After reading up on the history of the Flood of 1916, it's no surprise that there is a historical…read moremarker to commemorate this tragic event. It's a good spot for the marker as we're right next to the Catawba here. First, the marker which reads: "Devastated western N.C. and western Piedmont; destroyed homes, crops, mills, bridges. Ten lives lost, July 16, in washout of trestle 1 mile south." From websites, "Decades before hurricanes had names, when weather wasn't forecast so much as it was broadcast, it rained for a solid week over western North Carolina. And then it rained again, harder than it had ever rained before."

While on my small Yelping tour today I decided to visit this cemetery. I had received information…read morefrom a good source that a person I knew from the past was interned here. There are 216 documented gravesites at this location. I spent a considerable amount of time trying to locate this person to no avail. At any rate this cemetery is in near perfect condition and has been well maintained.

This marker is at the intersection of NC 27 and Westland Farm Road. I did drive the quarter mile to…read morethe west but did not see anything that looked like it might have been an 18th century home. The marker reads, "Joseph Dickson 1745-1825. Colonel in Revolution, later brigadier general, member of legislatures of North Carolina and Tennessee, and of United States Congress. His home stands 1/4 mile west." Online, there is more information. "Military and political leader Joseph Dickson was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, in April 1745. At the age of ten he moved with his family to Rowan County. In 1775, on the eve of the Revolution, he was a member of the Rowan County Committee on Safety. That same year he was commissioned as a captain in the Continental Army." "While in the Senate he sat on a committee that established the University of North Carolina and became one of the original trustees of the University. After serving in the Senate he returned to Lincoln County where he was elected as a Federalist to the United States House of Representatives. He represented Wilkes, Burke, Rutherford, and Lincoln counties in the Sixth Congress from 1799 to 1801. He served two terms in the Tennessee legislature, from 1807 to 1811. During the second term he was Speaker of the House, his last position in public office." And here we learn that the house referenced in the marker text no longer stands and the sign will be updated when funds permit. [Review 14253 overall, 1576 of 2020, number 2688 in North Carolina.]

This two-sided historical marker is adjacent to an empty lot and a couple of buildings that look…read morelike small warehouses. It recalls a more recent history that has passed along. On the front side, "Barnett Brothers Circus, 1929-1945. This site was the winter quarters of the Barnett Brothers Circus, briefly known as the Wallace Brothers Circus, from 1929 through 1945. Founded by Ray W. Rogers (1889-1946), the circus was one of the first to travel by truck instead of by train. That freedom helped it succeed during the Depression and World War II. It began its tour each March or April with a performance in York, then returned in November." And on the back side, "Barnett Brothers Circus, 1929-1938. A highlight of the York Christmas parade was Santa Claus riding an elephant. In 1929 five sons of C.P. and Olive Bennett, living nearby, started their own circus with encouragement from Ray Rogers, who loaned them his big top and a few animals. All six Bennett sons and two daughters participated, along with other local children. Their circus performed in York, Rock Hill, Clover, and Sharon through 1938." It must have been quite a sight. [Review 13887 overall, 1209 of 2020, number 647 in South Carolina.]

I've lived in Charlotte for 13 years now and while I knew of the Catawba River and the Native…read moreAmericans who lived here, it was still interesting to find this marker. It is in a small observation parking lot that has a view of the Cowans Ford hydroelectric plant. You can't get close to the dam (security!), but you can see it pretty well from here. The marker was erected at around the same time. The marker reads: In 1747 Adam Sherrill and his 8 sons migrated from Pennsylvania and settled west of the Catawba River. By July, 1749, John Beatty had also crossed the Catawba. Sherrill's Ford (site underwater) and Beatty's Ford (underwater) were named for them. Another ford used by the original settlers was Island Ford. During the late 1740's Andreas Killen, Robert Leeper, Jacob Forney, Pieter Heyl, and John Clark settled on creeks which today bear their names. An early settler on the headwaters of Clark's Creek was Henry Weidner (home destroyed). The site of his homeplace has changed little since 1750. Remnants of Beatty's Ford and Tuckaseege roads, two of the earliest roads used by these and other early settlers, may still be seen. During the Revolution important battles were fought at Ramsour's Mill (June 20, 1780) (destroyed) and Cowan's Ford (Feb. 1, 1781) (preserved). During the Colonial and Early National periods it was customary to use privately-owned buildings for public purposes. Accordingly, the Tryon County Jail (partially preserved) was located in 1784 at the springhouse of Henry Dellinger, an early settler. Andrew Loretz was the first minister of the German Reformed Church in western North Carolina. His brick home (1793) is one of the oldest west of the Catawba River (preserved). Open-hearth furnaces were established by Peter Forney Alexander Brevard, Joseph Graham, and others between 1785 and 1800. The homeplaces of Brevard (Mt. Tirzah) (preserved) and Graham (Vesuvius Furnace) (preserved) include sites of two of these furnaces. A third furnace, built by Peter Forney, still stands. The "Ore Bank," a chief source of iron ore, was nearby (large pits to be seen). Graham, a Revolutionary officer and leader of North Carolina troops in the Creek Indian War (1811-12); Alexander Brevard, who served under Washington at the battles of White Plains, Trenton, Brandywine, and Monmouth; and Robert H. Morrison, founder of Davidson College and father-in-law of generals D. H. Hill and "Stonewall" Jackson lie buried in Machpelah churchyard (preserved). One of the outstanding homes of the trans-Catawba region is "Ingleside" (preserved), built by Daniel M. Forney, son of Peter Forney and grandson of the pioneer Jacob Forney who settled there. "Mt. Welcome" (destroyed), another iron furnace built by Peter Forney, is the site of the birthplace of Robert D. Johnston, one of five Confederate generals born in Lincoln County. The others were Robert F. Hoke (home preserved), Stephen Dodson Ramseur (grave preserved), John H. Forney, and William H. Forney. For early history of the area east of the Catawba see marker located on N.C. 150--500 yds. east of Catawba River, Iredell County. [Review 12724 overall, 36 of 2020.]

This marker stands just over the railroad tracks near the Fort Mill Historic District and provides…read moremuch context of the founding and initial settlement of the city. Fort Mill is the first city south of Charlotte, North Carolina. The front of the marker reads, "Fort Mill was established on land received in 1787 by Thomas Spratt, one of the first settlers in this area. According to local tradition, the 4,535-acre tract in Catawba Indian territory was given Spratt by the Catawbas who were grateful for his assistance in routing the Shawnees from their lands." The reverse of the marker reads, "Fort Mill is said to have taken its name from Webb's Grist Mill and a Catawba Indian fort near here. The post office was established in 1811 and named Fort Mill in 1833. Fort Mill Mfg. Co. (now Springs Mills) began here in 1887. Area native Leroy Springs later became its president. By the time of his death in 1931, Springs was a nationally-known textile magnate." This is marker number 46-21 and it was erected in 1982 by the York County Historical Commission. Fort Mill is the seat of York County. There is parking here to stop and read both sides of the marker. [Review 50 of 2025 - 1239 in South Carolina - 23619 overall]

This historical marker and a nearby tree were placed here in honor of Sanford Augustus Wolf Jr. The…read moreintentions of these two items are to be in remembrance of a true community leader. He was primarily remembered as being the longtime director of the Gaffney Board of Public Works. He was also the music director of a local large church for twenty one years.

This marker is located along New Hope Road a short distance north of the Interstate and in front of…read morethe Lutheran Chapel Cemetery. There is parking in the cemetery parking lot to stop and read the marker. It has the same text on both sides, reading "Textile mill owner, bank executive, philanthropist, and benefactor of present Lenoir-Rhyne University in 1923. Grave is nearby." Online, there is more information. "Daniel Efird Rhyne, business leader and benefactor of Lenoir-Rhyne College, was born on February 8, 1852, to Moses H. and Margaret Hoffman Rhyne. He grew up on a farm near Woodlawn in what was then Lincoln County, now Gaston. He eventually had a hand in renaming his hometown Mount Holly, after the textile town of the same name in New Jersey. Rhyne attended Lincoln County's common schools and, from 1871 to 1872, he pursued studies at North Carolina College, a Lutheran institution in Mount Pleasant. "Rhyne entered the cotton mill industry at age twenty-two when he and his brother Abel built the Mount Holly Cotton Mill at the confluence of Dutchman's Creek and the Catawba River. In 1887 he and his brother-in-law J. A. Abernethy erected the Laboratory Cotton Mill just south of Lincolnton, and then later the Daniel and Wampum Mills in Lincolnton. Their ventures are credited with bringing industry, business, and a population explosion to Lincoln County. Aside from cotton mills, Rhyne also owned and operated Lincoln Lithia Inn, a summer resort with celebrated healthful spring water, and he was an investor in the Piedmont Wagon Company in Hickory. His property holdings in western counties were extensive and he was an officer and substantial stockholder in several mills and banks. "Rhyne enjoyed sharing his wealth with Lutheran churches in areas near to his home and work. He is credited with significant gifts to at least twelve churches in Lincoln, Gaston, Iredell, Mecklenburg, and other nearby counties. Daniel Rhyne made generous contributions to the Lutheran-run Lenoir College in Hickory. In 1923, the school changed its name to Lenoir-Rhyne College in honor of their benefactor. Rhyne died on February 25, 1933 and was buried in the cemetery at Lutheran Chapel Church in Gastonia." [Review 186 of 2025 - 4093 in North Carolina - 23750 overall]