Sycamore Lodge - Jackson Springs, NC – July 11-17, 2016

We're still at Sycamore Lodge in Jackson Springs, North Carolina. 

Our first full week in North Carolina was relatively quiet and relaxing—for a change. We did, however, see a few historic sites in the area. Temperatures have hovered between the mid-70s to the mid-90s all week, with thunderstorms, or the threat of storms almost every afternoon/evening. Steady rain started our Monday, but it ended early so we were able to get out get to the Bethesda Historic Church and cemetery in nearby Aberdeen, North Carolina.

…Just a bit of history of Aberdeen before we get to the church.

Originally known as Bethesda and Blue’s Crossing, Aberdeen was settled in the 1700s, in part by the Blue family. It was the focal point of a loose community of Scottish farmers, numbering about 300. Good hunting plus an abundance of virgin land was the enticement for permanent settlement here. Even though no battles of the American Revolution were fought here the Scottish people, remaining loyal to the British throne, were involved in quite a few skirmishes with other local settlers who supported the war. The Treaty of Paris in 1783 ultimately ended the civil unrest that had threatened their daily lives. Success and the promise of future growth finally seemed destined for the area. The tar, pitch and turpentine industry prospered. Transportation by the wooden, hand-laid plank road over sandy ridges carried products to market.

As the Civil War began, progress came to a halt. More than 1,500 soldiers served in the Confederate Army. Over 500 were killed in action or died of wounds, thus decimating Bethesda’s labor supply. Even so, the proud Scottish heritage wouldn’t be defeated. Those soldiers who returned from war began establishing new businesses.

The arrival of the railroad in the mid-1870s, followed by the great expansion of the country’s lumber and naval stores industry (tar, pitch and turpentine made from the nearly endless supply of the area’s Longleaf pines), was the impetus for growth in the community. Textile, furniture and tobacco industries soon followed. The difficulties of shipping quantities of these products had previously kept these industries to a very small scale.

By the late 1870s, 22 turpentine distilleries were operating in the area, employing 382 people. The same number of cooperages employed 70 in barrel making; 26 sawmills were run with 116 men. The extension of the railroad increased accessibility of the country’s vital timber and naval stores industries.

As the century drew to a close, the pine forests on which Aberdeen depended on for much of its livelihood were being rapidly depleted. New farm crops were introduced, including more tobacco and fruits (grapes, dewberries, peaches), which were able to pick up the slack as the lumber business declined.

Today Aberdeen has about 6,000 residents. Together with the nearby towns of Southern Pines and Pinehurst, Aberdeen is a tourist mecca, particularly after the development of several championship golf courses in the area.

Now on to the historic Bethesda Presbyterian Church.

Only a few documented facts of the church’s history before 1833 can be found. Most of the records burned when a fire destroyed the home of the then Clerk of the Session, where they had been placed for safekeeping. One record, a session book dated January 20, 1812, did survive and shows that the membership had nearly reached the 100 mark.

Until 1889, what is termed the “Old Bethesda Presbyterian Church” remained the only church serving the white population of the area. The original church was established in 1776, mainly by farmers of Scottish descent. The first congregation meetings were held at a local farm, under an arbor of branches to protect the parishioners from inclement weather or the penetrating sun. The minister delivered his message from the steps of the home.

A small log church was the first to be built on land donated by Malcolm Blue, a wealthy Scottish land-owner (and for whom Blue’s Crossing is named). This building, located about a mile north of Aberdeen’s current downtown, had 1 door and just 3 windows: 1 on either side of the door and one behind the pulpit. According to a partial description by one of the congregants described the church: “The pastor entered by a little gate to the pulpit. The church was divided; the negroes (sic) seated in the back and the white people in the front of the building.” By 1832 the congregation had outgrown the log church and a new frame structure was erected about 100 feet west of the old log building. The log structure was razed and a graveyard soon occupied the site. That frame structure gave way to the present structure.

The starkly simple present church is set in a naturally landscaped park, shaded by cedar, holly, oak, pine and magnolia trees. The finished church was described as being “of simple design with five doors: three leading to the main sanctuary and one on each side leading into a balcony, in the back of which was a gallery for the slaves to worship.” There was “no vestibule or steeple with a bell” and the pews consisted of “heart of pine boards and hand planed.” The steeple appears to have been added sometime between 1865 and 1890.

Men and women, following a strict Presbyterian practice, entered from opposite sides and remained separated during the service. Through one door the men entered and through the other passed the women and children. A narrow board nailed to the tops of the bench backs marked the boundary of the sexes. On the sides near the front were the two entrances to the slave gallery.

Until the late 1800s, Bethesda stood as the lone house of worship within a 20 square mile radius. For more than three quarters of a century it had stood as the center of social and religious life for the community. Even when other denominations built their churches (Methodist, 1889 and Baptist, 1894), Bethesda retained its high rank and respect among the people. Some residents of the community even when so far as to say that, “other people went to their own church services, but care was taken not to have these services conflict with the service at the old church.”

This building, still standing, is a 2-story frame meeting house with a foundation that rests on tall granite piers. It’s sheathed in weatherboard, has a hipped roof, and the front façade boasts a bell tower. The church features the original oil lamps in the ceiling, the original altar chairs, an old slave gallery with separate entrances to the building, and exterior bullet holes from a Civil War battle. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Adjacent to the church is a cemetery dating to the 1700s with graves of area pioneer settlers; it is still in use today, covering hundreds of acres.

Lower right 2 photos are of bullet holes from the Civil War, located on the west of the building's exterior

The interior of Bethesda Presbyterian Church with the original pine hand-planed pews, oil lamps and altar furniture.

Adjacent to the church is a cemetery dating to the 1700s with graves of area pioneer settlers. The cemetery served as the burying ground for the congregation of Bethesda Church, as well as a communal cemetery for the adjacent settlements just as the church building has served as a symbol to its congregation and to the families of Scotch-Irish who settled here. It is still in use today, covering hundreds of acres. As an aside, it’s said that a Union soldier is buried here, but the gravesite is not marked as such for fear it will be vandalized.

We found it interesting that graves of "consorts" were located here too, considering the very conservative nature of the church.

These are just a few of the thousands of graves in the cemetery.

Here's a photo of the current Bethesda Presbyterian Church in Aberdeen, NC

 By the time we were done at the church, temperatures had already hit the mid-90s with humidity just as high. We headed home for the cool AC!

Tuesday morning was foggy and humid with temps in the mid-70s. We made arrangements to visit the Malcolm Blue Farm in Aberdeen, just about a mile from the church we visited Monday.

The Malcolm Blue home was built in 1825 by Malcolm McMillan Blue, a farmer and civic leader, and son and grandson of Scottish immigrants who had come to American in the 1760s. Malcolm Blue had donated land near his farm for the Bethesda Church we visited Monday, served as an elder there for 40 years, and a Clerk of Sessions for 16 years. His home is one of county’s oldest buildings and is one of the few remaining examples of 19^th century Scottish homes in the area. It currently sits on 7.5 acres, and with its collection of early 20^th century outbuildings, it forms a farm complex representative of rural life in this region. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Malcolm was married in 1833 to Isabella Patterson whose grandfather in 1768 received a King’s Grant for land (where the old Bethesda Church now stands). Sadly, Isabella died 6 months later with no children. Malcolm remarried 11 years later to Flora Ray; together they raised 7 children in this home.

Malcolm became very prosperous, eventually owning more than 8,000 acres of land including the present day Pinehurst Race Track and the western boundary of Fort Bragg. Two hundred acres were cleared for farming wheat, rye, corn, peas, beans and sweet potatoes. Back in the 1860 census his land was valued at $5,000 with his naval stores at $3,000.

The house is filled with authentic furnishings of everyday life during the 1800s. 100-year old Darlington oaks shade the grounds; the outbuildings include a windmill, gristmill, water well, and numerous barns, also include a chicken coop which houses 21 hens and a rooster named “Lucky.” (That was the first time I had ever petted a chicken!)

Here are photos of the home (1825) and the only known depictions of Malcolm Blue and his wife Flora.

The master bedroom with the original furniture. Notice the bone corset and corset bag. SO glad we don't have to wear this contraption any more!

The top 2 photos are of the children's room. The bottom is called the "doctor's room" where it's reported that a physician stayed. The bed has the rope webbing beneath the mattress. The tighter the rope was tied, the harder the mattress felt. This, apparently, is where the phrase "sleep tight" originated.

The gathering room and kitchen. The kitchen is fully operational; the stove has been converted to electric.

 

Upper left is "Lucky" the rooster. With 21 hens, I guess he may or may not feel that way! Ha!

 In 1986, a barn-style structure was built on the property for a museum. The 1^st floor exhibits include that of the Scottish settlers, the Blue family, naval stores, lumbering, the life of a pioneer woman, a tool room, various period farm and agricultural equipment. The 2^nd floor exhibits include the railroad, a country store, 19^th century mourning etiquette, pottery and other Native American crafts, and an extensive exhibit on the Battle of Monroe’s Crossroads (one of the last cavalry engagements of the Civil War, which took place just 8 miles from the farm). All items in the museum have been donated, or are on permanent loan.

The uniform is a reconstructed Confederate uniform, made from similar wool used in the original. Talk about stiff and coarse! The black bag is from the Civil War and was found not far from the farm. The bottom right exhibits show the mourning clothing worn. The photos were actual photos taken of the deceased; apparently it took so long for the actual photo to be taken that folks couldn't sit still for that long. The deceased don't move...

The log canoe in the upper left photo was found buried in mud at the nearby Devil's Cut creek and dates to the 1700s. Other photos show pine needle crafts, hanging tobacco and photos of implements used in farming, a still found among the woody debris on a nearby farm; and a still found in the woods at a nearby farm. The other 2 photos show a counter at a general store during this time and a kitchen.

It’s interesting to note that the Malcolm Blue Farm is a Community Heritage Project, certified by the Regional History Sites Program of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. The Society received the Governor’s “Take Pride in North Carolina” Award in 1995, the only group in the state to be so honored. The farm and museum have been designated by the North Caroline Civil War Tourism Council as part of the North Caroline Civil Warm Theme Trails and the National Civil War Trails.

After our tour of the Blue complex we hit Walmart for groceries, and headed home to cool off. On the way we stopped to take photos of the solar panel fields near our park. From the reports I could find there are over 200,000 panels generating electricity for this area!

Thursday we took a day off from sight-seeing, but that didn’t keep Dick from riding the motorcycle 60 miles around the area. It was way too hot for me to wear a helmet with temps reaching the mid-90s so I stayed home to read and knit.

In nearby Pinehurst, North Carolina is Sandhills Community College and Horticultural Gardens. It was destined to be another hot day, as temps were already in the high 70s by 7 a.m. so we headed out early. As we drove through the area to get to the college we noticed very large and upscale neighborhoods, and one of the championship golf courses I mentioned earlier. What a beautiful area! The college campus is artfully laid out and beautifully landscaped. The gardens change color from season to season, but since we were here in the mid-summer, all we saw was green!

Here is a list of the gardens at the horticultural center: the Ebersole Holly Garden (350 varieties representing 30 different species); the Adkins Hillside Garden (flowering shrubs and trees, bulbs and perennials, a man-made rock stream with 5 bridges and a waterfall that ends in a pool with fish and aquatic plants); the Hackley Woodland Garden (a vast array of woodland and shade loving plants); the Desmond Native Wetland Trail Garden (a nature conservancy and bird sanctuary with a 618’ long boardwalk meandering through old growth tulip trees, pines and wetlands); a Japanese Garden (a garden that focuses on bringing out the essence of nature in harmony with human intervention); a Fruit and Vegetable Garden (vegetables, berries and a fruit orchard, along with a children’s vegetable garden); a Succulent Garden (plants usually found in the desert Southwest); a Conifer Garden (slow-growing evergreens, both standard and dwarf varieties); a Rose Promenade (varieties of roses considered best for growing in this region of the U.S.); an Annual Garden (a garden filled with annuals, and always with a theme); and my favorite—the Sir Walter Raleigh Garden. It’s more than an acre of an English-style garden that commemorates his attempt to colonize the Roanoke Island in 1584. The Raleigh Garden completed 1989 it includes a holly maze, fountain courtyard, ceremonial courtyard, herb garden and sunken garden.

These are just a few of the many photos Dick took, and are just a few of my favorites. It was so quiet and serene in the gardens. Loved the sound of the water rushing over the rocks. We could hear birds high up in the trees, but couldn't see any.

The above 6 photos are of the Sir Raleigh Garden. Lovely.

The bottom 3 photos were taken in the children's garden: the xylophone and the alligator are for making noise, I guess.

Bronze statues are found throughout the gardens. The top left is called "Circle of Peace."

Dick caught photos of  these gems as we were walking. A gecko (on the head of the boy statue above), a swallowtail butterfly, a damselfly, and a dragonfly. Cool!

By the time we were done walking through the gardens after an hour and a half, we were bushed—mainly due to the heat and humidity. Temps were in the high 90s by then, and the humidity was just as high. We headed home!

Friday morning we met our neighbor Jim, who lives just 90 miles from the park. Anne, his wife, was due to arrive that afternoon after she finished work. We walked through the park for about 30 minutes. Late that afternoon we were blessed with a thunderstorm. The rain lasted most of the night.

The weather report for Saturday was rain on and off all day, so we decided to take in the movie, “Independence Day: Resurgence.” (By 7:30 a.m. the temps were already in the high 70s, so we thought that would be a good choice for the day.) 

Two decades after the freak alien invasion that nearly destroyed mankind, a new threat emerges. This new alien mothership is more than twice the size of the first one. Once again the world’s armies must band together to save the world. We won’t give away the ending… But, even though it was considered a box office disappointment, it’s a pretty good flick, and leaves room for Independence Day-3!

We were starving by the time we left the theater, so we headed to Applebees for “linner.” We noshed on a house salad followed by 3-cheese chicken cavatappi. How can we say YUM-YUM? Oh, then we split a brownie bite (decadent warm brownie with vanilla ice cream). YUM!

After a quick stop at Walmart we headed home. We had been gone for almost 5 hours so it was time…

That evening at 8 p.m. a heavy rain and thunderstorm hit, lasting for about 2 hours. Love the sound of rain hitting the roof of our camper!

Sunday was a lazy day. Temps were in the low 70s by 6:30 a.m., even though it was mostly cloudy in the morning. Dick did ride the motorcycle around the area for about an hour and a half while I prepared the photos for this week’s blog. We spent the afternoon reading and I did a bit of knitting. Oh, and we both took a bit of a snooze. Ha!

Well that’s all the excitement for this week. Hope you enjoyed the photos, taken by Dick, my onsite photographer. They’re pretty good!

‘til next week, we send our love ‘n’ hugs.

RJ and Gail