TownTalk: The Gist Of The Grist Mill

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According to the 1850 U.S. Census, there were more than 140 mills in operation in Vance and surrounding counties that once were all part of Granville County.

Some were sawmills, and some were grist mills – some constructed for use by a single landowner, but many were built for commercial use.

Folks would come to the grist mills to get their corn ground, of course, but mills also were important in other ways, too.

Sadly, few mills remain today, their wooden construction giving way to time and weather. Some have undergone restoration and are reminders of the mills’ place in their heyday.

Mark Pace, North Carolina Room specialist at the Richard Thornton Library in Oxford, and Bill Harris talked about mills and their roles in the community on Thursday’s tri-weekly history TownTalk show.

Pace said his research showed that in 1850, there were 102 mills in present-day Warren County alone – twice as many as the following county on the list, he said.

The reason for that may have been because of Warren’s status among other counties in the state at the time.

“In 1840, Warren County was one of the most prosperous and prominent counties in the state,” Pace said.

In a six-mile stretch along the banks of Sandy Creek in Vance County, there were numerous mills, he said.

First, there’s Fox Pond, site of the long-popular recreation facilities. A little farther down, there was Rowland’s Pond and mill, followed by Club Pond, then Weldon’s Mill and then Southerland’s Mill. At that point the creek continues into Franklin County, where there was Laurel Mill, Pace said.

Laurel Mill has been restored and visitors can see how the mill operated. Although situated along the stream or creek, a mill usually needed a pond nearby to employ that water when the creek levels were low. A mill race worked like a canal or trough to carry water from the pond to the water wheel. Millers would use a millstone to pulverize the corn.

John Penn had a small grist mill on his farm that is situated on Michael’s Creek in present-day Granville County. That mill used a different system for grinding grain. It used a wooden wheel called a tub turbine that was situated horizontally underwater instead of the vertical waterwheel.

Because these tub turbines remained submerged and weren’t exposed to the elements or  bug infestations, they were quite durable. “They lasted for decades,” Pace said. Using water-resistant woods like cedar and bald cypress made the turbines even longer-lasting.

In the mid- to late-19th century, a millstone cost somewhere in the $50-$90 range. Pace said that would easily translate to $4,500 or so in today’s money.

“So the people who had the money were the ones that ran the mills,” he said.

But mills represented more than just a place to grind grains.

“Mills were kind of a cultural and social center of the community,” he said. In some instances, some mills served as polling places. Folks who lived on one side of the Sandy Creek would vote at one mill and folks who lived on the other side of the creek would vote at another mill, he said.

Mills in the area are associated with certain family surnames – there’s Amis, Gregory and Stark in Granville County, Weldon in Vance and Hamme in Warren, just to name a few. Hamme’s Mill just south of Warrenton is an example of just how picturesque the mills and their settings are, Pace and Harris agreed.

In Vance County, O.B. Weldon ran Weldon’s Mill along Sandy Creek, and his brother operated another mill as well, Pace said.

Granville County’s Rufus Amis Mill, currently undergoing a restoration, and the Gregory Mill near Stovall serve as the county’s two existing examples of mills. Dalton Mill near Grassy Creek had been one of the oldest and largest in the area, dating back to the early 1800’s. It was taken down in 1993.

The Perry family owned Cascine in Franklin County south of Louisburg and there’s a mill that survives on that property today. If you count the basement, that structure stands five stories tall.

Want to learn more about mills and their history in North Carolina? Visit the North Carolina Room of the Richard Thornton Library and check out a book titled Beginner’s Guide to Grist Mills in North Carolina.

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TownTalk: Tar River Land Conservancy Improving Access To Nature

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Derek Halberg has been working with Tar River Land Conservancy for 18 years – not quite since its inception 22 years ago, but as executive director, he has witnessed a lot of growth in the area of land conservancy.

“We’ve done a lot of great work, and it’s very rewarding,” Halberg said.

TRLC, a nonprofit land trust, is one of a couple of dozen across the state with a similar mission to preserve – conserve – land for farm use or for future recreational use.

The group takes its name from the body of water that begins in Person County and continues Granville, Vance, Franklin and points farther east. The TRLC works in those and other counties as far away as Edgecombe County to help landowners find ways to conserve their property.

Halberg spoke with Bill Harris on Wednesday’s Town Talk to discuss some upcoming projects, one of which involves 83 acres in southern Granville County called Horseshoe Road Nature Preserve.

“It’s one of our newest properties that we’re actively working on to open to the public,” Halberg said. He said he hopes that a ribbon-cutting to officially open the property will take place in June.

When completed, the Horseshoe Road property will feature a couple of miles of hiking trails, much of which is being created with the help of volunteers. It will join Roberts Chapel Conservation Area in Stem to provide a place for hikers to come and get a little exercise while observing nature up close and personal.

TLRC has received some financial support from several local governments to help create the trails, signage and such for the Granville projects. And although using volunteers may take a little longer to complete a project, Halberg said that involvement will pay dividends in the long-run.

A project the size of Horseshoe Road may take a professional team a few months of continuous work to complete, but Halberg said TLRC’s approach was aimed at community involvement.j

“It takes longer, but it creates better results,” he noted. Volunteers have contributed more than 1,000 hours of their time, using rakes and shovels to put the trail through the woods, he said.

“We transform a property from a raw wilderness property into something that people can visit and enjoy.”

The Tar River and its tributaries provide water to reservoirs like Lake Holt in Creedmoor and Falls Lake in Wake County. Ensuring safe drinking water is a primary objective of the TLRC, but the group also works to protect the flora and fauna of the area – some of which “are found nowhere else on earth,” Halberg said.

There are fish, fresh-water mussels and amphibian species that dwell in and around the waters of the Tar and its tributaries that create a rich biological diversity in this part of the state, he said.

Unlike the Roanoke River to the north, from which Kerr Lake and Lake Gaston were formed, The Tar is still a free-flowing river, a fact that Halberg said makes it “pretty great for the wildlife.”

The TLRC is always looking to work with new landowners, he said. “We’re always looking to start new conversations,” he said.

Call the office, located in Louisburg, at 919.496.5902 or visit www.tarriverlandconservancy.com to learn more, from volunteering to participate in upcoming projects to ways to conserve properties.

 

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TownTalk: Christopher St. John Counsels Military Vets

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Psychotherapist Chris St. John has the professional experience and educational credentials to provide his clients with valuable feedback as they receive therapy, but he can relate to those veterans and first responders on a different, more personal level: He is a veteran and he has been a first responder, both of which form a special, unspoken connection with patients who have a similar background.

St. John works in Denver, Colorado and he spoke by phone to John C. Rose and guest co-host Phyllis Maynard on Tuesday’s Town Talk about his practice and his special interest in the work of Carl Jung.

“Talk therapy isn’t for everybody,” St. John acknowledged. There are many different ways to get counseling, and talk therapy is just one of the ways that a therapist can offer help.

St. John is a Navy veteran who also has experience as a first responder, so he fits right in to the

Former Active Duty: Still Boots on the Ground category of the recurring Town Talk series.Ju

St. John discovered Jung’s work during his college years and subsequently became certified in Jungian theory. Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology in the early part of the 20th century.

“I take pieces from others all the time,” he said. “I reference others and apply it into my work.”

He takes pride in tailoring his therapy to the individual, and stresses to patients the idea that they are not alone as they seek therapy.

“There is some form of therapeutic intervention for everybody,” he said. His experiences help offer to patients a unique perspective that can help them adapt and cope, he said. And it’s those experiences in the military that provide an extra connection for his military veteran clients.

“Words don’t have to be spoken (in) how you connect to another veteran,” St. John said. “I can speak the lingo and have the general understanding…(they) connect with me almost immediately.”

The two-way trust can be established quickly, he noted. “We’ve earned our stripes and we’re connected,” he said.

St. John said he knows first-hand about what he called “compassion fatigue.” First responders can experience compassion fatigue as they continue to focus on the health and well-being of others and have little energy to take care of their own needs.

“Self-care is not selfish,” he said. If you don’t take care of yourself, there’s no way you can continue to help others.

When do you know it’s time to seek professional help?

“It’s important that you don’t wait,” St. John said. “The best time to see therapy is when you don’t need it.”

Learn more at http://www.christopherstjohntherapist.com/

 

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TownTalk: Embrace Henderson Family Spectacular

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After a COVID-19 delay, Embrace Henderson’s Family Spectacular is returning to Saddlerock Farm on Saturday, April 9 for a fun-filled event for children and adults.

Embrace Henderson’s Kevin Kilgore told John C. Rose Monday that the group is glad to get back to its mission of coming together to host events, revivals – and the Family Spectacular – after a two-year COVID-19 break.

The Spectacular will be held at Saddlerock Farm, 1786 Weldon’s Mill Road, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“It’s the only event that we’ve scheduled this year…because it’s outside, it felt like it was a good place to start back,” Kilgore said.

The 2022 event marks the 10th anniversary of the Spectacular. Kilgore said previous events have had right around 1,000 in attendance. “I’d love to have twice that many, but we’re comfortable with the number of adults and kids that do come,” he said.

There will be horse rides, hayrides, bouncy houses, children’s games, an illusion show, just to name a few. There also will be sno cones, popcorn and drinks to enjoy.

The event is absolutely free, Kilgore said.

Embrace Henderson was formed in 2010 when a group of individuals and various churches joined forces to be able to bring events, revivals and events like the Family Spectacular, all while spreading God’s Word.

The local group is partnering with Bob Fowler’s Child Evangelism Fellowship and Scott and Karen Lamm with LammEvents.com to bring all the activities to Vance County next month.

“There’s no way we could do this without either of them,” Kilgore noted.

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TownTalk: County Commissioners To Work On Issues During Retreat

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Updated 3/4/2022

The Vance County commissioners completed their planning retreat on Thursday, Mar. 3 and prioritized five goals for the coming year, which remain in draft form until they are formally approved at the April board meeting.

County Manager Jordan McMillen told WIZS News that all indications are that the five priorities will be:

  1. To retain or assist in creation of 150 new jobs and $10 million in new investment for the County to include completion of design and construction of a shell building at the Henderson-Vance Industrial Park.
  2. Complete an Economic Development Strategic plan aimed at setting priorities and benchmarks for the future of economic development to include prioritizing regionalization.
  3. Implement a community paramedicine program that seeks to improve community health, reduce frequent fliers, and assist in lowering EMS call volume.
  4. Begin planning (land acquisition and design) necessary for a new public safety center to house the county EMS and fire departments.
  5. Begin construction of Phase 1B of the county water system and offer public information/signup meetings with a goal of increasing signups 20 percent above the current level.

Other takeaways that McMillen noted following the retreat include the positive financial position the county finds itself in, which will help the county be able to bring employee salaries more in line with the market.

“This speaks to our fund balance (unassigned fund balance of 44 percent of expenditures) and also the increases we have seen in sales tax revenue the past few years which we are hopeful will position us to implement our recent salary study with the new budget July 1,” McMillen said.

The board must approve the salary plan before it goes into effect. “As we work budget, we intend to be in position to approve the salary study at our June meeting to be effective with the new budget,” McMillen said.

He cited some details of the salary study, noting that 82 percent of salaries “are closer to the minimum and have not progressed to the midpoint or the maximum of the pay grade.” If and when the plan is approved, “employees’ salaries would be slotted where they belong along the pay range according to the market and our starting salaries will move up as well across the board,” he explained.

Neighboring counties have conducted similar studies in the past year or so, which impacts Vance County’s ability to effectively recruit and retain employees, McMillen added.

“Economic development remains the top goal and priority for our board,” he said. “A major part of this effort is continuing to develop our industrial park and looking toward a possible shell building in the future.” McMillen said more information about this topic will be announced at the commissioners’ meeting Monday, Mar. 7.

During the retreat, the group discussed the need to work together with neighboring counties to strengthen regionalism and support regional efforts.

The county’s effort over the past five years to return foreclosed and other properties to the tax rolls has been successful, McMillen said. In that period, 116 properties have been returned to the tax rolls, which is the equivalent of returning $830,000 in value to the tax rolls.

The county took in more than $300,000 in revenue for these properties, he said.

 

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Vance County commissioners and county staff have gathered today (Thursday) for its annual planning retreat to discuss upcoming priorities, review goals and talk about results of a recent salary and benefits study of county jobs.

It began at 9 a.m. today and was scheduled to conclude at 2 p.m., according to information from County Manager Jordan McMillen.

The retreat was rescheduled from an earlier date so the salary study could be completed. John C. Rose perused the 51-page agenda that McMillen had prepared for the retreat, and said the first topic of conversation was the salary and benefits study, which was presented to commissioners.

Also on the agenda was a recap of the county’s financial condition and fiscal outlook presented by Finance Director Katherine Bigelow.

There are numerous openings within county government and law enforcement that have yet to be filled, including 16 at the detention center and 8 within the sheriff’s office. There are 32 openings at the Department of Social Services and a dozen openings within the EMS system.

Whether qualified candidates simply aren’t looking in Vance County or not considering working here because the pay isn’t competitive with other areas, the fact remains that there are openings that need to be filled.

The salary study included information about employee outreach, current conditions, review of compensation and having an updated pay plan, according to information in the agenda.

 

Some of the goals that were scheduled to be discussed included the following:

 

  • Creation of 150 new jobs and bringing in $10 million in new investment
  • Completion of economic development plan
  • Construction of a shell building at industrial park
  • Creation of a paramedicine program to reduce EMS call volume
  • Initial planning of a new public safety center to house EMS and fire departments
  • Start Phase 1B of the county water system
  • Increase signups to the water system by 20 percent over current signups

 

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TownTalk: Area Economic Summit Coming To Uptown Roxboro

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Kerr-Tar Council of Governments and a bevy of partners representing a cross-section of the business, education and government agencies across the five-county region are joining forces to present Vision 2022:  Regional Economic Development Summit later this month in Roxboro.

The event will be held Thursday, Mar. 31 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Kirby Cultural Arts Complex in uptown Roxboro, and Person Economic Development Sherry Wilborn said participants will have the chance to learn from leading experts as well as enjoy what uptown Roxboro has to offer visitors.

There is no cost to attend, but registration is required. Register by Mar. 21 at

https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ej1p18ts26aa95f6&oseq=&c=&ch=

Wilborn and Lou Grillo, workforce development director for Kerr-Tar COG, joined John C. Rose on Wednesday’s Town Talk to share details of the upcoming event.

“We’re thrilled to have people coming in to Person County,” Wilborn said. Participants will get vouchers in their registration packets to exchange for lunch at uptown restaurants and food trucks that are driving in for the event.

Grillo said there will be many opportunities for networking among participants, and said the day’s events are geared toward employers, employees, business partners and local and regional governments to gain insight on what is currently transpiring in the workforce.

Many employers are having to figure out how to adjust to the changing labor market and work with the current workforce conditions, Grillo said.

“It’s an opportunity to get the community together to talk about some critical workforce issues,” he said, and to understand the situations that companies are currently experiencing.

“Come and get an understanding of what the post pandemic economy is going to look like –

What the current talent pipeline is going to look like.”

Polywood is one Person County employer that is poised for expansion and Wilborn said it and several other employers across the five-county area are going to share some of their strategies and innovations for keeping their existing employees and for finding new workers in the post-pandemic economy.

Wilborn said unemployment is about 3.3 percent in Person County, which makes for a tight labor market.

A vital piece of the economy puzzle includes partnerships and networking from agencies like NCWorks and area economic development offices to community colleges and private business, Grillo said.

“It takes partnership and communication to understand the opportunities that are available,” he said. “We’re preparing our workforce needs of the future” through holding events like the summit.

The keynote speaker is Peyton Holland, a nationally known expert who will speak on how to grow the workforce in a time where skill is hard to find, opportunities are plentiful for jobseekers, and results are needed immediately.

Grillo said he’s heard Holland speak before, and he considers him a great resource for helping to align the various community partners to be most effective in creating qualified workers through education and recruiting and retaining employees in the workforce.

Other speakers include N.C. Secretary of Commerce Machelle Sanders and the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond CEO Tom Barkin. Managing Partner with Economic Leadership, LLC, Ted Abernathy will join live through virtual video conference.

Sponsors include the Kerr-Tar Council of Governments, Kerr-Tar workforce development board, and Duke Energy, with collaborative partners from the Chambers of Commerce, Economic Development Commissions, and Vance-Granville and Piedmont Community Colleges.

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TownTalk: Downtown Henderson To Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

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Downtown Henderson is turning it green for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration that will include food trucks, arts and crafts for the children and music, all of which is sure to create a festive atmosphere around Breckenridge Street.

The Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission is partnering with the Vance Arts Council to put on the event and DDC representatives were on Tuesday’s Town Talk to tell John C. Rose about some of the activities that will be offered on Thursday, Mar. 17 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Alice Sallins is chairperson of the DDC promotions committee. She said sponsorships are still available for the event; there are three sponsorship levels: Leprechaun at $250, Shamrock at $500 and Pot o’ Gold at $1,000.

Sponsors’ donations will help to provide food free of charge to those who attend the community event.

Selfies with the giant leprechaun or in front of the giant rainbow and pot o’ gold are sure to be taken as well – wear green!

Ellis, who is the DDC chair, said vendors and other community agencies are signing up to participate as well. The deadline has been extended, and Ellis encouraged churches, community organizations and others to consider signing up to have a table at the St. Paddy’s Day event.

There is no vendor fee, she said.

The vendors will be part of a scavenger hunt, Ellis explained. As folks visit each vendor, they will collect information for the scavenger hunt. Those who complete the scavenger hunt will receive a small prize. “(Participants will) learn more about our community and what it has to offer,” Ellis said of the scavenger hunt.

Prize donations also are being accepted. They can be inexpensive, she noted – just something for the kids to enjoy.

Sallins said this is a “kid-geared” event and said she looks forward to seeing children complete craft activities and enjoy the music and dance performances.

Ballet Arts is scheduled to perform, and there will be some cloggers as well, she said.

Granville Vance Public Health, the Gateway Center and Perry Memorial Library are just a few of the agencies that will have boots at the celebration.

Contact Ellis at amanda@rogersandrogerslawyers.com  to join the list of vendors and agencies participating.

Contact Sallins at 252.767.4759 to learn more about sponsoring the event.

 

 

H-V Crime Stoppers Chicken Plate Fundraiser March 11

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To raise money and local awareness, the Henderson-Vance Crime Stoppers will have a chicken plate fundraiser on March 11 at the Vance County Rescue Squad on 1735 Maynard Road. The event will run from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 and are available from any board member. Tickets must be purchased in advance. It’s takeout only, and delivery can be arranged for 10 or more plates.

According to the new president of the local Henderson-Vance Crime Stoppers, Frankie Nobles, there was not a single payout request in 2021.

Either there were no indictments or convictions as a result of tips sent in anonymously or, more likely, no tips sent in at all.

“We need the community to step up,” Nobles told WIZS. He also said he believes that people may be worried that their identity will be discovered. But Nobles said that is not the case.

Calling or texting the Crime Stoppers number at 492 1925 is completely anonymous, Nobles said. The calls or messages get routed through a maze of different servers. The software that is used is safe and confidential.

He said, “We never even know who’s getting the money.”

TownTalk: Trials And Tribulations Of Genealogy

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Lots of people dabble in genealogy in their quest to fill out a family tree, but Kim Knight has taken it to a whole different level.

Knight has a college degree in archival management and genealogical research from Brigham Young University and she’s been a genealogy professional for more than 20 years.

What began as research on her father’s side of the family has blossomed into a business that helps others find their ancestors. But the work is so much more for Knight, she told WIZS’s Bill Harris and guest host Phyllis Maynard on Thursday’s Town Talk.

Genealogy is her go-to activity when she needs to take a break from the trials of everyday life. It’s a therapy of sorts for Knight, who deals each day with the effects of traumatic brain injury. And with a cancer diagnosis.

Maynard and Harris conducted the second part of an interview with Knight as part of a regular segment called “Former Active Duty” Still Boots on the Ground” that checks in with former service members who remain active in their community to help others.

There are many available computer-based platforms to entice an amateur genealogist, but Knight said she would choose https://www.familysearch.org/.

“It’s free, easy to use and has a tremendous database already behind it,” she said.

Other free sites include https://www.findagrave.com/ and https://www.cyndislist.com/us/.

While the amateur genealogist may enjoy poring over documents in search of family history, a professional genealogist has gone through rigorous training and certification to conduct research.

It’s reading ancient documents, learning how to pick through information and collect more than just dates of birth and death that intrigue Knight.

“It’s like painting the picture of the person’s life you’re researching,” she said.

For instance, she recently helped a young Black man with some research and she found some interesting information.  “I found that his great-great-great grandmother in the 1880’s went to college, earned her degree and went on to be a teacher – that was an amazing find for this young man,” she said.

Before all the online resources became available, genealogy fieldwork involved visits to courthouse, registers of deeds, and combing through lots of documents by hand. Now, clicks of the mouse and a few keystrokes can open up whole worlds of information to genealogists.

Knight cautions anyone doing family research to take care – misinformation abounds, and it’s vitally important to make sure the data is correct before adding it to your own family history.

For Knight, that’s part of the game with genealogy.

“It’s part of the fun, actually,” she said. “It’s a kick. I really enjoy genealogy.”

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TownTalk: Henderson City Council Planning Retreat

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The Henderson City Council and government leaders are planning for their annual retreat, and council members agree that housing and homelessness are among the issues they expect will be up for discussion as they prioritize goals and the actions needed to achieve them.

City Manager Terrell Blackmon told WIZS News that a goal of the retreat is to craft “a blueprint for the direction of the city for the foreseeable future.” Chris Aycock of Aycock and Associates will facilitate the retreat, which will take place at Henderson Country Club beginning tomorrow (Thursday, Feb. 24) and continuing on Friday, Feb. 25.

Members of the public are welcome to attend and observe this annual strategic planning session.

Council member Melissa Elliott said a discussion about affordable housing and homelessness are important one to her. “I think they go hand in hand – that would be one of my main” issues to discuss, she told WIZS News. Other topics she hopes to discuss during the planning retreat are inclusion and diversity.

The Rev. Ola Thorpe-Cooper said she is excited about what’s ahead for Henderson and looks forward to discussing with others on the council how to tackle the issue of affordable housing and revitalizing blighted neighborhoods.

Thorpe-Cooper, William Burnette and Garry Daeke all mentioned the Elmwood URA project and plans for similar work in the Flint Hill neighborhood as positive moves forward for the city.

“We’re trying to do what we can for the city…as a whole – it’s not done overnight,” Thorpe-Cooper told WIZS News in a phone conversation.

Jason Spriggs told WIZS News Thursday that he’s concerned about housing in general, not just affordable housing. Spriggs sees a definite link between homelessness and available housing, and said people who are renting may be seeing those rents rise. He said he wants to make it easier for people to construct houses.

“It’s a tough situation for people who live here who want to stay here,” he said.

 

In addition to neighborhood redevelopment efforts, Burnette said he would like to see continued focus on downtown redevelopment and emphasis on the regional water system.

These topics and more are sure to be discussed during the retreat, which Blackmon said would begin with brief presentations by department heads during the first half-day. The session will run from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The second day will be attended by Council only, Blackmon said, adding that all council members would be present for the session, which will be from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“What I hope to get out of this retreat is a five-year plan with goals that have tangible actions attached,” Blackmon said. His topics of interest line up with those of Burnette, Elliott and Thorpe Cooper and include infrastructure, affordable housing and economic development.

Daeke said prospective developers most likely are interested in amenities like sidewalks and available parks, as well as appropriate lighting and landscaping as they decide where to put new housing or retail space. He said he hopes the city can secure some funding that would support providing those improvements.

“We’ve got to have some skin in the game,” he said.

Daeke said the council would probably get an update on the regional water system, which he said is very close to starting on the construction phase – perhaps as early as fall 2022.

Siting and construction of a third fire station could be a discussion, as well as finding a location for a train station as plans continue to develop around the S-Line project, which would see increased commuter and passenger service along the existing rail lines from Sanford through Henderson and on into Virginia.

Next steps include getting input about station design and layout – as well as where to locate it for best access by the community.

“It’s just incredible…having a commuter and passenger and freight rail coming through this town again is just going to open doors that we haven’t had open to us in years,” Daeke said.