July Story Finds - Indians, Politics and Booze

No, this isn't a photo of my great-great-great grandmother, but perhaps it resembles her. She was full blooded American Indian. You'd never know it to look at my blonde hair, fair skin and blue eyes. I often joke that she married the pot 'n pan peddler passing through town. She was in southern Illinois and we've never been able to determine the tribe.

So, it's only natural that anything relating to the Indians would be of interest to me. So it goes with the Lumbee tribe in North Carolina. I pulled out my 7th Grade North Carolina History Book and looked up to see what it said about the Lumbee. Oops. I guess Hugh T. Lefler forgot to include them! The famed textbook author also forgot to include the North Carolina towns of Pembroke and Lumberton.

In Pembroke, there is an outdoor musical drama that I've referenced before in my blog. But I want to take you there. You need to go and SEE SAW (Strike at the Wind!). Joel and I went last night and were astounded that we enjoyed cool summer evening temperatures and no mosquitoes. The play was wonderful! The photo here is of the narrator.

Local residents perform the 2-1/2 hour drama of Henry Berry Lowery, a renegade in the 1800's who fought to protect his own fellow Indians and poor blacks and whites from the Home Guard, a group of unethical, rowdy and just plain mean men who formed a state militia of sorts. You see, Indians once had the right to vote - and then lost it in 1835 - through politics. It wasn't until after the Civil War in 1875 did they get it back - again politics.

The play is celebrating its 30th anniversary and is located just off US 74 in Pembroke, North Carolina. I encourage you to log onto http://www.strikeatthewind.com and plan to include the play in your summer outings. You might want to check in at the Fairfield Inn on I-95, exit 20. It's been renovated, is clean, neat and offers a good breakfast. The new general manager is from California and also has blonde hair, like mine.

If you go to the Lumberton Convention & Visitors Bureau, you can get a $10 voucher to apply the cost of your room. It's just down the street at the same exit - or you can get them at NC Welcome Centers on I-95.

ANOTHER STORY I've found is in Hiddenite, a little town on NC Hwy. 90 between Statesville and Taylorsville. No, it's not the gemstone I've found - it's the hardware store and the developing story there.

If you were running for a public office in the early 1900's, you probably made a visit to Harry Miller to seek his endorsement. If you got it, you were elected. Now Harry lived in a county known for its antics, money and illegal booze. You could consider him the Mayor Richard Daley of North Carolina.

He owned the local hardware store. The town's only funeral parlor was on the third floor of a building that still stands today. Throughout the years, the business has been sold. And one of the owners along the way found nearly 5,000 pieces of paper documenting his life. I've seen a few of them. One is a telegram from RJ Reynolds asking for Harry support on a particular political project. Another is a letter on Wilks County stationary discussing an issue with a Post Script at the end. It says not to share the letter with anyone.

There's an effort afloat to create a museum of all the really juicy documents. The owner has been through all of them and can give a fantastic oral history about Harry Miller and his dealings, many of which were apparently under the table. As private a man as he was, he kept a very complete paper trail.

There is no link for the hardware store. But, I encourage you to seek it out. The building just received national designation as a historic place and the inside is full of nuts, bolts, screen, pvc pipes, rakes, shovels, gloves, tools and lots more. Ask for Sandra. It's worthy of a book and true life movie!