Placing historical markers along prominent roadways is one way to make sure that they’ll be seen by lots of people driving by, but it also means that they run the risk of being struck by a wayward vehicle or even by the occasional grass mowing crews keeping the shoulders tidy.
Vance County has 16 historical markers located within its boundaries – seven of them honor individuals and the other nine are for particular events, towns and structures.
Pace and WIZS’s Bill Harris continued their discussion of historical markers with a focus on Vance County on Thursday’s Around Old Granville segment of TownTalk.
There are no fewer than five markers in and around Williamsboro, and Pace said that’s a nod to when the area – now not much more than a crossroads – was a thriving community back in the pre-Revolutionary days of the 1700’s. Williamsborough, as it was known during Colonial times, has its own marker which reads: “Eighteenth century town, named for John Williams, judge, state legislator, congressman, who lived nearby. Old St. John’s Church is here.”
“You wouldn’t know it riding through there today,” Pace said. Except for the fact that the historical markers bring attention to St. John’s Episcopal Church, the oldest frame church building in the state, as well as James Turner, an early governor and senator who lived in nearby.
Another marker remembers the Bingham School, which didn’t stay very long in Williamsboro, but was the first military school, established in 1826.
The marker for Richard Henderson originally had been placed on Norlina Road, across from the former WHNC radio station, but Pace said it was relocated to Satterwhite Point Road, about a mile from where his grave is. Henderson was the founder of Transylvania County in Kentucky and Nashville, TN.
Another Henderson, Leonard Henderson, has a marker, too. He’s who the city is named for, Pace said, but he was also an educator and a member of the first state Supreme Court in the early 1800’s.
The majority of the markers remind passersby of people and places long gone: there’s the Glass House in Kittrell, for example, that had been a destination for wealthy Northerners to escape city winters and enjoy the healing powers the area’s springs. And there’s Kittrell’s Springs, the health resort-turned hospital for Confederate soldiers in the waning days of the Civil War.
And the Confederate cemetery, where 52 soldiers’ graves are located.
But the historical marker that was placed in 2007 recalls a more recent event that has claimed its own place in history: The strike at Harriet-Henderson cotton mill occurred between 1958 and 1961, and Pace said it helped to showcase the South as a place where unions didn’t have traction as in other areas of the country, particularly the Northeast.
And although it’s not the earliest marker to be erected, the marker for John Lederer along N.C. 39 north of Townsville honors a pioneering German explorer who traveled in the area in 1670, with the help of a Native American guide.
Pace said Lederer may very well be the first person of European descent to set foot in this part of the world, but he sort of “fell through the cracks, history wise,” Pace added.
Are there other potential people and places that could be honored with their own historical marker?
Surely, Pace said.
He would consider the Blacknall family’s Continental Plant Co. that shipped strawberry plants all over the world, Greystone Quarry as well as Kerr Lake, which was the largest reservoir east of the Mississippi when U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built between 1947 and 1952.
Find a county-by-county listing of historical markers at https://www.dncr.nc.gov/nc-historical-markers-guide-may-2024/open
Listen back to the entire interview at www.wizs.com.
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TownTalk: The Kyle Harris Story
/by WIZS StaffKyle Harris is going to graduate from Vance-Granville Community College’s automotive systems technology program next month. But it will be the second time in as many months that he will be recognized for his efforts.
Harris accepted the Dallas Herring Student Achievement Award last week, given to one student or former student from across the state that best fits the philosophy of the community college visionary of “taking people where they are and carrying them as far as they can go,” according to a press release from VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissel.
Each of the state’s 58 community college systems submits a nominee for the achievement award named for a person whose work set in motion what would become the N.C. Community College System.
The awards dinner was held on Thursday, Apr. 3 at the Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary, Harris said on Monday’s TownTalk.
There were a lot of powerful people – politicians, donors to the Community College foundation, and others at that dinner. “They were all very interested in my story, and they gave me a round of applause that just really blew me away,” he said.
Things hadn’t been easy for Harris, a military veteran who found himself at the Veterans Life Center in Butner, unsure of what his next steps might be. He got sober and then he got to work on changing his life.
“I had lost a lot of hope in the fact that I would recover,” he said, recalling that period of his life that may seem in stark contrast to the life he leads today. “I’m so grateful I was given the opportunity to reinvent myself,” Harris said. “it’s changed my life. It’s changed the life of my family.”
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Once he was at the Veterans Life Center, he said representatives from the community college came to help him figure out some next steps.
He’d been in the Signal Corps and Communication Corps when he was in the military, and “a lot of the skills I had didn’t transfer over into the civilian world.”
But he did know about mobile communication network maintenance and operations, along with troubleshooting wiring problems using wiring diagrams. With that information, Harris decided to try the automotive systems technology program, trading out communication wiring application for automotive wiring
“In the end, they’re all wires,” he said.
He’s already working at Southeastern Specialty Vehicles in Henderson, which builds ambulances and other emergency vehicles. It’s a challenging job, but it’s one he really enjoys.
With employment comes a level of financial stability Harris truly appreciates, and he said it has given him the self-confidence to assure that he “will never have to go back to a homeless situation.”
“We work on ambulances that service the community all across North Carolina, and places where I have friends and family,” he said, adding that he now feels like he’s paying back a community who supported him. “Now I’m able to help my community through my work, by producing the best ambulances to service our state.”
“Enrolling in the Automotive [Systems] Technology associates’ program is where my redemption story really began,” he noted. “I hope that my story reaches as many people as possible struggling in addiction, to not only choose sobriety but to enroll in a community college.”
It was a fellow veteran who made that first phone call on Harris’s behalf that got him to the Veterans Life Center and that person’s concern for another’s welfare is what got Harris to where he is today. Remembering the idea behind the Dallas Herring award – to take people where they are and carry them as far as they can go – is what he plans to do for others.
“I want to be that person for another veteran in this community one day,” Harris said. “There is a path forward…that if you choose a life of sobriety, the community is here to help you and that you can turn it all around.”
WIZS Radio Henderson Local News 04-07-25 Noon
/by WIZS StaffListen On Air at 8am, 12pm, 5pm M-F
WIZS Radio ~ 100.1FM/1450AM
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Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Carpenter Bees
/by WIZS StaffOn the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report from Wayne Rowland:
Carpenter Bees can be difficult to control if you have unpainted wood around the exterior of your home.
Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.
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Attend May 2 ‘Food Farmacy’ To Learn How Wellness, Food Choices Affect Health
/by WIZS StaffWe’ve all heard the saying, “you are what you eat,” and we know we should make healthy food choices — at least most of the time – to be our healthiest selves. But did you know that our food choices could play a role in helping us combat chronic illnesses and reduce health disparities within the community?
Learn more about choosing healthy food options that don’t bust the budget at the upcoming 2025 Food Farmacy Market on May 2 at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market.
With a focus on health and wellness, the Food Farmacy will take place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the day before Opening Day of the farmers market.
Organizers are building on the success of a previous event, and they’re taking things to the next level to promote nutritious diets and physical fitness and address health-related challenges facing the community.
The Food Farmacy will provide access to nutritious, affordable food options while also hosting educational opportunities on making healthier food choices and lifestyle choices. Come learn about the local food system and how to come together as a community to reduce chronic illnesses and health disparities.
There’s a brief interest form in the link below for anyone who wants to be a vendor, an educator or a volunteer for this community event.
Find the form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc4dGKOiAOxk3nHgWsKGGTRu1NlE-GtyrMKEG1XXujRfM9qcg/viewform
WIZS Radio Henderson Local News 04-04-25 Noon
/by WIZS StaffListen On Air at 8am, 12pm, 5pm M-F
WIZS Radio ~ 100.1FM/1450AM
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SportsTalk: Colts in Full Swing for Spring Sports
/by Scout HughesSportsTalk 12:30 p.m. M-Th
Crossroads Christian AD Scottie Richardson joins SportsTalk with Scout Hughes and George Hoyle to speak about the great things going on for the Colts as they are in full swing with spring sports.
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TownTalk: Around Old Granville – Vance County Historical Markers
/by Laura GabelPlacing historical markers along prominent roadways is one way to make sure that they’ll be seen by lots of people driving by, but it also means that they run the risk of being struck by a wayward vehicle or even by the occasional grass mowing crews keeping the shoulders tidy.
Vance County has 16 historical markers located within its boundaries – seven of them honor individuals and the other nine are for particular events, towns and structures.
Pace and WIZS’s Bill Harris continued their discussion of historical markers with a focus on Vance County on Thursday’s Around Old Granville segment of TownTalk.
There are no fewer than five markers in and around Williamsboro, and Pace said that’s a nod to when the area – now not much more than a crossroads – was a thriving community back in the pre-Revolutionary days of the 1700’s. Williamsborough, as it was known during Colonial times, has its own marker which reads: “Eighteenth century town, named for John Williams, judge, state legislator, congressman, who lived nearby. Old St. John’s Church is here.”
“You wouldn’t know it riding through there today,” Pace said. Except for the fact that the historical markers bring attention to St. John’s Episcopal Church, the oldest frame church building in the state, as well as James Turner, an early governor and senator who lived in nearby.
Another marker remembers the Bingham School, which didn’t stay very long in Williamsboro, but was the first military school, established in 1826.
The marker for Richard Henderson originally had been placed on Norlina Road, across from the former WHNC radio station, but Pace said it was relocated to Satterwhite Point Road, about a mile from where his grave is. Henderson was the founder of Transylvania County in Kentucky and Nashville, TN.
Another Henderson, Leonard Henderson, has a marker, too. He’s who the city is named for, Pace said, but he was also an educator and a member of the first state Supreme Court in the early 1800’s.
The majority of the markers remind passersby of people and places long gone: there’s the Glass House in Kittrell, for example, that had been a destination for wealthy Northerners to escape city winters and enjoy the healing powers the area’s springs. And there’s Kittrell’s Springs, the health resort-turned hospital for Confederate soldiers in the waning days of the Civil War.
And the Confederate cemetery, where 52 soldiers’ graves are located.
But the historical marker that was placed in 2007 recalls a more recent event that has claimed its own place in history: The strike at Harriet-Henderson cotton mill occurred between 1958 and 1961, and Pace said it helped to showcase the South as a place where unions didn’t have traction as in other areas of the country, particularly the Northeast.
And although it’s not the earliest marker to be erected, the marker for John Lederer along N.C. 39 north of Townsville honors a pioneering German explorer who traveled in the area in 1670, with the help of a Native American guide.
Pace said Lederer may very well be the first person of European descent to set foot in this part of the world, but he sort of “fell through the cracks, history wise,” Pace added.
Are there other potential people and places that could be honored with their own historical marker?
Surely, Pace said.
He would consider the Blacknall family’s Continental Plant Co. that shipped strawberry plants all over the world, Greystone Quarry as well as Kerr Lake, which was the largest reservoir east of the Mississippi when U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built between 1947 and 1952.
Find a county-by-county listing of historical markers at https://www.dncr.nc.gov/nc-historical-markers-guide-may-2024/open
Listen back to the entire interview at www.wizs.com.
CLICK PLAY!
Granville Names Charla Duncan Economic Development Director
/by WIZS StaffCharla Duncan has been selected to be Granville County’s Economic Development director. Duncan returns to Granville County government with more than 10 years of experience in economic development and local government administration. She is set to begin in the new role May 1.
In her new role, Duncan will lead the county’s economic development recruitment and retention efforts, with a particular focus on the development of the Triangle North Granville Business Park, according to information from Granville County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood.
For the past six years, Duncan has held various positions in Warren County, including most recently as director of Community & Economic Development. She was Warren’s interim economic development director after initially being appointed to the position of Senior Assistant to the County Manager.
During her time in Warren County, Duncan was instrumental in securing more than $5 million in development grant funding and identifying and acquiring three county-owned sites for future development.
She spearheaded the update to that county’s 2022 Comprehensive Plan and established a board of directors and hired staff for the Warren County Tourism Development Authority.
Duncan was the county’s lead on the NC Department of Transportation S-Line passenger rail project, led efforts to expand local broadband internet access and oversaw efforts to cultivate the expansion of Glen Raven fabric manufacturing – a project that invested more than $80 million and created more than 30 new jobs at its Norlina plant.
Named a Trailblazer by Business NC in 2022, Duncan also was named Emerging Leader of the Year in 2023 by the N.C. Economic Development Association. She currently is a member of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina and represents the North Central Prosperity Zone – a 15-county region that includes Granville County – Economic Development Advisory Council.
Duncan is also no stranger to Granville County Government. Before her time in Warren County, Duncan spent more than three years in the Granville County Administration Office as Grant Coordinator and Management Analyst.
“I cut my teeth on county government with Granville County, and I’m truly excited to come back to an organization and a community that feels like home in many ways,” said Duncan. “I developed a lot of great relationships while I was a public servant here from 2016-2019, and I look forward to building on that history. As a native of Warren County, I’m grown from Kerr-Tar soil, and I bring with me a deep respect for our rural communities and what we have to offer, as well as protect. I believe in responsible development, and I’m eager to work with Granville County residents, businesses, and leaders on a thoughtful, creative, and intentional pathway forward for the community.”
Duncan is an NC Certified Economic Developer and a graduate of the UNC School of Government Municipal and County Administration program. She received her bachelor’s degree in English with a Secondary Education Licensure from UNC-Greensboro and a master’s degree in public and Nonprofit Management from New York University.
Mobile Home Owners Will Pay More For Fire, Casualty Insurance Beginning Sept. 1
/by WIZS StaffThe N.C. Department of Insurance has ended its legal dispute with the North Carolina Rate Bureau over a proposed rate increase for two types of insurance policies for mobile home owners.
The two policies are Mobile Home Fire and Mobile Home Casualty, and the settlement calls for a statewide average increase of 11 percent per year over the next two years for the fire policy and an average of 8 percent over the same time period for the casualty policy.
The first set of increases will take effect on new and renewed policies beginning on or after Sept. 1. The second set of increases will take effect on Aug. 31, 2026. The agreement prevents the insurance companies from seeking an increase before Sept. 1, 2027.
Although the cost will go up, the increase is much less than the proposed 82.9 percent and 49.9 percent increase in fire and casualty policies that companies asked the Rate Bureau for about one year ago, according to information from the N.C. Dept. of Insurance.
“I am happy to announce that North Carolina mobile homeowners will save more than $10 million a year in premium payments compared to what the insurance companies requested, Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey said. “I am also glad the Department of Insurance and insurance companies have avoided a lengthy, expensive administrative legal battle.”
The increases affect approximately 148,000 policyholders in North Carolina.
Unlike standard homeowners’ programs, both the MH-F and MH-C programs include flood coverage. The two programs are similar. However, the MH-F program provides coverage for a broader range of perils.
The agreement means a hearing on the issue scheduled for May 21 has been canceled.
Upcoming Community Resource Festival Shaping Up To Be Largest Yet
/by WIZS StaffWith more than 100 vendors already registered, the Community Resource Festival 2025 is shaping up to be the largest resource gathering in two counties, and organizers are eager to provide the community with valuable information and a fun day of networking.
The third annual event takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Apr. 16 at the Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center. In addition to VGCC, sponsors include Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce, Granville County Chamber of Commerce and Huff Consulting, LLC
Michele Walker with Huff Consulting, LLC is one of the volunteer organizers. Interest in the event has been great, she said – so much so that some vendors have been placed on a wait list. If previously registered vendors know they cannot attend, Walker asks that they contact organizers as soon as possible to allow as many vendors as possible to take part.
“Thank you so much for making it happen and breaking records, yet again!” Walker said in a written request to vendors for door prizes and other donations.
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Walker asks vendors to share on social media outlets counts as the participation/registration fee, she said. Vendors are asked to “tag” the resource partners to help get the word out to as many people as possible.
Facebook users can add “Shelli Walker” to their tags for verification as well. Walker said she will accept all “follow” requests and she will be showcasing random vendors as a way to further promote the event’s activities and participants.
“Again, we can’t thank you enough for being a part of this Community Resource Festival and we hope you all have an amazing time yourselves! Network, Network, Network!” Walker said.
This year, vendors are eligible to win door prizes, she said. Vendors who are donating prizes are asked to inform organizers no later than Monday, Apr. 7 of the type and quantity of door prizes they’ll be providing.
There will be a table by the entrance to the Civic Center to drop donated items on the day of the event. That’s also where the winners will be announced. Previous door prizes have been gift cards, gift baskets, books and donated services.
Please send the following information to michele.walker@huff-consulting.com.
Please include on each item the name of the donor organization as well as accurate contact information.