .—Old Bechtler Mint to be Commemorated With Marker on Courthouse Grounds. (MAUDE MINISH SUTTON, in Charlotte Observer) Rutherford County has the youngest county historian in North Carolina. Seventy of the 100 counties in the state have historians; and Clarence Griffin, the 24-year-old historian of the romantic old foothill county, is outstanding in this group. He has one of the largest privately owned historical libraries in the state. He has a collection of documents that constitute a reference library of source-material on the early history of western North Carolina, that is of great value. He is a walking encyclopedia of Rutherford county history and he takes his office very seriously. In the year he has served the county in this capacity, he has done some excellent work. Is Born Student Mr. Griffin is a born student. He beaan collecting his library when he v.-as only 14. When he was 19 he prepared a complete history of Rutherford's part in the World War for the state historical commission and some "Daughter of the A. E. F." in the future will doubtless be grateful for this record. He has re cently been instrumental in getting some valuable reference material, in the form of old letters, diaries, and records, presented to the files of the state historical commission; and he also aided in getting some curious old relics presented to the state mus eum. North Carolinians are awakening to the necessity of preserving rec ords of their state's romantic past. There are no written histories of North Carolina that do not omit many important events, and give space out of all proportion to some 6 6 6 is a Prescription for Colds, Grippe, Flu, Dengue, Bilious Fever and Malaria. It is the most speedy remedy known. Don't Keep on Coughing— Stop It! Charlotte, N. C. —"I have always been bothered with weak bronchials, the least cold would start me coughing and I would j r cough all night long. I jg|l I also have had some ] stomach trouble. I ] \ r was a dvised by a \ r friend to take Dr. V—Pierce's Golden Medical Discovery which I did and it relieved me of my Wfr cough and also the stomach trouble."— Mrs. D. R. Yandle, 1425 N. Harrell St. Your neighborhood druggist sells Dr. Pierce's Golden Medical Discovery ("GMD"), in tablets or liquid. Write Dr. Pierce's Invalids' Hotel, Buffalo, N. Y., if you wish free medical advice. * | UPSET] * With Stomach Spells * "I have taken Black-Draught € A ever since I was a child, and can J 4 recommend it as a splendid L p medicine for family use," says 4 £ Mrs. Cora Maberry, of Sageeyah, # \ Okla. "My mother used it, in J bringing up her family, and after 3 P I had a home of my own, I con- 4 f tinued to use it, as I thought it # \ was good to give the children. J £ "My children did not mind tak- J 9 ing Black-Draught, and so when 2 f they got upset with stomach 4 J spells, or were constipated, I f i gave them Black-Draught tea. "They are all and J £ have homes of their own, . t I i f still keep Black-Draught in the P x house and use it myself when I 1 # wake up in the morning feeling 5 P dull and 'headachey', and have a d r had taste in my mouth." P \ In use over 87 Price 25c. f j individuals while ignoring others of j far greater importance. This fact, j admitted by all authorities on state ' history, has been caused by lack of; authentic material. Western North ■ Carolina particularly has suffered be- ! cause of lack of historical records, j The university has charged one of its j most scholarly professors, Dr. Ham ilton, with the task of collecting his toric records and documents. The i state historical commission, the Liter- j ary and Historical association, all the college libraries, the county histor ians and many individuals are at work preserving and recording our history. An Important Office The office of county historian is iof comparatively recent origin. The I State Historical commission has al ways needed a responsible interested person in each county to help in col lecting * recofrds, preserving historic documents and relics, and in interest ing the citizens in their own history. Clarence Griffin was appointed by the unanimous vote of the Ruther ford county commissioners and board of education in July 1927. Since his appointment he has done a great deal of constructive work. The grand son of a Confederate soldier, he se cured much of his vast store of in formation about the War Between the States, at first hand. He has a ' great many letters which were writ | ten home by soldiers in the armies of Lee, Jackson, Stuart and Johnson. He has some diaries kept at the front and old muster rolls. His interest in | historic research has so pleased the I survivors of "The Lost Cause" that j all of them enjoy telling him of their, experiences. In years, Mr. Griffin belongs to | the much derided "younger genera-; Ition." Yet he has sacrificed much | jthat most men of his age would re-, j gard as essential to buy his histories I j and reference books. Every history that chronicles any Rutherford coun ty events he buys. Many rare out of print books are on his shelves and every event that has in any way touched the life of Rutherford in her long, romantic and picturesque ex istence is chronicled in his library. Revolutionary Frontier | One reason, probably why Mr. I j Griffin has done such remarkably j good work is he has had such fasci nating material with which to work. A frontier in the Revolutionary per iod, Rutherford has been the scene of many stirring and romantic events. From the first settlement around old Brittain church, through the stormy days of hostile Indians, and the hor rors of Ferguson's raid with his tor ies, ended by the thrilling Battle of Kings Mountain. Then the War of 1812 and the Mexican War each took their quota from Rutherford homes. The only mint between Philadel phia and New Orleans coined over $3,000,000 of gold, much of which was mined on the creeks and rivers of Rutherford, in Rutherfordton be tween 1830 and 1840. Rutherford had a charming and delightful socie ty in the long period between tfce ! Revolution and the War Between the States. Some of the most beautiful «' and best examples of the stately ante bellum homes that were the gride of the old south adorn this historic county. She did her part in the bloody 60's. She was reconstructed. Her industrial rise sinee, has been a typically fascinating record of grim i sacrifice, daring, and successful achievement. All of the events of these full years are at Mr. Griffin's tongue's end. A Weekly Column j He is news editor of The Forest I City Courier and he combines his THE FOREST CITY COURIER, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1928 / ——————— 18! Bmsksw ■yau A Y 'WfIMMM H|nßmM9| | liHWfiiiiJ,,! Wk is. i.l3|M MjfeipM |ii|| > mm \ '~\ . West end of square at Forest City, where the marker to "Burnt Chim ney's Volunteers" will be placed, and (below) Rutherford county court house, on the lawn of which the marker to the Bechtler mint will be placed. two positions very well. He pub-. j lishes weekly a well written and in- j column about some local, event of historic importance. These I ' stories vary enough to catch the i ! interest of every type of citizen, j The field of his research is broad j indeed. Political history—last week he gave a list of Rutherford's sen ators since 1779. Military, a number of fascinating letters from boys who were with Lee, Rutherford's record : in the war of 1812, and some Revo-' lutionary war stories have appeared recently. Industrial history, the founding of the cotton mill industry in Rutherford is one of his hobbies, j Ecclesiastical, interesting histories of j three old churches have conveyed j much knowledge of the past to his readers of late; and he has written i accurate biographical sketches of J many of his county's famous sons, j The preservation of these records j is his greatest achievement and the one for which future generations will bless his name. New England's part; in the founding of our nation is giv- j en disproportionate space in all of our histories. This is because her folk j have studied their past, preserved its history, and marked their historic j spots. "Not for all the glories of New England, from Plymouth Rock all the way," would any Rutherford county citizen exchange the proud record of her heroic past—if he knew this j record —for, no more thrilling or j romantic story brightens the pages of North Carolina's history. j About Kings Mountain Kings Mountain history fascinates Mr. Griffin. He is an authority on ! all the events leading up to the great battle and the dispersal of the Moun taineers after it. He has made a j shrine of the grave of every Kings j Mountain hero in the county, and 'like all lovers of adventure, he re veres Shelby and Sevier. The doughty old fighter, Griffith Rutherford, for ! whom the county is named, is an- I other of Griffin's heroes, and every ! event connected with his picturesque ' career is duly chronicled in the vast ly human county history that he is i | preparing. This history will be mod ern in spirit. For Mr. Griffin has one characteristic common to his gen eration. He is no respeCtor of tradi tion. He is as iconoclastic as Lytton Strachey and his stories present the | heroes of the past as flesh and blood I men. Personalities appeal to him ' more than events. | The preservation of the records jis less spectacular and will awaken [ less interest than the work which Mr. Griffin is sponsoring now. The county Historical Commission, of which he is #x officio chairm'n, is go ing to erect bronze makers on the [ sites of the historic spots in the coun i Old Gilberttown, Brittain Presby- church, the Bechtler Mint, and 'fche muster ground of Captain H. D. i Lee's "Burnt Chimney's Volunteers." I This is a very valuable piece of work, j for each of these sites has a wonder ful history and every boy and girl in Rutherford county should know- I about them. The Bechtler Mint The Bechler mint which operated in Rutherfordton from 1830 to 1840 was one of the most unique and in teresting enterprises ever carried on in North Carolina. During the per iod of its existence Rutherfordton .was near the center of the gold pro : ducing area in the United State. The I J nearest mint \yas at Philadelphia and j j a long and hazardous journey faced i every settler who would take his gold . | thither, Commerce was barter, and j yet every small stream in this section I f clear down to north Georgia carried j enough gold dust to make gold wash- j ing pay. The lack of a medium of j exchange was keenly felt. I j Two German gunsmiths, Augus- j ' tus and Christopher Bechtler had set- tied in Rutherfordton. They were skilled craftsmen and scrupulously] ; honest. They opened a mint in 1830 iand it did a thriving business until ! the opening of the government mint iin Charlotte in 1840. They coined] .three denominations: one dollar, two ! dollars and a half, and five dollars, j These coins, very rare now, were the j ! principal money in this section for | this period. Carried across the J Appalachians by traders they were numerous in Kentucky, Tennessee ; and on the western frontier. They ' had a wide circulation and served a £reat need. I Bechler coins are very rare now j and correspondingly valuable. • The j name "Bechtler" is on all the coins, j They are crude and very yellow. Mr.! M. 0. Dickerson, a Rutherfordton banker, has a valuable collection of | these coins and is an authority on j the Bechtler mint. The Bechtler used j ; dies, two of which, with the quaint j old homemade press with which the j gold was rolled, are now the- property j of the state historical commission, j j Mr. Griffin aided in securing the j valuable relics. The museum also; has four Bechler coins. Site of Markers f i The marker for the site of this i interesting bit of history will be! erected by the Rutherford county.] historical commission. The commis- j sion is made up of: Messrs. G. B. Howard, J. C. Cowan, Jr., and K. S. Tanner of the Rutherford County, club: J. L. Taylor, H. L. Carpenter; and 0. C. Erwin of the Rutherfordton Kiwanis club; and G. R. (Jillespie, C. C. Erwin and Chas. Z. Flack of vthe Forest City Kiwanis club. They are much interested in these markers and plans have been perfected for financing two of them. The second of these markers will be erected by the town of Forest j City at the west end of the square, j It will mark the spot where the first j company of volunteers left Ruther- j ford county in the War Between the | States. Co. "D" 16th North Carolina,' called "Burnt Chimney's Volun-j teerte," under command of Capt H. D. Lee, left this spot with 160 men. At the end of the bloody four years, from Bethel to Appomattox, nin© of them were paroled. The re§t were j dead, wounded or in Federal pri»ons. | This distinguished company has one survivor, Mr. Aaron Wall of Caro leen. ffhe marker to this heroic body of men, all of whom came from in and around Forest City, will be erec ted in a prominent position at the end of the beautiful square. Old Brittain Church Old Brittain church, the oldest ■ Presbyterian church in western i North Carolina, is the third spot to . be marked by the commission. It is i 159 years old and its cemetery is one Clarence Griffin, Rutherford coun ty historian, and the youngest man in North Carolina to hold this im portant post. of the most interesting in the state. Since its organization in 1768 it has has been the religious and cultural center of one of the best communi ties of the state. The big old grave yard, three acres in extent, contains over a thousand graves in which rest some very distinguished citizens. A sunken grave in the old cemetery holds the bones of a young Virginia hero who lost his life at King's Mountain. Seven other heroes of the Revolution rest here and soldiers of every other war that the nation has engaged in. This marker, on the new highway from Rutherfordton to Morganton, will also commemorate the Indian massacre of 1776. The Indian fort from which this raid was made is less than a half mile from the church. It was from here that General Ruther ford left to go to Hillsboro to beg for troops to go against the In dians; and his brave company marched on an expedition that con quered more territory than William the Conqueror won at Hastings. Old Gilberttown Old Gilberttown is the most his toric spot in the borders of Ruther ford county. An old field is all that now remains of the home site of Wil liam Gilbert, patriot, statesman and gallant frontiersman. The early courts of Rutherford county were held here. From here William Gilbert departed to represent first Tryon, then Rutherford, in the state as sembly. This was the site of Fer guson's tory encampment from which he sent the famous challenge that LOOK! LOOK! To the People of Forest City: /\ IN JEW BUSINESS Mr. Phillips, of Sylva, N. C„ has moved to Forest City and bought the Acme Vulcanizing and Battery Co., a*id put in first class equipment. We are ab4e to vul canize any size of tire or tube. We also do all kinds of battery and ignition work, top work, and Duco painting. We have a full line of starters and generator brushes. All work guaranteed. All work brought to us within the next thirty days will be done at 10 per cent off our regular prices. Phillips VulcaniziDg & Battery Shop Rear Farmers Hardware Co. Phone 220 Forest City, N. C. [brought Shelby, Sevier and Camp i bell down the Blue Ridge to join the I Carolinians for the battle of Kings J Mountain. It, was there that nine tories were hanged by the victorious , patriots. Thirty had been condemn- I ed to death, but Isaac Shelby's soul i revolted at such wholesale slaughter, and he protested. The other officers agreed with him and 21 lives were I saved. One of the tories executed J was Col. Ambrose Mills, the most j distinguished loyalist, in this section, i Senator Toms of Rutherford county | had a gavel made of the tree on j which tradition says they were hang i ed, and presented it to the state sen | ate in 1906. At Gilberttown the lead ers of early days in western North {Carolina visited William Gilbert. Cleveland and Lenoir from Wilkes, Avery and Morgan, McDowell, Rutherford and the other great men of the past. Here the commission will erect the fourth marker. Clarence Griffin's greatest work is building up in Rutherford county a tradition of reverence for the past. ,It is a far reaching and important task, No thinking person doubts the value of the pride of ancestry. Pride of home and an honest pride in a heroic past. He puts much time and effort on a position that pays not one cent of salary. He has addressed i organizations and school children. He is ready to supply any informa tion or record that any citizen \ wishes, and he takes the duties of his j office as seriously as they should be ,taken. HUNTING TROUBLE An acquaintance of ours from Ellenboro was arrested for driving 70 miles an hour, and in answer to the Judge's ques tion as to the reason for such speed exclaimed: "My wife had decided to go back to her folks and I wanted to get her there before she changed her mind." We've not changed our mind one bit about our's be ing the best place to buy your groceries. Continual commen dation from critical house wives convinces us the popu larity of our groceries must be deserved. Jones Grocery Company FOREST CITY, N. C. i
Forest City Courier (Forest City, N.C.)
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Nov. 8, 1928, edition 1
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