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VOLUME 91 ■ NUMBER 63 - THURSO A Y, OCTOBER 9,1980 - K/W;*) MOUNTAIN, NOR TH CAROLINA
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Thousands Attend KM Celebration
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Thousands of Piedmont
Carolinas citizens and visitors
jammed Kings Mountain Tues
day for the culmination of a five-
day week of activities celebrating
the 200th Anniversary of the
Battle of Kings Mountain.
Mayor John Henry Moss,
Celebration chairman, said that
the parade, although delayed for
4S-M minutes, drew the largest
crowd in many years to a Kings
Mountain celebration.
“There were a lot of people
uptown,” said Police Chief
Jackie Banett. Spectators lined
the parade route on Bat
tleground Avenue, West Moun
tain Street and Phifer Road
where the 100 units disbanded at
John Gamble Stadium for the
principal address of the mam
moth celebration.
The arrival of North Carolina
Governor Jim Hunt in his red,
white and blue helicopter as the
head of the parade approached
the stadium added to the excit-
ment which was apparent in
every event scheduled
throughout the full day, around
the clock from 7 a.m. until con
clusion of the next to the last
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Governor Hunt addresses crowd at John Gam hie Stadium..
evening performance of the out
door drama at KM National
Military Park at near-midnight.
“You people at Kings Moun
tain set the example of the
character which built our great
state and nation,” said the
Governor who drew long ap
plause for a speech interspersed
with patriotic fervor, pride and
challenges.
“It’s hard for us to understand
the sacrifice made here 200 years
ago. We do know that men and
women and families of that day
were prepared to give their lives
and did just that to obtain
freedom, liberty and in
dependence. We have been bless
ed for 200 years with the fruits
of that sacrifice.”
“Americans are the only
strong defenders of freedom,”
declared the Governor, who said
that “we worthily inherit the
kind of heroism marked by the
people who came over the
mountain and set this country
on the road to freedom.
Americans hold in their hands
the keys to determine that
Turn to page 6A
Five States Represented In Battle Celebration
The heroes of the 1780 Battle
of Kings Mountain were
remembered by thousands of
patriotic citizens from five
1 Southern states Tuesday and in
the final moments of the day’s
long events their final resting
place atop Kings Mountain was
marked with red, white and blue
flowers.
Governor Tun Hunt of North
Carolina and Governor Richard
Riley of South Carolina were
joined by a 93-year-old descen
dant of John Sevier in placing
the memorial wreaths after a
procession to the battlefield by
crowds of people who attended
the Bicentennial ceremonies at
the Park celebrating the 200th
A birthday of the famous battle
^ which historians say was the tur
ning point of the American
Revolution.
Footsore marchers ended their
historic 219 mile two week trip
to Kings Mountain, reaching the
Battlefield at 3 p.m., tired but ex
hilarated and greeted at the
ceremonies with cheers and loud
applause.
^ A U.S. Marine Coips and
state National Guardsmen from
N.C., S.C., Virginia, Tennessee
and Georgia presented the color-
fill flags of the five sponsoring
states in an impressive ceremony
after which P. Bradley Morrah,
chairman of the S.C. Bicenten
nial Commission and master of
ceremonies, presented the Over-
_ mountain Marchers.
9 To the marchers, the drama of
the battle of Kings Mountain
was saluted with their trek over
the Overmountain Victory Trail
and the excitement at their ar
rival at the Park was a highlight
of the Celebration which was
marked by pomp and pageantry.
“I salute your hardy witness to
history,” U.S. Interior Secretary
Cecil Andrus told the marchers
and his words were echoed by
other platform speakers.
“It’s an honor to greet the first
people to walk the Overmoun
tain Victory Trail since it was
designated as a historic trail early
last month by President Carter
in legislation introduced by Con
gressman James T. Broyhill,”
said Andrus. “All of us here to
day share the spirit of those fron
tiersmen and that spirit was the
motivating force that helped
create the Historic Trail.
Congressman Broyhill, com
mending the marchers,
presented a plaque appropriately
engraved, “To the friends of the
Overmountain Victory Trail for
help in making this historic trail
a reality.”
After reaching the battlefield,
descendants of such heroes as
Campbell, Hawthorne, Lacey,
Houston, Hambright, Cleveland,
Winston, Williams and
McDowell were presented oc
tagon brass-barreled pistols
(swords) acknowledging their
patriotic and valorious service at
Kings Mountain.
“I think we are in remarkably
good spirit after all the rain and
mud we marched through,” said
Rip Collins, president of the
Overmountain Victory Trail
Association, the JOO-member
group which organizes the an
nual march.
‘This march made us feel
good about ourselves and our na
tion,” said Collins.
Kings Mountain National
Military Park Superintendent
Mike Lxiveless, who welcomed
the crowds, took the occasion to
pay tribute to the marchers, to
the longtime assistance by
chapters of the Daughters of the
American Revolution in helping
preserve the heritage of the bat
tlefields, and to the descendants
of many heroes at the Battle of
Kings Mountain who converged
in the city for the Celebration.
Other distinguished guests
were former Senator Sam Ervin
of Morganton, Zell Miller,
Lieutenant Governor of
Georgia, Gen. Carl D. Wallace
of Tennessee, Captain Randall
W. Young of Virginia, General
William C. Westmoreland,
honorary chairman for the
Celebration, Charles Kilgo, of
Georgia, Roy Wood of
Washington, D.C., Joe Brown
and Bob Baker of the National
Park Service, Rep. Sam Mann
ing '^f South Carolina, Dr.
William Briggs of Limestone
College, Mrs. J.R. Broughan,
Regent of KM Chapter of DAR
of York, S.C., Robert Collins,
Conrad Kiskey, of the OVT,
former KM Park Supt. Ben
Moomaw and Mrs. Moomaw,
Celebration Chairman Mayor
John Henry Moss and Mrs.
Moss, and representatives of
government, federal, local and
state from the two Carolinas.
Ironically, one interested
onlooker and a guest at the
Celebration was David
Crawford of Atlanta, Ga., Bri
tain’s consul general represen
ting the British government.
While Americans were paid
tribute to valor and wreaths
were placed on their graves in
memorial tribute, Crawford plac
ed a red, white and blue wreath
on the grave of British Col.
Patrick Ferguson, defeated by
the Rebels at Kings Mountain
on Oct. 7, 1780.
Crawford made the remarks
that “We are a modern people in
a modern century. 1 think it’s
more important to look at our
modern day enemies. 1 hope
nobody overlooks that.”
Because of delays of keynote
speakers for the 200th Anniver
sary Celebration in downtown
Kings Mountain, the Overmoun
men marched part way with the
parade, then took buses to Kings
Mountain National Military
park to insure their prompt 3
p.m. arrival to coincide with the
time of the famous battle 200
years later on Oct. 7, 1980.
Andrus told the crowds
gathered around the red, white
and blue platform on a beautiful
Indian Summer day that
“America still has problems but
the patriotism displayed at Kings
Mountain today gives us a better
perspective for the future. The
Battle of Kings Mountain gave
us hop>e and a legacy for the
future. For five years the strug
gle for independence was a long
struggle, filled with many dark
days, with nothing left at times
but grits and guts.
“Some of the marchers today
have walked these trails six
times. 1 salute your hardy
witness to history.”
' V , >
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Secretary Andrus speaks to huge gathering at National Military Park...
175 Kick Off Celebration
At Early Prayer Breakfast
kA i-
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Broyhill speaks at prayer breakfast.,
Kings Mountain’s patriotic
celebration began early Tuesday
and appropriately with prayers
of thanksgiving by more than
175 mountaineers and guests at
First Elaptist Church.
Rep. Jim Broyhill of Lenoir'
made the keynote address at the
Prayer Breakfast wHch launch
ed a round of activities Tuesday,
the 200th birthday of what
historians termed the turning
point in the fight for in
dependence, the Battle of Kings
Mountain.
“Religious freedoms were
foremost in the minds of our
forefathers and their faith car
ried them through many
ordeals,” said Congressman
Broyhill. “It’s appropriate that
you begin this 200th Celebration
with the proper remembrance of
these religious values and
heritage and the story of the
valiant mountainmen of 1780
parallels the story of Gideon in
the Bible because faith and per
sistence paid off,” he said.
The recent strike in Poland is
an example of the religious sup
pression in today’s world, he
said. “Americans take for
granted what is denied millions
of others throughout the world,”
he added.
Prior to the address. Rev.
Gary Bryant, pastor of First
Presbyterian Church and Rev.
Felix R. Kelaher, pastor of St.
Mary’s Catholic Church ol
Shelby, spoke on the importance
of prayer. Rev. Mr. Bryant using
a text from St. Matthews, “Thy
Will Be Done” and Rev. Kelaher
using a text from St. Luke 9.
Prayers of thanksgiving were of
fered by WA. Russell and John
L. McGill. Allen Jolley led group
singing of patriotic songs and
greetings were made by Mayor
John Henry Moss, Celebration
chairman. Black Leonard,
representing the host church,
and Rev. Clyde Bearden, pastor
of First Baptist Church, who
presided.
Leading the ceremonies was a
Marine color guard which
posted the Stars and Stripes.