Sycamore Lodge – Jackson Springs, NC to Wishing Well – Sunset Beach, NC – July 18-24, 2016

Monday was a quiet day—and very hot! Along with the humidity it felt like we were under water—hot water at that! We did walk through the park in the morning, though.

Sycamore Lodge doesn’t have full hookups at its sites, only water and electricity. There are 3 dump sites available, but the park has a pump service 3 times per week that comes to your site and empties your tanks for you. Pretty cool, huh. They came to our site Monday afternoon.

Tuesday, in spite of the heat at 90° and heat index of about 110°, we drove to Fayetteville, NC, about 

an hour away, to take in the sights. Our first stop was to the Visitor Information Center. We were given tons of information on the area—much more than what we were able to see.

Our first stop was to the Museum of Cape Fear. There were 2 floors of exhibits that cover over 400 years of the history of southern North Carolina, and include: Native Americans in the area; European explorers and settlers; slavery; transportation by plank roads, steamboat and rail; local industries including textiles and naval stores; the Civil War; natural history; and folk pottery. An early 20^th century general store with period merchandise is on display, as well. Funeral traditions dating to 1850 was the featured exhibit.

Top and then clockwise: carrying basket to move a deceased person; a death mask and explanation; decorations from both the living and deceased, then wound, braided and curled into these magnificent items; a child's casket with a viewing window; and an embalming table with all the accoutrements the embalmer would need to complete his mission.

Exhibits of businesses of the time (clockwise): cooperage, looms/weavers; railway; and naval stores (tar and turpentine).

Clockwise: Child labor was used extensively in the mills; cider mills, wineries and corn production; the home; a general store.

A soldier's life and his possessions; women worked in the arsenal to roll and fill cartridges; carriage maker's tools.

Adjacent to the museum is what is left of Arsenal Park, one of 5 arsenals commissioned by the U.S. Government to expand its defenses, following the war of 1812. By 1858, just 3 years before the Civil War, the arsenal facility was just about complete. When North Carolina seceded from the Union in April 1861, local militia took the arsenal, turned it over to the State of North Carolina, who in turn gave it to the new Confederate States of America. The Confederacy used the arsenal to produce rifles, ammunition, and gun carriages until it was destroyed in 1865 by the 60,000-strong Union army commanded by General Sherman.

Today the arsenal is only a foundation of ruins. A steel likeness of the northwest tower called the 

“ghost tower” stands near the ruins.

The walkway bridge from the museum crossing a busy highway; the "ghost tower" depicts one of the 4 towers at the arsenal; the foundations of the towers and buildings are all that's left of the arsenal.

Also adjacent to the museum is the E.A. Poe House—no, not the E.A. Poe we’re all familiar with—but rather a local prominent business man, well known in the area for his brick manufacturing business. The home, built in 1897, showcases the life of an affluent family during that time period.  All furnishings and décor are original to the home. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

The entryway and parlor; all furnishings are original to the house.

The dining room, painted a Pepto Bismol pink that Mr. Poe thought aided in his digestion; the butler's pantry; the kitchen, which is attached to, but separate, from the house.

Clockwise: The master bedroom (1st floor); the children's nursery adjacent to the master bedroom; the boys' room and the girls' room (2nd floor).

Clockwise: the upstairs hallway; the servants' stairs; the cook's bedroom; and the nurse's bedroom which is adjacent to the children's nursery (on the 1st floor).

By this time we were really hungry and the heat had gotten to us, so we scouted a local pub for lunch. 

We selected the Huske Hardware House in downtown Fayetteville, known for its 80 beers on tap from all over the world, and their home-brewed IPAs. I sampled their blond Watermelon Wheat and their Famous Cuban sandwich, while Dick had one of their craft IPAs while noshing on a house salad, shrimp and onion rings. Delish! Good thing we took time out from our sight-seeing, as the heavens opened and it poured for almost 20 minutes while we were eating!

From there we decided to spend the remainder of the afternoon at Army Special Forces Museum in Fayetteville.

Opening its doors on August 16, 2000, the museum is designed as a self-guided tour, in chronological order, through the history of the airborne and special ops soldiers from 1940 to the present. The building covers 59,000 square feet, highlighted by the 5,000 square-foot, 5 story high open lobby area. Accented by natural light from the glass walls and surrounding high windows, the lobby exhibit features 2 fully deployed parachutes, a WWII era T-5 round chute representing the origins of airborne forces and its integration into conventional warfare, and a modern MC-4 square chute that represents the cutting edge of modern special ops and the unconventional warfare they are engaged in.

We found that there are some lighter moments among the troops, especially baseball--and Babe Ruth!

 A temporary gallery is onsite, and displays myriad exhibits pertaining to the U.S. Army through its history and conflicts from World War II to the present. When we were there the exhibit was the “Task Force Ranger and the Battle of Mogadishu” exhibit, featuring dioramas and artifacts from the battle, including wreckage of Super 6-1, the Black Hawk helicopter shot down during the battle. (The downing of Super 6-1 is considered to be the battle’s turning point, and is chronicled in the book by Mark Bowden and movie, “Black Hawk Down,” produced by Ridley Scott.)

On October 3, 1993, Task Force Ranger launched a mission to capture 2 of General Muhammed Farah Aideed’s top lieutenants. The raid was supposed to be a routine “snatch and grab” that would last a total of 35 to 40 minutes. Instead, it transformed into a major firefight that lasted about 14 hours.

At the end of the mission, 19 Americans and 1 Malaysian were dead and 84 Americans and 7 Malaysians were wounded. Between 300 and 500 Somolis were killed and 700 and 1,000 wounded. Two days after the battle on October 6, during a memorial ceremony, a mortar attack at the airfield killed a Task Force Ranger soldier and injured 16 others. Although the battle was a tactical victory, the U.S. forces withdrew from Somalia under orders by President Clinton; the raid was Task Force Ranger’s last mission, and the unit left Mogadishu on October 25, 1993.

This exhibit is the first time that Special Ops veterans were given permission to share their experiences in a public venue, and the first time their families were interviewed regarding their experiences. 

The main exhibit gallery starts in 1940 with the conception of the U.S. Army Parachute Test Platoon and ends with today’s airborne and special ops units. It’s was obvious that although much has changed since WWII and the Cold war era, there is a common bond that ties each generation of soldier together.

WWII saw the most concentrated use of airborne operations, with 5 Army divisions dedicated to using this new method of putting men and equipment on the battlefield. Places such as Sicily, Normandy, and Corregidor became legendary proving grounds for paratroopers, glider troops, and 

special operations soldiers; they were the building blocks of victory in Europe and the Pacific. 

Original newsreel footage and other scenes and dioramas of American troops in action bring life to what we learned in our history lessons. One of the coolest displays, and the most rare and impressive, is that of a completely restored WCO CG-4A glider. They were used by the thousands during the war, even though they were very fragile. Gliders have not been used by the military since 1950-51, and there are only a handful of these gliders left in the world.

From there we moved to the Cold War exhibits, including the Korean War, Southeast Asia and Vietnam. American and special ops units were kept busy with combat jumps, but in the 1950s the power of special and unconventional warfare became increasingly clear. The special forces units that had proven themselves during WWII was the establishment of the first of the Army’s Special Forces units. It was also during this time that special forces would be called upon to support civilian authorities in U.S. hot spots. They were also called to the Dominican Republic, and then to help set up peace keeping forces in South America, and then, in the largest overseas deployment since WWII, it shared the nation’s attention with the war in Vietnam.

The museum places a special focus on the soldiers, equipment, and campaigns of the Vietnam war. The diorama depicts a UH-1 “Huey” helicopter with a pilot at the controls, the door gunner is watchful, and 2 paratroopers are on the ground ready for action. Audio effects place you in the thick of the action, providing a sensory experience.

The final exhibit is that of peacekeeping and contingency operations. Since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, the Army has been developing the mission, use, and training of airborne and special ops soldiers. The Sheridan armored reconnaissance vehicle, heavy enough to be considered a tank, but light enough to be dropped into combat situations by parachute, is on display. 

There was so much to see and take in that it’s difficult to put into words our experience. What I can say is that I gained a deep respect for and the pride in the men and women who make up our nation’s special forces. Until I walked through the museum, listened to and watched special video programs, and viewed the authentic dioramas, I wasn’t able to understand or experience what our fighting troops go through. Emotions came flooding to the surface that I’ve never experience before. Wow…

By the time we walked through the doors on our way out of the museum, time had grown late and we were exhausted; it was time to go home.

We had only a couple more days to take in the area’s historic sights, so Wednesday morning we drove to nearby Town Creek Indian Mound, North Carolina’s oldest historic site. 

For more than 1,000 years, Indians lived on the lands we now know as North Carolina. About the 11^th century a new cultural tradition emerged that archeologists have called “Pee Dee,” giving rise to  a complex society that built earthen mounds for their spiritual and political leaders, engaged in trade, supported craft specialists, and celebrated a new kind of religion.

The Pee Dee culture established a political and ceremonial center on a bluff overlooking the Town Creek and Little River in North Carolina. It served as a meeting place for collective clans of the tribe, significant religious ceremonies and feasts, often lasting several days. This is where many socially high-ranking members of the tribe lived, died, and were buried.

The “busk” (or Green Corn Ceremony) was the most important ceremony of the year. Houses were cleaned and the temple and grounds were repaired. All fires were extinguished and all debts and grievances were resolved. (Wouldn’t that be great!!?!) People from outlying villages gathered at the ceremonial center for rituals of purification: ceremonial bathing, fasting, scratching the body with garfish teeth, and taking cathartic medicines. Everyone prepared to begin the new year with the eating of new corn at the conclusion of the busk. At the close of the busk people returned to their villages, carrying with them embers from the sacred fire, which were used to relight the hearths in their own homes. Sharing the fire symbolized unity among the Pee Dee people, making them “people of one fire.”

Excavations began at Town Creek in 1937, and continued for 50 years. Today excavations continue on a limited basis. The property became as state historic site in 1955. During the 1950s and 1960s key features of the site were reconstructed, including the mound, 2 temple structures, the burial house, and the surrounding stockade. Today the Town Creek site remains the only state historic site in North Carolina dedicated to American Indian heritage.

As we walked through the self-guided tour of the grounds, we first came upon the stockade and a guard tower. As the town grew, the stockade would be expanded. To enter the village, one had to pass through one of two guard towers, located on the north and south walls of the stockade. The guard tower served as a lookout post, as well as to control the flow of traffic into and out of the village, as you had to walk single-file through the tower.

The first building we visited was the East Lodge, used for meetings and ceremonies. As with the other buildings onsite as well as the stockade, this too was of “wattle and daub” construction or a form of plaster over interwoven branches and twigs.

Our next stop was to the Town House and Mound. Town Houses served as the ceremonial and political center of this society. It was a place for leaders and elders to meet and discuss matters of the tribe, as well as a sanctuary for important religious activities and other observances. The “sacred fire” was kept in this building all year, with the exception of during the “busk” which was the celebration of a new year, harvest, and a reaffirmation of religious faith—it was the most important event in their yearly cycle.

The mound actually began as a small earthen lodge or town house, which after time collapsed and was covered with fill, thus creating a new mound. A new town house was built on top of this mound. Eventually this town house was destroyed and another layer of fill covered the mound. Over time, 2 additional town houses were constructed similarly on the mound. The building on the mound we saw represents the last phase of construction by the Pee Dee at Town Creek.

Just east of the mound remnants of a hearth circle were found. This unusual feature formed a chain of overlapping hearths containing fire-cracked rocks, animal bones, stone chips, and pottery fragments. The hearths were contained in a circular ditch, about 32’ in diameter. When all were lit at one time it created a great circle of fire.

Last, but certainly not the least of the buildings at this site is a reconstructed mortuary. Each clan, or extended family, used these structures as homes for the living, as well as a place of rest for the dead. 

There were at least 10 such structures at Town Creek.

Although not visible like other structures within the stockade, there are a total of 563 burials thought to be associated with the Pee Dee culture. Several of these graves, clustered in mortuary areas, are interred in simple pits with their bodies arranged in a loosely flexed position. A few were buried with their bodies fully extended, and a small number appear to have been reburied as bone bundles. The bodies of several infants and small children were tightly wrapped and placed in large pottery vessels that were then placed in the ground. The burial positions reflected the age, status, and sex of the deceased. A few of the Pee Dee burials were richly adorned with a variety of exotic artifacts made from copper from the Great Lakes area and shells from the coast. Copper artifacts include copper-covered wooden ear spools, rattles, pendants, sheets of copper, and a copper ax, beads, an ascot-like covering called a gorget, and pins were fashioned from conch shell—all symbolizing status and/or clan identity. Containers of food and medicine bundles were also included in the graves of some adults.

The death ritual may have lasted for days. During this mourning ceremony, clan members would gather to feast, console each other, and play music to honor the deceased.

Two human skulls, a male and a female, that were unearthed have been reconstructed, which gives us a better idea of what the Pee Dee people looked like. 

The museum at the Town Center included a 20-minute video that provided an excellent background of the Pee Dee people, the discovery and excavation of the site. On display, too, were artifacts found at the site. Really interesting stuff!

On the way to our next historic site we made a quick stop at the Bynum Farm and Nursery, where we picked up some tree-ripened peaches and a huge cantaloupe. Yum! Dick had visions of a peach pie…

The farm has been around for almost 100 years, at first raising wheat, cotton, corn, peanuts, sweet potatoes and peas. As a WWI veteran in the 1930s, Mr. Bynum received a bonus check, with which he bought peach trees and started his peach business. In 1946 he built a peach packing shed, where peaches were graded, packed, and shipped up north. Peaches were packed in the shed until the early 1960s; from that time on peaches were sold only locally. Today, peaches and grapes are grown and sold on the farm. They also sell peach tree seedlings. The cantaloupe we bought was grown by another local farmer.

From there we drove another 45 minutes to the 1772 “House in the Horseshoe,” located in Carthage, North Carolina. The Deep River wanders through North Carolina’s Piedmont plateau and curves in a horseshoe bend, where the house stands high on a bluff overlooking the river—thus the name.

Built by Philip Alston, the house was one of the finest in the state. Alston owned several slaves, and by 1777 his land holdings incorporated almost 7,000 acres.

Clockwise: the master bedroom is on the 1st floor (notice the bullet holes above the bed); stairway to the 2nd floor; girls' bedroom; boys' bedroom.

The house was the site of a battle between loyalists under the command of David Fanning and patriot militiamen or Whigs under Alston’s command on either July 29 or August 5, 1781. (The date of the actual battle is unclear from available records.) During the skirmish, Fanning’s forces attempted to light the house on fire by rolling a cart filled with burning straw against it. Concerned for the safety of her family and home, Mrs. Alston, still in her night clothes, went out onto the porch waving a white pillowcase, negotiating and offering terms of surrender to Fanning. The terms were accepted, and Alston surrendered. As a result of the skirmish not one window was left intact, and the house was left riddled with bullet holes, many of which can still be seen today. 

Although Alston was distinguished as a lieutenant colonel in the state militia, a justice of the peace, and a state senator, his later career was viewed as disreputable. Twice indicted for murder, he was removed as justice of the peace in 1787, and suspended from the state legislature for various reasons. Three months after being relieved of duties as justice of the peace, George Glascock, his rival and the current clerk of court, was murdered by Dave, one of Alston’s slaves, at Alston’s request. Alston bailed Dave out of jail but before the trial, Dave fled the state, costing Alston 260 pounds. In May 1788 Alston was fined 25 pounds for contempt of court; he was released on bond but was soon returned. In December 1790 he escaped the jail and fled to Georgia where he was murdered in 1791—someone shot him through a window as he lay in bed. Legend has it that the murderer was Dave. Soon after, the Alston family sold the Horseshoe Bend house and property and left North Carolina.

Between the time the Alston's sold the house and the Moore County Historical Association purchased the home in 1954, there were 16 owners of the property. It was made a North Caroline Historic Site in 1971, and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.

Thursday was a day of our pre-departure preparation, including laundry, etc.

We left Sycamore Lodge at 9:45 a.m. Friday morning, driving just a short distance of about 2 hours and 20 minutes to Wishing Well Campground in Sunset Beach, North Carolina (just north of the South Carolina border). Traffic was light and the trip was uneventful.

Temperatures were in the high 80s when we arrived, with very little breeze, and humidity as high as the temp. Whew!

Wishing Well Campground is a small, well-maintained destination. To greet us was this unusual looking cardinal.

We decided on pizza for dinner so we scouted the area, finding Johnny O’s Pizzaria. Mmm-mmm good! We ordered a large “Johnny O special,” with pepperoni, black olives, ham, tomatoes, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, green peppers and extra cheese. Oh, so very good! We took half of it home for another dinner!

We were awakened at 5:45 Saturday morning by heavy rain, wind, thunder and lightning. According to the weather report Friday, this wasn’t expected. It rained quite heavily until almost 7:30, then sort of misted for a while. The sun finally came out shortly before noon, with temps climbing to the high 80s and low 90s, with humidity at around 75%. Rather muggy… We spent the day relaxing, watching movies, and napping. Nice…

At this point I need to do a bit of bragging. My niece and her varsity soccer team won the US National Soccer Cup on Saturday in Minneapolis. Here’s the photo of the winning team! My niece is in the top row far right. We are so proud of them!

What’s a day at Sunset Beach, North Carolina without going to the beach? Sunday morning we headed to Oceanisle Beach, just adjacent to Sunset Beach with the only causeway to the beach, for a stroll among the waves and sand. But first we detoured a bit and took a little ride to Shallott, North Carolina and the intercoastal waterway. Beautiful! Temps were in the low 90s with a breeze off the water. Of course there was humidity, but who cares? From there we drove to Oceanisle Beach for that stroll. Loved it! 

That’s about if for this week. I keep thinking I won’t have much to share… Ha! Stay tuned—we head to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on Monday for a week. I’m sure there will be more adventures!

We leave you with photos that Dick took during the last week, of butterflies. Beautiful!

Love ‘n’ hugs,

RJ and Gail