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COLUMN: An extraordinary man: Iredell's Alexander Means
Last week's column was on a relatively unknown Iredell County botanist, Mordecai Elisha Hyams.
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COLUMN: Statesville's Hyams found 'the Botanical Holy Grail'
Mordecai Elisha Hyams (1819-1891) called Statesville home, but he is better known in scientific circles than locally, which is a shame; he was an interesting man.
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COLUMN: Betts never forgot her hometown
The April 24 edition of the R&L carried the obituary of North Carolina writer and Statesville native Doris Waugh Betts, who died in Pittsboro at age 79.
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COLUMN: Three Stooges visited Statesville in 1940s
A movie showing in Statesville may tickle your funny bone.
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COLUMN: Take a daytrip to Murray's Mill
Once upon a time there were gristmills all over the county, all over the piedmont, for that matter.
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COLUMN: Another recollection of the old Ebenezer days
Mrs. John Smyre Deal was another Ebenezer alumni who left a recollection of days spent at the school, which had formerly been a private academy.
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COLUMN: Student's recollection sheds light on Ebenezer Academy
In the fall of 1968 there was a revival of interest in the old academy, which was clearly in need of repair.
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COLUMN: Ebenezer Academy served students for 80 years
One of the longest-standing buildings in Iredell County can be seen just off Highway 21 North near Bethany Presbyterian Church: the Ebenezer Academy Building.
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COLUMN: The Vernal Equinox strikes again
The Vernal Equinox arrived last Tuesday, the 20th of March. In case you've forgotten, that's the fancy name for the first day of spring.
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COLUMN: Book spotlights Mooresville's familiar faces of the past
Cindy Jacobs’ third book on local history should find a good reception in Mooresville and South Iredell.
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COLUMN: Helper's book was taboo in the Old South
If you had been caught with a copy of his book in the South before the Civil War, you could have been lashed with a bull whip. In fact, you would have been lucky if that's all that was done to you. Circulating the book was considered a felony and could get you a year in jail and a public whipping. A second offense could carry a death sentence.
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COLUMN: A look back at obituaries of slaves
A century or more ago, the Statesville Landmark and the Mooresville Enterprise, predecessor of today's Mooresville Tribune, frequently printed obituaries for respected black members of the county who had been slaves.
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COLUMN: Mary C. Holliday, an Iredell education pioneer
When someone says "pioneer," we usually think of people crossing the Great Plains as part of a wagon train, or folks following someone like Daniel Boone through the Cumberland Gap. Of course we also use "pioneer" to describe anyone making discoveries or advancements, such as the Wright Brothers, "Pioneers in Flight," or Thomas Edison, "Pioneer in Electricity."
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COLUMN: 'Shoeless Joe's' Iredell legacy
In this column two week ago I briefly recounted the story of legendary baseball player Joseph Jefferson "Shoeless Joe" Jackson (1887-1951), a native of Greenville, S.C., and his career as a player in America's national pastime.
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COLUMN: 'Shoeless Joe' tributes abound in hometown
“Shoeless Joe” Jackson's hometown of Greenville has recently made efforts to honor his life and spirit.
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COLUMN: In search of 'Shoeless Joe'
Joseph Jefferson Jackson (1887-1951) — best known as “Shoeless” Joe — was one of baseball's legendary characters. I had heard of him but did not become really interested in his career until I saw the 1989 movie "Field of Dreams," starring Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Burt Lancaster, Amy Madigan and Ray Liotta as the ghost of "Shoeless” Joe. Although I knew he was buried in Greenville, S.C., my interest in the man rose when I found out that a museum to him had been opened there.
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COLUMN: Food for the body and mind
CBS newsman and North Carolinian Charles Kuralt used to do segments called "On the Road" for his Sunday morning TV program. Basically, he, his camera man and his sound man traveled all over the country looking for overlooked, unique stories about local interesting people. I strongly suspect that they avoided the big chain restaurants as much as possible and sought out the local, one-of-a-kind food places.
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COLUMN: Where are you now, Captain Midnight?
A Christmas gift from my brother Jeff reminded me of Saturday mornings 50 or more years ago. He gave me a set of DVDs containing Volumes 1 to 4 of "Captain Midnight," a TV show we watched on Saturday mornings. Saturday morning TV belonged to kids from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s. Some have referred to this period as "The Golden Age of Television." I remember getting out of bed on Saturday mornings, donning a pair of blue jeans and a T-shirt, downing a bowl of cereal and watching cartoon shows and action/adventure programs from 8 o'clock 'til almost time for lunch, provided Dad didn't decide the yard needed mowing.
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COLUMN: List of most popular baby names of 2011 released
According to an article I recently saw on the Internet, an organization called BabyCenter, which apparently keeps track of such things, revealed the most popular names given to American children in 2011, based on some 300,000 names that were registered on their website.
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COLUMN: Iredell religion and politics in 1855
The religious preferences of the people and the political affiliations of all the voters in Iredell County on the eve of the Civil War are not known, but a letter written 156 years ago reveals some clues as to the local political leanings and religious activities of the time. Here follows portions of a letter dated Oct. 31, 1855, from Mr. and Mrs. James McHargue, of New Hope township, to some McHargue relatives who had recently moved to Jackson County, Indiana. As with most letters, this one is filled with news of the health of various members of the family, the state of local crops, the weather and local goings-on.
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COLUMN: A recollection of Statesville in 1850
We are fortunate to have most of the issues of the newspapers of Statesville on microfilm in the Iredell County Public Library. The papers make fascinating reading, particularly the issues from a hundred or more years ago. The papers are even better when one comes across accounts by older residents who wrote to The Landmark recalling how things were "in the good old days."
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COLUMN: Bryson's latest a welcome tour of home life
Perhaps you remember comedian Tim Allen's 1990s TV series, "Home Improvement." Allen played a klutzy host of a low-budget cable TV tool show. His character often sought advice about his career, his relationship with his wife and children, and life in general from a well-read neighbor named Wilson Wilson, who quoted authors and philosophers in an effort to help his befuddled neighbor. If I were the character Tim Taylor — played by Allen — I would want the author Bill Bryson to be my over-the-fence neighbor Wilson.
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COLUMN: Volunteer wanted for valuable but payless job
Last Friday, Nov. 11, was Veterans Day. Some time before this I had been going through my files looking for ideas for a column suitable for the Sunday following this national holiday. I came upon a printout from "The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Story" (www.cmstory.org) concerning their Gold Star Veterans, "Dedicated to the memory of Mecklenburg County, NC, Veterans who died during World War II."
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COLUMN: Photo of serviceman harkens back to another era
This coming Friday, Nov. 11, will be Veterans Day, and once again Americans in our armed forces are in harm's way in distant lands. Peace to them and to their families and may they be reunited before the next Veterans Day.
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COLUMN: Landis case remains baffling 55 years later
The majority of the six-member coroner's jury felt that the evidence in the death of Mrs. Estelle Landis on the night of March 12, 1956, pointed to a homicide, rather than a suicide.
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