snippets ~ chatham history BLOG

Devil's Tramping Ground -- a Chatham County mystery. Can science help solve it?

The Devil's Tramping Ground is a clearing in the Chatham County woods where nothing has grown for as long as anyone can remember. (And the site has been a mystery for a long time--an article appearing in 1882 describing it in much the same was as it is described today.)

The mysterious lack of plants in the area has inspired the legend that the Devil comes to that spot in the night and paces in a circle while planning "all sorts of menace and mischief," trampling all the plants in the process. Scientists have yet to determine exactly why nothing grows there.

Here's a short clip about the science behind the circle in which vegetation refuses to grow -- and a little sample of Tommy Edwards' song about the place.

https://video.pbsnc.org/video/unc-tv-science-devils-tramping-ground/

Thanks to the late Tommy Edwards for the link -- and the music! Here's a link to the whole song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIYfDWPpbTE

Please note that the Devil's Tramping Ground is on private property and visitors have abused it over the years. Please be respectful and visit only with permission. Any Devil's Tramping Ground stories out there?

#ChathamNCHistory #ChathamHistory #ChathamNC #DevilsTrampingGround #TommyEdwards

Chris Kluge sent us this fantastic photo of workers in Chatham Mills, along with the following information:

Chris's Great Uncle Albert C Kluge established a woven label mill in Pittsboro in early 1930’s. This photo shows weavers at Chatham Mills (part of Artistic Weaving Co.) in Pittsboro from A.C. Kluge's scrapbook. The back of this photo reads: "These girls did the threading, reeding on first 3 looms. Foy Riddle, Lottie Council, and Katherine Herndon." Eventually, Chatham Mills hosted 180 Jacquard narrow fabrics shuttle looms, and continued operations until 1997. “Billions of Woven Labels Shipped.”

#ChathamNCHistory #ChathamCountyNC #ChathamMills #textile #PittsboroNC

Several Cape Fear Township historic cemeteries have been documented for CCHA by Boe Goodwin. 

The Boyd cemetery is associated with the family of Murphy Jones Boyd. See more here: https://cemeterycensus.com/nc/chat/cem535.htm

The Marks cemetery: Deeds suggest that the property was part of the estate of James Alexander "Sandy" Marks, who died in 1923. See more here:   https://cemeterycensus.com/nc/chat/cem532.htm

The Mims cemetery is on the 102.5-acre dower lot of the J. H. [James Henderson] Mims estate. See more here: https://cemeterycensus.com/nc/chat/cem533.htm

The Marks-Partridge cemetery holds the remains of the Marks, Partridge, and Cross families. You can see all of the information here: https://cemeterycensus.com/nc/chat/cem541.htm

#ChathamNCHistory #ChathamCountyNC #ChathamNC #cemeteries 

Captain Frank Siler, far right, Beaumont School

Captain Frank Siler, far left at school in Star NC

We love it when someone takes the time to share additional information about one of our posts. Wally Jarrell saw our photo of the Beaumont School, which noted that it was led by Captain Frank Siler--someone he had done research on--and he provided the following very interesting information.

From Wally--

I was very interested in seeing this photo, especially with the image of a younger Captain Frank Siler. Captain Columbus Frank Siler was one of the most well-known teachers of his day, having been a heroic figure in leading Co. M, 22nd Regt., NC Infantry during the war. He also at times took charge of much of the regiment in the absence of higher officers who had been wounded. He himself was wounded six times leading charges and even carrying the flag. He lost most of the use of his right arm. If you notice in the photo, he is holding his "left" arm. However, photos of that day were actually mirror images, and need to be reversed to see the modern-day version of a photograph. So, he is actually holding his right arm, as the records show.

Captain Siler was born in Chatham County to Andrew J. and Ruth Barker Siler in December 1840. Following his grandfather, the family moved to Randolph County before 1860, near Franklinville. He enlisted in Co. M and was mustered in as a fourth sergeant and was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant, then to 1st Lieutenant, and finally as Captain. He was ordered promoted to Major twice, but never received the promotions due to the hectic activity and rapid movements at the end of the war and the deaths of senior officers.

Coming home from the war, he graduated from Trinity College and became a teacher and a member of the Trinity Masonic Lodge. Tracking his career, I have documented at least 15 different schools where he taught or was principal, in several different counties, including the Holly Springs Institute in Wake County. He taught for several years in my hometown of Star and finished his career at Mt. Olivet Academy in Randolph County. It is interesting that the Beaumont School was held in the Beaumont Lodge No. 160 Masonic lodge building, as he was a Mason. That lodge dissolved in 1874. In 1909 he moved to the Confederate Veteran's Home in Raleigh and agreed to be the Sunday School teacher there. He died soon after he arrived -- on 28 July 1909, and was buried in the Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh. He was remembered in the newspapers as a "Hero of Heroes."

There are two, maybe three photos of him when he was older. Above shows Siler with his school in Star, taken about 1904. He stands on the far left. 

Thanks to Wally for sharing his research!

#ChathamNCHistory #ChathamCountyNC #Education #Teachers #FrankSiler

Bell's church. Photo from Chatham County Historical Association collection.

A history of the church is provided on the Bell's Church website:

https://www.bellsbaptistchurch.org/blank-page-1

#ChathamNCHistory #ChathamCountyNC #BellsBaptistChurch

Siler City became a songbird sanctuary on February 23, 1939, by proclamation of Mayor O. B. Reitzel. It was the third town in the South to be so designated, coming after Hendersonville, NC and Milledgeville, GA. The bird sanctuary distinction for Siler City was instigated by Mrs. Henry Pike of the Siler City Garden Club.

The Siler City Garden Club was awarded first place in the state for bird work during the year 1947. Under Mrs. Pike's guidance, school children had built 345 bird houses that year and thirty-six species of birds had been identified.

From Hadley, The Town of Siler City: 1887-1987.

Thanks to Mark Ellington for the photo!

#ChathamNCHistory #ChathamHistory #ChathamNC #SilerCityNC #birds #1930s #SongbirdSanctuary #SilerCityGardenClub

D.G. Fox general merchandise and produce store in Siler City, located at what is now 115 South Chatham Avenue, ca. 1890s. The Siler-Matthews house is visible in the background. The owner, D.G. Fox, and his son M.M. Fox are standing in the doorway.

#ChathamNCHistory #ChathamCountyNC #SilerCityNC #GeneralMerchandise #Store #1890s

This map from John H. London's Bygones and Survivors booklet shows the locations of "old homes and structures in and around Pittsboro 1787 - 1900."

You can learn more about many of the structures noted on the map in London's booklet -- which is now on our website as part of his publication, Since Then: https://chathamhistory.org/resources/Documents/PDFs/ResearchArticles/SinceThenHistoryofPittsboro.pdf

The Architectural Heritage of Chatham County, NC covers historic structures in the entire county. The book is available for use in the Chatham Community Library. Copies of the Architectural Heritage book are also available for sale in the Chatham Historical Museum and on CCHA's website: https://chathamhistory.org/Shop

#ChathamNCHistory #ChathamHistory #ChathamNC #ChathamCountyNC #PittsboroNC #Pittsboromap #oldhouses #ArchitecturalHistory

Siler City beauties. 1940s?

Shirley White identified the three ladies as Louise, Polly, and Jean Darden. Can anyone identify the young man on the left?

From Duane Hall's Historic Siler City collection. Thanks Duane and Shirley!

#ChathamNCHistory #ChathamHistory #ChathamNC #SilerCityNC #girls #1940s

Don't miss Margaret Wicker's first-hand recollections about the Coal Glen Mine explosion that occurred in Chatham on 27 May 1925. The interview is just one of the resources about the mine disaster available on our website thanks to Paul Wilson, who has collected information about the event for years. A small part of the interview is included here:

"We were chopping cotton out in this field. I was just little, and my mother had some colored women and white women helping her chop cotton. There was a whole bunch of them out there. I was playing in the dirt with a little black girl.

All at once, we heard this big noise, like booooom, and black smoke just boiled and rolled up in the sky. All the women started screaming and hollering. Their husbands worked in the mine.

Everybody that lived up and down in those houses knew what the explosions were, and people were just hollering and screaming and going every which way. It just got plum dark, black like night, with all that black dust and smoke. In just a few minutes, there was another explosion.

My daddy didn't work in the mine, but he worked with them. He cut timbers and cross ties and things like that for them. He got in somebody's car and came out here to our house to get some sweet milk, because two men had went to open the air shaft's doors. When the second explosion came, it blew them back up the slope and 'bout killed them. I don't know why, but they wanted milk for them.

That's where I was, somewhere along here in the middle of this field. I was just a young 'un and scared to death. I know there wasn't any more chopping cotton that day."

The Coal Glen-Farmville Mine Disaster was the worst industrial accident in North Carolina history--killing 53 men, making 38 women widows, leaving 79 children fatherless, making Farmville a ghost town, and virtually putting an end to coal mining in North Carolina. Paul Wilson's collection of resources relating to this Chatham County disaster is provided on our website:

https://chathamhistory.org/resources/Documents/PDFs/ResearchArticles/CoalGlenMiningDisaster/CoalGlenMiningDisasterMainPage.pdf

#ChathamNCHistory #ChtathamCountyNC #ChathamHistory #ChathamNC #FarmvilleNC #CoalGlenMine #MiningDisaster #IndustrialAccident #Mining #DeepRiverCoal #CoalMining #OralHistory #1920s