Tag Archive for: #markpace

TownTalk: Local Lore Rooted In History

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Once upon a time, the tiny town of Stovall in northern Granville County wasn’t so tiny. In fact, it once claimed the honor of having one of the largest private residences in the state, second only to the famed Biltmore Estate in Asheville.

“Waterloo,” as it was known, was built by James Daniel in 1840 and ultimately had a whopping 48 rooms.

After the Civil War was over, a Mr. Dickerson frequented the area, where he spent time hunting quail. “He liked the place so much, he bought it,” said Mark Pace, local historian and North Carolina Room specialist for the Richard Thornton Library in Oxford.

Pace said it is Dickerson who is credited with a couple of other “firsts” for the town – he was the first person to bring a car there, he had the first graded road constructed and he also had the first telephone, according to Mark Pace,

Pace and WIZS’s Bill Harris chatted about a few examples of such historical lore during Thursday’s tri-weekly TownTalk history segment.

Dickerson lived up North and turned the sprawling home into a hunting lodge. He would travel down on the train, which stopped in Stovall, unload his car, and stay for weeks at the time, Pace said.

“When he came, it was quite a big deal,” Pace said. His office in New York was across the street from the Federal Reserve.

“Not only did he have money, but he had brand-new money,” Pace explained. That new money also prompted rumors that circulated at the time that Dickerson was actually printing money at his Stovall digs.

He did infuse the local economy, however, running a store next to the railroad depot with its own bar and drugstore.

When he got older, Dickerson returned to New York, leaving area residents bummed. It seems that Dickerson paid all his neighbors’ property taxes – in exchange for hunting rights.

The Vance County connection is this: Henderson native Charlie Rose owned the property for a number of years, although the main house burned in 1962, leaving several outbuildings and an overseer’s house.

It’s sometimes difficult to ascertain fact from lore when dealing with stories like these, but that just adds to the interest.

One story from right here in Henderson when, in December 1932, a real estate agent and stock broker driving to Richmond on business vanished, never to be heard from again.

Or was he?

Rufus Sidney McCoin was a well-respected member of the community, Pace said. He served in the state legislature and on the state advisory budget commission, which Pace said afforded him access to some of the state’s influential leaders.

It was the height of the Depression, Pace said, and “there was no indication that anything was going on in his life” that would raise questions or concerns for his welfare.

He was last seen at a gas station just outside Richmond, and that’s where the tracks went cold.

“He bough gas using a Gulf courtesy card…used the phone and took off down the road,” Pace recounted. “And that was the last anybody heard of him.”

Fast-forward a couple of weeks and the chief justice of the state supreme court received a letter postmarked December 25 from Chicago, IL. The letter, of which Pace read a lengthy excerpt, detailed what had transpired two weeks prior outside Richmond.

“It was signed ‘a boy in distress,’” Pace said, adding that the letter still exists. He’s seen it and he’s read it, and he has his own theories as to what may have happened.

 

The contents of the letter accurately disclosed where to find McCoin’s car – in a garage in Ohio. Also recovered were his wallet, a bloody glove and his eyeglasses.

Although there were alleged sightings of McCoin in the years that followed, the mystery has never been solved.

Which is where educated guesses and speculation come into play, Pace said.

“I think whoever wrote this was an educated person trying to sound like an uneducated person,” he said, questioning why some common words like “hotel” and “gas”would be misspelled while other less common names of towns would be spelled correctly.

The letter itself has stains on it that appear to be blood, but how those stains got on the letter will probably never be known.

To hear more stories of interest, listen to the entire interview at wizs.com.

 

TownTalk: History Of Middleburg

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Middleburg may not fit the modern definition of a “planned community,” but following its incorporation in October 1875, it did enjoy some of the same amenities that today’s planned communities have: schools, stores, restaurants and homes.

Mark Pace, local historian and North Carolina Room specialist at Oxford’s Thornton Library, said the Hawkins and Yancey families planned Middleburg, which got its name because it was the midpoint between Raleigh and Gaston, the two terminals for the Raleigh & Gaston Railroad.

“Like so many other communities around here, it didn’t exist until the railroad came through,” Pace said on TownTalk’s tri-weekly history show with Bill Harris.

Patriarch Philemon Hawkins, lived from 1717 to 1801. Numerous descendants figured prominently in North Carolina history.

One son of Philemon Hawkins III was John Davis Hawkins, who lived in Gillburg near the site of the prison camp. He served for 51 years as a trustee for UNC. His brother, William, was the 17th governor of North Carolina.

It was John Davis Hawkins, Pace said, who was “the mover and shaker who got the first railroad to come through.” They put up the money for the railroad, and Pace said any member of the Hawkins family could ride for free.

The Hawkins family lived at Pleasant Hill, which still stands today. And there is a family cemetery located there.

Sarah Hawkins Jordan was a Black woman born at Pleasant Hill. She was a midwife for 75 years, Pace said, and is said to have helped deliver 2,000 babies. Her husband, John Clark Jordan, was a successful farmer in the area, and she was an assistant to physician Joseph Warren Hawkins.

“She was noted for her medicinal abilities,” Pace said. When their son was stricken with blood poisoning, the hospital physicians said he would likely die. Not willing to accept that as an option, “she used her old-timey recipes and came up with a concoction – wild berries and such – and he recovered,” Pace said.

Those familiar surnames – Hawkins, Yancey, Henderson, just to name a few – seem to pop up frequently when delving into area history and genealogy, but do you know the connection between Middleburg and Shearon Harris nuclear power plant?

  1. Shearon Harris was the son of a Baptist preacher from Middleburg. He became president of Carolina Power & Light, and Pace said “he was a big fan of nuclear power.” The power plant was named for Harris when it opened in 1987.

Then there’s Albert A. Anderson, who operated a private academy in Middleburg in the early 1880’s. But he became interested in medicine, became a doctor and in the early 1910’s director of Dix Hospital. He preferred the use of occupational therapy over drugs to treat the mental health issues of the patients there.

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To the Moon and Beyond: James E. Webb Program Coming To Perry Library

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The public is invited to attend a special program, To the Moon and Beyond: James E. Webb, on Monday, July 18 at Perry Memorial Library to learn more about the life of James E. Webb, a Granville County native whose role in the early days of NASA propelled the country’s race to the moon and for whom the giant telescope in the news recently is named.

Local historian and Thornton Library’s North Carolina Room Specialist Mark Pace will lead the discussion of Webb, which will begin at 6:30 p.m. The hourlong program will be held in Perry Library’s Farm Bureau Room.

Webb ran NASA from 1961-1968 and did more for science that perhaps any other government official, according to an information flyer promoting the event.

Come learn about the life and legacy of this local figure.

Sponsored by the two libraries and NASA@My Library, a program based upon work funded by NASA, but opinions, conclusions or recommendations don’t necessarily reflect the views of NASA.

Mark Pace

TownTalk: Mark Pace Named Granville Citizen Of The Year

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Mark Pace said he is scheduled for ten appearances in which he portrays the historical figure John Penn – a signer of the Declaration of Independence with ties to Granville County. No doubt Pace has done his fair share of research into Penn’s life, which was lived in relative obscurity after he signed that historic document. There were no awards given to those original signers – no acceptance speeches or thank you’s to be found.

Too bad, because Pace could have drawn upon Penn’s reactions when he himself was called to the dais to receive the John Penn Citizen of the Year award at Monday’s Granville County Chamber of Commerce banquet.

Annette Myers presented Pace with the award, and in comments leading up to announcing his name, she talked about the many hats that individuals wear in the community. Just before the announced his name, Myers put on the hat that Pace wears as part of the Penn costume.

Lauren Roberson, executive director of the Granville Chamber, told John C. Rose on Tuesday’s Town Talk that the John Penn winner is one of the highlights of the annual banquet.

Pace is well-known as a local historian and North Carolina Room specialist at the Richard Thornton library in Oxford. Roberson said he spreads his knowledge across the county – and beyond, and his genuine enthusiasm for history shines through

“He never turns down a request from the community” to provide assistance or research information, she said.

The annual banquet is usually held in January, but this year’s event was rescheduled because of COVID-19 safety protocols. Roberson said the evening went off without a hitch, which she said is a result of wonderful collaboration.

Outgoing president Cecilia Wheeler presided over the evening’s events. “She is such a trouper and an amazing woman,” Roberson said. Dan DeCarlo, general manager of Creedmoor Forest Products, is incoming president. “The board is excited for his leadership and vision,” she added.

UNC basketball legend Phil Ford was the evening’s keynote speaker.

“He gave an amazing keynote speech,” Roberson said. He talked about everything from his childhood to playing ball at Carolina and then in the NBA, with a focus on faith and where he is now, she said, which was both inspirational and motivational.

In a phone interview with WIZS News Tuesday afternoon, Ford said it was an honor to be at the banquet. There were “a lot of nice people, very welcoming. I was amazed at the camaraderie among the people there –  everybody seemed like one big family, everybody seemed to know each other…everybody seemed to be pulling for each other,” he said.

“It was an amazing evening and I was happy to be a small part of it.”

There was a good amount of Carolina blue among the attendees, too, and Ford graciously spoke to fans before and after the event, signing programs and taking pictures.

 

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Mark Pace

Town Talk 08/27/20: NC Room Receives Genealogy Books, Vance Needs Updated Architectural Survey

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Mark Pace, local historian and director of the NC Room at the Richard H. Thornton Library in Oxford, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Thursday at 11 a.m.

Genealogy Books

Pace announced that the NC Room recently received a large collection of historical genealogy books from Virginia that are highly significant to the local area.

Explaining the significance, Pace said 90 to 95 percent of those who settled in the “old Granville County” area, which encompassed present-day Granville, Vance, Warren and Franklin County, came from Virginia.

Of the 360 donated books, approximately 250 are Virginia-based and include wills, deeds, marriage records, etc. According to Pace, the Granville County Genealogical Society facilitated the donation and “very graciously agreed” to split the cost of binding the books with the library.

The books, and many other resources, are available for view in the NC Room by appointment on weekdays from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. and from 2 until 4 p.m.

Architectural Surveys

Discussing architectural surveys in the four-county area, Pace said it has been 43 years since Vance County has had such an evaluation. Granville County is in the process of an updated survey, and Franklin County completed its survey in 2015.

“Vance County, in 1977, had 60 structures that predated the Civil War and at least eight from the Revolutionary War period,” stated Pace. “Since that time – because of development and neglect – these 60 structures are down to 20 to 25. We’ve lost a lot of important architectural structures in Vance County in the last few decades, with the Armory being a recent example. Time takes its toll; what we’ve got left we need to document.”

A few architecturally-significant Vance County properties still standing include the Sneed Mansion and St. John’s Episcopal Church in Williamsboro; Mistletoe Villa; the Henry A. Dennis Building in downtown Henderson; the former Henderson High (Middle) School building; and the Josiah Crudup House on US-1 in Kittrell.

Bill Harris, with WIZS, was a member of a committee responsible for the most recent architectural survey completed in Franklin County. Harris shared the following about his experience: “Franklin County citizens, with the help of Louisburg College, put together a group of people concerned about saving significant architectural structures. This morphed into the Franklin County Historic Preservation Commission. Franklin County Commissioners nominated people to serve on the Commission and provided seed money for that group.”

Harris explained the results of the survey will be printed in a book next year to serve as both a historic record and an income generator for the County.

In addition, Harris said touring historic homes and buildings that have been restored has a larger economic benefit. “A lot of people may say these are old houses, so what is the importance? The importance is that you can put together tourism out of that. This is a financial benefit to the County.”

Both Harris and Pace said they hope a concerned group will follow a similar process to get the ball rolling on an updated architectural survey in Vance County. Pace said the key is to find people who care and are motivated to put the necessary work into the project, hold public meetings, get the County involved for support and funding and put together a document, such as a book, as tangible proof of the findings.

To hear the interview in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

Granville County Library System

North Carolina Room Preserves Historical Flavor of ‘Old Granville County’

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In honor of April 7-13 as National Library Week, Mark Pace, North Carolina Room Specialist at the Richard H. Thornton Library in Oxford, was the featured guest on Thursday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program.

A part of the Granville County Library System since the early 1960s, the North Carolina Room’s primary mission is to preserve and maintain materials for historical and genealogical research in the present-day county of Granville and adjacent counties.

“We are a regional history center. Granville County formed in 1746 and is a ‘mother’ county. Warren, Vance, Franklin, parts of Orange and Person and present Granville were all once part of the original Granville County,” Pace explained. “We seek to preserve the materials that are relative to the cultural and historical flavor of old Granville County.”

According to Pace, genealogical records ranging in date from 1746 to present day include wills, deeds, marriage records, court records and cemetery records.

Such information can be found on the approximately 600 microfilm reels of newspapers, dozens of large size genealogy charts and 175 scrapbooks – some dating to the late 1800’s – that are a part of the Room’s collection.

“I always tell people that when you start researching your genealogy, you’re going to find something that you don’t like. On the other hand, you find out things about your ancestors that make you proud,” said Pace.

In addition to microfilm and charts, the 900-square-foot room inside the Thornton Library is also home to an extensive photography collection, personal papers and 4,500 books and volumes specific to local history.

“We have received some good collections recently, specifically a photography collection of 4,500 images given by the family of J.B. Clay, a local photographer in Oxford from the mid- 1950s to the mid-1990s. This new donation serves as the largest known photo collection relative to Granville County to date,” Pace said.

Donated materials from the public, including family bibles, photos and letters, are essential to the mission of the North Carolina Room, according to Pace.

“We rely heavily on what people donate to us or bring and let us copy. You can’t go out and buy these types of things. The public is always encouraged to bring by any items of local historical significance for us to copy and keep a record of, no matter how obscure those items may seem.”

Although its primary function is genealogical, Pace said the North Carolina Room meets patron needs for inquiries into historical environmental site surveys, high school reunions, local government requests, church histories and more.

While the majority of visitors are Granville County residents, Pace reported that up to 40% live outside of the area, including residents of other states and countries. “In just this year alone, we’ve had visitors from 35 different states and from far away as Great Britain and Jamaica.”

Pace, a Henderson native and college history major, said his passion for historical events and documents began with the Henderson High School fire of 1968.

“I was eight-years-old and my father taught school there. I remember it vividly. He got home late that night and I begged him to take me back to the school to let me see it. The next day, I saved the newspaper articles about the fire. After that, I would save other newspaper articles of historical events. In the late 1960s/early 1970s, there was a lot going on.”

In his Town Talk interview, Pace relayed many interesting historical facts about both Granville and present-day Vance County, including what he considers Granville’s most significant contribution to the world marketplace – flue-cured tobacco.

“The land in the southern part of Granville County was so good for growing flue-cured tobacco that a group came from Australia in the 1890s and loaded up dirt from Granville County and had it shipped back to Australia to see if they could grow it there. Of course, it didn’t work,” laughed Pace.

To hear the Town Talk interview with Mark Pace in its entirety, including more interesting historical facts on Granville and Vance County, please click here.

The North Carolina Room is located inside the Richard H. Thornton Library at 210 Main St. in Oxford. Hours of operation are Monday-Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. (closed Sundays from Memorial Day until Labor Day).