Generations

by   September 2, 2023 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            My sister hosted a family gathering at her house last week. The gathering centered around her children, who were home from across the country. There were people from my sister’s extended family and our family at the gathering. We were quite a group and we all had a great time.

            My brother-in-law pointed out that there were four generations gathered that day. His dad was there, as were my parents. My sister and her husband were the grandparents. There were three of their seven children at the gathering. Then there were nine grandchildren. Between our family and his family we had quite a crowd gathered together.

            I talked with many of the adults that were there, but few conversations reached any depth. I didn’t get to connect with everyone. I reflected on who I connected with and who I missed while driving home. It’s hard to believe that I am related to everyone who came.

            I chuckled as I walked my mother to the car. I told her that I was confused about which child belonged to which set of parents. She explained that it was easy to be confused because any time a child cried or whined one of the closest adults took care of the child in need. That adult may or may not have been that child’s parent. Those great-nieces and nephews are going to grow up being close to each other.

            I had a delightful conversation with the oldest great-niece. She sat down next to me and we talked about school. She told me about the math she was learning and I quizzed her. She could add and subtract very well. Then I asked her about reading. I don’t know what kinds of books seven-year-olds like to read. She mentioned a few books she liked, and then told me that her lessons were about Dick and Jane. I asked her if Dick and Jane had a dog named Spot, and she said yes and wondered how I knew that. I chuckled and told her that I remembered reading those books when I was in school.

            When I told my wife about this conversation with my great-niece she was immediately transported back to her childhood and remembered exactly where she was sitting in her classroom when she read the Dick and Jane books. As my wife shared her memories I remembered where I was sitting in the circle around my teacher as we read about Dick and Jane and especially… “See Spot run. Run, Spot, run.” I can actually remember the picture of the dog running in my book.

            It was a great family gathering. I enjoyed hearing how these new parents were coping with the responsibilities of parenthood. One of my nieces brought her two-week-old baby to the family gathering to meet everyone. She and her husband enjoyed the opportunity to be with family, but you could tell they were a little tired from all the demands of a new baby.

            I have reflected on my time spent at this family gathering. Not many families are lucky enough to get four generations together at one time. It made me wonder what it will be like to get all our generations together in heaven. One great thing is that everyone will be in good, strong, and healthy bodies. I wonder how long some of the gatherings might last? I mean, time won’t constrain us there, so a gathering could last for days at a time in heaven. Also, everyone will be there. No one will be left out or missed. I imagine the intimacy and closeness will be incomparable. I can almost hear the laughter as we share stories from here and what we will be doing there. Heaven will be one of the greatest family reunions of all time.

            I want to encourage you to make the most important decision in your life, to join the family of God. That way you will attend that great family reunion in heaven. God can’t make that decision for you. It’s up to you to ask Him into your life. Once you have asked Him in, you can be assured of a place at the table when we all go to that great family reunion. I want to see you there, share some laughs and hear some of your stories. My mouth is watering for the good food and my spirit longs for the time we can all be together in healthy bodies, healed souls, and glowing spirits. I am just hoping I will know and remember all the family connections!

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com

Jo Ann & the Black-Eyed Susan

by   September 1, 2023 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

During these days of late August, I am watching the side garden transition slowly from summer to fall. The black-eyed Susans  (Rudbeckias hirta) are the first plants to show their change from one season to the next. Our cluster stands next to our neighbor’s white fence and most of it have lost their rich, yellow, open-faced flowers that reminded me of a wide-eyed youngster full of excitement and wonder.  The golden petals of full summer have fallen to the garden floor to rot leaving each stem holding at its top the dim center of summer now transformed to a dark cluster of seeds.   

The black-eyed Susan is an easy and pleasing plant for a garden. While there are many varieties, our is the native one of local meadows. Known by several names, we prefer the one used here. But, what an odd name that leads to question:  “Who is Susan that the plant is named for?” One internet search tells the legend that the name “originated from an Old English poem written by John Gay (1685-1732) entitled ‘Sweet William’s Farewell To Black-Eyed Susan’. True or not, it is a sweet poem of William telling Susan that her love will keep him safe while he is away fighting in a war.

Legend aside, the late-summer garden needs attention. One task of a gardener has a dreadful name: Dead heading. But the act is not as bad as it sounds since the removal of spent flowers is good for a plant because more energy for growth will be spent on the plant, not the bygone flower. And some folks will say that a plant looks better without what is left of a spent flower. We will not dead head the black-eyed Susans just yet.  

One recent evening, Mary Ann and I were watching the birds at the birdbath. She asked me did I see the slight movement of a black-eyed Susan stem? I  did, and we watched as a female American goldfinch held onto the stem while eating from the dark cluster of seeds. The tiny body barley had enough weight to cause the stem to  bob and weave as she pecked at the seed cluster. Like several female species, this finch did not have the bright colors of a male, but her dark grey and subtle brown had its own beauty, and we  enjoyed watching her finding food on what some people would see as a “dead” plant. While she has a proper name, we refer to her species as “Jo Ann” to honor Mary Ann’s deceased mother, an avid admirer of birds. Although we came late to bird watching, Mary Ann and I now realize the joy of birds, and we are fortunate that we have Jo Ann’s copy of Peterson’s Guide– complete with her  bird-list of sighted species. But the “Jo Ann” is not alone, and in fact she is joined in feasting on the seed heads of the black-eyed Susan by Carolina chickadees, brown-headed nuthatches, titmice, and others that may feed on the ground hidden by the heavy, dark green leaves of the black-eyed Susans.

However, the days slowly roll towards Labor Day, and all the Susans will soon be void of those lovely, yellow-gold petals. But we will not rush out to dead head them. The fine Canadian writer and poet, Patrick Lane, writes that “The gardener has nothing but time.”  Like Lane, all we have is time, and there is no reason to rush the dead heading or anything. In that way we allow the small side garden to be a living space in which Mary Ann and I will enjoy watching the birds feasting, especially the Jo Anns.

An Interesting Fall Schedule

by   August 31, 2023 with No Comments

By David Freeze

I am just back from my bike ride and eager to get rolling with our running and racing opportunities for the late summer and fall. There are two new races and two more with new twists, plus two of our biggest that are back in place.

First is a low key and non-competitive but still very popular event. The Ralph Baker’s Shoes and Chick-Fil-A Prediction Run 5K is more about fun and a chance to win prices, eat well and just plain have a good time. The event is being held at City Park, starting at 8 a.m. on Aug. 26. SRR members are free and anyone else can register for $30, the cost of an annual membership. A prediction run means that all participants predict a time to cover 3.1 miles, all without wearing a watch, carrying a phone or any other timing device. The slowest runner or walker are usually more likely to win with the closest prediction time, largely because they seem to be more consistent.

Next up is one of the new races, The Robert Stephen Gilmore Labor of Love 5K presented by the Javon Hargrave Foundation. The 5K will be held at Knox Middle School at 9 a.m., likely still on the long-time course. All proceeds go to support Stephen’s Purpose. The 3.1-mile race in honor of Robert Stephen Gilmore will raise monies to benefit children who may experience cancer or developmental delays. This race will benefit children and families in need in our community.

On Sept. 9, the action is at the Run for the Word 5K and Fun Run hosted by Trinity Lutheran Church in Landis. The course is likely the flattest in the county and the town of Landis supports course safety throughout the event. All proceeds go to the South Rowan Bible Teachers Association for the costs of Bible teachers at Carson and South Rowan high schools, Corriher-Lipe and China Grove middle schools with the possible addition soon of Southeast Middle School.

Spencer’s Race to the River 5K and Fun Run will leave the fire department at 2 p.m. and race north straight to the Wil-Cox Bridge and Yadkin River. The very hilly first mile from last year has been changed to a straight shot down Salisbury Avenue to the river, at least two-thirds of the course on a fast downhill. The town of Spencer will showcase its energetic and growing Parks program. Non-competitive cycling and kayak events are also involved. Awards, three deep this year, and entertainment will be held at the new Yadkin River Park Trailhead. The event benefits Rowan Creek Week and starts at 2 p.m.

GNC is presenting the Dollars for Donuts 5K and Fun Run on Oct. 7 to benefit the Salisbury Police Department Foundation with the intent of providing various means of support to the officers and associated personnel. The Police Department Foundation is not funded by the city of Salisbury. The race will be headquartered at the GNC store, and the course has not been finalized but will be in close proximity to the store. This is another new event.

Back again is the Clean Water 5K and Fun Run at Grace Lutheran Church. Globally, 1.8 billion people, about one out of every four people, drink from contaminated water sources. Unsafe water leads to illnesses that claim the lives of 840,000 people each year, almost half of whom are children under the age of five. What’s more, women and children spend hours each day collecting water. This keeps them from school, work, education and time with family. All proceeds from the race will benefit the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Global Water Ministry.

The Girls on the Run of the Greater Piedmont 5K follows the next day, Nov. 12, as a celebration event at Salisbury Community Park at 2 p.m. The is the largest fall event, with approximately 800 GOTR graduates and a running buddy for most of them. Community runners can register separately.

And finally, Salisbury’s largest competitive 5K, and a Salisbury holiday tradition, will be held on Thanksgiving morning at 8:30 a.m. at The Forum. All proceeds go to Prevent Child Abuse Rowan.

Look for these events and more at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org and www.runsignup.com.

Far Reaching Love

by   August 30, 2023 with No Comments

By Ed Traut

Ephesians 3:16-18 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

  • The greatest thing in this whole world is the love of God.  Never ending and far reaching.
  • All true love has its origin in Him only, because He is love.
  • May God give us grace to continue to grasp, understand and enjoy this vast love that He has for us and others.

Prayer:  Thank You for Your wonderful love.  Fill me with that great love that You have Lord that I can be an expression of Your love to other people.  I can not do it in my own strength so I look to You for that wonderful love.  I bless Your holy name.  Amen.

Ed Traut
Prophetic Life

Back to Normal

by   August 29, 2023 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

If you live in certain parts of Rowan County, NC you may have recently experienced a power outage. We sure did. It might’ve been two of the longest days of my life. Well, except for that time my husband was coaching the girls’ softball team at the school where we worked. We made it to the championship tournament (yay) but had to travel to Rocky Mount. Though it is only 241 miles from here by car, we were of course in a school activity bus; which turned the three hour tour into a journey of epic porportions. Lord have mercy. Then we were privileged to play multiple back to back games in the sauna that is Eastern North Carolina. Have you ever been there? Situated in the Netherworld between our beautiful Piedmont and the pristine Coastline, this lovely area so closely resembles a swamp that we had to be careful when parking lest the bus sink up to the axles; that wondrous land where mosquitos are the size of hummingbirds. I thought the gravity was less intense but it turned out the aforementioned mosquitos were trying to carry me off. Though we cheered almost obnoxiously for our team to win (too much cowbell), I silently prayed for the joy to end. Please forgive me dear loyal parents and fans. I thought I might die and wished I’d hurry up.


Annyyywayyy…


Our recent power outage brought up memories of a similar time when there was just no escaping the heat. It did help us realize things that are good to have in an emergency. Like battery powered chargers for our electronic gadgets. My tablet died so I ended up reading an actual paper book. It was hard to turn the pages though as I kept swiping along the bottom and nothing happened. We dug out an oil lantern and used it for a while til the wick gave out. Thankfully we had a decent flashlight. David’s grill worked well and also relegated the heat of cooking to the great outdoors. He did not however appreciate the church fan I handed him when he expressed how hot it was in the house. Together we decided that a power outage in the heat of summer is much worse than one in the winter. One can always add more clothes or another blanket if it gets too cold. But in the heat with all the windows open we dared not strip any further lest the neighbors call the cops. Nobody wants to see all that.
Eventually the power came back on about 2:30am one morning. Since it had gone off during a dark storm a day or ten earlier, all the lights were on. It was a happy awakening. We shut out the lights, closed the windows (and curtains) and did the dance of joy. The next morning we ran the washer, dryer, and dishwasher. We charged up all the phones and tablets; then downloaded a cache of books so I wouldn’t have to manually turn pages. Currently we are settled into our normal lifestyle of cool.


Back in those happy days of 1999, our girls won the tournament; the bus made it home, and we all lived to tell about it. I may or may not have kissed the ground. Apparently good stories do not come cheap.

Dada

by   August 28, 2023 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

Fatherhood can be complicated. Families can be complicated.

But the two sure can become beautiful, especially when they go hand in hand.

My father was a worker at Cannon Mills Plant Number 1 in Kannapolis. The dye department was his home away from home. No matter his personal struggles or personal joys, he always went to work.

The only exception to this was what was referred to as “Vacation Week.” For one week a year, the mill — and the town — closed down completely for vacation.

Many of those weeks, my parents would pack up our car and we would go camping in the Smoky Mountains. The most fun part of the trip would take place in the middle of the night, because that was when the bears would come down the mountain and go through the trash cans at the campground. Personally, I was frightened, as I could see the shadows of bears walking by the tent. I always stayed awake waiting on the bears, so I could protect myself when they tore into the tent where I was huddled in a sleeping bag. One thing I knew was that I did not want to be a bear’s dinner. Looking back, I do not think staying awake to wait on the bears really helped. Those vacations always included my father, who enjoyed “bear watching” as well.

As the years have passed, my list of fathers has grown.

Included on the father list is my husband.

He could be considered a stepfather, a father and a grandfather.

Then there is the father who is the father of my two children.

He not only fathered them, but he now has taken over the role of father to our granddaughter.

My son is also on the father list. He is father to two of the most beautiful baby boys ever born. They are now 35 pounds and 25 pounds of pure joy.

He is also the father of a recently turned 12-year-old son who is our grandson.

He is also pure joy, although I do not know how many pounds of joy he is.

Any reader at this point is most likely thoroughly confused as to who is who and who belongs to who. I got confused just trying to explain my family to you, as I am trying desperately to not leave anyone out.

Refer back to the first sentence: Fatherhood can be complicated. Families can be complicated.

So can love.

So, I will just say it this way: To all the fathers and grandfathers: Whether you are raising 4-year-olds or 40-year-olds, you are amazing men of love and sacrifice. You work hard. You love greatly. You do your best. No one ever said it was easy, but it sure is worth it.

This may explain why tears come into my eyes when my 20-month old grandson reaches up to my son with a fully trusting heart, while lovingly saying, “Dada.”

Dada then reaches down, picks him up, and holds him in his strong arms that bring them both great comfort and great love.

Complicated? I don’t know about that. What could be any sweeter?

Ann Farabee is a teacher, writer and speaker. Contact her at annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com.

Time With a Friend

by   August 27, 2023 with No Comments

By Ashlie Miller

Beautiful routines have been developing in my home with my best friend. We occasionally meet on the front porch together, often with our books in hand, to read separately or to observe the environment. We may or may not interrupt each other with conversation, but mostly, we end up in the same place, sharing space and presence.

Towards the end of 2020, my husband and I looked for ways to spend time together since we could not get away from home for many dates. We developed a new weekly routine of late-night tea time. Sure, we enjoy the little treats we would not usually indulge in, and tea is quite comforting. Still, more than that, it is simply having that uninterrupted time together. Sometimes the time includes reflections on the day, but the goal is to focus on each other, not even the tea.

Lately, now that we have teenagers who can manage, we sneak away once a week in the early mornings for coffee (for him) and tea (for me). These usually have an intentional purpose of looking at our calendar for the week, looking for ways to be productive, and talking about matters of importance.

These frequent, regular meetings did not occur with the expressed purpose of strengthening our relationship. They naturally happened because we enjoy each other’s company and can’t get enough of each other. There are times we seek each other for company and different times of intentional scheduling. Our focus is not on the words we will share; it is on shared time and communion, enjoying each other’s presence, and growing closer together. Making time for each other grows organically because we genuinely enjoy time together.

In the book “A Praying Life,” Paul Miller (no relation) compares our prayer life to a family meal – time together, no rush, enjoying each other’s company with laughter and discussions. We often approach our prayer time, if we even have one, as a duty, a daily checklist, or a Christian discipline. But, as Miller points out by sharing Revelation 3:20, God wants something more wonderful for us than that: “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Yes, he wants a relationship, but the God of Heaven also wants to feast with us! He is not waiting for us to approach with a perfect prayer framework, although those can be helpful. He simply sets the table and opens the door for us to spend time with Him.

Prayer is one of the most neglected works of the Christian, maybe because we look at it as work. In modern, hurried times where eating a meal is just a duty and necessity, we do not know what it is like to feast with a friend, slowing down, relishing the moment and the company.

All great, big things begin with a small step. What would happen if you took a small step to slow down, lean in, and find a small moment to talk to the King and Creator today? It may start with spending time with a close, earthly friend and tasting what that type of relationship is like. As I said, beautiful routines have taken shape in my home with my best friend, actually, two of them – my husband and my Lord!

Ashlie Miller and her husband, Chad, live in Concord, NC. You can contact her on ashliemiller.com.

Church Conferences

by   August 26, 2023 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            I like going to church; it’s my Father’s house and I like being there. I have sat alone in many church sanctuaries in my life. I enjoy the peacefulness of just being in His presence. When I can quiet my spirit in His house I can often hear His sweet whispers. I can also feel His love for me in ways that are hard to experience in any other place.

            The beach is another very special place to experience God’s presence. Most people can experience God’s presence while sitting near the water listening to the crashing waves. I can spend hours talking with Him while on vacation at the beach.

            I know you are going to think this is a crazy thing to say, especially in the middle of August, but I can experience His presence while walking through a snowstorm. I love to get all bundled up and go for a walk while it is snowing. It is so incredibly peaceful when the snow is falling all around me. His presence feels tangible to me in those moments.

            Another time I can feel God’s presence is at a church conference. I really enjoy gathering with the family of God as we hear the word of God from a gifted minister. Many years ago Pastor Greg Laurie, who produced the movie The Jesus Revolution, came to Winston-Salem for a conference. I received training to be one of the counselors on the floor when people came down to receive prayer. It was a very special and exciting time to be a part of that conference.

            I have attended many conferences through the years at different churches. Some speakers are better than others. Some I have heard multiple times and look forward to their next visit as soon as the conference is over. Some have an anointing to teach and I can’t write notes fast enough. Others have a powerful anointing to pray with you and stir within you something that changes your life. Still others come and offer individuals encouraging words to strengthen the participants’ faith for their journey. These speakers have a way of letting us know that God knows and cares for each one of us in a very special way.

            Last weekend our church had a conference that I had looked forward to for several weeks. Our speaker had been at our church a couple of times before and I really enjoy him. Our speaker travels the world holding conferences. He is a unique individual who can offer incredible teaching and individual encouraging words to those who come to his meetings.

            He has lived in Israel, so when he teaches a Bible story he describes the location and the circumstances in incredible detail, thus making the Word of God come alive. He also has a Jewish background, which makes him better able to explain the culture and the context of the Bible stories. He sponsors tours to Israel so as he describes a location in the Bible story you are instantly transported there in your mind.

            He offered many people encouraging words while he was speaking. It was fun to be in the room as he encouraged people. You could almost see people’s hearts being healed and strengthened as he spoke to them. As he expressed God’s heart for each person, you could almost imagine Jesus walking up to them and giving them a bear hug. The speaker has a way of sharing God’s love that melts hearts and refreshes the soul.

            The weekend came with the same anticipation that I have for Christmas and it passed by so quickly. Now our job as a church is to steward the deposit that our speaker made in our lives. Both the teaching he offered and the encouragement he gave need to be treasured. The enemy wants to steal the seed he planted in our lives. The daily grind of life can push out all the good that was imparted to us unless we guard and savor it.

            I know that many churches have special conferences in the fall. If your church has one, then I encourage you to attend. Pray and prepare your heart to hear God’s Word. Then, when the conference is over, review what you learned and guard that which the Lord planted in your heart. Whether you attend a conference or not, remember that God loves you far more than you can imagine. He wants to strengthen and encourage you in your walk with Him. He is watching over you, caring for you, cheering you on as you walk the straight and narrow path that leads to His heart.

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com

Pale Blue Dot

by   August 25, 2023 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

Every few days, a new photograph appears on my computer sent by some server I signed with years ago. As far as I know, the service is free, and I do enjoy looking at the stunning photographs of the natural world—I decline ones of cities. The photographs of mountains, lakes, shorelines, all the usual natural views are terrific. Sometimes people are present in them, but they are secondary to the magnificent scenery. I enjoy guessing the location of the photos and have come to understand that there is, at times, little difference between a mountain view in the United Kingdom to one in France. Over the years I have realized that our world is not that different from one location to another. Now, I appreciate that The Sarah Desert and Death Valley are two different deserts with their own ecology, but even the differences do not discount how much alike our earth is in its varied locations. A field of wildflowers in Germany often resemble one in America. It seems that we are, in the natural world at least, more alike than different.

Thirty years ago, February 14, 1990, NASA engineers turned the cameras of Voyager I toward our solar system just as it was to exit it on its way to explore other solar systems. Voyager I was 3.7 billion miles from our sun when its cameras took sixty photographs of our solar system and one picture became known as the Pale Blue Dot because of a pixel sized dot sitting in a bent ray of sunlight. Scientist Carl Sagan’s book used that image in the title of his book, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space, in which he writes, “Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us.”

Looking at that pixel recently on my computer screen caused me to close that screen and go to the most recent photograph sent to me by the unknown provider which was of a lake with mountains in the distance. In the clear and shallow water of the foreground can be seen smooth stones and on ragged, peaked mountains are evergreens that eventually thin out and gave way to bare rock. The jagged peaks look like they could be in the Rocky Mountains, but they are in Germany. (Wrong again on knowing where a photograph is taken). But being wrong about any location of a nature scene, does not upset me, and I still marvel that so many physical areas of our earth closely resemble other locations. Despite differences, it is the earth on which all of mankind lives and much alike across its rivers, lakes, mountains, deserts, forests, and more.

The KJV of The Letter to the Hebrews has in 2:7, “Thou madest him [man] a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hand:” I understand that to mean we are the stewards of this earth, and that is a task that we seem to have chosen to forget or ignore the responsibility for a myriad of excuses.

But I ask the reader to go to the computer and type in Voyager I and look at Sagan’s pale, blue dot that looks so small and isolated and alone in that beam of sunlight. But after looking at the pixel-sized dot, remember his words: “…That’s here. That’s home. That’s us.” It is all we have, so we should take care of it, that pale, blue dot.

Roger Barbee lives in Mooresville. Contact him at rogerbarbee@gmail.com

Jacksonville to Bolivia

by   August 24, 2023 with No Comments

By David Freeze

My first stop on July 8 was Jacksonville, home of Camp Lejeune and the New River Air Station of the U.S. Marines. Its population is listed as the youngest in the nation with an average age of 22.8 because of the large military presence.

In 1752, a devastating hurricane destroyed the county seat of Johnston, and Wantlands Ferry, located further up the New River, at the present site of Jacksonville was chosen as the site of the new county courthouse. The first court was held there in July 1757. The area, briefly known as Onslow Courthouse, was incorporated and renamed Jacksonville in honor of former U.S. President Andrew Jackson in 1842. Jacksonville was briefly captured and occupied during the Civil War in November 1862 by a Union Army raiding party.

Agricultural and naval products, (pine oil, turpentine and resin) along with lumber could be shipped along the New River and were the mainstays of the economy during this time. Jacksonville and Onslow County got a big boost in 1941 when a Marine Corps base for amphibious training was established which later became Camp Lejeune.

Established in 1709, Beaufort is located on Beaufort Inlet, a channel leading south to the Atlantic Ocean. The third oldest town in the state and seat of Carteret County, Beaufort has lots of visitor traffic during the warmer months and it was booming when I was there on a Saturday morning.

Beaufort was first known as Fishtown because the fishing industry has always been an important part of the county’s history. Beaufort was later named for Henry Somerset, British Duke of Beaufort.

Originally a fishing village and a safe harbor since the late 1600s, about 150 of the restored historic homes bear plaques showing names of the earliest known owners and dates of original construction. Some of the historic towns do none of this and it’s impossible to tell the age of the homes.

Fishing, whaling, the production of lumber and naval stores, shipbuilding, and farming were the chief economic activities. Though Beaufort had the safest and most navigable harbor of any of the ports of North Carolina, extensive commercial development hasn’t happened. Now, Beaufort’s economy depends heavily on tourism. An entire 12-block area is on the National Register of Historic Places. The waterfront is beautiful and multiple tours are available.

The Carteret County Courthouse, completed in 1907, was the centerpiece for a sprawling vendor festival where I bought a huge egg, cheese, potato and black bean burrito.

Burgaw is the county seat of Pender County and is a railroad town that came to be when the Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad Company routed its tracks in 1836 across Burgaw Creek, where a small cross-roads trading post already existed. When completed in 1840, this railroad line was the longest in the world at 161½ miles.

In January 1854, the spot on the rails was called Burgaw Depot after the small trading post had been Cypress Grove. The depot is the oldest in the state circa 1850 and is part of the North Carolina Civil War Trail, one of my favorite signs.

During the Civil War, the railroad carried fresh troops to the battlefields and brought back the sick and wounded. Military supplies came from the port of Wilmington to the fighting fronts and kept the depot very busy. Confederate generals and their troops used the depot for weeks after the loss of Ft. Fisher and Wilmington. The railroad and its depots fell to the Union forces on Feb. 22, 1865. The depot warehouse still bears the charred scars of a Union cavalry attack in 1863. In 1865, it also became the holding site for at least 6,000 prisoners of war for over a week in February 1865 while a massive prisoner exchange was negotiated in Richmond and Washington, D.C. The depot was a vital communications center with so many things going on.

On Feb. 6, 1876, the railroad deeded a plot of land to Pender County for the establishment of the town and for the new courthouse. Burgaw was incorporated on Dec. 8, 1879. The current courthouse, built in 1936, is the centerpiece of the town.

Next came Wilmington, county seat of New Hanover County and one of my favorite stops. In September 1732, a community was founded on land owned by John Watson on the Cape Fear River. The settlement was called New Carthage, then New Liverpool, New Town and Newton. Governor Gabriel Johnston established his government there for the North Carolina colony. In 1739 or 1740, the town was incorporated with a new name, Wilmington, in honor of Spencer Compton, British Earl of Wilmington.

Naval stores and lumber fueled the economy, but residents began to push back against the Stamp Act, a British tax on shipping. Various riots and other trouble eventually forced the repeal of the tax, but unrest caused the state capital’s move to New Bern.

During the Civil War, Wilmington’s port was the major base for Confederate and privately owned blockade runners, which delivered badly needed supplies from England. The Union mounted a blockade to reduce the goods received by the South. The city was captured by Union forces in the Battle of Wilmington in February 1865, about one month after the fall of Fort Fisher had closed the port. As nearly all the military action took place some distance from the city, numerous antebellum houses and other buildings survived the war years.

Wilmington’s was called Hollywood East during the 1980s and 1990s because many movies and TV shows were filmed here. The Riverwalk is first class, made even better by the USS North Carolina Battleship.

Bolivia was my last stop, county seat of Brunswick. One of the smallest county seats in the state, it has a few small businesses, a school and a modern government complex. The town was incorporated in 1911 and named after Bolivia, South America.

That’s 90 county seats visited. The final 10 will come sometime this fall. I netted 7.81 miles today. See you soon with more, including Rowan. Thanks for following this series!

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