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PROGRAM OF EXERCISES FOR NORTH CAROLINA DAY ( WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA ) FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1909 PREPARED BY R. D. W. CONNOR Secretary ot the North Carolina Historical Commission A people who have not the pride to record their history will not long have the virtue to make history that is worth recording. ISSUED FROM THE OFFICE OF THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION RALEIGH, N. C. ~no man is fit to be entrusted with control of the Present who is ignorant of the Past ; and no people who are indifferent to their past need hope to make their Future great. Edwards & Broughton Printing Company state printers and binders RALEIGH CHAPTER 164 OF THE PUBLIC LAWS OF 1901 An Act to Provide for the Celebration of North Carolina Day in the Public Schools The General Assembly of North Carolina do enact: Section 1. That the 12th day of October in each and every year, to be called "North Carolina Day," may be devoted, by appropriate exercises in the public schools of the State, to the consideration of some topic or topics of our State history, to be selected by the Superintendent of Public Instruction: Provided, that if the said day shall fall on Satur-day or Sunday, then the celebration shall occur on the Monday next following: Provided further, that if the said day shall fall at a time when any such schools may not be in session, the celebration may be held within one month from the beginning of the term, unless the Super-intendent of Public Instruction shall designate some other time. Sec. 2. This act shall be in force from and after its ratification. In the General Assembly read three times, and ratified this the 9th day of February, A. D. 1901. PREFACE. As many of the public schools are not in session as early as October 12th, I have taken the liberty allowed under the law of fixing the date of North Carolina Day this year and hereafter on the last Friday before Christmas. It is earnestly desired that all the public schools of the State shall engage in this celebration on the same day. This pamphlet has been prepared and sent out to aid busy teachers in the proper celebration of the day and to leave no excuse for failing to celebrate it. The consecration of at least one day in the year to the public con-sideration of the history of the State in the public schools, as directed by the act of the General Assembly printed on the preceding page, is a beautiful idea. It is the duty of every public school teacher to obey the letter of this law. It will, I know, be the pleasure of every patriotic teacher to obey the spirit of it by using the opportunity of North Carolina Day to inspire the children with a new pride in their State, a new enthusiasm for the study of her history, and a new love of her and her people. Following the chronological order of the State's history, the subjects of the North Carolina Day programs have been as follows: In 1901, The First Anglo-Saxon Settlement in America; in 1902, The Albemarle Section; in 1903, The Lower Cape Fear Section; in 1904, The Pamlico Section; in 1905, The Upper Cape Fear Section; in 1907, The Scotch- Irish Settlements in North Carolina; in 1908, The German Settlements. In 1906 it was deemed proper to turn aside from this adopted plan of chronological study to devote the day to the study of the life, character and splendid service of Dr. Charles D. Mclver. This year the Moun-tainous Section forms the subject of study. Thus the history of every section of the State has been studied, somewhat in the order of their settlement and development, and the entire period of the State's history has been covered. It is hoped ultimately to stimulate a study of local and county history and the biographies of the State's eminent sons. These programs have been arranged with a view of giving the children of the rising generation a knowledge of the history of the resources, manners, customs and ways of making a living of the different sections of the State. It is hoped in this way to awaken a proper pride in the history of the State, to inspire a proper confidence in its present and hope in its future, and to give the people of the different sections of the State a better acquaintance with each other. This pamphlet was prepared, at my request, by Mr. R. D. W. Connor, Secretary of the North Carolina Historical Commission. Very truly yours, J. Y. JOYNER, Superintendent of lJ ublic Instruction. Raleigh, N. C, October 1, 1909. A WORD OF EXPLANATION. The law creating the North Carolina Historical Commission makes it part of the Commission's duty to "encourage the study of North Caro-lina history in the schools of the State." The following pamphlet, therefore, was prepared, at the request of State Superintendent James Y. Joyner, by the undersigned as part of his work as Secretary of the North Carolina Historical Commission. The preparation of the pamphlet has been attended with unusual difficulties because of the meagerness of the sources of information rela-tive to Western North Carolina. Some of the teachers in those counties, besides finding it an exceedingly interesting work, could render a valu-able and conspicuous service to the State by collecting data relating to their history and making it available for students. I have consulted the following sources Ashe: Biographical History of North Carolina. Peele: Lives of Distinguished North Carolinians. Clingman: Selections from his Speeches and Writings. Hill: Young People's History of North Carolina. Connor: The Story of the Old North State. Draper: Kings Mountain and Its Heroes. Smith: Western North Carolina. Powell: Publications of the Bureau of American Ethnology of the Smithsonian Institution. Allen: Centennial of Haywood County. Harrison: Legal History of the Lines of Railroad of the Southern Railway Company. Wheeler: History of North Carolina. Wheeler: Memoirs of Eminent North Carolinians. Bartram: Travels through North and South Carolina, Georgia, East, and West Florida. Memoir of Rev. Elisha Mitchell. Raleigh, N. C. R. D. W. Connor. HOW TO USE THIS PAMPHLET. This pamphlet attempts to present the story of .the principal historic events connected with the mountainous section of North Carolina. It should be made the basis for the study of North Carolina history by all the pupils in the school who are sufficiently advanced to understand the subject. This work ought to be begun some time before North Carolina Day, and continued, article by article, until the subject is mastered. The teacher is expected, of course, to explain all points which present difficulties that the pupils are not able to clear up for themselves. It will greatly aid in explaining the subjects and fixing them in the minds of the pupils if the teacher will put topical outlines of them on the blackboard or have the pupils make them in their note-books. After they thoroughly understand the subjects the pupils should be questioned about them. The best results can be obtained by having pupils reproduce the arti-cles in their own language. If an article as it appears in the pamphlet is too long for a single essay, let it be subdivided into two or more sub-jects, each to be treated separately. The principal value of the articles is to present the facts upon which the pupils may base their own work. This practice serves both for history work and for exercise in composi-tion. It will tend also to develop the talent for historical work which any of the children may have. It is important for the teacher to dis-cover such talent, if any of the pupils possess it, and help to develop it. When the pamphlet is completed in the way suggested, the pupils will have a fair knowledge of the history of the section under consideration. It has been frequently observed that many of the pupils to whom places have been assigned on the program for North Carolina Day do not seem to understand clearly the articles they have to read or recite. Two reasons may be given for this: First, the articles are too difficult for the pupils to whom they have been assigned; second, the pupils have not received sufficient previous training. In regard to the first: Care should be taken not to assign parts to pupils who are not advanced enough to take them understandingly. If the article to be presented is too difficult, let the pupil to whom it has been assigned, instead of reading it, as it appears in the pamphlet, use it as the basis for writing an essay of his oum on that subject. It has been suggested that, in using the pamphlet for class work previous to North Carolina Day, this practice should be followed. If the teacher will select from these essays, as they are prepared, the best ones, they can be used in the program for North Carolina Day. The knowledge that this will be done will stimulate pupils to their best efforts. As an illustration : The article entitled "History in the Names of the Counties'' is, as it appears in the pamphlet, rather long for one pupil to read as a single number on the program; but it may be used as a basis for an essay in the child's own language, or it may be subdivided among several children, each writing from it a short essay on the several counties. The facts upon which these essays may be based will be found in the original article. To these facts others, gathered from local sources by the pupils, should be added. The same practice should be followed with the articles on "The Land of the Sky," "Kings Mountain Boys," "The Cherokee Indians in the Revolution." These essays in the children's own language will present no difficulties to them when read in public, and a little previous training will enable them to perform their parts with credit to themselves and to the school. Another result of this plan will be to make the program more truly the children's program, for they will present their own work, not another's. This will, of course, increase their interest in the celebration. Perhaps it will be well to have one or two of fhe simpler articles read as they appear in the pamphlet. Those entitled "Heroes of Kings Mountain," and "The Western North Carolina Railroad," are suitable for this purpose. The poems, of course, must be sung, or read, or recited, and the decla-mations delivered just as they are written. The pupils to whom they are assigned should read them over and over again to the teacher before the celebration of North Carolina Day, until every word, every phrase, every reference is thoroughly understood. They can not be presented with the proper expression unless this is done. "America," "The Old North State," and "Ho! for Carolina!" should, of course, be sung by the school. It will be well for the teacher to in-clude in the program other songs with which the children are familiar, though no special ones are suggested in this pamphlet. The declamation from Governor Vance's speech on David L. Swain should, of course, be memorized and spoken. This is more suitable for a boy than for a girl, and should be assigned to a boy who is well advanced. The subjects treated in the pamphlet are arranged in chronological order, and the program should follow this arrangement. It is scarcely necessary to add that the teacher should be thoroughly familiar with the pamphlet from cover to cover, if it is to be used intelligently. The program may be divided into two parts—one part to be presented in the morning and one in the afternoon or night; or one part by the younger children, the other by the older ones. If it is too long to be conveniently carried out by small schools, two or more schools may unite in the celebration. Teachers are urged to make a special effort to secure a large attend-ance of the people of the district, and to avail themselves of this oppor- 8 tunity to interest parents and patrons in the school. The occasion can be used by the teacher to secure the hearty cooperation of the commit-teemen, the women of the district and all other public-spirited citizens. The day should be made North Carolina Day in truth, for grown people as well as for children. These pamphlets, issued from year to year for the celebration of North Carolina Day, will contain much valuable and interesting informa-tion about the State and her people. They must be preserved as the property of the school and filed in the school library, where they will be accessible to teachers from year to year for the teaching of North Caro-lina history. TO THE TEACHER. Although the general subject of study for North Carolina Day this year is Western North Carolina, yet every teacher should devote part of the program to local history. One or two essays should be read in each school on the history of the county, or community, in which the school is situated. For some time before North Carolina Day the older and more advanced pupils should be put to work gathering information about the county, which later can be used in essays for North Carolina Day, after the examples given in this pamphlet under the article entitled "History in the Names of the Counties." Such data can be gathered in any of the counties by searching the records in the court-house, by looking up the files of the county papers, by inquiries from elderly peo-ple and older citizens of the county, and other sources. This research should be conducted along the lines suggested by the outline given below, and should form the basis of essays. Perhaps this will seem difficult at first. Very well; so much the bet-ter. The pupils will appreciate the results of their work more. But as they proceed difficulties will be cleared out of the way; much more data will be gathered than at first will be supposed possible. As this work is done from year to year the data will finally be available for a real history of the county; and nothing in historical work is more needed in North Carolina than good local histories. Never mind about the work's being crude and immature. In spite of crudeness and immaturity it will be worth infinitely more to the pupils who do it than the study of books written by others can ever be. It will give them at first hand some idea of what real study of history is, it will be their own work, it will stimulate an interest in the county, in the school, and in the State. It will add much to the celebration of North Carolina Day. OUTLINE FOE INVESTIGATIONS. Formation of county—date and origin ( get copy of law creating it). Original boundaries. Counties wholly or partially cut off from it. Present boundaries. Chief geographical features. Origin of its name. History involved in its name. Organization of the county. Selection of county seat. Erection of the public buildings. Development of the school system. 10 Eminent men of the county; brief accounts of their public Chief events in the history of the county. Historic spots and houses. Eoad building in the county. Railroad construction. Chief industries. Manufactures. Chief agricultural products. CONTENTS. The Old North State—Gaston 12 The Land of the Sky 13 History in the Names of the Counties 16 Indian Names—Battle ; Spencer 29 The Cherokee Indians in the Revolution 30 Kings Mountain Boys 35 Heroes of Kings Mountain : Cleveland, Shelby, Sevier 39 Ho ! for Carolina—Harrell 45 James Robertson and the Western Settlements 46 A Daughter of North Carolina 48 David Lowrie Swain—Vance 52 Racing Water—Clarke 56 Zebulon Baird Vance 57 The Western North Carolina Railroad 64 America—Smith . 68 THE OLD NORTH STATE. BY WILLIAM GASTON Carolina ! Carolina ! Heaven's blessings attend her ! While we live we will cherish, protect and defend her Though the scorner may sneer at and witlings defame her, Our hearts swell with gladness whenever we name her. Hurrah ! Hurrah ! the Old North State forever Hurrah ! Hurrah ! the good Old ISTorth State Though she envies not others their merited glory, Say, whose name stands the foremost in Liberty's story Though too true to herself e'er to crouch to oppression, Who can yield to just rule more loyal submission? Hurrah, etc. Plain and artless her sons, but whose doors open faster At the knock of a stranger, or the tale of disaster ? How like to the rudeness of their dear native mountains, With rich ore in their bosoms and life in their fountains. Hurrah, etc. And her daughters, the Queen of the Forest resembling — So graceful, so constant, yet to gentlest breath trembling; And true lightwood at heart, let the match be applied them. How they kindle and flame ! O ! none know but who've tried them. Hurrah, etc. Then let all who love us, love the land that we live in (As happy a region as on this side of Heaven), Where Plenty and Freedom, Love and Peace smile before us, Kaise aloud, raise together the heart-thrilling chorus Hurrah ! Hurrah ! the Old North State forever Hurrah ! Hurrah ! the good Old North State THE LAND OF THE SKY. "From Currituck to Cherokee," is an expression fre-quently used to denote the whole of JSTorth Carolina. Curri-tuck is on the extreme eastern border of the State, Cherokee on the extreme western border. One lies along the Atlantic Ocean, the other among the mountains. One is low, flat and sandy; the other elevated, rugged and rocky. A traveler from Currituck to Cherokee journeys uphill the entire way. He leaves a country on a level with the sea ; he climbs to the tops of mountains above the clouds. Here he finds himself in the mountainous region of l^orth Carolina, which extends across the western part of the State. In breadth it is more than fifty miles, in length more than two hundred. It covers an area of 6,000 square miles, and embraces sixteen counties. On the east it is bounded by the Blue Ridge, on the west by the Great Smoky Mountains. Both are named because of their appearance. Seen from a dis-tance, on a bright, clear day, the Blue Ridge looks like a long, rugged, blue cloud hanging on the western horizon. The Smoky Mountains appear to be covered with a dense, black smoke. Both ranges have peaks that pierce the clouds. In the Blue Ridge, old "Grandfather" is the highest. He lifts his hoary old head to a height of 5,897 feet above the sea. "Grandfather" gets his name from the "grey beard he shows when a frozen cloud has iced his rhododendrons." The Great Smoky Mountains form the boundary between !N"orth Carolina and her daughter, Tennessee. The peaks of the Great Smokies look down with contempt on those of the Blue Ridge. Sixteen of them are more than 6,000 feet above the sea. The highest is Clingman's Dome, 6,600 feet. It was named in honor of Thomas L. Clingman, of Buncombe county. Between these two great ranges, there are other shorter ranges. The two most important are the Black Mountains and the Balsam Mountains. The Black Mountains have a dozen peaks more than 6,000 feet high; the Balsams have fifteen. The highest mountain east of the Rocky Mountains is in the Black Range. This is Mt. Mitchell, 6,711 feet high. 14 Altogether the mountainous region of North Carolina has forty-three peaks more than 6,000 feet high, and eighty-two more than 5,000 feet. Many of these mountains are bald and rocky, hut for the most part they have a deep fertile soil. Their sides are covered with forests, containing timber trees of various kinds and of great value. The oak, the hickory, the walnut, the poplar, the pine, grow to a very large size. The fir and the hemlock are also found in large quantity. But the most fertile parts of the mountain region are its beautiful valleys. The valleys of the French Broad, the Swannanoa, the Pigeon, the Hiwasse, are noted for their beauty and fertility. Grain and grasses, fruits and vegetables grow in abundance. Cat-tle raising is an important industry, and the mountain sides are covered with grazing sheep and cows and horses. The great variety and beauty of the flowers and shrubs makes this region a favorite field for the botanist. Some of the most beautiful flowers in the gardens of Europe and America were first found in these wild mountains. Of the many peaks in these mountains, the most famous is Mt. Mitchell. One who climbs to the top of Mt. Mitchell stands on the highest point of land in the eastern part of the United States. One seems to be in the center of a vast sea of mountains. Within sight are the main ledge of the Black Range, with a succession of cones and spires along its dark crest ; the Blue Ridge, running out of Pennsylvania and stretching" all the way across Virginia and North Carolina the Craggy Range with its myriads of gorgeous flowers, its naked and fantastic peaks" ; Kings Mountain, famous in Revolutionary history; and, rising in solitary grandeur, the rocky throne of the abrupt and wild Grandfather. Here and there far, far below, are green valleys and dark gorges winding streams and foaming torrents. Standing on top of Mt. Mitchell early in the morning, a writer describes the scene as follows: "The cold mists that at first enveloped the tops of the mountain were gradually dispersed by the sun as he rose higher in the heavens, and then was revealed to us a grander scene than it had ever before been our lot to behold. The majestic heights of the peaks that with Mt. Mitchell rise from a common base; the Blue Ridge in the distance; the deep frightful gorges on all sides below us, * * * the rivers winding with their 15 silver streams in every direction from their sources in the recesses of the mountains ; the beautiful farms with their golden harvests, cultivated spots amid the boundless wilder-ness of the trees ; the light fleecy clouds dotting the horizon ; and the blue sky above; all formed a picture that any one * * * could not fail to gaze upon without feelings of silent admiration. " Near the city of Asheville is Mt. Pisgah, another famous peak. It forms the corner of four counties, Buncombe, Henderson, Haywood and Transylvania. From its top, which is more than a mile high, can be seen a beautiful stretch of mountain scenery for a distance of a hundred miles in every direction. Mt. Pisgah itself "is always a striking object before the eye of the spectator. Its beautiful blue on a sum-mer evening is sometimes changed into a rich purple by the rays of a red cloud thrown over it at sunset. In winter it is even a still more striking object. Covered by a fresh snow in the morning, its various ridges present their outlines so sharply that it seems as if they had been carved by a chisel into innumerable depressions and elevations. After one or two days sunshine, the snow disappears on the ridges, but remains in the valleys. The mountain then seems covered from summit to base with alternate bands of virgin white, and a blue more intense and beautiful than the immortal sky itself presents." There are a number of peaks noted for other reasons than their height. Kings Mountain lies on the border between North Carolina and South Carolina. On its top a famous battle was fought between the Whigs and the Tories during the Revolution. In Surry county is the well-known Pilot Mountain. Rising suddenly and abruptly above the sur-rounding country, it can be seen for a distance of many miles. For this reason it is called the "Pilot." A very interesting mountain is found in Watauga county. If you stand on the top of this mountain and toss a hat or handkerchief over the precipice a current of air which blows constantly from the valley will catch it and blow it back to where you stand. Hence this mountain is called "Blowing Rock." Such then is the Land of the Sky, where some of the most interesting and important events in our history have occurred, and whence have come some of North Carolina's most eminent sons. HISTORY IN THE NAMES OF THE COUNTIES. The mountainous region of North Carolina embraces six-teen counties. They are: Buncombe, Ashe, Haywood, Macon, Yancey, Henderson, Cherokee, Watauga, Jackson, Madison, Alleghany, Mitchell, Clay, Transylvania, Swain and Graham. Eight of these counties—Ashe, Haywood, Macon, Yancey, Henderson, Jackson, Swain and Graham — are named for distinguished native North Carolinians. Two—Buncombe and Mitchell—are named for men born elsewhere who spent their lives in North Carolina. Two Madison and Clay—are named for eminent American states-men of other states. Three—Cherokee, Watauga and Alle-ghany— are Indian names. One, Transylvania, is a fanciful name. Three—Ashe, Swain, Graham—bear the names of governors of North Carolina. Two—Jackson and Madi-son— are named for presidents of the United States. Three Ashe, Henderson, Swain—are named for North Carolina judges. Four are the names of United States senators Macon, Jackson, Graham and Clay. One, Mitchell, is the name of a great scholar, scientist and teacher. So it will be seen that a good deal of American history can be learned by studying the names of these mountain counties. BUNCOMBE. The oldest of these counties is Buncombe. It was formed in 1791. At first it embraced all the territory west of the Blue Eidge, and was so large that it was nicknamed the "State of Buncombe." Since then the following counties have been partially cut off from it: Haywood in 1808; Yancey in 1833 ; Henderson in 1838; Madison in 1851. Buncombe is now bounded as follows : On the north by Madi son and Yancey counties ; east by the Blue Bidge (which forms the dividing line between Buncombe and McDowell counties); south by Henderson county; west by the New Found mountains (which form the dividing line with Hay-wood county). The French Broad river, and the Swanna-noa, which are noted for their beauty, flow through the county. Mt. Pisgah is in the southern corner. 17 Buncombe was named for Colonel Edward Buncombe, a soldier of the Revolution. He was born in the West Indies in 1742, but was educated in England. In 1768 he came to North Carolina and settled in Tyrrell county. He built "Buncombe Hall/' a residence long noted for its hospitality. Over the door he wrote: " To Buncombe Hall Welcome all." During the Revolution he took the side of the Americans, and was made a Colonel of the Fifth North Carolina Regi-ment of Continentals. He was then ordered to go to Charles-ton, S. C, to defend that city against the British. The next year he marched North and joined Washington's army. His men fought bravely under Washington at the battles of Brandywine, September 11, 1777, and Germantown, October 4, 1777. At Germantown Colonel Buncombe was badly wounded and left on the field for dead. There he was found by an English officer, whom he had known at school in Eng-land, who carried him to Philadelphia where he nursed him. But Colonel Buncombe never recovered of his wound. He died in May, 1778. Asheville, the beautiful county seat of Buncombe, was named for Governor Samuel Ashe. Originally its name was Morristown. Three of North Carolina's most eminent men lived in Buncombe county—Thomas L. Clingman, a member of the United States Senate ; David L. Swain, Governor of North Carolina ; and Zebulon B. Vance, who was both Governor and Senator. ASHE. Ashe county was formed in 1799 from "that portion of Wilkes lying west of the extreme height of the Appalachian Mountains." Two counties have since been partially cut of? from Ashe; Watauga in 1849 and Alleghany in 1859. Ashe county is now bounded on the north by Virginia; on the east by Wilkes and Alleghany counties ; on the south by Watauga and Wilkes counties; and on the west by Stone Mountains (part of the Great Smokies which form the dividing line with Tennessee). The county was named in honor of Samuel Ashe, of New 2 18 Hanover county. He was born in 1725. His education was received at Harvard College, in Massachusetts. He studied law and settled at Wilmington. When the Revolution broke out he became one of the leading patriots of the colony. He was a member of the Committee of Safety at Wilmington, a committee of leading Whigs chosen to oppose the British. Later a Council of Safety consisting of thirteen leading Whigs, was chosen for the entire province. One of these was Samuel Ashe, who was elected the second President, and was thus in all but name Governor of the new State. He was also a member of the Provincial Congress in August, 1775, and in April, 1776. This Congress had supreme control of the Revolution in North Carolina. In November, 1776, a convention composed of leading Whigs from each county met at Halifax to write a Constitution and form a government for the independent State. Samuel Ashe was one of the mem-bers and helped to frame the new Constitution. He was then elected a Judge of the Superior Court, and held that office from 1777 to 1795. In 1795 he was elected Governor, was again elected in 1796, and again in 1797. In 1799 a new county was formed and named in his honor. The city of Asheville, "the fairest town in the western part of the State," also bears his name. He died in 1813. The county seat of Ashe county is Jefferson, named in honor of Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Inde-pendence and President of the United States. HAYWOOD. In 1808 a part of the "State of Buncombe" was cut off and formed into a new county, called Haywood, "in honor of the present Treasurer of this State." Six counties have been partly carved out of Haywood. They are: Macon in 1828; Cherokee in 1839; Jackson in 1851; Clay in 1861; Swain in 1871 ; and Graham in 1872. Haywood county is now bounded on the north by the Smoky Mountains (the dividing line with Tennessee) ; on the east by Madison, Bun-combe and Transylvania ; on the south by Transylvania and Jackson ; and on the west by Jackson and Swain. The Pigeon River, famed for its beauty, runs through the county. Some of the highest mountains and most beautiful scenery in North Carolina are in this county. 19 The county bears the name of John Haywood. He was born in Edgecombe county, February 23, 1755. He was well educated. For many years he served as a clerk in the Provincial Congress and in the Legislature. He became so popular that in 1787 the Legislature elected him Treasurer of North Carolina, and continued to reelect him to that im-portant office for forty years, until his death. Throughout his life he was always interested in education. He was one of the first trustees of the University of North Carolina, and was a member of the committee that located the University at Chapel Hill. He served on the Board of Trustees for nearly forty years. He also helped to establish the Ealeigb Academy, for many years a famous school at Raleigh. He was the first mayor of Raleigh, though the office was then called "Intendant of Police." There was never, perhaps, a more popular public official in the State than he. He died at Raleigh, November 18, 1827. The county seat of Haywood county is Waynesville. It is situated in one of the finest parts of the mountain section, surrounded by magnificent scenery. It bears the name of the famous Revolutionary general, Anthony Wayne, better known as "Mad Anthony Wayne," because of his great daring and contempt of danger. MACON. Macon county is one of Haywood's six daughters. It was born in the year 1828. Since then parts of it have been taken to form Cherokee in 1839, Jackson in 1851, and Swain in 1871. Swain and Graham counties lie on its north, Jackson on the east, Clay and the State of Georgia on the south, and Graham, Cherokee and Clay on the west. One of the most beautiful rivers in the mountains flows through this county. It is the Nantahala, which is the Cherokee word for "Maiden's Bosom." A famous place on the border of this county and Jackson is the "Devil's Court-house." It is an immense precipice, about a mile long, nearly eighteen hun-dred feet high, and shaped like part of a great circle. About halfway up its sides is an immense opening. This the Cherokee Indians said was the Devil's throne, where bad spirits are to hear the judgment pronounced against them. Nathaniel Macon, whose name the county bears, served North Carolina longer than any other man. He was born in 20 Warren county, December 17, 1757. He became a student at Princeton College in New Jersey, but did not remain long, leaving in 1777 to enter the Revolutionary army as a private. While he was away in the army fighting and with-out his knowledge he was elected a member of the Legislature. At first he said that he would not go because he "had often seen the faces of the British, but had never seen their backs, and he intended to stay until he did see them." But General jSTathanael Greene, who was in command, told him that he could do his country more good in the Legislature than in the army; so he went. He served five years in the Legis-lature. A few years later he was elected to the Congress of the United States where he remained for twenty-four years. Then the Legislature elected him to the United States Senate. He served in the Senate for thirteen years. Altogether he served the State and nation as a lawmaker for forty-two years. For {ive years he was the chief officer of Congress (called Speaker), and for two years the chief officer of the Senate (called the President). His public service covered a period of fifty-seven years. When he became seventy years old he gave up his office in the Senate because he said he was getting too old to stay any longer. In all his life he never recommended any person akin to him to a public office. One of his best friends was the famous John Randolph, of Roanoke, Virginia. In his will Randolph said of Macon: "He is the wisest, the purest, and the best man that I ever knew.'' In North Carolina a county and a town bear his name. The States of Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia have towns named Macon, which were either named for him or for other towns which were named for him. YANCEY. Yancey county was formed in 1833. It was cut off from Burke and Buncombe. Three counties have since been partly formed out of Yancey. They are: Watauga in 1849 ; Madi-son in 1851; and Mitchell in 1861. Yancey county is now bounded on the north by Mitchell county and the State of Tennessee ; on the east by Mitchell and McDowell counties on the south by McDowell and Madison; on the west by Madison and Buncombe counties and the Tennessee line. 21 Mt. Mitchell, the highest mountain in the eastern half of North America, is in Yancey county. It was named for Dr. Elisha Mitchell, a teacher in the University who explored it. Mt. Mitchell is a part of the Black Mountains which extend partly across this county. Yancey county contains eighteen mountain peaks that rise above 6,300 feet. These mountains are very fertile and are covered with great forests of gigantic trees. Cherry trees in Yancey often grow four feet, the walnut eight feet, and the poplar ten feet in diameter. The county was named for Bartlett Yancey, a native of Caswell county. He was educated at the University of North Carolina, studied law, and became eminent in his pro-fession. He was twice a member of the Congress of the United States, and eight times a member of the Senate of North Carolina. He was one of the first men in the State to favor public schools for all the people. The county seat of Yancey is Burnsville, named in honor of Capt. Otway Burns, of Beaufort, N. C. He won fame in the War of 1812 against England. With his vessel, the "Snap-Dragon," he sailed up and down the Atlantic coast, capturing many English vessels and destroying the British trade. He had many wild adventures, and his name became a terror to British merchants. Finally the English govern-ment sent a war vessel, called the "Leopard," to capture Captain Burns. The "Leopard" succeeded in capturing the "Snap-Dragon" while Captain Burns was on shore sick. After the war he was frequently a member of the Legislature. A monument to his memory was recently erected at Burns-ville. HENDERSON. Henderson county is a daughter of the "State of Bun-combe." It was formed in 1838. Henderson has two daughters, Polk formed in 1855 and Transylvania formed in 1861. Buncombe county is on the north of Henderson, Polk and Rutherford on the east, South Carolina on the south, and Transylvania on the west. The Blue Ridge Mountains intersect the county, and the Erench Broad River flows through it. The county bears the name of Leonard Henderson, Chief Justice of North Carolina. He was born October 6, 1772, on Nutbush Creek in Granville county. After receiving a 22 good education lie studied law. Soon afterwards he was elected a Judge of the Superior Court and served for eight years. He then resigned and went back to the practice of law. At Williamsboro, in Granville county, he established the first law school in North Carolina. In 1818 he was elected a Judge of the Supreme Court of North Carolina, and served for fifteen years. Part of this time he was Chief Justice. He died August 13, 1833. The county seat of Henderson county is Hendersonville, also named for Chief Justice Henderson. CHEROKEE. Cherokee county was formed in 1839, from Macon. In 1861 part of it was taken to form Clay county, and in 1872 part was given to Graham. Cherokee is the most western county in the State. "When we say "From Currituck to Cherokee'7 we mean the whole of North Carolina. Another expression meaning the same thing is "From Murphy to Manteo." (Murphy, the county seat of Cherokee is in the extreme west ; Manteo, the county seat of Dare, is in the ex-treme east.) Cherokee county is bounded on the north by the Unaka Mountains (part of the Great Smokies, which divide North Carolina from Tennessee) ; on the east by Clay and Macon counties ; on the south by Georgia ; on the west by Tennessee. The beautiful Hiwassee Kiver runs through the county. In the Cherokee language this river is called Ayuhwasi, which means a meadow. The county was named for the Cherokee Indians. Murphy the county seat was named in honor of Archibald D. Murphey. He was born in Caswell county, was educated at the University of North Carolina, studied law, and settled at Hillsboro. For seven years he was a member of the Senate of North Carolina. In 1818 he was elected a Judge of the Superior Court, and served two years. His greatest service was in the interest of public education. He suggested a plan for public schools that has earned for him the title of "Father of the Public Schools." No man in the history of North Carolina has a prouder title. WATAUGA. Watauga county was formed in 1849. It was made up of parts of Ashe, Wilkes, Caldwell and Yancey. Since then 23 part of it lias been cut off to form part of Mitchell county. Ashe counts and the State of. Tennessee bound it on the north; Wilkes and Caldwell on the east; Caldwell and Mitchell on the south ; and the Great Smokies (the Tennessee line) on the west. Blowing Rock is in this county. Watauga is an Indian name. Its meaning is not known. The county seat is Boone, named in honor of the famous hunter, Daniel Boone. Daniel Boone was born in Pennsyl-vania, but when he was only thirteen years old his parents moved into North Carolina and settled on Yadkin River. There Daniel Boone grew to manhood ; there he learned to love the silent woods, the birds, and the wild beasts ; there he became more skillful than any Indian with his rifle there he found his wife and built his first log cabin ; and there he settled down to the quiet life of a pioneer farmer. But the quiet life of a farmer did not suit the adventurous hunter. He liked the vast forests better than the peaceful fireside ; and sought the hiding places of the panther and the bear and the deer rather than the rustling cornfield. He was a match for any Indian in his knowledge of the pathless woods, and he usually dressed like an Indian. He wore a fur cap ; his hunting-shirt and breeches were made of the skins of wild animals ; and on his feet were Indian moccasins. In a leather belt around his waist he carried a tomahawk, a hunting-knife, a powder-horn, and a bullet-pouch. Over his shoulder was flung his trusty rifle, which never missed its aim. Daniel Boone soon grew tired of his quiet life on the Yadkin. He often looked at the great mountain wall away to the west and wondered what sort of country lay beyond it. Finally he made up his mind to go and find out, and flinging his rifle over his shoulder he started for the un-broken wilderness across the mountains. On the banks of Watauga River in the eastern part of Tennessee he made his camp, and on a beech tree near by left this record: "D. Boone cilled a bar on [this] tree in the year 1760." He afterwards returned to North Carolina, but nine years later went still further into the wild woods. He was fol-lowed by his own family and several other hunters, and they made a little settlement called Boones.boro on the banks of Kentucky River. They had many wild adventures with the Indians, who tried to drive them away. But Daniel Boone 24 got the best of them and became the founder of the great State of Kentucky. When the Revolution broke out, Boone and his followers did patriotic service for their country. JACKSON. •Jackson county was formed in 1851, from Haywood and Macon. In 1861 part of it was taken to make Transylvania, and ten years later another part was cut off to go into Swain. Swain and Haywood now bound it on the north, Haywood and Transylvania on the east, South Carolina and Georgia on the south, and Macon and Swain on the west. Tuckasegee River flows through the county. The county was named in honor of the most distinguished man ever born in North Carolina, Andrew Jackson. He was born in the Waxhaw settlement, North Carolina, March 15, 1767. He had but little education. As a boy he served in the Revolution. After the war he studied law at Salis-bury, North Carolina, where he lived for a while. In 1788 he was appointed solicitor for Western North Carolina (the district which is now the State of Tennessee), and moved to Nashville. In 1796, he helped frame the Constitution for the new State of Tennessee. He afterwards became a member of Congress, United States Senator, and Supreme Court Judge in Tennessee. He was also a General of the militia. In the War of 1812, against England, he was a Major-General in the United States army. He defeated the Creek Indians, who were helping the British, at the great battle of Horseshoe Bend; conquered Florida (which then belonged to Spain) ; and on January 8, 1815, won the great battle of New Orleans against the British. From 1823 to 1825 he was again in the United States Senate, and in 1828 he was elected President of the United States. He served two terms, from 1829 to 1837. June 8, 1845, he died at his home, the Hermitage, near Nashville, Tenn. He was popu-larly known as "Old Hickory." MADISON. Madison county was formed in 1851 from Buncombe and Yancey. It is bounded on the north by the Great Smokies (the Tennessee dividing line) ; on the east by Yancey and Buncombe counties ; on the south by Buncombe and Hay-wood counties ; and on the west by Haywood and the Great Smokies. 25 The French Broad River rims through it. Like Yancey county, it is noted for its gigantic trees. The county was named for James Madison, a famous statesman of Virginia. He was for several years a member of Congress, and in 1808 was elected President of the United States. He served two terms, and was President during our second war with England, 1812-1815. ALLEGHANY. Alleghany county was formed in 1859. It was taken from Ashe. The northern boundary is the Virginia line. Surry county bounds it on the east ; on the south the Blue Ridge divides it from Wilkes ; Ashe county lies on the west. Alleghany is an Indian name. The meaning is unknown. MITCHELL. Mitchell county was formed in 1861. Parts of five counties were used in making Mitchell. They were Watauga, Caldwell, Burke, McDowell and Yancey. These counties in the order named, together with the Great Smokies on the north, bound Mitchell on the north, east, south and west. The county lies between the Blue Ridge on the south, and the Roan and Iron mountains on the north. The Roan Moun-tain rises to a height of 6,334 feet. The county gets its name from Dr. Elisha Mitchell, a dis-tinguished teacher in the University of IsTorth Carolina. Dr. Mitchell was born in Connecticut, August 19, 1793. He was educated at Yale College. He afterwards entered the ministry. In 1847 he was appointed professor of mathe-matics in the University of JSTorth Carolina, serving until 1825, when he was made professor of chemistry. He also became interested in the geology of I^orth Carolina, and pointed out the fact that the highest mountain peaks east of the Rockies were in this State. With great difficulty, pain and bravery, he climbed to the top of Black Mountain to measure it, and prove his statement. Afterwards in 1857, his statement being disputed, he again climbed to the top, and again measured its height. While on this expedition he fell from a tall cliff, forty feet high, and was killed. Several days later his body was found lying at the bottom of a deep pool of water. It was carried to Asheville and buried, but afterwards it was taken up aud reburied on the top of Black 26 Mountain, which was afterwards to be called in his honor, Mt. Mitchell. A small monument has been erected on top of the mountain to his memory. CLAY. Clay county was formed from Cherokee in 1861. Chero-kee and Macon bound it on the north; Macon on the east; the State of Georgia on the south ; and its mother, Cherokee, on the west. The beautiful Hiwassee River flows through the county. It bears the name of Henry Clay, a famous American orator and statesman. He was born in Virginia, April 12, 1777. His education was very limited. In 1797 he moved to Kentucky to practice law. He was frequently a member of the Kentucky Legislature, of the Congress of the United States, and of the United States Senate. From 1825 to 1829 he was Secretary of State of the United States. He was twice nominated for President of the United States, and each time was defeated by a North Carolinian; in 1832 by Andrew Jackson, and in 1844 by James K. Polk. He was one of the most eloquent of American orators. His death occurred at Washington June 29, 1852. TRANSYLVANIA. Transylvania county was formed the same year with Clay, 1861. It was taken from Henderson and Jackson. Transyl-vania is triangular in shape. It northern point is Mt. Pisgah, where the lines of Transylvania, Buncombe, Haywood and Henderson meet. On the east lies Henderson ; on the south, South Carolina ; on the west, Jackson and Haywood. Along its whole southern border runs the Blue Ridge in its most massive and imposing form. The scenery and the climate of the county make it a famous health resort. Transylvania is made up of two Latin words, trans, across, sylva, woods. It means "on the other side of the forests." The county seat, Brevard, is the name of a famous patriot, Ephraim Brevard, of the Revolution. He was one of the leaders in Mecklenburg county, who helped to win for Char-lotte the name, "The Hornets' Nest" of the Revolution. SWAIN. Swain countv was cut off from Jackson and Macon in 1871. The Great Smokies run along its northern line, divid-ing it from Tennessee; on the east the Balsam Mountains divide Swain from Haywood county ; on the south are Jack-son and Macon ; and on the west the Little Tennessee River makes the dividing line with Graham. In Swain the Great Smoky Mountains reach their highest point in Clingman's Dome, rising to a height of 6,660 feet. The Little Tennessee, the Tuckasegee, the Nantahala and Ocona Luftee rivers flow through the county. The scenery is magnificent. The county bears the name of David L. Swain, twice Governor of North Carolina, and for many years President of the University. (See page 52.) GRAHAM. Graham county is one year younger than Swain. It was formed in 1872 from Cherokee. On the north the Little Tennessee River divides it from Swain ; on the east are Swain and Macon counties ; on the south is Cherokee ; and on the west the Great Smokies divide it from Tennessee. In what is now Graham county was the home of the famous Cherokee chief, Tsunulahunski, whom the whites called Junaluska. The Junaluska Mountains near Waynes-ville are named for him. In early life he was known as Gulkalaski. But when war broke out between the whites and the Creek Indians, the Cherokees, who were bitter enemies of the Creeks, sided with the whites. Gulkalaski raised a party of warriors and went against the Creeks. He boasted that he would destroy them. But he failed. So when he re-turned to the Cherokees he announced the result in a single word which meant, "I tried, but could not." After that he was known as Tsunulahunski, or Junaluska, which means "One who tries, but fails." Afterwards he joined Gen. Andrew Jackson's expedition against the Creeks, and was in the great battle of Horseshoe Bend. In that battle, by aid of Juna-luska, Jackson gave the Creeks a pretty bad beating. When Jackson was President of the United States he required the larger part of the Cherokees to move out to Indian Terri-tory. Junaluska often said: "If I had known that Jackson would drive us from our homes, I would have killed him that day at the Horseshoe." Junaluska went with the other Indians to Indian Territory in 1838, but afterwards re-turned to North Carolina. He was allowed to remain because 28 of his services at the battle of Horseshoe Bend. In 1847 the State of North Carolina, by an act of the Legislature, gave him a large tract of land in what is now Graham county. There he died about 1858, and was buried near the town of Robbinsville. A monument has recently been erected over his grave. Graham county was named in honor of William A. Gra-ham, who was born in Lincoln county September 5, 1804. He was graduated from the University in 1824, studied law, and settled at Hillsboro. Eight times he was elected to the Legislature. In 1840 the Legislature elected him to the United States Senate. When he returned to North Carolina in 1834, he was elected Governor. He served two terms, or four years as Governor. He was interested in building good roads, railroads and public schools, a school for the deaf and dumb, and an asylum for the insane. After leaving the Governor's office he became Secretary of the Navy of the United States. In 1852 he was nominated for Vice-Presi-dent of the United States, but was not elected. After North Carolina withdrew from the United States and joined the Confederate States, Graham was elected a member of the Confederate States Senate. After many years of great ser-vice to the State, he died August 11, 1875. INDIAN NAMES. Ye say they all have passed away, The race of Indian braves; That their light canoes have vanished From off our crested waves That ?mid the forests where they roamed There rings no hunter's shout; Yet their names are on our waters Ye can not wash them out. Their memory liveth on our hills, Their baptism on our shore Our everlasting rivers speak Their dialect of yore. 'Tis heard where Swannanoa pours Its crystal tide along It sounds on Nantahala's shores, And Yadkin swells the song ; Wher'er the lordly Roanoke sweeps The Indian name remains; And swift Catawba proudly keeps The echo of its strains. -Adapted by Mrs. C. P. Spencer from K. P. Battle. THE CHEROKEE INDIANS IN THE REVOLUTION. The white men who first explored the mountain region of North Carolina found it occupied by a nation of Indians called the Cherokee. This name was given to them by the white man, but the name by which they called themselves was Yunwiya, which means "real people," or "principal people." The word Cherokee has no meaning in their lan-guage. The Cherokees were the mountaineers of the South. They held a territory 40,000 square miles in area, in the mountainous region of what is now the States of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee. Their principal towns were on the Savannah, the Hiwassee, the Tuskasegee, and the Little Tennessee rivers. A traveler who visited the Cherokee just before the Kevo-lution, tells us that their warriors were "tall, erect, and mod-erately robust, their limbs well shaped, so as generally to form a perfect human figure; their features regular, and countenance open, dignified and placid; yet the forehead and brow so formed as to strike you instantly with heroism and bravery ; the eye though rather small, yet active and full of fire ; the pupil always black, and the nose inclining to the aquiline. Their countenance and actions exhibit an air of magnanimity, superiority and independence. Their com-plexion of a reddish-brown or copper color; their hair long, lank, coarse, and black as a raven, and reflecting the like luster at different exposures to the light. * * * The Cherokee are * * * by far the largest race of men I have seen and their complexions brighter and somewhat of the olive cast, especially the adults ; and some of their young women are nearly as fair and blooming as European women." "The women of the Cherokees are tall, slender, erect and of a delicate frame, their features formed with perfect symmetry, their countenance cheerful and friendly, and they move with a becoming grace." "The Cherokees in their dispositions and manners are grave and steady; dignified and circumspect in their deport-ment ; rather slow and reserved in conversation ; yet frank, 31 cheerful and humane ; tenacious of the liberties and natural rights of men; secret, deliberate and determined in their councils; honest, just and liberal, and are ready always to sacrifice every pleasure and gratification, even their blood, and life itself, to defend their territory and maintain their rights." The known history of the Cherokee Indians begins with the year 1540. In May of that year, a party of Spanish explorers under the famous leader De Soto, entered their ter-ritory in their search for gold. They were the first white men to come in contact with the Cherokee. Other Spanish explorers followed from time to time, but more than a hun-dred years passed before the English had any relations with them. In 1654 a great body of Cherokee warriors invaded Virginia, fought a great battle with the white settlers, and defeated them. After this there was constant warfare be-tween the Cherokee and the English settlers. When the French and Indian War broke out, the English sent a great expedition against the Indians of Western North Carolina. The soldiers inarched against the Cherokee towns, and in a great battle in what is now Macon county, gave the Indians a pretty severe beating. In this war the Indians and their French friends were de-feated. The French had to surrender to the English the lands they claimed beyond the mountains. The war and the troubles with the Indians had prevented many of the Eng-lish settlers from settling in the West. But as soon as peace was declared, the whites began to seek new homes there. They cleared the woods and built their cabins on the frontier, until the English settlements stretched all the way to the mountains. A few, bolder than their fellows, even pushed across the mountains and made their camps along the river banks in what is now the State of Tennessee. The Indians were greatly alarmed at this. They saw their lands gradually taken from them, the forests cleared for settlements, and the game driven from their hunting grounds. The white man's cabin was rapidly taking the place of the red man's wigwams, and the red man saw that he must surrender or fight. He decided to fight, and he fought desperately, as only the American Indian knew how to fight. So when the Revolution began, the Cherokee Indians were on hostile terms with the Americans. The King, therefore, 32 sent British officers among them, with clothes, guns, hatchets, hunting-knives, and other presents, to win thern to his side, against the settlers. The Indians were only too ready to join anybody who would help them fight their nearest ene-mies. The King, they said, was their "Great White Father beyond the Water," and they must help him against his ene-mies. So when war began between the Americans and the British, the Indians joined the British, and the patriots had to fight the British on the coast and the Indians in the moun-tains at the same time. In 1776, a great British army was sent against North Carolina and South Carolina. The King planned that while his soldiers were burning the towns and killing the people on the coast, the Indians should be doing the same thing among the mountains. The Americans then would have two ene-mies attacking them at the same time. A bloody Indian war followed in the usual Indian fashion. Houses and barns were burned, and crops destroyed. The Indians spared neither old nor young, men nor women. Old men and young babies fell beneath their bloody tomahawks. The whole mountain region was soon in a state of terror and desolation. Nothing else that the British King did throughout the war made the Americans hate him so intensely as his arming the merciless savages and setting them on their unprotected frontier. North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina hastened to raise armies to send against the Cherokees. The largest army ever sent against this tribe was the North Carolina army of 2,400 soldiers led by Gen. Griffith Rutherford. General Rutherford collected his men at Davidson's Fort, where Old Fort is now in McDowell County, in the fall of 1776. They crossed the Blue Ridge through Swannanoa Gap ; marched down the Swannanoa to the French Broad crossed that river a little below where Asheville now stands; marched over the mountain ridge to the Pigeon Biver; then across the mountains to Scott's Creek, and marched down that creek to the Tuckasegee Biver ; then down the main trail to the Cherokee town, Stekoa, in what is now Swain county. The army had gathered in what is now McDowell, marched across Buncombe, Haywood, Jackson, Swain, Macon and Cherokee counties, almost along the same route now followed by the Southern Railroad. What a terrible journey they 33 had ! Their route lay through a rugged country, covered with boundless forests, steep mountains, and rushing streams. There were neither roads nor bridges. Yet the soldiers marched rapidly, and were upon the Indians almost before the latter knew they were near. The Indians fled, and the soldiers began their bloody work of vengeance. General Rutherford's men burned thirty-six Indian towns, destroyed their crops, and killed many of their warriors. The poor Indians fled with their women and children to the recesses of the Great Smokies, leaving their fields in ruin and their towns in ashes. At the same time the Virginia and South Carolina troops were destroying other parts of their settlements. This expedition was the severest blow ever struck the Cherokee. More than fifty of their towns were destroyed; their orchards cut down; their fields wasted; their cattle and horses killed or driven off; their property plundered. Hundreds of their people were killed, or starved. Others were made prisoners, and some were sold into slavery. Those who escaped fled to the mountains, and lived upon acorns, chestnuts, and wild game, or sought refuge among the British. From the Virginia line to the Chatta-hoochee River in Georgia, the destruction was complete. The Indians were compelled to beg for peace. A treaty was signed July 20, 1777. The Indians surren-dered all their territory east of the Blue Ridge, together with that on the Watauga, the Nolichucky, the Holston, and the New rivers in what is now Tennessee. That territory then belonged to North Carolina. But a part of the Cherokee nation refused to join in this treaty. A great chief called aDragging-Canoe," declared that he would never give up to the men who had taken his hunting-grounds. Gathering several hundred of the most warlike warriors around him, he made a new settlement, called Chickamauga, on the Tennessee River. These In-dians were after called Chickamaugas. They at once began a never-ceasing warfare against the white settlers, and long kept the frontier in terror. In 1779, 300 warriors from Chickamauga started on a march against the back settlements of North Carolina. But without a day's delay, North Caro-lina and Virginia sent a strong force to meet them. They caught the Indians by surprise, and defeated them. In 1779 the British sent another army to conquer the 34 Southern States. Again they expected to receive help from the Indians. So while the Americans were fighting the British on the coast, there was constant fighting between the whites and the Indians in the mountains. Finally Col. John Sevier determined to strike a sudden blow that would put an end to the troubles. In 1781, with a body of picked horsemen, he started across the Great Smokies on a trail never attempted before by white men. In some places the route was so rough and rugged that it was hardly possible to lead horses. Near where Webster now stands, in Jackson county, was the Indian town of Tuckese-gee. Sevier surprised the Indians, and destroyed their town. Five other towns near by were burned, many prisoners cap-tured, and warriors killed. Sevier and his men then got away so quick that the Indians could not make an attack. The whites lost only one man. Soon after this, the Revolution was over. The Americans had won. The Indians were so worn out that they could not continue the fight alone. They had played an important part in the war. If the Indians had been at peace with the Americans, the mountain men could have left their homes and gone to help their eastern friends. As it was they had important work to do at home and could send no aid against the British. But one impor-tant battle they did fight, at Kings Mountain. Except for this their best fighting in the Revolution was done against the Indians. The seven long years of war, reduced the Indians, to great misery. Over and over again their towns had been burned, their fields wasted. Their best warriors had been killed, their women and children almost starved. So in 1783 they were glad to make peace. After that, the State of North Carolina sent an agent among them to look out for their needs. A few years later they were taken under the protec-tion of the United States. Several years after the Revolution, the greater part of the Cherokee nation was removed to the west of the Mississippi River, and given lands in Indian Territory. But a small part of the tribe held to their hunting grounds in North Carolina where their descendants are still living. KINGS MOUNTAIN BOYS. After General Rutherford beat the Cherokee Indians in 1776, four years passed before there was any more important fighting in North Carolina. During these years North Caro-lina soldiers were in Washington's army fighting the British in the North. After several years of hard fighting the British found that they could not beat Washington so they decided to send another army south to conquer the Southern States. After much hard fighting Georgia and South Caro-lina were overrun by the British, and then their general. Lord Cornwallis, prepared to march into North Carolina. He sent word to the Tories to get ready to join his army, for he was coming soon. In September, 1780, he set out from South Carolina, to march to Charlotte, in North Carolina. But the people of North Carolina were not very glad to see him, and they shot down the British soldiers at every chance. It seemed to the British that an American soldier was behind every bush and rock and fence. If a party left the main army to look for food, they were attacked from every side by men whom they could not see. If Lord Cornwallis sent a mes-senger anywhere, he was sure to be shot down. The British officers said that Mecklenburg county was the most rebellious county in America, and that the "rebels" swarmed around them like hornets. So they called Charlotte the "Hornets' Nest." Lord Cornwallis had not been long at the "Hornets' Nest" when he heard news that sent him flying back to South Caro-lina. Before leaving that State he had sent Maj. Patrick Ferguson, one of his best officers, on a trip to the western parts of North Carolina and South Carolina, to raise an army of Tories, and to frighten the Whigs of the mountains so they would not send any help to the Americans around Charlotte. So Ferguson sent a message to the mountain men that if any of them marched against the British he would cross the moun-tains, burn their homes and destroy their settlements. But the men who were not afraid to build their homes among the bears, and the wolves, and the panthers, and the Indians, were not the kind of men to be frightened at a threat from a 36 British major. Ferguson's message only made them angry, and they decided to make him pay for it. Messengers were sent all through the mountains calling on the people to rise up in defense of their homes. Old men and young boys, hunters and farmers, snatched their long rifles and hurried to the meeting place. More than one thousand of these fearless pioneers gathered at Sycamore Shoals on Watauga River. There were 400 Virginians under Colonel Campbell; 500 North Carolinians under Col. Isaac Shelby and Col. John Sevier; and 160 North Carolinians under Col. Joseph McDowell. Later they were joined by Col. Benjamin Cleveland, of North Carolina, and Col. James Williams, of South Carolina, with 400 men each. These officers then met and chose Colonel Campbell for their leader. Then Colonel Shelby spoke to the men. He told them where they were going and what they were going to do. They were going after Ferguson and his Tories who had dared to come into their mountains and threaten them for fighting for their freedom. If there was any man who was not willing to go on such an expedition he had better go back home. But not a man left. Then Colonel Shelby told them that each man must do his own fighting, and when they met the British to give them "Indian play." After this speech they all shouted that they were ready to go to catch Ferguson. What a strange looking army they made ! There were no bright uniforms, nor flying flags, nor beating drums. Their only uniforms were coonskin caps, buckskin shirts, and fringed leggings. There were neither tents nor baggage their only cover at night was the starry sky, and their food was a pocketful of parched corn. Only a few of the officers had swords. But every man rode a good horse, and had a knife, a tomahawk, and a rifle; and they knew how to use them. There was mauy a hunter in that little army who could knock a squirrel from a limb as far as he could see him. They were as fleet as deer ; as bold as the bears on their moun-tainsides ; and as keen as Indians after a trail. Nearly every man of them had been in battles with the Indians and knew how to fight "Indian fashion." When Ferguson heard of this strange army he made fun of them and called them a "crowd of dirty mongrels." Still, 37 he thought he had better get out of their way, so he hurried to seek safety on the top of Kings Mountain. This mountain is on the line between North Carolina and South Carolina. Ferguson pitched his camp on the South Carolina side, and there felt so safe that he swore all the rebels in the world could not drive him off. But the men in the patriots' army were used to climbing mountains. Following close on Ferguson's heels, they reached Kings Mountain October 7, and at once rushed up the mountainsides to attack him. As they advanced they gave the British ''Indian play," and from behind every rock and tree and shrub poured a hot fire into their ranks. Ferguson and his men fought bravely, but they fought in vain. They fell by the dozens, and finally Ferguson himself, struck by a half dozen bullets, fell dead from his horse. Then all the rest gave up and became the prisoners of the "crowd of dirty mongrels." The Americans killed nearly 400 of their ene-mies, and captured over 700, besides thousands of guns and pistols. Only 28 of their own men were killed, and 60 wounded. It was a glorious victory ! Such a victory had not been won in the South since the battle of Moore's Creek Bridge, nearly five years before. A whole British army had been destroyed or captured. One of Cornwallis's best officers had been killed. Thousands of Tories who had been waiting to join the British army if Ferguson won, returned to their homes, put their rifles in the racks again, and left Lord Corn-wallis to fight his own battles. And what gloomy news it all was to Lord Cornwallis at Charlotte ! He could not understand how it happened. Where did all those "hornets" come from \ How many were there ? What were they going to do next \ Maybe they were already marching against him at Charlotte ! Fright-ened at this thought, the British general ordered his army out of Charlotte in great haste and disorder, and fled to South Carolina for safety. But the Kings Mountain Boys thought no more of Lord Cornwallis. After their victory, they returned to their moun-tain homes, kissed their wives and children, hung their rifles again in the racks over the great fireplaces and went quietly to work. They had done what they went out to do, and had done it well. They had beaten their haughty enemy. They 38 had won an important victory. They had saved the State. And yet, they did not even know that they were heroes ! But real heroes they were, and on top of the ridge, just where they won their battle, there now stands a great monument erected by the American people to "Kings Mountain and its Heroes." HEROES OF KINGS MOUNTAIN. The boy who grew up on the frontier of North Carolina before the Revolution became used to danger and hardship. His home was surrounded by great forests. The bear and the wolf, the panther and the wildcat, prowled almost up to his very door. When he went to sleep at night he was never certain that he would not be waked before morning by the glare from his burning house and the wild war-whoops of painted savages. His life was full of adventures and hair-breadth escapes. It was a life calling for steady nerves, quick sight, presence of mind, and hardiness of body. The man who lived that life must be keen on the trail, whether of man or beast. He must be a trapper, a hunter, a fighter, and in order to succeed, he had to do these things better than any-body else. The boy learned but little out of books, he learned much about the woods and the streams, the birds and the beasts, and he had to know all the tricks of the Indian. To shoot straight, to hit hard, were among his first lessons. Such was the early training of Benjamin Cleveland, Isaac Shelby, John Sevier, and the other heroes of Kings Mountain. In this school they learned those lessons which they put into practice so well when they were called to the defense of their country in the Revolution. BENJAMIN CLEVELAND. Benjamin Cleveland was born in Virginia, May 26, 1738. He grew to manhood in the backwoods of Virginia and North Carolina, and when he was thirty-one years old, he came to North Carolina to live. For his home he selected a beautiful spot in what is now Wilkes county. There as the serious business of life, he farmed, raised stock, and hunted Indians. Horse-racing, hunting and fishing were his favorite amuse-ments. Upon the outbreak of the Revolution he became an ardent Whig. There were many Tories on the frontier and the fighting between them and the Whigs was bitter and bloody. Many cruel deeds were done by both, which we shudder to 40 think about. Cleveland was one of the most active, and it must be admitted, one of the most cruel Whigs on the border. To his friends he was one of the kindest of men ; but to his enemies, and the enemies of his country, his name soon be-came a terror all along the border. His soldiers were proud of him as their leader. They admired his p;ood humor, his hearty greeting and his reckless courage. He weighed over three hundred pounds and his men called him "Old Round-about." They called themselves "Cleveland's Bull-dogs" but the Tories called them "Cleveland's Devils." In the summer of~ 1776 Cleveland was a captain in Ruther-ford's expedition against the Cherokee Indians. For his great bravery and activity he was made a colonel. He ren-dered great service in suppressing the Tory bands who scoured the frontier, plundering the Whigs, burning their houses and destroying their crops. He even marched as far south as Georgia and took part in the war against the British there. But his greatest service was in the Kings Mountain cam-paign. When the news came that Ferguson was invading the mountains, Colonel Cleveland raised a regiment of 400 Surry and Wilkes county men and hastened to encounter him. He soon joined Shelby, Sevier and the Virginians under Colonel Campbell. Just before they met the British, these leaders drew up their men in line, and Cleveland riding up in front of them took off his cap, and said "Now, my brave boys, I have come to tell you the news. The enemy are close at hand. We must go for them. Now is the time for every man of you to do your country a great service. When the pinch comes I will be with you. But we don't want anybody to go who wants to turn back. We don't want any cowards or any skulking. If you are afraid to share in the battle and in the glory, now is the time to back out. So if any man wants to go back, he can now take three steps to the rear." This would have been "backing out," indeed. But Cleveland knew his men; not a one "backed out," but all cried out for him to lead them against the enemy. When they reached the enemy, no regiment did better fighting than "Cleveland's Bull-dogs." After the Revolution Cleveland spent the rest of his life quietly. He grew so fat that he weighed over 450 pounds and could not get about easily. Full of wit and humor, he 41 loved a good story and a good fellow, and amnsed himself as lie sat on his porch cracking jokes with passers by. He died while sitting at the breakfast table, in October, 1806. The State of North Carolina has named a county in his honor. ISAAC SHELBY. Isaac Shelby was born in Maryland, December 11, 1750. He was so constantly engaged in the Indian wars of that period that, like Colonel Cleveland, he received only a limited education. When he was twenty-one years old, his father sent him beyond the Alleghanies to engage in stock raising. In 1774, he was appointed a lieutenant in the militia, and served with distinction against the Indians. During 1775 and 1776 he explored the wilds of Kentucky, which was then a part of Virginia. While he was engaged in this. work, the Revolution broke out, and Gov. Patrick Henry, of Virginia, appointed Shelby a captain in the Whig army. Later he was appointed to extend the boundary line between North Caro-lina and Virginia, westward, between what is now Tennessee and Kentucky, and then it was found that his home was not in Virginia, but in North Carolina. Governor Caswell, of North Carolina, at once appointed him a colonel in Sullivan county, in what is now Tennessee. In the summer of 1780, a message reached Colonel Shelby from Colonel McDowell, of Burke county, telling him of Ferguson's expedition. He promptly raised 250 horsemen, all of whom were crack shots, and hurried across the moun-tains to join in the campaign against Ferguson and his Tories. He soon met Cleveland, Sevier, and the other lead-ers, and they started together on their march to Kings Moun-tain. After the men had heard Cleveland's speech, and none of them "backed out," Shelby rode up in front and said "I am heartily glad to see you so determined to meet your enemy and fight them. When we meet them, don't wait for the word of command. Let each man be his own officer, and do the best he can. If we fight in the woods, give them Indian play. Advance from tree to tree, and pour your shots into them. Your officers will shrink from no clanger, but will be right along with you. Come on then, my boys, and let's go after Ferguson !" These remarks were answered with cheers ; and they went after Ferguson, sure enough. The Legislature of North 42 Carolina gave Colonel Shelby a vote of thanks for his great services, and ordered that a handsome sword be presented to him by the State. After the battle of Kings Mountain, Colonel Shelby was active against the Indians. When the war was over he moved to Kentucky, and settled at Boonesborough, the town founded by Daniel Boone. In 1791 he attended a meeting with the Cherokee Indians to make a treaty of peace. But the Indians were surly and stubborn. Finally Colonel Shelby said boldly: "There are a thousand horsemen in Kentucky, with their horses all shod and their rifles ready to march against you, if you do not consent to peace." The Cherokee chiefs shook their heads, and said: "Too many, too many," and agreed to a treaty. Colonel Shelby took an active part in founding the new State of Kentucky, and after the constitution was adopted, he was chosen the first governor. He served as governor four years. When the second war broke out with England in 1.812 he was again elected governor and bent all his ener-gies to help win the victory for the United States. In 1813 he led the Kentucky troops on the expedition against the British in Canada, and was in the battle of the Thames where the Americans won the victory. For this service the Congress of the United States voted him a gold medal in the name of the people of the United States. In 1818 President Monroe appointed him Secretary of War for the United States, but he declined on account of his age. Two years later he was stricken with paralysis, but lived six years longer. He died July 18, 1826. The town of Shelby, in Cleveland county, North Carolina, was named in his honor. JOHN" SEVIER. On the 23d day of September, 1745, in the Valley of Vir-ginia, John Sevier was born. When he was ten years old, war broke out with the Indians, and John Sevier's home was burned by them. From that time there were constant trou-bles with the Indians, and John Sevier grew up to be one of the most famous Indian fighters on the frontier. It is said that he beat the Indians in thirty-five battles. During one of the Indian wars in the settlements on the Watauga and Nolichucky rivers, now in Tennessee, but then 43 in North Carolina, the white people took refuge in a fort. One day when no Indians were in sight, several of the girls ventured outside. Suddenly a cry was heard from the fort "The Indians! the Indians! Run, run for your lives!" The frightened girls sprang over the ground like deer, and all got safely through the gate but one. When this girl saw that she could not reach the gate in time to get in, she ran to another part of the fort, and scrambling over the high wall, fell into the arms of one of the fighters. Her name was Catherine Sherrill, but her friends called her "Bonnie Kate." The man who caught her was John Sevier, but his friends called him "Nolichueky Jack." A few years later "Bonnie Kate" became the wife of "Nolichueky Jack." John Sevier moved from Virginia to the Watauga settle-ment when he was twenty-seven years old. He soon became one of the leaders in the new country, and in 1776 was elected to the North Carolina Provincial Congress. The settlement was then called the "District of Washington." Like Cleve-land and Shelby, he saw a great deal of fighting with the Indians, and like them he led his brave fellows to Kings Mountain against Ferguson. As a reward for his services in this battle the Legislature of North Carolina gave him a handsome sword. After the Revolution the people of the Washington District became discontented with the State of North Carolina. Then Sevier and other leaders tried to establish a new Sta£e called Franklin. They elected John Sevier governor. But North Carolina declared that Sevier and his followers had no right to establish a new State, and were in rebellion against the State of North Carolina. So "Nolichucky Jack" was ar-rested as a rebel, taken to Morganton and put in prison to wait for trial. But "Bonnie Kate" and her friends determined to rescue him. So a small party rode all the way from Franklin to Morganton, bringing with them Sevier's fleet horse, for him to escape on. A great crowd was in the court-house when they entered quietly. Nobody suspected what they were up to, for nobody knew them except Sevier. Suddenly their leader, pointing at Sevier, exclaimed in a loud voice to the Judge, "When are you going to let that man go?" Every-body jumped in confusion, and before the Sheriff could stop him, Sevier was out of the door, on his horse, and away to the 44 mountains as fast as the wind. It was of no use to try to catch him; perhaps the people, who remembered his great service at Kings Mountain, did not want him caught. Any-how after a fast ride "Nolichucky Jack" was soon over the mountains kissing his wife "Bonnie Kate/' who was glad enough to see him again. He' was never tried for rebellion, for the Legislature of North Carolina passed a law that he should be forgiven and go free. Afterwards when the State of Tennessee was established, the people again chose "Nolichucky Jack" to be their gov-ernor. They elected him governor six times, and three times elected him to the Congress of the United States. When he died at seventy years of age, he had been a leader of the pioneers of Tennessee for more than forty years. No two persons in Tennessee were more popular than "Nolichucky Jack" and his brave little wife, "Bonnie Kate." HO! FOR CAROLMA! BY WILLIAM B. HARRELL. Let no heart in sorrow weep for other days Let no idle dreamer tell in melting lays Of the merry meetings in the rosy bowers ; For there is no land on earth like this fair land of ours CHORUS. Ho ! for Carolina ! that's the land for me In her happy borders roam the brave and free And her bright-eyed daughters none can fairer be Oh ! it is a land of love and sweet liberty ! Down in Carolina grows the lofty pine, And her groves and forests bear the scented vine Here are peaceful homes, too, nestling 'mid the flowers. Oh ! there is no land on earth like this fair land of ours Ho ! for Carolina ! etc. Come to Carolina in the summer-time, When the luscious fruits are hanging in their prime, And the maidens singing in the leafy bowers Oh ! there is no land on earth like this fair land of ours ! Ho ! for Carolina ! etc. Then, for Carolina, brave and free, and strong, Sound the meed of praises "in story and in song" From her vertile vales and lofty granite towers, For there is no land on earth like this fair land of ours CHORUS. Ho ! for Carolina ! that's the land for me In her happy borders roam the brave and free And her bright-eyed daughters none can fairer be Oh ! it is a land of love and sweet liberty JAMES ROBERTSON AND THE WESTERN SETTLE-MENTS. The founder of the great State of Tennessee, the daughter of North Carolina, was James Robertson, a famous pioneer. He was born in Virginia, but when he was eight years old his father moved to North Carolina, and there James Rob-ertson grew up to be "a cool, brave, sweet-natured man." When he was only seventeen years old, he followed the great hunter, Daniel Boone, on one of his expeditions across the Alleghanies. The beauty of the country made a deep impres-sion on him. He explored the valley of the Watauga River, and resolved to make his home there. So upon his return to the settlements of North Carolina, he persuaded several families to go with him to the Watauga Valley. A long, tiresome journey lay before them. "The men led the way and often had to clear a road with their axes. Behind the axemen went a mixed procession of women, children, dogs, cows, and pack-horses loaded with kettles and beds. Up the valley of the Yadkin these homeseekers made their slow way. Through the dark tangles and across the cold streams of the Blue Ridge Mountains, they pushed farther west. The gaps of the tall peaks of the Smoky Moun-tains opened a way for them. After threading the gorges of the mountains, they found themselves in the beautiful valley of the Watauga River, in what is now the State of] Tennessee [then North Carolina]. There on the banks of this clear stream they soon changed trees into houses and forests into farms." Soon this little settlement grew into four counties called Washington, Greene, Sullivan, and Davidson. This was the beginning of the .State of Tennessee, and James Robertson became its founder. He had grown up in the wild woods without going to school. It was not until after his marriage that his wife, Charlotte Reeves, taught him to read and write. Robertson engaged in all the Indian wars and became famous as an Indian fighter. During the Revolution he was a Whig and rendered his country great 47 service. Many stories are told of his bravery and skill. In 17 SO he founded a town on the Cumberland River, which he called "Nashborough," in honor of Gen. Francis Nash, the brave North Carolina general who was killed at the battle of Germantown. It is now called Nashville. But the Indians were so hostile and so many of the settlers were killed, that many of them became discouraged. They began to leave Nashborough and return to the older settle-ments. But Robertson declared that he would never desert his post. ''Every man," he said, "must do what seems to himself to be his duty. As for me, my place is here, and here I shall stay, if every man deserts me." And so, in spite of danger, he remained at his post. Once his brave wife saved the settlers from the Indians by her cool courage and presence of mind. The Indians were making an attack on the fort. Charlotte Robertson, rifle in hand, mounted the lookout, where she could overlook the fighting. Seeing some of the white men's horses, the Indians tried to capture them. This made a great gap in their ranks, and some confusion. When Charlotte Robertson saw this, she cried out to the sentinel: aOpen the gate and set the dogs on them." The dogs rushed out and flew at the savages. While the Indians were fighting these unexpected four-footed enemies, their two-legged foes escaped. "Thanks be to God," said Mrs. Robertson to her husband, "who gave to the Indians a dread of dogs and a love of horses." But all of James Robertson's time was not spent in fight-ing. A government had to be organized which, could protect the people, keep order, maintain the laws, and punish crimi-nals. Robertson was one of the leaders in this work. He was made the head of the government at Nashborough ; and he represented the new settlement in the North Carolina Con-gress. The Spaniards who owned the lands along the lower Mississippi River, tried to induce Robertson to separate Watauga and Kentucky from the United States and form an independent government. But Robertson firmly and patri-otically refused. In 1790, President Washington appointed him a general. The last years of his life were spent in mak-ing treaties of peace with the Indians and in building up the new State which he had founded. He died in Tennessee in 1814, in his seventy-third year. A DAUGHTER OF NORTH CAROLINA. The early history of Tennessee is a part of the history of North Carolina. Bold North Carolinians pushing their way through the valleys and the gaps of the mountains pitched their camps on the banks of the Holston, the Watauga, the Nolichucky, and the Cumberland rivers. President Roose-velt says that they were "men of sterling worth ; fit to be the pioneer fathers of a mighty and beautiful State.' 7 Their leaders were James Robertson and John Sevier. The settlements grew so rapidly that a government was soon necessary. So in 1772, a great meeting of the settlers was held. Robertson, Sevier and others were elected officers, and a written constitution, called aThe Watauga Association" was adopted. This was the first written constitution ever adopted west of the Alleghany Mountains. Sevier and Rob-ertson, in 1776, were elected to the North Carolina Congress. The Congress declared that the Watauga settlement should be a county of North Carolina, called Washington. Three other counties, called Greene, Sullivan, and Davidson, were afterwards formed. After the Revolution these counties grew into the State of Tennessee. The war for independence had cost a great deal of money, and at its close the United States owed millions of dollars. Some of this was owed to foreign countries, like France, who had helped the Americans. A large part of it was owed to the brave soldiers who had fought the war and won the independence of their country. How were these debts to be paid ? This was a hard question to answer, for the United States had no money. But several of the States owned great tracts of land in the West, and they now offered to give these to the United States, so these lands could be used to pay the soldiers. North Carolina was one of these States. Her territory stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River. So in 1784, the Legislature offered to the United States the land now within the State of Ten-nessee. Most of it was a great wilderness then. Congress hesitated to accept the gift. This made the people angry. 49 It seemed to them that nobody wanted them, for North Caro-lina gave them away, and Congress would not take them. So they made up their minds to take care of themselves. A convention of the leading men met at a place called Jones-boro, and decided to form "a separate and distinct State, in-dependent of the State of North Carolina." Another con-vention met later and named the new State the "State of Franklin," in honor of the great statesman Benjamin Frank-lin. John Sevier, one of the heroes of Kings Mountain, was elected governor. Everything was now done to put the new State government into operation. Officers were elected, laws were passed,, and a curious kind of money was adopted. There was but little coin in the State of Franklin. So in order that the people should have some way of carrying on trade and paying their debts, the Legislature declared that cloth, sugar, bees-wax, tallow, whiskey, brandy, the skins of coons, deer, beavers, and otters should be used as money. One raccoon skin was to be one shilling and three pence ; one deer skin, was six shillings. One gallon of rye whiskey was two shillings and six pence ; one gallon of brandy was three shillings. But now it was North Carolina's turn to get angry. What right had John Sevier and his followers to make a new State out of territory that belonged to North Carolina ? There were many people in the new State who did not want to sepa-rate from North Carolina. They would not obey the laws of the State of Franklin ; and the others would not obey the laws of North Carolina. Everything for a while was in great disorder. There was almost a state of civil war. But after a while the North Carolina party got control, and the " State of Franklin" came to an end. A few years later North Carolina again offered to give the same territory to the United States, and Congress accepted it at once. . It was made into a territory of the United States, and William Blount, of North Carolina, was appointed gov-ernor. The people were satisfied this time. Finally, in 1796, a new State was made, called Tennessee, and admitted to the Union. John Sevier was again elected governor. The first man sent by the new State to Congress was a North Carolinian, whose name was Andrew Jackson. North Carolina's daughter has given three presidents to the United States, who were born in North Carolina. They 4 50 were Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, and Andrew Johnson. Their lives show that in our country any boy, no matter how poor or how humble, if he works hard and is honest, may reach the highest place in the land. Andrew Jackson was born in a log cabin, in the Waxhaw settlement, then in Mecklenburg county, but now in Union. When he was a boy thirteen years old, he was captured by the British and treated so badly that he was almost starved. Once a British officer ordered him to clean the officers' boots. The boy haughtily refused and the cowardly officer cut him across the face with his sword. Jackson bore the scar all his life. Maybe when he fought the great battle of New Orleans in 1815, and gave the British such a beating, he remembered that scar. It is said that he was a "roaring, rollicking, mis-chievous fellow' 7 when he was a boy. But he was as brave as a lion. There was no danger that he feared and no hard-ship that he could not stand. When he became a general his soldiers called him "Old Hickory." After studying law at Salisbury he moved to Tennessee. There he had many wild adventures fighting criminals and Indians. The peo-ple admired him for his courage and honesty and elected him to many high offices. He was always noted for his purity of life and his great respect for women. He was firm, honest, and hated meanness. He was proud of his country, and when he was President made the nations of the world respect her. He is regarded as one of our greatest Presidents. James Knox Polk was also born in a log cabin in Meck-lenburg county. He studied at the University of North Carolina and was graduated as the best student in his class. When he moved to Tennessee he became a friend of Andrew Jackson. The people elected him to Congress several times, and he became one of the most famous men in the country. He was president during the Mexican War, and to him more than to any other man the United States owes all the territory included in the States of Texas, California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Wyoming and Colorado. The great historian, Bancroft, said that from its results the administration of President Polk "was perhaps the greatest in our national history." Andrew Johnson was born in Raleigh. He was so poor that he could never go to school. While the other boys were 51 at school he was learning to be a tailor. He taught himself to read after he became a large boy, and several years later his wife taught him how to write. When he was eighteen years old he set out with his mother and step-father in a two-wheel cart, driving a blind pony, for Tennessee. The people along the way who laughed at this odd party little dreamed that they were laughing at a future President of the United States. He began life in Tennessee as a tailor, but in a few years was elected Governor, then to Congress, and then to the United States Senate. When war began between the North and the South, he opposed secession and would not follow the South. He was elected Vice-President when Lincoln was elected President the second time. So when Lincoln was killed the poor Paleigh tailor became President of the United States. DAVID LOWRIE SWAIN. Adapted from the address of Zebulon B. Vance. [A Declamation.] In a beautiful valley of the Blue Kidge near where the Swannanoa pours its waters into the French Broad, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, stood an old-fashioned log house of the kind generally known as a "double-cabin." The tall dome of Mt, Mitchell literally casts its shadow over this spot as the sun first appears above the eastern horizon. Great mountain ridges hem it in on all sides. A fresh brook, springing high up in the heart of the mountain, runs through green meadows, and pours its bright, sparkling waters into the French Broad. An orchard, surrounding the little moun-tain cabin, gave to the scene that air of rustic beauty and abundance which makes the special charm of the country home. On this spot, in this cabin, on the 4th day of January, 1801, was born David Lowrie Swain. Of all the eminent men given to North Carolina by her mountain counties, none loved her more or served her better than this son of Buncombe. Four times a member of the Legislature, Solicitor of the Edenton District, though a resi-dent of Asheville ; Judge of the Superior Court ; twice Gov-ernor of North Carolina, in every place of trust he served the people with an eye single to their welfare. But neither as Solicitor nor as Judge, neither as lawmaker nor as Governor, did he render his greatest service. Retiring from the gov-ernor's office in 1836, he was elected President of the State University, and for thirty-two years through peace and through war, in days of prosperity and in days of disaster, he guided the affairs of that institution with the greatest suc-cess. Under him the number of students increased from 90 to 500. When war came, he bent every energy to keep the University open. Though every member but one of the Freshman Class, though every member of the Senior Class, enlisted in the army, though but a dozen students remained, though Northern troops occupied the University buildings, under Governor Swain's direction, the old college bell still 53 called the handful of students to daily prayer and to daily classes. But finally the great calamity came ; enemies closed the doors ; the grand old man was driven away. This great blow broke the last link that united his heart and hopes to earthly objects. The whole manner of the man changed. His step became tottering and slow; his great frame bowed down in grief. Finally in the sixty-seventh year of his life, death came to his relief, August 27, 1868. Governor Swain's greatest pupil and one of his most de-voted friends, Zebulon B. Vance, paid him a noble tribute. Said he: "A just estimate of the talents and character of Governor Swain * * * is not easily made plain to popular appre-hension. By the world the term "great" is variously applied, and misapplied. It is often withheld when it is most richly deserved * * * because men rarely appreciate the full extent and character of the labors of a lifetime. And espe-cially is this true when that life has been mainly spent in the planting of moral seeds below the surface, which, perhaps, for years make no great show of the harvest which is sure to come. Generations are sometimes required to elapse before the world can see the golden sheaves which cover and adorn the landscape, the result of that patient and judicious planting. "They who in life are followed by the noisy plaudits of the crowd, who fill the largest space in the eyes of their con-temporaries, and seem to tower far above their fellows, are not, always, found to have their reputation built on the securest foundations, nor to have left their mark on the age in which they lived. * * * "In many senses of the term Governor Swain was not a great man. As an author, though a man of letters, he neither achieved nor attempted anything lasting. As a politician, though he rose rapidly to the highest honors of his native State, he did not strikingly impress himself upon his times by any great speech, nor by any grand stroke of policy. In this respect he was inferior to many of his contemporaries who constituted, perhaps, the brightest cluster of names in our annals. As a lawyer and a judge, he occupied compara-tively about the same position ; and as a scholar he was not to be distinguished, being inferior to several of his co-laborers in the University. But in many things he was entitled to be 5 54 called great, if we mean by that term that he so used the faculties he possessed that he raised himself beyond and above the great mass of his fellows. In him there was rounded fullness of the qualities, intellectual and moral, which consti-tute the excellence of manhood, in a degree never excelled by any citizen of North Carolina whom I have personally known except William A. Graham. If there was in Swain no one grand quality of intellect which lifted him out of comparison with any but the demigods of our race, neither was there any element so wanting as to sink him into or below the common mass. If there were in him no Himalayan peaks of genius, piercing into the regions of everlasting frost and ice, neither were there any yawning chasms or slimy pools below the tide-waters of mediocrity. He rose from the plain of his fellow-men like the Alleghanies, in whose bosom he was born, by regular and easy gradation—so easy that you know not how high you are until you turn to gaze backward—every step surrounded by beauty and fertility—until he rested high over all the land. If there be those who singly tower above him in gifts, or attainments, or distinctions, there are none as a whole we can contemplate with more interest, affection, and admira-tion ; none whose work for North Carolina will prove to be more valuable, or more lasting, or more important to future generations ; none to whom at the great final review, the greet-ing may be more heartily addressed: cServant of God, well done !' "No estimate of Governor Swain's walk through life should omit the consideration of his Christian character. * * * On his deathbed he spoke often of the communion of saints with one another, and with their Head. * * * He was a praying man, and not ashamed to be known as such. He first introduced the practice of opening the regular meetings of the faculty with prayer. The night before he died he said of the Lord's Prayer : The oftener I use it the more precious it is to me ; it contains a whole body of divinity.' "In private life he was most upright, kind, social and hos-pitable. An excellent financier, he left a handsome estate, even 'after the war.' He had a proper conception of the value of wealth, and all his life practiced a judicious economy, but he knew well both how to lend and how to give. His conversation was delightfully interesting and instructive, replete with anecdote, genial humor, historical incident, or literary quotation. Few men of his associates equaled him 55 in these respects, even after the infirmity of deafness had cut him off from much social enjoyment. "'His remains lie buried in Oakwood Cemetery, near Kal-eigh, and close beside the sleeping soldiers of the Confederacy. The soil of our State holds the dust of no son who loved her more or served her better. Peaceful be his rest, as he waits for the clear breaking of the day over the brow of the eternal bills." RACING WATER.* BY MARY BAYARD CLARKE. Racing Water, who can paint thee, With thy scenery wild and grand ? It would take a magic pencil Guided by a master hand. Here are towering, rugged mountains, Granite rocks all scarred and gray, Nature's altars whence her incense Floats in wreaths of mist away. At thy feet the murmuring waters Now are singing songs of praise, Or in sonorous notes triumphant A majestic pean raise. Down the canyon's rocky gorges Now they wildly, madly sweep, As, with laughing shout exultant, O'er the rocks they joyous leap. Then in calm and limpid beauty Still and deep they silent flow, With the verdant banks o'erhanging Pictured in the depths below. Pulsing from the heart of Nature, Here thy "Hot Spring's" genial gush, There, like stream from Alpine glacier, Down the mountains coldly rush. Tah-kee-os-tee—Pacing Water — Was thy sonorous Indian name, But as "French Broad" thou art written On the white man's roll of fame. Perish that—but live the other ! For on every dancing wave Evermore is shown the beauty Of the name the red man gave. *The name of the French Broad river in the Cherokee language was " Tah-kee-os-tee, signifying "racing water." ZEBULON BAIRD VANCE. Iii the valley of the French Broad, ten miles from the city of Asheville, on the 13th of May, 1830, was born Zebnlon Baird Vance. The place of his birth was a small, simple farm-house. But this little cottage, though simple in itself, nestled amid some of the grandest scenery on the American continent. Near by the beautiful French Broad River flowed through a green valley. The loftiest peaks of the Blue Ridge threw their shadows on the little house. Within plain view were the peaks of Pisgah and Mitchell. Forests of great oaks, and hickory, and laurel, covered the mountain sides. The valley was musical with the rippling of the stream and the songs of birds. All this beauty and grandeur had a strong effect on the lad who grew up with such surroundings. They kindled his imagination ; they planted in him a love of nature ; they aroused in him a strong pride of country and an ambition to be of service to his native State. His father was David Vance ; his mother Margaret Baird. Young Vance bore the name of his mother's father, Zebulon Baird. The Vances and the Bairds were among the early settlers of the mountains. Both families were sturdy pa-triots during the Revolution, and fought for American Inde-pendence at Kings Mountain. From them young Vance inherited a strong mind, a vigorous body, and an intense love of liberty. When he was but twelve years old his father died, -leaving a family of eight children, with but a small farm for their support. Margaret Vance had a hard struggle to rear her large family, but she bore it bravely. There were but few opportunities among the mountains for education—the poorest child in North Carolina to-day can find a better school right at his door than young Vance could have found in many a mile of the French Broad valley. His father sent him across the mountains to Tennessee to school, but in a few weeks his father died, and he had to return home. When he was twenty-one years old he decided to,become a lawyer. He wanted to go to the University of North Caro-lina, at Chapel Hill, to study, but he had no money. Presi-dent Swain, of the University, was a Buncombe county man, 58 so young Vance decided to ask him for help. His letter ask-ing for a loan was so straightforward and manly, that Presi-dent Swain was greatly pleased, and wrote to him that he should have the money. So young Vance rode over the mountain wall, doAvn to Chapel Hill, and began his studies. He and President Swain became warm friends, and their friendship continued until Swain's death. Vance was at the University but one year. But he worked hard, read much, and acquired a fair education. His favorite books were the Bible, the plays of Shakespeare, and the stories of Sir Walter Scott. It would certainly be hard to select a better library for a boy than young Vance selected for himself. He read but few books, but these he knew thoroughly. Better than this, he made many friends who remained true to him throughout his life. After leaving the University, he went to Asheville to practice law. He was a good speaker, and had such a supply of good stories and jokes, which he told so well, that he was always welcomed in any company. His lively spirits, his ready wit, and his good humor soon made him a general favorite. He was only twenty-four years old when he was elected to the Legislature of North Carolina. This was in 1854. Four years later he was elected to Congress and went to Washington City to help make laws for the whole United States. He was then only twenty-eight years old, and was the youngest member in Congress. In 1860 he was elected again to Congress. But he was not to remain in Congress long. For many years the North and South had been quarreling over the question of slavery. Finally the South declared that the North was trying to take away the rights given her under the Constitution, and that the only way she could prevent it was to withdraw from the United States. The North replied that no State had a right to withdraw, or secede. But in 1860, South Carolina declared that she was no longer a member of the United States, and six other Southern States soon followed her example. These seven States then formed a new government called the "Confederate States of America.." They invited all the other Southern States to join them. Should North Carolina accept this invitation? Many people said, Yes. But Vance and most of the people said, 59 No. The people loved the old Union which their fathers had. fought for at Moore's Creek Bridge, at Kings Mountain, at Guilford Court-house, and at Yorktown. They did not want to leave the Union if they could help it. So at first they followed the advice of Vance, and other leaders, and refused to join the Confederate States. Peace was what they wanted, and they did all they could to keep the country out of war. But war came anyhow, and President Lincoln called on North Carolina to send troops to fight against the South. Then Governor Ellis replied: "You can get no troops from North Carolina"; and the people all cried out: "If we must fight, let us fight by the side of our friends and neighbors and not against them." So on May 20, 1861, North Caro-lina withdrew from the United States and joined the Con-federate States. Vance then had to leave the Congress of the United States and come home to get ready for war. Great preparations were now made for war. Soldiers gathered at various places in North Carolina, ready to fight for the South. Ports were built along the coast to keep the enemy's ships from landing troops. The women worked night and day with their needles, making clothes and knitting socks for the soldiers. Many pretty girls embroidered beautiful flags for their sweethearts to carry into battle. Everybody was excited and talked about the war as if it were to be some holiday excursion, for few people understood what a terrible thing war is. Vance at once raised a company of sturdy mountain men, whom he called "The Rough and Ready Guards." They marched away to Virginia to join the Confederate army. Vance proved to be a brave fighter, and was soon promoted to the rank of colonel. But North Carolina needed him at home for other work than fighting. In 1862, while he was away in Virginia leading his men in battle, the people of North Carolina elected him governor. He returned at once to Raleigh to take up his new work. No other man in the history of North Carolina ever had a harder task before him. But he met his difficulties bravely and did his duty well. The proud record made by North Carolina during the war was due more to him than to any-body else. It was he who kept North Carolina's ranks in Virginia and Tennessee full, and caused her to send more soldiers to the Confederate army than she had voters. 60 It was he, too, who kept the North Carolina soldiers better clad and better fed than those from any other Southern State. After the battle of Gettysburg the Confederate army in Virginia was terribly gloomy and disheartened. Vance visited the army and made some wonderful speeches to the soldiers. These speeches stirred their hearts with hope and courage. General Lee said that Vance's visit was worth 50,000 soldiers to him. But Vance did more than make speeches. He sent more supplies to the army than any other governor in the South. Among the things he bought were: 2,000 fine rifles, 12,000 overcoats, 50,000 blankets, 250,000 pairs of shoes, gray cloth for 250,000 uniforms, 100,000 pounds of bacon, and $50,000 worth of medicines. Most of these things of course were sent to the North Carolina soldiers ; but a large quantity also found its way to the camps of soldiers from other States. Many a poor, ragged soldier had shoes on his feet, a blanket to cover him from the snow, and a ration of bacon once a week because Zebu! on Baird Vance was governor of North Carolina. No wonder the soldiers called him "The Great War Governor of the South." No other man did so much as he to keep up the courage of the people during the terrible days of suffering that the war soon brought to every Southern home. Those terrible days came soon after Governor Vance was elected. North Caro-lina had sent thousands of her bravest men to the battlefields of other States. The work at home had to be done by women, children, and negroes. They worked bravely day and night, but found it hard to keep the soldiers clothed and fed without starving themselves. Many people could not buy the food and clothing they needed, because the price of everything was so high. A gallon of molasses cost $8. It took $50 to buy a bushel of corn, and $100 to buy a barrel of flour. A boy thought he had a good dinner if he could get cornbread and sorghum and peas. He did not expect to have meat. A pair of boy's boots cost $150, so most of the boys went bare-foot, even in winter. The women made their own shoes. Carpets were torn up from the floor and cut into blankets. Even the richest people had to do without things that the poorest can now have. The chief cause of all this suffering was what is called the "blockade." The United States had large fleets of war ves- til sels which sailed along the coast of the Southern States and would not let other. vessels go in and out of the harbors. No cotton could be shipped to Europe to be sold, and no clothing and food could be brought in from Europe. But there was one port in the South which the war vessels could not close up. This was Wilmington. A powerful fort had been built on Cape Eear River, a few miles below Wil-mington, called Fort Fisher, and this protected the city. Swift little vessels called "blockade runners" slipped in and out of Wilmington, protected by the guns of Fort Fisher. They carried out cotton and brought back many things needed by the people and the army. The most famous of these blockade runners was the "Ad-vance." She was a fast sailing little vessel, which Governor Vance bought in England. For two years the "Advance" managed to keep out of the way of the big vessels, sailing back and forth between Wilmington and the West Indies. She made eleven trips, but was captured on the twelfth and destroyed. The "Advance" carried out hundreds of bales of cotton, which were sold in the West Indies to English merchants. The money was used to buy all sorts of useful things. Tools for farmers, medicine for hospitals, uniforms, blankets, rifles, and food for soldiers, all were brought into North Caro-lina in large quantities. But the United States now decided to capture Fort Fisher, and put an end to the blockade running. A powerful fleet and army were sent to the Cape Fear, and after some terrible fighting the fort was compelled to surrender. Soon after this the war was brought to a close by the surrender of the Confederate armies in Virginia and in North Carolina. After the surrender of the Confederate armies the soldiers told each other good-bye with tears in their eyes and turned their faces homeward. What sad journeys they had before them ! Everywhere they say the ruin and suffering caused by the war. North Carolina, like the other Southern States, was in a terrible condition; thousands of her sons had been killed on the battlefield ; thousands of others came home sick and crippled for life ; all were ragged, hungry, and penni-less. When they reached home they found nothing to cheer them except the love of their friends. Where they had left beautiful homes, they found tumbled down ruins or heaps of 62 ashes. Fine farms, where corn and cotton had grown in abundance, were waste places covered with grass and weeds. Their barns and fences were rotted to the ground. There were not enough horses and mules in the State to plough the fields. But the men were as brave now as they had been in the war, and went cheerfully to work to rebuild their State. But evil days now followed in North Carolina. Hostile United States soldiers roamed everywhere, robbing and in-sulting the people. Hundreds of men, most of whom were bad men, followed the army from the North to plunder the South. They were called "carpet-baggers," and were pro-tected by the army. They soon got control of the State. Thousands of ignorant negroes were allowed to vote. They turned out the brave old Governor Worth, and elected Wil-liam W. Holden Governor. Many negroes were put into public offices. The schools built up by Calvin H. Wiley were destroyed ; the doors of the University were closed ; business and trade were ruined ; and there was no order, no peace, no safety, for men who were true to the South. But finally the enemies of the State were beaten ; Governor Holden was turned out of office ; and after a few years the people again called on Vance to be their Governor. Hap-pier days then came to the "Old North State." The Union soldiers were sent away, and the people of North Carolina were left to control their own affairs. Governor Vance proved himself to be one of North Caro-lina's greatest sons. While he was Governor the laws of the State were obeyed ; again there was peace and order ; the lives and property of the people were protected; schools and colleges were opened. The hum of mills, the shriek of fac-tory whistles, the roar of trains proclaimed that industry had taken the place of war. Trade began to thrive, farmers plowed their fields in safety, and men with glad hearts set themselves to the task of building their homes again, plant-ing their fields, and making the State stronger and richer and happier than ever before. Governor Vance became the most popular man in the State. In 1879, after he had been Governor two years, the Legisla-ture elected him to the United States Senate. He remained in the Senate for fifteen years and became one of the strong leaders of the "New South." He was so eloquent, so gener-ous, so kindly, and so honest that those who had been his 63 enemies became his friends. He defended the South from attacks of her enemies without offending the North. No man did more than he to make the two sections friends again. The hard work which he did in the Senate injured his health. His physician sent him to the mountains of North Carolina, to Florida, and to Europe in search of health. The people of North Carolina waited anxiously for the news that he was well again. But this news never came. Instead came the tidings, April 15, 1894, that he was dead. Never before had the people so mourned the loss of a great man. When his body was taken from Washington City to Raleigh, and from Raleigh to Asheville the little stations, and the val-leys and the hillsides along the railroad were lined with people who had come out to catch a glimpse of the train that bore the body of their beloved leader. Thousands of people went to Raleigh and to Asheville to see for the last time the body of the man whom they had loved and followed for so many years. Already, while he was living, the Legislature had named a county in his honor ; and now that he was dead, the State erected to his memory a handsome monument in the Capitol Square at Raleigh. This is the only monument the State has ever erected with public money to the memory of any of her great sons. Another monument to his memory has been erected in Asheville. THE WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA RAILROAD. One day, many long years ago, a small boy who lived in the valley of the French Broad River, got a fright that he never forgot. Standing nnder the trees in his father's or-chard, he heard a loud, rumbling noise coming down the val-ley, gradually getting "nearer and nearer to him. Suddenly a wonderful object came in view. It looked for all the world like a great moving tent drawn by two horses. Under it were four wheels, one at each of its four corners, which turned over and over, rattling and rumbling as they rolled over great rocks or crashed into the deep washouts. Under-neath hung several big iron .pots and kettles that swung to and fm, adding to the noise and din. As the boy gazed at this strange object, with awe and wonder, he was suddenly overcome with fright, and taking to his heels, fled in dismay without stopping until he was safe in his father's house. This lad was the future Governor of North Carolina, David L. Swain; the strange object which gave him such a fright was the first wagon that ever crossed the Blue Ridge. From this old, rickety, rumbling wagon to the great, puf-fing locomotives that now pull their long trains of cars through the valleys of the Blue Ridge, it is a long, long step. But few men did more to bring about this great change than the boy who ran away from the first wagon that he ever saw. The story of how this change was brought about is the most important chapter in the history of the mountain counties since the Revolution. After the Revolution, North Carolina did not grow as rapidly as some of the other States. New York, Virginia, Maryland, and even her daughter, Tennessee, began to out-strip the Old North State in population, in trade and in prosperity. People began to say that North Carolina was asleep, and they called her "The Rip Van Winkle" of the States. What was the trouble ? Many men said it was be-cause the farmers could not get their products to the markets of the world. Before North Carolina could have great cities and fine farms and grow into a great State, she must build good roads, dig canals, deepen her rivers, and build rail- 65 roads. Such works are called "internal improvements" ; they cost large sums of money, but they soon pay for themselves in increased wealth and prosperity. So under the leadership of David L. Swain, and other pa-triotic men, the people began to plan for internal improve-ments. They talked about internal improvements, they wrote letters to the papers about them, and they held great meetings to decide what should be done. After a while all this led to work on some of the rivers, which were deepened and widened, and to the digging of a few canals. But the most important work to be done was the building of rail-roads. This was the work in which the western counties were most interested. The eastern counties had deep and broad rivers on which boats could sail ; but the rivers of the moun-tains, though very beautiful, were too shallow and rapid for boats. The mountain roads were rough and frequently im-passible, as many of them still are, and often there were no roads at all over which wagons could travel. So the West wanted railroads that would carry their corn and wheat and fruit and timber to market. In 1848 the North Carolina Railroad from Goldsboro, by way of Raleigh, Greensboro and Salisbury, to Charlotte, was begun, and in 1856 was ready for trains. In the meantime the people of the West had demanded a railroad from Salis-bury to Asheville. So in 1854 the Legislature passed a law for building a railroad from Salisbury "to some point on the French Broad River beyond the Blue Ridge." This road was to be called "The Western North Carolina Railroad." When it was begun there was great joy in the mountains. After this work was started the Civil War broke out and de-layed it for a while. But after peace came the work was pushed along again, and in 1869 that part of the road from Salisbury to Old Fort in McDowell County, 111 miles, was opened for travel. Ten years later the line was extended to Asheville. The plan was to build out from Asheville westward two lines, one to Paint Rock on the boundary between North Carolina and Tennessee, the other to Murphy in Cherokee county. But when the road reached Asheville, the Legis-lature declared that the State would give no further help. The people to the west of Asheville were in despair, and for a while it seemed that their dreams would never be realized. But finally in 1880 there came a ray of hope. A company of wealthy men bought the road from the State, and declared their purpose to complete it. Hope again "brought gladness to the whole trans-montane country, which now looked with confidence to the early completion of the road." But the time came for work to begin, and still "no sound of pick rang through the rocky gorges, no shovel of dirt was thrown, and the gloominess of disappointment was settling over the whole of Western North Carolina." For it was learned that the men who had bought the road could not get the money to pay for it. So the road came back into possession of the State, and work was put off again. Then Governor T. J. Jarvis turned to Col. A. B. Andrews, a well-known railroad man, for help ; and Colonel Andrews persuaded the Richmond and Danville Railroad Company to undertake the work. It now seemed certain that the road would be finished soon. But delays came. Politi-cal and financial difficulties had to be met and overcome. Much legislation was needed, and the expenditure of large sums of money was necessary. For a time it seemed as if it would be impossible to complete the road. But in spite of all these difficulties, the energy and determination of Colonel Andrews never failed. He had promised to complete the road, and he would not give up. He even pledged his own private fortune to the work, and finally he had the gratifica-tion of seeing both lines, to Paint Bock and to Murphy, ready for trains. The line to Paint Rock runs partly through Buncombe county and through Madison county, and con-nects Western North Carolina with the great railroad lines of Tennessee and the Northwest. The line to Murphy serves the people of Buncombe, Haywood, Swain, Jackson, Graham, Macon, Clay and Cherokee counties, giving them an outlet for their products and manufactures. The building of the Western North Carolina Railroad was, perhaps, the greatest piece of engineering work ever done in North Carolina. The road is 309 miles long. Rivers were bridged, mountains were tunneled, deep gorges were filled in. The road crosses the Catawba, the French Broad, the Pigeon, the Little Tennessee, and the Hiwassee rivers. It spans great gorges and deep precipices. It climbs to the tops of high 67 mountains, and winds like a great serpent around their lofty peaks. It runs through long, dark tunnels, one of which, the Swannanoa tunnel, is 1,800 feet, or nearly one-third of a mile long. Millions of dollars were spent in the building of this great railroad, the dream of the mountain section of North Carolina, for more than half a century. The building of railroads through the mountains has changed that section of North Carolina from the hunting-grounds of Indians and the haunts of wild animals to the playgrounds of the South. The cool, invigorating air, the healthy climate, and the magnificent scenery of that sect
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Title | Program of exercises for North Carolina Day (Western North Carolina), Friday, December 17, 1909 |
Date | 1909 |
Rights | State Document see http://digital.ncdcr.gov/u?/p249901coll22,63754 |
Collection | North Carolina State Documents Collection. State Library of North Carolina |
Type | text |
Language | English |
Digital Collection | North Carolina Digital State Documents Collection |
Digital Format | application/pdf |
Audience | All |
Pres File Name-M | pubs_education_serial_programexercises19011921.pdf |
Pres Local File Path-M | Preservation_content\StatePubs\pubs_education\images_master |
Full Text | PROGRAM OF EXERCISES FOR NORTH CAROLINA DAY ( WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA ) FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1909 PREPARED BY R. D. W. CONNOR Secretary ot the North Carolina Historical Commission A people who have not the pride to record their history will not long have the virtue to make history that is worth recording. ISSUED FROM THE OFFICE OF THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION RALEIGH, N. C. ~no man is fit to be entrusted with control of the Present who is ignorant of the Past ; and no people who are indifferent to their past need hope to make their Future great. Edwards & Broughton Printing Company state printers and binders RALEIGH CHAPTER 164 OF THE PUBLIC LAWS OF 1901 An Act to Provide for the Celebration of North Carolina Day in the Public Schools The General Assembly of North Carolina do enact: Section 1. That the 12th day of October in each and every year, to be called "North Carolina Day," may be devoted, by appropriate exercises in the public schools of the State, to the consideration of some topic or topics of our State history, to be selected by the Superintendent of Public Instruction: Provided, that if the said day shall fall on Satur-day or Sunday, then the celebration shall occur on the Monday next following: Provided further, that if the said day shall fall at a time when any such schools may not be in session, the celebration may be held within one month from the beginning of the term, unless the Super-intendent of Public Instruction shall designate some other time. Sec. 2. This act shall be in force from and after its ratification. In the General Assembly read three times, and ratified this the 9th day of February, A. D. 1901. PREFACE. As many of the public schools are not in session as early as October 12th, I have taken the liberty allowed under the law of fixing the date of North Carolina Day this year and hereafter on the last Friday before Christmas. It is earnestly desired that all the public schools of the State shall engage in this celebration on the same day. This pamphlet has been prepared and sent out to aid busy teachers in the proper celebration of the day and to leave no excuse for failing to celebrate it. The consecration of at least one day in the year to the public con-sideration of the history of the State in the public schools, as directed by the act of the General Assembly printed on the preceding page, is a beautiful idea. It is the duty of every public school teacher to obey the letter of this law. It will, I know, be the pleasure of every patriotic teacher to obey the spirit of it by using the opportunity of North Carolina Day to inspire the children with a new pride in their State, a new enthusiasm for the study of her history, and a new love of her and her people. Following the chronological order of the State's history, the subjects of the North Carolina Day programs have been as follows: In 1901, The First Anglo-Saxon Settlement in America; in 1902, The Albemarle Section; in 1903, The Lower Cape Fear Section; in 1904, The Pamlico Section; in 1905, The Upper Cape Fear Section; in 1907, The Scotch- Irish Settlements in North Carolina; in 1908, The German Settlements. In 1906 it was deemed proper to turn aside from this adopted plan of chronological study to devote the day to the study of the life, character and splendid service of Dr. Charles D. Mclver. This year the Moun-tainous Section forms the subject of study. Thus the history of every section of the State has been studied, somewhat in the order of their settlement and development, and the entire period of the State's history has been covered. It is hoped ultimately to stimulate a study of local and county history and the biographies of the State's eminent sons. These programs have been arranged with a view of giving the children of the rising generation a knowledge of the history of the resources, manners, customs and ways of making a living of the different sections of the State. It is hoped in this way to awaken a proper pride in the history of the State, to inspire a proper confidence in its present and hope in its future, and to give the people of the different sections of the State a better acquaintance with each other. This pamphlet was prepared, at my request, by Mr. R. D. W. Connor, Secretary of the North Carolina Historical Commission. Very truly yours, J. Y. JOYNER, Superintendent of lJ ublic Instruction. Raleigh, N. C, October 1, 1909. A WORD OF EXPLANATION. The law creating the North Carolina Historical Commission makes it part of the Commission's duty to "encourage the study of North Caro-lina history in the schools of the State." The following pamphlet, therefore, was prepared, at the request of State Superintendent James Y. Joyner, by the undersigned as part of his work as Secretary of the North Carolina Historical Commission. The preparation of the pamphlet has been attended with unusual difficulties because of the meagerness of the sources of information rela-tive to Western North Carolina. Some of the teachers in those counties, besides finding it an exceedingly interesting work, could render a valu-able and conspicuous service to the State by collecting data relating to their history and making it available for students. I have consulted the following sources Ashe: Biographical History of North Carolina. Peele: Lives of Distinguished North Carolinians. Clingman: Selections from his Speeches and Writings. Hill: Young People's History of North Carolina. Connor: The Story of the Old North State. Draper: Kings Mountain and Its Heroes. Smith: Western North Carolina. Powell: Publications of the Bureau of American Ethnology of the Smithsonian Institution. Allen: Centennial of Haywood County. Harrison: Legal History of the Lines of Railroad of the Southern Railway Company. Wheeler: History of North Carolina. Wheeler: Memoirs of Eminent North Carolinians. Bartram: Travels through North and South Carolina, Georgia, East, and West Florida. Memoir of Rev. Elisha Mitchell. Raleigh, N. C. R. D. W. Connor. HOW TO USE THIS PAMPHLET. This pamphlet attempts to present the story of .the principal historic events connected with the mountainous section of North Carolina. It should be made the basis for the study of North Carolina history by all the pupils in the school who are sufficiently advanced to understand the subject. This work ought to be begun some time before North Carolina Day, and continued, article by article, until the subject is mastered. The teacher is expected, of course, to explain all points which present difficulties that the pupils are not able to clear up for themselves. It will greatly aid in explaining the subjects and fixing them in the minds of the pupils if the teacher will put topical outlines of them on the blackboard or have the pupils make them in their note-books. After they thoroughly understand the subjects the pupils should be questioned about them. The best results can be obtained by having pupils reproduce the arti-cles in their own language. If an article as it appears in the pamphlet is too long for a single essay, let it be subdivided into two or more sub-jects, each to be treated separately. The principal value of the articles is to present the facts upon which the pupils may base their own work. This practice serves both for history work and for exercise in composi-tion. It will tend also to develop the talent for historical work which any of the children may have. It is important for the teacher to dis-cover such talent, if any of the pupils possess it, and help to develop it. When the pamphlet is completed in the way suggested, the pupils will have a fair knowledge of the history of the section under consideration. It has been frequently observed that many of the pupils to whom places have been assigned on the program for North Carolina Day do not seem to understand clearly the articles they have to read or recite. Two reasons may be given for this: First, the articles are too difficult for the pupils to whom they have been assigned; second, the pupils have not received sufficient previous training. In regard to the first: Care should be taken not to assign parts to pupils who are not advanced enough to take them understandingly. If the article to be presented is too difficult, let the pupil to whom it has been assigned, instead of reading it, as it appears in the pamphlet, use it as the basis for writing an essay of his oum on that subject. It has been suggested that, in using the pamphlet for class work previous to North Carolina Day, this practice should be followed. If the teacher will select from these essays, as they are prepared, the best ones, they can be used in the program for North Carolina Day. The knowledge that this will be done will stimulate pupils to their best efforts. As an illustration : The article entitled "History in the Names of the Counties'' is, as it appears in the pamphlet, rather long for one pupil to read as a single number on the program; but it may be used as a basis for an essay in the child's own language, or it may be subdivided among several children, each writing from it a short essay on the several counties. The facts upon which these essays may be based will be found in the original article. To these facts others, gathered from local sources by the pupils, should be added. The same practice should be followed with the articles on "The Land of the Sky," "Kings Mountain Boys," "The Cherokee Indians in the Revolution." These essays in the children's own language will present no difficulties to them when read in public, and a little previous training will enable them to perform their parts with credit to themselves and to the school. Another result of this plan will be to make the program more truly the children's program, for they will present their own work, not another's. This will, of course, increase their interest in the celebration. Perhaps it will be well to have one or two of fhe simpler articles read as they appear in the pamphlet. Those entitled "Heroes of Kings Mountain," and "The Western North Carolina Railroad," are suitable for this purpose. The poems, of course, must be sung, or read, or recited, and the decla-mations delivered just as they are written. The pupils to whom they are assigned should read them over and over again to the teacher before the celebration of North Carolina Day, until every word, every phrase, every reference is thoroughly understood. They can not be presented with the proper expression unless this is done. "America," "The Old North State," and "Ho! for Carolina!" should, of course, be sung by the school. It will be well for the teacher to in-clude in the program other songs with which the children are familiar, though no special ones are suggested in this pamphlet. The declamation from Governor Vance's speech on David L. Swain should, of course, be memorized and spoken. This is more suitable for a boy than for a girl, and should be assigned to a boy who is well advanced. The subjects treated in the pamphlet are arranged in chronological order, and the program should follow this arrangement. It is scarcely necessary to add that the teacher should be thoroughly familiar with the pamphlet from cover to cover, if it is to be used intelligently. The program may be divided into two parts—one part to be presented in the morning and one in the afternoon or night; or one part by the younger children, the other by the older ones. If it is too long to be conveniently carried out by small schools, two or more schools may unite in the celebration. Teachers are urged to make a special effort to secure a large attend-ance of the people of the district, and to avail themselves of this oppor- 8 tunity to interest parents and patrons in the school. The occasion can be used by the teacher to secure the hearty cooperation of the commit-teemen, the women of the district and all other public-spirited citizens. The day should be made North Carolina Day in truth, for grown people as well as for children. These pamphlets, issued from year to year for the celebration of North Carolina Day, will contain much valuable and interesting informa-tion about the State and her people. They must be preserved as the property of the school and filed in the school library, where they will be accessible to teachers from year to year for the teaching of North Caro-lina history. TO THE TEACHER. Although the general subject of study for North Carolina Day this year is Western North Carolina, yet every teacher should devote part of the program to local history. One or two essays should be read in each school on the history of the county, or community, in which the school is situated. For some time before North Carolina Day the older and more advanced pupils should be put to work gathering information about the county, which later can be used in essays for North Carolina Day, after the examples given in this pamphlet under the article entitled "History in the Names of the Counties." Such data can be gathered in any of the counties by searching the records in the court-house, by looking up the files of the county papers, by inquiries from elderly peo-ple and older citizens of the county, and other sources. This research should be conducted along the lines suggested by the outline given below, and should form the basis of essays. Perhaps this will seem difficult at first. Very well; so much the bet-ter. The pupils will appreciate the results of their work more. But as they proceed difficulties will be cleared out of the way; much more data will be gathered than at first will be supposed possible. As this work is done from year to year the data will finally be available for a real history of the county; and nothing in historical work is more needed in North Carolina than good local histories. Never mind about the work's being crude and immature. In spite of crudeness and immaturity it will be worth infinitely more to the pupils who do it than the study of books written by others can ever be. It will give them at first hand some idea of what real study of history is, it will be their own work, it will stimulate an interest in the county, in the school, and in the State. It will add much to the celebration of North Carolina Day. OUTLINE FOE INVESTIGATIONS. Formation of county—date and origin ( get copy of law creating it). Original boundaries. Counties wholly or partially cut off from it. Present boundaries. Chief geographical features. Origin of its name. History involved in its name. Organization of the county. Selection of county seat. Erection of the public buildings. Development of the school system. 10 Eminent men of the county; brief accounts of their public Chief events in the history of the county. Historic spots and houses. Eoad building in the county. Railroad construction. Chief industries. Manufactures. Chief agricultural products. CONTENTS. The Old North State—Gaston 12 The Land of the Sky 13 History in the Names of the Counties 16 Indian Names—Battle ; Spencer 29 The Cherokee Indians in the Revolution 30 Kings Mountain Boys 35 Heroes of Kings Mountain : Cleveland, Shelby, Sevier 39 Ho ! for Carolina—Harrell 45 James Robertson and the Western Settlements 46 A Daughter of North Carolina 48 David Lowrie Swain—Vance 52 Racing Water—Clarke 56 Zebulon Baird Vance 57 The Western North Carolina Railroad 64 America—Smith . 68 THE OLD NORTH STATE. BY WILLIAM GASTON Carolina ! Carolina ! Heaven's blessings attend her ! While we live we will cherish, protect and defend her Though the scorner may sneer at and witlings defame her, Our hearts swell with gladness whenever we name her. Hurrah ! Hurrah ! the Old North State forever Hurrah ! Hurrah ! the good Old ISTorth State Though she envies not others their merited glory, Say, whose name stands the foremost in Liberty's story Though too true to herself e'er to crouch to oppression, Who can yield to just rule more loyal submission? Hurrah, etc. Plain and artless her sons, but whose doors open faster At the knock of a stranger, or the tale of disaster ? How like to the rudeness of their dear native mountains, With rich ore in their bosoms and life in their fountains. Hurrah, etc. And her daughters, the Queen of the Forest resembling — So graceful, so constant, yet to gentlest breath trembling; And true lightwood at heart, let the match be applied them. How they kindle and flame ! O ! none know but who've tried them. Hurrah, etc. Then let all who love us, love the land that we live in (As happy a region as on this side of Heaven), Where Plenty and Freedom, Love and Peace smile before us, Kaise aloud, raise together the heart-thrilling chorus Hurrah ! Hurrah ! the Old North State forever Hurrah ! Hurrah ! the good Old North State THE LAND OF THE SKY. "From Currituck to Cherokee," is an expression fre-quently used to denote the whole of JSTorth Carolina. Curri-tuck is on the extreme eastern border of the State, Cherokee on the extreme western border. One lies along the Atlantic Ocean, the other among the mountains. One is low, flat and sandy; the other elevated, rugged and rocky. A traveler from Currituck to Cherokee journeys uphill the entire way. He leaves a country on a level with the sea ; he climbs to the tops of mountains above the clouds. Here he finds himself in the mountainous region of l^orth Carolina, which extends across the western part of the State. In breadth it is more than fifty miles, in length more than two hundred. It covers an area of 6,000 square miles, and embraces sixteen counties. On the east it is bounded by the Blue Ridge, on the west by the Great Smoky Mountains. Both are named because of their appearance. Seen from a dis-tance, on a bright, clear day, the Blue Ridge looks like a long, rugged, blue cloud hanging on the western horizon. The Smoky Mountains appear to be covered with a dense, black smoke. Both ranges have peaks that pierce the clouds. In the Blue Ridge, old "Grandfather" is the highest. He lifts his hoary old head to a height of 5,897 feet above the sea. "Grandfather" gets his name from the "grey beard he shows when a frozen cloud has iced his rhododendrons." The Great Smoky Mountains form the boundary between !N"orth Carolina and her daughter, Tennessee. The peaks of the Great Smokies look down with contempt on those of the Blue Ridge. Sixteen of them are more than 6,000 feet above the sea. The highest is Clingman's Dome, 6,600 feet. It was named in honor of Thomas L. Clingman, of Buncombe county. Between these two great ranges, there are other shorter ranges. The two most important are the Black Mountains and the Balsam Mountains. The Black Mountains have a dozen peaks more than 6,000 feet high; the Balsams have fifteen. The highest mountain east of the Rocky Mountains is in the Black Range. This is Mt. Mitchell, 6,711 feet high. 14 Altogether the mountainous region of North Carolina has forty-three peaks more than 6,000 feet high, and eighty-two more than 5,000 feet. Many of these mountains are bald and rocky, hut for the most part they have a deep fertile soil. Their sides are covered with forests, containing timber trees of various kinds and of great value. The oak, the hickory, the walnut, the poplar, the pine, grow to a very large size. The fir and the hemlock are also found in large quantity. But the most fertile parts of the mountain region are its beautiful valleys. The valleys of the French Broad, the Swannanoa, the Pigeon, the Hiwasse, are noted for their beauty and fertility. Grain and grasses, fruits and vegetables grow in abundance. Cat-tle raising is an important industry, and the mountain sides are covered with grazing sheep and cows and horses. The great variety and beauty of the flowers and shrubs makes this region a favorite field for the botanist. Some of the most beautiful flowers in the gardens of Europe and America were first found in these wild mountains. Of the many peaks in these mountains, the most famous is Mt. Mitchell. One who climbs to the top of Mt. Mitchell stands on the highest point of land in the eastern part of the United States. One seems to be in the center of a vast sea of mountains. Within sight are the main ledge of the Black Range, with a succession of cones and spires along its dark crest ; the Blue Ridge, running out of Pennsylvania and stretching" all the way across Virginia and North Carolina the Craggy Range with its myriads of gorgeous flowers, its naked and fantastic peaks" ; Kings Mountain, famous in Revolutionary history; and, rising in solitary grandeur, the rocky throne of the abrupt and wild Grandfather. Here and there far, far below, are green valleys and dark gorges winding streams and foaming torrents. Standing on top of Mt. Mitchell early in the morning, a writer describes the scene as follows: "The cold mists that at first enveloped the tops of the mountain were gradually dispersed by the sun as he rose higher in the heavens, and then was revealed to us a grander scene than it had ever before been our lot to behold. The majestic heights of the peaks that with Mt. Mitchell rise from a common base; the Blue Ridge in the distance; the deep frightful gorges on all sides below us, * * * the rivers winding with their 15 silver streams in every direction from their sources in the recesses of the mountains ; the beautiful farms with their golden harvests, cultivated spots amid the boundless wilder-ness of the trees ; the light fleecy clouds dotting the horizon ; and the blue sky above; all formed a picture that any one * * * could not fail to gaze upon without feelings of silent admiration. " Near the city of Asheville is Mt. Pisgah, another famous peak. It forms the corner of four counties, Buncombe, Henderson, Haywood and Transylvania. From its top, which is more than a mile high, can be seen a beautiful stretch of mountain scenery for a distance of a hundred miles in every direction. Mt. Pisgah itself "is always a striking object before the eye of the spectator. Its beautiful blue on a sum-mer evening is sometimes changed into a rich purple by the rays of a red cloud thrown over it at sunset. In winter it is even a still more striking object. Covered by a fresh snow in the morning, its various ridges present their outlines so sharply that it seems as if they had been carved by a chisel into innumerable depressions and elevations. After one or two days sunshine, the snow disappears on the ridges, but remains in the valleys. The mountain then seems covered from summit to base with alternate bands of virgin white, and a blue more intense and beautiful than the immortal sky itself presents." There are a number of peaks noted for other reasons than their height. Kings Mountain lies on the border between North Carolina and South Carolina. On its top a famous battle was fought between the Whigs and the Tories during the Revolution. In Surry county is the well-known Pilot Mountain. Rising suddenly and abruptly above the sur-rounding country, it can be seen for a distance of many miles. For this reason it is called the "Pilot." A very interesting mountain is found in Watauga county. If you stand on the top of this mountain and toss a hat or handkerchief over the precipice a current of air which blows constantly from the valley will catch it and blow it back to where you stand. Hence this mountain is called "Blowing Rock." Such then is the Land of the Sky, where some of the most interesting and important events in our history have occurred, and whence have come some of North Carolina's most eminent sons. HISTORY IN THE NAMES OF THE COUNTIES. The mountainous region of North Carolina embraces six-teen counties. They are: Buncombe, Ashe, Haywood, Macon, Yancey, Henderson, Cherokee, Watauga, Jackson, Madison, Alleghany, Mitchell, Clay, Transylvania, Swain and Graham. Eight of these counties—Ashe, Haywood, Macon, Yancey, Henderson, Jackson, Swain and Graham — are named for distinguished native North Carolinians. Two—Buncombe and Mitchell—are named for men born elsewhere who spent their lives in North Carolina. Two Madison and Clay—are named for eminent American states-men of other states. Three—Cherokee, Watauga and Alle-ghany— are Indian names. One, Transylvania, is a fanciful name. Three—Ashe, Swain, Graham—bear the names of governors of North Carolina. Two—Jackson and Madi-son— are named for presidents of the United States. Three Ashe, Henderson, Swain—are named for North Carolina judges. Four are the names of United States senators Macon, Jackson, Graham and Clay. One, Mitchell, is the name of a great scholar, scientist and teacher. So it will be seen that a good deal of American history can be learned by studying the names of these mountain counties. BUNCOMBE. The oldest of these counties is Buncombe. It was formed in 1791. At first it embraced all the territory west of the Blue Eidge, and was so large that it was nicknamed the "State of Buncombe." Since then the following counties have been partially cut off from it: Haywood in 1808; Yancey in 1833 ; Henderson in 1838; Madison in 1851. Buncombe is now bounded as follows : On the north by Madi son and Yancey counties ; east by the Blue Bidge (which forms the dividing line between Buncombe and McDowell counties); south by Henderson county; west by the New Found mountains (which form the dividing line with Hay-wood county). The French Broad river, and the Swanna-noa, which are noted for their beauty, flow through the county. Mt. Pisgah is in the southern corner. 17 Buncombe was named for Colonel Edward Buncombe, a soldier of the Revolution. He was born in the West Indies in 1742, but was educated in England. In 1768 he came to North Carolina and settled in Tyrrell county. He built "Buncombe Hall/' a residence long noted for its hospitality. Over the door he wrote: " To Buncombe Hall Welcome all." During the Revolution he took the side of the Americans, and was made a Colonel of the Fifth North Carolina Regi-ment of Continentals. He was then ordered to go to Charles-ton, S. C, to defend that city against the British. The next year he marched North and joined Washington's army. His men fought bravely under Washington at the battles of Brandywine, September 11, 1777, and Germantown, October 4, 1777. At Germantown Colonel Buncombe was badly wounded and left on the field for dead. There he was found by an English officer, whom he had known at school in Eng-land, who carried him to Philadelphia where he nursed him. But Colonel Buncombe never recovered of his wound. He died in May, 1778. Asheville, the beautiful county seat of Buncombe, was named for Governor Samuel Ashe. Originally its name was Morristown. Three of North Carolina's most eminent men lived in Buncombe county—Thomas L. Clingman, a member of the United States Senate ; David L. Swain, Governor of North Carolina ; and Zebulon B. Vance, who was both Governor and Senator. ASHE. Ashe county was formed in 1799 from "that portion of Wilkes lying west of the extreme height of the Appalachian Mountains." Two counties have since been partially cut of? from Ashe; Watauga in 1849 and Alleghany in 1859. Ashe county is now bounded on the north by Virginia; on the east by Wilkes and Alleghany counties ; on the south by Watauga and Wilkes counties; and on the west by Stone Mountains (part of the Great Smokies which form the dividing line with Tennessee). The county was named in honor of Samuel Ashe, of New 2 18 Hanover county. He was born in 1725. His education was received at Harvard College, in Massachusetts. He studied law and settled at Wilmington. When the Revolution broke out he became one of the leading patriots of the colony. He was a member of the Committee of Safety at Wilmington, a committee of leading Whigs chosen to oppose the British. Later a Council of Safety consisting of thirteen leading Whigs, was chosen for the entire province. One of these was Samuel Ashe, who was elected the second President, and was thus in all but name Governor of the new State. He was also a member of the Provincial Congress in August, 1775, and in April, 1776. This Congress had supreme control of the Revolution in North Carolina. In November, 1776, a convention composed of leading Whigs from each county met at Halifax to write a Constitution and form a government for the independent State. Samuel Ashe was one of the mem-bers and helped to frame the new Constitution. He was then elected a Judge of the Superior Court, and held that office from 1777 to 1795. In 1795 he was elected Governor, was again elected in 1796, and again in 1797. In 1799 a new county was formed and named in his honor. The city of Asheville, "the fairest town in the western part of the State," also bears his name. He died in 1813. The county seat of Ashe county is Jefferson, named in honor of Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Inde-pendence and President of the United States. HAYWOOD. In 1808 a part of the "State of Buncombe" was cut off and formed into a new county, called Haywood, "in honor of the present Treasurer of this State." Six counties have been partly carved out of Haywood. They are: Macon in 1828; Cherokee in 1839; Jackson in 1851; Clay in 1861; Swain in 1871 ; and Graham in 1872. Haywood county is now bounded on the north by the Smoky Mountains (the dividing line with Tennessee) ; on the east by Madison, Bun-combe and Transylvania ; on the south by Transylvania and Jackson ; and on the west by Jackson and Swain. The Pigeon River, famed for its beauty, runs through the county. Some of the highest mountains and most beautiful scenery in North Carolina are in this county. 19 The county bears the name of John Haywood. He was born in Edgecombe county, February 23, 1755. He was well educated. For many years he served as a clerk in the Provincial Congress and in the Legislature. He became so popular that in 1787 the Legislature elected him Treasurer of North Carolina, and continued to reelect him to that im-portant office for forty years, until his death. Throughout his life he was always interested in education. He was one of the first trustees of the University of North Carolina, and was a member of the committee that located the University at Chapel Hill. He served on the Board of Trustees for nearly forty years. He also helped to establish the Ealeigb Academy, for many years a famous school at Raleigh. He was the first mayor of Raleigh, though the office was then called "Intendant of Police." There was never, perhaps, a more popular public official in the State than he. He died at Raleigh, November 18, 1827. The county seat of Haywood county is Waynesville. It is situated in one of the finest parts of the mountain section, surrounded by magnificent scenery. It bears the name of the famous Revolutionary general, Anthony Wayne, better known as "Mad Anthony Wayne," because of his great daring and contempt of danger. MACON. Macon county is one of Haywood's six daughters. It was born in the year 1828. Since then parts of it have been taken to form Cherokee in 1839, Jackson in 1851, and Swain in 1871. Swain and Graham counties lie on its north, Jackson on the east, Clay and the State of Georgia on the south, and Graham, Cherokee and Clay on the west. One of the most beautiful rivers in the mountains flows through this county. It is the Nantahala, which is the Cherokee word for "Maiden's Bosom." A famous place on the border of this county and Jackson is the "Devil's Court-house." It is an immense precipice, about a mile long, nearly eighteen hun-dred feet high, and shaped like part of a great circle. About halfway up its sides is an immense opening. This the Cherokee Indians said was the Devil's throne, where bad spirits are to hear the judgment pronounced against them. Nathaniel Macon, whose name the county bears, served North Carolina longer than any other man. He was born in 20 Warren county, December 17, 1757. He became a student at Princeton College in New Jersey, but did not remain long, leaving in 1777 to enter the Revolutionary army as a private. While he was away in the army fighting and with-out his knowledge he was elected a member of the Legislature. At first he said that he would not go because he "had often seen the faces of the British, but had never seen their backs, and he intended to stay until he did see them." But General jSTathanael Greene, who was in command, told him that he could do his country more good in the Legislature than in the army; so he went. He served five years in the Legis-lature. A few years later he was elected to the Congress of the United States where he remained for twenty-four years. Then the Legislature elected him to the United States Senate. He served in the Senate for thirteen years. Altogether he served the State and nation as a lawmaker for forty-two years. For {ive years he was the chief officer of Congress (called Speaker), and for two years the chief officer of the Senate (called the President). His public service covered a period of fifty-seven years. When he became seventy years old he gave up his office in the Senate because he said he was getting too old to stay any longer. In all his life he never recommended any person akin to him to a public office. One of his best friends was the famous John Randolph, of Roanoke, Virginia. In his will Randolph said of Macon: "He is the wisest, the purest, and the best man that I ever knew.'' In North Carolina a county and a town bear his name. The States of Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia have towns named Macon, which were either named for him or for other towns which were named for him. YANCEY. Yancey county was formed in 1833. It was cut off from Burke and Buncombe. Three counties have since been partly formed out of Yancey. They are: Watauga in 1849 ; Madi-son in 1851; and Mitchell in 1861. Yancey county is now bounded on the north by Mitchell county and the State of Tennessee ; on the east by Mitchell and McDowell counties on the south by McDowell and Madison; on the west by Madison and Buncombe counties and the Tennessee line. 21 Mt. Mitchell, the highest mountain in the eastern half of North America, is in Yancey county. It was named for Dr. Elisha Mitchell, a teacher in the University who explored it. Mt. Mitchell is a part of the Black Mountains which extend partly across this county. Yancey county contains eighteen mountain peaks that rise above 6,300 feet. These mountains are very fertile and are covered with great forests of gigantic trees. Cherry trees in Yancey often grow four feet, the walnut eight feet, and the poplar ten feet in diameter. The county was named for Bartlett Yancey, a native of Caswell county. He was educated at the University of North Carolina, studied law, and became eminent in his pro-fession. He was twice a member of the Congress of the United States, and eight times a member of the Senate of North Carolina. He was one of the first men in the State to favor public schools for all the people. The county seat of Yancey is Burnsville, named in honor of Capt. Otway Burns, of Beaufort, N. C. He won fame in the War of 1812 against England. With his vessel, the "Snap-Dragon," he sailed up and down the Atlantic coast, capturing many English vessels and destroying the British trade. He had many wild adventures, and his name became a terror to British merchants. Finally the English govern-ment sent a war vessel, called the "Leopard," to capture Captain Burns. The "Leopard" succeeded in capturing the "Snap-Dragon" while Captain Burns was on shore sick. After the war he was frequently a member of the Legislature. A monument to his memory was recently erected at Burns-ville. HENDERSON. Henderson county is a daughter of the "State of Bun-combe." It was formed in 1838. Henderson has two daughters, Polk formed in 1855 and Transylvania formed in 1861. Buncombe county is on the north of Henderson, Polk and Rutherford on the east, South Carolina on the south, and Transylvania on the west. The Blue Ridge Mountains intersect the county, and the Erench Broad River flows through it. The county bears the name of Leonard Henderson, Chief Justice of North Carolina. He was born October 6, 1772, on Nutbush Creek in Granville county. After receiving a 22 good education lie studied law. Soon afterwards he was elected a Judge of the Superior Court and served for eight years. He then resigned and went back to the practice of law. At Williamsboro, in Granville county, he established the first law school in North Carolina. In 1818 he was elected a Judge of the Supreme Court of North Carolina, and served for fifteen years. Part of this time he was Chief Justice. He died August 13, 1833. The county seat of Henderson county is Hendersonville, also named for Chief Justice Henderson. CHEROKEE. Cherokee county was formed in 1839, from Macon. In 1861 part of it was taken to form Clay county, and in 1872 part was given to Graham. Cherokee is the most western county in the State. "When we say "From Currituck to Cherokee'7 we mean the whole of North Carolina. Another expression meaning the same thing is "From Murphy to Manteo." (Murphy, the county seat of Cherokee is in the extreme west ; Manteo, the county seat of Dare, is in the ex-treme east.) Cherokee county is bounded on the north by the Unaka Mountains (part of the Great Smokies, which divide North Carolina from Tennessee) ; on the east by Clay and Macon counties ; on the south by Georgia ; on the west by Tennessee. The beautiful Hiwassee Kiver runs through the county. In the Cherokee language this river is called Ayuhwasi, which means a meadow. The county was named for the Cherokee Indians. Murphy the county seat was named in honor of Archibald D. Murphey. He was born in Caswell county, was educated at the University of North Carolina, studied law, and settled at Hillsboro. For seven years he was a member of the Senate of North Carolina. In 1818 he was elected a Judge of the Superior Court, and served two years. His greatest service was in the interest of public education. He suggested a plan for public schools that has earned for him the title of "Father of the Public Schools." No man in the history of North Carolina has a prouder title. WATAUGA. Watauga county was formed in 1849. It was made up of parts of Ashe, Wilkes, Caldwell and Yancey. Since then 23 part of it lias been cut off to form part of Mitchell county. Ashe counts and the State of. Tennessee bound it on the north; Wilkes and Caldwell on the east; Caldwell and Mitchell on the south ; and the Great Smokies (the Tennessee line) on the west. Blowing Rock is in this county. Watauga is an Indian name. Its meaning is not known. The county seat is Boone, named in honor of the famous hunter, Daniel Boone. Daniel Boone was born in Pennsyl-vania, but when he was only thirteen years old his parents moved into North Carolina and settled on Yadkin River. There Daniel Boone grew to manhood ; there he learned to love the silent woods, the birds, and the wild beasts ; there he became more skillful than any Indian with his rifle there he found his wife and built his first log cabin ; and there he settled down to the quiet life of a pioneer farmer. But the quiet life of a farmer did not suit the adventurous hunter. He liked the vast forests better than the peaceful fireside ; and sought the hiding places of the panther and the bear and the deer rather than the rustling cornfield. He was a match for any Indian in his knowledge of the pathless woods, and he usually dressed like an Indian. He wore a fur cap ; his hunting-shirt and breeches were made of the skins of wild animals ; and on his feet were Indian moccasins. In a leather belt around his waist he carried a tomahawk, a hunting-knife, a powder-horn, and a bullet-pouch. Over his shoulder was flung his trusty rifle, which never missed its aim. Daniel Boone soon grew tired of his quiet life on the Yadkin. He often looked at the great mountain wall away to the west and wondered what sort of country lay beyond it. Finally he made up his mind to go and find out, and flinging his rifle over his shoulder he started for the un-broken wilderness across the mountains. On the banks of Watauga River in the eastern part of Tennessee he made his camp, and on a beech tree near by left this record: "D. Boone cilled a bar on [this] tree in the year 1760." He afterwards returned to North Carolina, but nine years later went still further into the wild woods. He was fol-lowed by his own family and several other hunters, and they made a little settlement called Boones.boro on the banks of Kentucky River. They had many wild adventures with the Indians, who tried to drive them away. But Daniel Boone 24 got the best of them and became the founder of the great State of Kentucky. When the Revolution broke out, Boone and his followers did patriotic service for their country. JACKSON. •Jackson county was formed in 1851, from Haywood and Macon. In 1861 part of it was taken to make Transylvania, and ten years later another part was cut off to go into Swain. Swain and Haywood now bound it on the north, Haywood and Transylvania on the east, South Carolina and Georgia on the south, and Macon and Swain on the west. Tuckasegee River flows through the county. The county was named in honor of the most distinguished man ever born in North Carolina, Andrew Jackson. He was born in the Waxhaw settlement, North Carolina, March 15, 1767. He had but little education. As a boy he served in the Revolution. After the war he studied law at Salis-bury, North Carolina, where he lived for a while. In 1788 he was appointed solicitor for Western North Carolina (the district which is now the State of Tennessee), and moved to Nashville. In 1796, he helped frame the Constitution for the new State of Tennessee. He afterwards became a member of Congress, United States Senator, and Supreme Court Judge in Tennessee. He was also a General of the militia. In the War of 1812, against England, he was a Major-General in the United States army. He defeated the Creek Indians, who were helping the British, at the great battle of Horseshoe Bend; conquered Florida (which then belonged to Spain) ; and on January 8, 1815, won the great battle of New Orleans against the British. From 1823 to 1825 he was again in the United States Senate, and in 1828 he was elected President of the United States. He served two terms, from 1829 to 1837. June 8, 1845, he died at his home, the Hermitage, near Nashville, Tenn. He was popu-larly known as "Old Hickory." MADISON. Madison county was formed in 1851 from Buncombe and Yancey. It is bounded on the north by the Great Smokies (the Tennessee dividing line) ; on the east by Yancey and Buncombe counties ; on the south by Buncombe and Hay-wood counties ; and on the west by Haywood and the Great Smokies. 25 The French Broad River rims through it. Like Yancey county, it is noted for its gigantic trees. The county was named for James Madison, a famous statesman of Virginia. He was for several years a member of Congress, and in 1808 was elected President of the United States. He served two terms, and was President during our second war with England, 1812-1815. ALLEGHANY. Alleghany county was formed in 1859. It was taken from Ashe. The northern boundary is the Virginia line. Surry county bounds it on the east ; on the south the Blue Ridge divides it from Wilkes ; Ashe county lies on the west. Alleghany is an Indian name. The meaning is unknown. MITCHELL. Mitchell county was formed in 1861. Parts of five counties were used in making Mitchell. They were Watauga, Caldwell, Burke, McDowell and Yancey. These counties in the order named, together with the Great Smokies on the north, bound Mitchell on the north, east, south and west. The county lies between the Blue Ridge on the south, and the Roan and Iron mountains on the north. The Roan Moun-tain rises to a height of 6,334 feet. The county gets its name from Dr. Elisha Mitchell, a dis-tinguished teacher in the University of IsTorth Carolina. Dr. Mitchell was born in Connecticut, August 19, 1793. He was educated at Yale College. He afterwards entered the ministry. In 1847 he was appointed professor of mathe-matics in the University of JSTorth Carolina, serving until 1825, when he was made professor of chemistry. He also became interested in the geology of I^orth Carolina, and pointed out the fact that the highest mountain peaks east of the Rockies were in this State. With great difficulty, pain and bravery, he climbed to the top of Black Mountain to measure it, and prove his statement. Afterwards in 1857, his statement being disputed, he again climbed to the top, and again measured its height. While on this expedition he fell from a tall cliff, forty feet high, and was killed. Several days later his body was found lying at the bottom of a deep pool of water. It was carried to Asheville and buried, but afterwards it was taken up aud reburied on the top of Black 26 Mountain, which was afterwards to be called in his honor, Mt. Mitchell. A small monument has been erected on top of the mountain to his memory. CLAY. Clay county was formed from Cherokee in 1861. Chero-kee and Macon bound it on the north; Macon on the east; the State of Georgia on the south ; and its mother, Cherokee, on the west. The beautiful Hiwassee River flows through the county. It bears the name of Henry Clay, a famous American orator and statesman. He was born in Virginia, April 12, 1777. His education was very limited. In 1797 he moved to Kentucky to practice law. He was frequently a member of the Kentucky Legislature, of the Congress of the United States, and of the United States Senate. From 1825 to 1829 he was Secretary of State of the United States. He was twice nominated for President of the United States, and each time was defeated by a North Carolinian; in 1832 by Andrew Jackson, and in 1844 by James K. Polk. He was one of the most eloquent of American orators. His death occurred at Washington June 29, 1852. TRANSYLVANIA. Transylvania county was formed the same year with Clay, 1861. It was taken from Henderson and Jackson. Transyl-vania is triangular in shape. It northern point is Mt. Pisgah, where the lines of Transylvania, Buncombe, Haywood and Henderson meet. On the east lies Henderson ; on the south, South Carolina ; on the west, Jackson and Haywood. Along its whole southern border runs the Blue Ridge in its most massive and imposing form. The scenery and the climate of the county make it a famous health resort. Transylvania is made up of two Latin words, trans, across, sylva, woods. It means "on the other side of the forests." The county seat, Brevard, is the name of a famous patriot, Ephraim Brevard, of the Revolution. He was one of the leaders in Mecklenburg county, who helped to win for Char-lotte the name, "The Hornets' Nest" of the Revolution. SWAIN. Swain countv was cut off from Jackson and Macon in 1871. The Great Smokies run along its northern line, divid-ing it from Tennessee; on the east the Balsam Mountains divide Swain from Haywood county ; on the south are Jack-son and Macon ; and on the west the Little Tennessee River makes the dividing line with Graham. In Swain the Great Smoky Mountains reach their highest point in Clingman's Dome, rising to a height of 6,660 feet. The Little Tennessee, the Tuckasegee, the Nantahala and Ocona Luftee rivers flow through the county. The scenery is magnificent. The county bears the name of David L. Swain, twice Governor of North Carolina, and for many years President of the University. (See page 52.) GRAHAM. Graham county is one year younger than Swain. It was formed in 1872 from Cherokee. On the north the Little Tennessee River divides it from Swain ; on the east are Swain and Macon counties ; on the south is Cherokee ; and on the west the Great Smokies divide it from Tennessee. In what is now Graham county was the home of the famous Cherokee chief, Tsunulahunski, whom the whites called Junaluska. The Junaluska Mountains near Waynes-ville are named for him. In early life he was known as Gulkalaski. But when war broke out between the whites and the Creek Indians, the Cherokees, who were bitter enemies of the Creeks, sided with the whites. Gulkalaski raised a party of warriors and went against the Creeks. He boasted that he would destroy them. But he failed. So when he re-turned to the Cherokees he announced the result in a single word which meant, "I tried, but could not." After that he was known as Tsunulahunski, or Junaluska, which means "One who tries, but fails." Afterwards he joined Gen. Andrew Jackson's expedition against the Creeks, and was in the great battle of Horseshoe Bend. In that battle, by aid of Juna-luska, Jackson gave the Creeks a pretty bad beating. When Jackson was President of the United States he required the larger part of the Cherokees to move out to Indian Terri-tory. Junaluska often said: "If I had known that Jackson would drive us from our homes, I would have killed him that day at the Horseshoe." Junaluska went with the other Indians to Indian Territory in 1838, but afterwards re-turned to North Carolina. He was allowed to remain because 28 of his services at the battle of Horseshoe Bend. In 1847 the State of North Carolina, by an act of the Legislature, gave him a large tract of land in what is now Graham county. There he died about 1858, and was buried near the town of Robbinsville. A monument has recently been erected over his grave. Graham county was named in honor of William A. Gra-ham, who was born in Lincoln county September 5, 1804. He was graduated from the University in 1824, studied law, and settled at Hillsboro. Eight times he was elected to the Legislature. In 1840 the Legislature elected him to the United States Senate. When he returned to North Carolina in 1834, he was elected Governor. He served two terms, or four years as Governor. He was interested in building good roads, railroads and public schools, a school for the deaf and dumb, and an asylum for the insane. After leaving the Governor's office he became Secretary of the Navy of the United States. In 1852 he was nominated for Vice-Presi-dent of the United States, but was not elected. After North Carolina withdrew from the United States and joined the Confederate States, Graham was elected a member of the Confederate States Senate. After many years of great ser-vice to the State, he died August 11, 1875. INDIAN NAMES. Ye say they all have passed away, The race of Indian braves; That their light canoes have vanished From off our crested waves That ?mid the forests where they roamed There rings no hunter's shout; Yet their names are on our waters Ye can not wash them out. Their memory liveth on our hills, Their baptism on our shore Our everlasting rivers speak Their dialect of yore. 'Tis heard where Swannanoa pours Its crystal tide along It sounds on Nantahala's shores, And Yadkin swells the song ; Wher'er the lordly Roanoke sweeps The Indian name remains; And swift Catawba proudly keeps The echo of its strains. -Adapted by Mrs. C. P. Spencer from K. P. Battle. THE CHEROKEE INDIANS IN THE REVOLUTION. The white men who first explored the mountain region of North Carolina found it occupied by a nation of Indians called the Cherokee. This name was given to them by the white man, but the name by which they called themselves was Yunwiya, which means "real people," or "principal people." The word Cherokee has no meaning in their lan-guage. The Cherokees were the mountaineers of the South. They held a territory 40,000 square miles in area, in the mountainous region of what is now the States of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee. Their principal towns were on the Savannah, the Hiwassee, the Tuskasegee, and the Little Tennessee rivers. A traveler who visited the Cherokee just before the Kevo-lution, tells us that their warriors were "tall, erect, and mod-erately robust, their limbs well shaped, so as generally to form a perfect human figure; their features regular, and countenance open, dignified and placid; yet the forehead and brow so formed as to strike you instantly with heroism and bravery ; the eye though rather small, yet active and full of fire ; the pupil always black, and the nose inclining to the aquiline. Their countenance and actions exhibit an air of magnanimity, superiority and independence. Their com-plexion of a reddish-brown or copper color; their hair long, lank, coarse, and black as a raven, and reflecting the like luster at different exposures to the light. * * * The Cherokee are * * * by far the largest race of men I have seen and their complexions brighter and somewhat of the olive cast, especially the adults ; and some of their young women are nearly as fair and blooming as European women." "The women of the Cherokees are tall, slender, erect and of a delicate frame, their features formed with perfect symmetry, their countenance cheerful and friendly, and they move with a becoming grace." "The Cherokees in their dispositions and manners are grave and steady; dignified and circumspect in their deport-ment ; rather slow and reserved in conversation ; yet frank, 31 cheerful and humane ; tenacious of the liberties and natural rights of men; secret, deliberate and determined in their councils; honest, just and liberal, and are ready always to sacrifice every pleasure and gratification, even their blood, and life itself, to defend their territory and maintain their rights." The known history of the Cherokee Indians begins with the year 1540. In May of that year, a party of Spanish explorers under the famous leader De Soto, entered their ter-ritory in their search for gold. They were the first white men to come in contact with the Cherokee. Other Spanish explorers followed from time to time, but more than a hun-dred years passed before the English had any relations with them. In 1654 a great body of Cherokee warriors invaded Virginia, fought a great battle with the white settlers, and defeated them. After this there was constant warfare be-tween the Cherokee and the English settlers. When the French and Indian War broke out, the English sent a great expedition against the Indians of Western North Carolina. The soldiers inarched against the Cherokee towns, and in a great battle in what is now Macon county, gave the Indians a pretty severe beating. In this war the Indians and their French friends were de-feated. The French had to surrender to the English the lands they claimed beyond the mountains. The war and the troubles with the Indians had prevented many of the Eng-lish settlers from settling in the West. But as soon as peace was declared, the whites began to seek new homes there. They cleared the woods and built their cabins on the frontier, until the English settlements stretched all the way to the mountains. A few, bolder than their fellows, even pushed across the mountains and made their camps along the river banks in what is now the State of Tennessee. The Indians were greatly alarmed at this. They saw their lands gradually taken from them, the forests cleared for settlements, and the game driven from their hunting grounds. The white man's cabin was rapidly taking the place of the red man's wigwams, and the red man saw that he must surrender or fight. He decided to fight, and he fought desperately, as only the American Indian knew how to fight. So when the Revolution began, the Cherokee Indians were on hostile terms with the Americans. The King, therefore, 32 sent British officers among them, with clothes, guns, hatchets, hunting-knives, and other presents, to win thern to his side, against the settlers. The Indians were only too ready to join anybody who would help them fight their nearest ene-mies. The King, they said, was their "Great White Father beyond the Water," and they must help him against his ene-mies. So when war began between the Americans and the British, the Indians joined the British, and the patriots had to fight the British on the coast and the Indians in the moun-tains at the same time. In 1776, a great British army was sent against North Carolina and South Carolina. The King planned that while his soldiers were burning the towns and killing the people on the coast, the Indians should be doing the same thing among the mountains. The Americans then would have two ene-mies attacking them at the same time. A bloody Indian war followed in the usual Indian fashion. Houses and barns were burned, and crops destroyed. The Indians spared neither old nor young, men nor women. Old men and young babies fell beneath their bloody tomahawks. The whole mountain region was soon in a state of terror and desolation. Nothing else that the British King did throughout the war made the Americans hate him so intensely as his arming the merciless savages and setting them on their unprotected frontier. North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina hastened to raise armies to send against the Cherokees. The largest army ever sent against this tribe was the North Carolina army of 2,400 soldiers led by Gen. Griffith Rutherford. General Rutherford collected his men at Davidson's Fort, where Old Fort is now in McDowell County, in the fall of 1776. They crossed the Blue Ridge through Swannanoa Gap ; marched down the Swannanoa to the French Broad crossed that river a little below where Asheville now stands; marched over the mountain ridge to the Pigeon Biver; then across the mountains to Scott's Creek, and marched down that creek to the Tuckasegee Biver ; then down the main trail to the Cherokee town, Stekoa, in what is now Swain county. The army had gathered in what is now McDowell, marched across Buncombe, Haywood, Jackson, Swain, Macon and Cherokee counties, almost along the same route now followed by the Southern Railroad. What a terrible journey they 33 had ! Their route lay through a rugged country, covered with boundless forests, steep mountains, and rushing streams. There were neither roads nor bridges. Yet the soldiers marched rapidly, and were upon the Indians almost before the latter knew they were near. The Indians fled, and the soldiers began their bloody work of vengeance. General Rutherford's men burned thirty-six Indian towns, destroyed their crops, and killed many of their warriors. The poor Indians fled with their women and children to the recesses of the Great Smokies, leaving their fields in ruin and their towns in ashes. At the same time the Virginia and South Carolina troops were destroying other parts of their settlements. This expedition was the severest blow ever struck the Cherokee. More than fifty of their towns were destroyed; their orchards cut down; their fields wasted; their cattle and horses killed or driven off; their property plundered. Hundreds of their people were killed, or starved. Others were made prisoners, and some were sold into slavery. Those who escaped fled to the mountains, and lived upon acorns, chestnuts, and wild game, or sought refuge among the British. From the Virginia line to the Chatta-hoochee River in Georgia, the destruction was complete. The Indians were compelled to beg for peace. A treaty was signed July 20, 1777. The Indians surren-dered all their territory east of the Blue Ridge, together with that on the Watauga, the Nolichucky, the Holston, and the New rivers in what is now Tennessee. That territory then belonged to North Carolina. But a part of the Cherokee nation refused to join in this treaty. A great chief called aDragging-Canoe," declared that he would never give up to the men who had taken his hunting-grounds. Gathering several hundred of the most warlike warriors around him, he made a new settlement, called Chickamauga, on the Tennessee River. These In-dians were after called Chickamaugas. They at once began a never-ceasing warfare against the white settlers, and long kept the frontier in terror. In 1779, 300 warriors from Chickamauga started on a march against the back settlements of North Carolina. But without a day's delay, North Caro-lina and Virginia sent a strong force to meet them. They caught the Indians by surprise, and defeated them. In 1779 the British sent another army to conquer the 34 Southern States. Again they expected to receive help from the Indians. So while the Americans were fighting the British on the coast, there was constant fighting between the whites and the Indians in the mountains. Finally Col. John Sevier determined to strike a sudden blow that would put an end to the troubles. In 1781, with a body of picked horsemen, he started across the Great Smokies on a trail never attempted before by white men. In some places the route was so rough and rugged that it was hardly possible to lead horses. Near where Webster now stands, in Jackson county, was the Indian town of Tuckese-gee. Sevier surprised the Indians, and destroyed their town. Five other towns near by were burned, many prisoners cap-tured, and warriors killed. Sevier and his men then got away so quick that the Indians could not make an attack. The whites lost only one man. Soon after this, the Revolution was over. The Americans had won. The Indians were so worn out that they could not continue the fight alone. They had played an important part in the war. If the Indians had been at peace with the Americans, the mountain men could have left their homes and gone to help their eastern friends. As it was they had important work to do at home and could send no aid against the British. But one impor-tant battle they did fight, at Kings Mountain. Except for this their best fighting in the Revolution was done against the Indians. The seven long years of war, reduced the Indians, to great misery. Over and over again their towns had been burned, their fields wasted. Their best warriors had been killed, their women and children almost starved. So in 1783 they were glad to make peace. After that, the State of North Carolina sent an agent among them to look out for their needs. A few years later they were taken under the protec-tion of the United States. Several years after the Revolution, the greater part of the Cherokee nation was removed to the west of the Mississippi River, and given lands in Indian Territory. But a small part of the tribe held to their hunting grounds in North Carolina where their descendants are still living. KINGS MOUNTAIN BOYS. After General Rutherford beat the Cherokee Indians in 1776, four years passed before there was any more important fighting in North Carolina. During these years North Caro-lina soldiers were in Washington's army fighting the British in the North. After several years of hard fighting the British found that they could not beat Washington so they decided to send another army south to conquer the Southern States. After much hard fighting Georgia and South Caro-lina were overrun by the British, and then their general. Lord Cornwallis, prepared to march into North Carolina. He sent word to the Tories to get ready to join his army, for he was coming soon. In September, 1780, he set out from South Carolina, to march to Charlotte, in North Carolina. But the people of North Carolina were not very glad to see him, and they shot down the British soldiers at every chance. It seemed to the British that an American soldier was behind every bush and rock and fence. If a party left the main army to look for food, they were attacked from every side by men whom they could not see. If Lord Cornwallis sent a mes-senger anywhere, he was sure to be shot down. The British officers said that Mecklenburg county was the most rebellious county in America, and that the "rebels" swarmed around them like hornets. So they called Charlotte the "Hornets' Nest." Lord Cornwallis had not been long at the "Hornets' Nest" when he heard news that sent him flying back to South Caro-lina. Before leaving that State he had sent Maj. Patrick Ferguson, one of his best officers, on a trip to the western parts of North Carolina and South Carolina, to raise an army of Tories, and to frighten the Whigs of the mountains so they would not send any help to the Americans around Charlotte. So Ferguson sent a message to the mountain men that if any of them marched against the British he would cross the moun-tains, burn their homes and destroy their settlements. But the men who were not afraid to build their homes among the bears, and the wolves, and the panthers, and the Indians, were not the kind of men to be frightened at a threat from a 36 British major. Ferguson's message only made them angry, and they decided to make him pay for it. Messengers were sent all through the mountains calling on the people to rise up in defense of their homes. Old men and young boys, hunters and farmers, snatched their long rifles and hurried to the meeting place. More than one thousand of these fearless pioneers gathered at Sycamore Shoals on Watauga River. There were 400 Virginians under Colonel Campbell; 500 North Carolinians under Col. Isaac Shelby and Col. John Sevier; and 160 North Carolinians under Col. Joseph McDowell. Later they were joined by Col. Benjamin Cleveland, of North Carolina, and Col. James Williams, of South Carolina, with 400 men each. These officers then met and chose Colonel Campbell for their leader. Then Colonel Shelby spoke to the men. He told them where they were going and what they were going to do. They were going after Ferguson and his Tories who had dared to come into their mountains and threaten them for fighting for their freedom. If there was any man who was not willing to go on such an expedition he had better go back home. But not a man left. Then Colonel Shelby told them that each man must do his own fighting, and when they met the British to give them "Indian play." After this speech they all shouted that they were ready to go to catch Ferguson. What a strange looking army they made ! There were no bright uniforms, nor flying flags, nor beating drums. Their only uniforms were coonskin caps, buckskin shirts, and fringed leggings. There were neither tents nor baggage their only cover at night was the starry sky, and their food was a pocketful of parched corn. Only a few of the officers had swords. But every man rode a good horse, and had a knife, a tomahawk, and a rifle; and they knew how to use them. There was mauy a hunter in that little army who could knock a squirrel from a limb as far as he could see him. They were as fleet as deer ; as bold as the bears on their moun-tainsides ; and as keen as Indians after a trail. Nearly every man of them had been in battles with the Indians and knew how to fight "Indian fashion." When Ferguson heard of this strange army he made fun of them and called them a "crowd of dirty mongrels." Still, 37 he thought he had better get out of their way, so he hurried to seek safety on the top of Kings Mountain. This mountain is on the line between North Carolina and South Carolina. Ferguson pitched his camp on the South Carolina side, and there felt so safe that he swore all the rebels in the world could not drive him off. But the men in the patriots' army were used to climbing mountains. Following close on Ferguson's heels, they reached Kings Mountain October 7, and at once rushed up the mountainsides to attack him. As they advanced they gave the British ''Indian play," and from behind every rock and tree and shrub poured a hot fire into their ranks. Ferguson and his men fought bravely, but they fought in vain. They fell by the dozens, and finally Ferguson himself, struck by a half dozen bullets, fell dead from his horse. Then all the rest gave up and became the prisoners of the "crowd of dirty mongrels." The Americans killed nearly 400 of their ene-mies, and captured over 700, besides thousands of guns and pistols. Only 28 of their own men were killed, and 60 wounded. It was a glorious victory ! Such a victory had not been won in the South since the battle of Moore's Creek Bridge, nearly five years before. A whole British army had been destroyed or captured. One of Cornwallis's best officers had been killed. Thousands of Tories who had been waiting to join the British army if Ferguson won, returned to their homes, put their rifles in the racks again, and left Lord Corn-wallis to fight his own battles. And what gloomy news it all was to Lord Cornwallis at Charlotte ! He could not understand how it happened. Where did all those "hornets" come from \ How many were there ? What were they going to do next \ Maybe they were already marching against him at Charlotte ! Fright-ened at this thought, the British general ordered his army out of Charlotte in great haste and disorder, and fled to South Carolina for safety. But the Kings Mountain Boys thought no more of Lord Cornwallis. After their victory, they returned to their moun-tain homes, kissed their wives and children, hung their rifles again in the racks over the great fireplaces and went quietly to work. They had done what they went out to do, and had done it well. They had beaten their haughty enemy. They 38 had won an important victory. They had saved the State. And yet, they did not even know that they were heroes ! But real heroes they were, and on top of the ridge, just where they won their battle, there now stands a great monument erected by the American people to "Kings Mountain and its Heroes." HEROES OF KINGS MOUNTAIN. The boy who grew up on the frontier of North Carolina before the Revolution became used to danger and hardship. His home was surrounded by great forests. The bear and the wolf, the panther and the wildcat, prowled almost up to his very door. When he went to sleep at night he was never certain that he would not be waked before morning by the glare from his burning house and the wild war-whoops of painted savages. His life was full of adventures and hair-breadth escapes. It was a life calling for steady nerves, quick sight, presence of mind, and hardiness of body. The man who lived that life must be keen on the trail, whether of man or beast. He must be a trapper, a hunter, a fighter, and in order to succeed, he had to do these things better than any-body else. The boy learned but little out of books, he learned much about the woods and the streams, the birds and the beasts, and he had to know all the tricks of the Indian. To shoot straight, to hit hard, were among his first lessons. Such was the early training of Benjamin Cleveland, Isaac Shelby, John Sevier, and the other heroes of Kings Mountain. In this school they learned those lessons which they put into practice so well when they were called to the defense of their country in the Revolution. BENJAMIN CLEVELAND. Benjamin Cleveland was born in Virginia, May 26, 1738. He grew to manhood in the backwoods of Virginia and North Carolina, and when he was thirty-one years old, he came to North Carolina to live. For his home he selected a beautiful spot in what is now Wilkes county. There as the serious business of life, he farmed, raised stock, and hunted Indians. Horse-racing, hunting and fishing were his favorite amuse-ments. Upon the outbreak of the Revolution he became an ardent Whig. There were many Tories on the frontier and the fighting between them and the Whigs was bitter and bloody. Many cruel deeds were done by both, which we shudder to 40 think about. Cleveland was one of the most active, and it must be admitted, one of the most cruel Whigs on the border. To his friends he was one of the kindest of men ; but to his enemies, and the enemies of his country, his name soon be-came a terror all along the border. His soldiers were proud of him as their leader. They admired his p;ood humor, his hearty greeting and his reckless courage. He weighed over three hundred pounds and his men called him "Old Round-about." They called themselves "Cleveland's Bull-dogs" but the Tories called them "Cleveland's Devils." In the summer of~ 1776 Cleveland was a captain in Ruther-ford's expedition against the Cherokee Indians. For his great bravery and activity he was made a colonel. He ren-dered great service in suppressing the Tory bands who scoured the frontier, plundering the Whigs, burning their houses and destroying their crops. He even marched as far south as Georgia and took part in the war against the British there. But his greatest service was in the Kings Mountain cam-paign. When the news came that Ferguson was invading the mountains, Colonel Cleveland raised a regiment of 400 Surry and Wilkes county men and hastened to encounter him. He soon joined Shelby, Sevier and the Virginians under Colonel Campbell. Just before they met the British, these leaders drew up their men in line, and Cleveland riding up in front of them took off his cap, and said "Now, my brave boys, I have come to tell you the news. The enemy are close at hand. We must go for them. Now is the time for every man of you to do your country a great service. When the pinch comes I will be with you. But we don't want anybody to go who wants to turn back. We don't want any cowards or any skulking. If you are afraid to share in the battle and in the glory, now is the time to back out. So if any man wants to go back, he can now take three steps to the rear." This would have been "backing out," indeed. But Cleveland knew his men; not a one "backed out," but all cried out for him to lead them against the enemy. When they reached the enemy, no regiment did better fighting than "Cleveland's Bull-dogs." After the Revolution Cleveland spent the rest of his life quietly. He grew so fat that he weighed over 450 pounds and could not get about easily. Full of wit and humor, he 41 loved a good story and a good fellow, and amnsed himself as lie sat on his porch cracking jokes with passers by. He died while sitting at the breakfast table, in October, 1806. The State of North Carolina has named a county in his honor. ISAAC SHELBY. Isaac Shelby was born in Maryland, December 11, 1750. He was so constantly engaged in the Indian wars of that period that, like Colonel Cleveland, he received only a limited education. When he was twenty-one years old, his father sent him beyond the Alleghanies to engage in stock raising. In 1774, he was appointed a lieutenant in the militia, and served with distinction against the Indians. During 1775 and 1776 he explored the wilds of Kentucky, which was then a part of Virginia. While he was engaged in this. work, the Revolution broke out, and Gov. Patrick Henry, of Virginia, appointed Shelby a captain in the Whig army. Later he was appointed to extend the boundary line between North Caro-lina and Virginia, westward, between what is now Tennessee and Kentucky, and then it was found that his home was not in Virginia, but in North Carolina. Governor Caswell, of North Carolina, at once appointed him a colonel in Sullivan county, in what is now Tennessee. In the summer of 1780, a message reached Colonel Shelby from Colonel McDowell, of Burke county, telling him of Ferguson's expedition. He promptly raised 250 horsemen, all of whom were crack shots, and hurried across the moun-tains to join in the campaign against Ferguson and his Tories. He soon met Cleveland, Sevier, and the other lead-ers, and they started together on their march to Kings Moun-tain. After the men had heard Cleveland's speech, and none of them "backed out," Shelby rode up in front and said "I am heartily glad to see you so determined to meet your enemy and fight them. When we meet them, don't wait for the word of command. Let each man be his own officer, and do the best he can. If we fight in the woods, give them Indian play. Advance from tree to tree, and pour your shots into them. Your officers will shrink from no clanger, but will be right along with you. Come on then, my boys, and let's go after Ferguson !" These remarks were answered with cheers ; and they went after Ferguson, sure enough. The Legislature of North 42 Carolina gave Colonel Shelby a vote of thanks for his great services, and ordered that a handsome sword be presented to him by the State. After the battle of Kings Mountain, Colonel Shelby was active against the Indians. When the war was over he moved to Kentucky, and settled at Boonesborough, the town founded by Daniel Boone. In 1791 he attended a meeting with the Cherokee Indians to make a treaty of peace. But the Indians were surly and stubborn. Finally Colonel Shelby said boldly: "There are a thousand horsemen in Kentucky, with their horses all shod and their rifles ready to march against you, if you do not consent to peace." The Cherokee chiefs shook their heads, and said: "Too many, too many," and agreed to a treaty. Colonel Shelby took an active part in founding the new State of Kentucky, and after the constitution was adopted, he was chosen the first governor. He served as governor four years. When the second war broke out with England in 1.812 he was again elected governor and bent all his ener-gies to help win the victory for the United States. In 1813 he led the Kentucky troops on the expedition against the British in Canada, and was in the battle of the Thames where the Americans won the victory. For this service the Congress of the United States voted him a gold medal in the name of the people of the United States. In 1818 President Monroe appointed him Secretary of War for the United States, but he declined on account of his age. Two years later he was stricken with paralysis, but lived six years longer. He died July 18, 1826. The town of Shelby, in Cleveland county, North Carolina, was named in his honor. JOHN" SEVIER. On the 23d day of September, 1745, in the Valley of Vir-ginia, John Sevier was born. When he was ten years old, war broke out with the Indians, and John Sevier's home was burned by them. From that time there were constant trou-bles with the Indians, and John Sevier grew up to be one of the most famous Indian fighters on the frontier. It is said that he beat the Indians in thirty-five battles. During one of the Indian wars in the settlements on the Watauga and Nolichucky rivers, now in Tennessee, but then 43 in North Carolina, the white people took refuge in a fort. One day when no Indians were in sight, several of the girls ventured outside. Suddenly a cry was heard from the fort "The Indians! the Indians! Run, run for your lives!" The frightened girls sprang over the ground like deer, and all got safely through the gate but one. When this girl saw that she could not reach the gate in time to get in, she ran to another part of the fort, and scrambling over the high wall, fell into the arms of one of the fighters. Her name was Catherine Sherrill, but her friends called her "Bonnie Kate." The man who caught her was John Sevier, but his friends called him "Nolichueky Jack." A few years later "Bonnie Kate" became the wife of "Nolichueky Jack." John Sevier moved from Virginia to the Watauga settle-ment when he was twenty-seven years old. He soon became one of the leaders in the new country, and in 1776 was elected to the North Carolina Provincial Congress. The settlement was then called the "District of Washington." Like Cleve-land and Shelby, he saw a great deal of fighting with the Indians, and like them he led his brave fellows to Kings Mountain against Ferguson. As a reward for his services in this battle the Legislature of North Carolina gave him a handsome sword. After the Revolution the people of the Washington District became discontented with the State of North Carolina. Then Sevier and other leaders tried to establish a new Sta£e called Franklin. They elected John Sevier governor. But North Carolina declared that Sevier and his followers had no right to establish a new State, and were in rebellion against the State of North Carolina. So "Nolichucky Jack" was ar-rested as a rebel, taken to Morganton and put in prison to wait for trial. But "Bonnie Kate" and her friends determined to rescue him. So a small party rode all the way from Franklin to Morganton, bringing with them Sevier's fleet horse, for him to escape on. A great crowd was in the court-house when they entered quietly. Nobody suspected what they were up to, for nobody knew them except Sevier. Suddenly their leader, pointing at Sevier, exclaimed in a loud voice to the Judge, "When are you going to let that man go?" Every-body jumped in confusion, and before the Sheriff could stop him, Sevier was out of the door, on his horse, and away to the 44 mountains as fast as the wind. It was of no use to try to catch him; perhaps the people, who remembered his great service at Kings Mountain, did not want him caught. Any-how after a fast ride "Nolichucky Jack" was soon over the mountains kissing his wife "Bonnie Kate/' who was glad enough to see him again. He' was never tried for rebellion, for the Legislature of North Carolina passed a law that he should be forgiven and go free. Afterwards when the State of Tennessee was established, the people again chose "Nolichucky Jack" to be their gov-ernor. They elected him governor six times, and three times elected him to the Congress of the United States. When he died at seventy years of age, he had been a leader of the pioneers of Tennessee for more than forty years. No two persons in Tennessee were more popular than "Nolichucky Jack" and his brave little wife, "Bonnie Kate." HO! FOR CAROLMA! BY WILLIAM B. HARRELL. Let no heart in sorrow weep for other days Let no idle dreamer tell in melting lays Of the merry meetings in the rosy bowers ; For there is no land on earth like this fair land of ours CHORUS. Ho ! for Carolina ! that's the land for me In her happy borders roam the brave and free And her bright-eyed daughters none can fairer be Oh ! it is a land of love and sweet liberty ! Down in Carolina grows the lofty pine, And her groves and forests bear the scented vine Here are peaceful homes, too, nestling 'mid the flowers. Oh ! there is no land on earth like this fair land of ours Ho ! for Carolina ! etc. Come to Carolina in the summer-time, When the luscious fruits are hanging in their prime, And the maidens singing in the leafy bowers Oh ! there is no land on earth like this fair land of ours ! Ho ! for Carolina ! etc. Then, for Carolina, brave and free, and strong, Sound the meed of praises "in story and in song" From her vertile vales and lofty granite towers, For there is no land on earth like this fair land of ours CHORUS. Ho ! for Carolina ! that's the land for me In her happy borders roam the brave and free And her bright-eyed daughters none can fairer be Oh ! it is a land of love and sweet liberty JAMES ROBERTSON AND THE WESTERN SETTLE-MENTS. The founder of the great State of Tennessee, the daughter of North Carolina, was James Robertson, a famous pioneer. He was born in Virginia, but when he was eight years old his father moved to North Carolina, and there James Rob-ertson grew up to be "a cool, brave, sweet-natured man." When he was only seventeen years old, he followed the great hunter, Daniel Boone, on one of his expeditions across the Alleghanies. The beauty of the country made a deep impres-sion on him. He explored the valley of the Watauga River, and resolved to make his home there. So upon his return to the settlements of North Carolina, he persuaded several families to go with him to the Watauga Valley. A long, tiresome journey lay before them. "The men led the way and often had to clear a road with their axes. Behind the axemen went a mixed procession of women, children, dogs, cows, and pack-horses loaded with kettles and beds. Up the valley of the Yadkin these homeseekers made their slow way. Through the dark tangles and across the cold streams of the Blue Ridge Mountains, they pushed farther west. The gaps of the tall peaks of the Smoky Moun-tains opened a way for them. After threading the gorges of the mountains, they found themselves in the beautiful valley of the Watauga River, in what is now the State of] Tennessee [then North Carolina]. There on the banks of this clear stream they soon changed trees into houses and forests into farms." Soon this little settlement grew into four counties called Washington, Greene, Sullivan, and Davidson. This was the beginning of the .State of Tennessee, and James Robertson became its founder. He had grown up in the wild woods without going to school. It was not until after his marriage that his wife, Charlotte Reeves, taught him to read and write. Robertson engaged in all the Indian wars and became famous as an Indian fighter. During the Revolution he was a Whig and rendered his country great 47 service. Many stories are told of his bravery and skill. In 17 SO he founded a town on the Cumberland River, which he called "Nashborough," in honor of Gen. Francis Nash, the brave North Carolina general who was killed at the battle of Germantown. It is now called Nashville. But the Indians were so hostile and so many of the settlers were killed, that many of them became discouraged. They began to leave Nashborough and return to the older settle-ments. But Robertson declared that he would never desert his post. ''Every man," he said, "must do what seems to himself to be his duty. As for me, my place is here, and here I shall stay, if every man deserts me." And so, in spite of danger, he remained at his post. Once his brave wife saved the settlers from the Indians by her cool courage and presence of mind. The Indians were making an attack on the fort. Charlotte Robertson, rifle in hand, mounted the lookout, where she could overlook the fighting. Seeing some of the white men's horses, the Indians tried to capture them. This made a great gap in their ranks, and some confusion. When Charlotte Robertson saw this, she cried out to the sentinel: aOpen the gate and set the dogs on them." The dogs rushed out and flew at the savages. While the Indians were fighting these unexpected four-footed enemies, their two-legged foes escaped. "Thanks be to God," said Mrs. Robertson to her husband, "who gave to the Indians a dread of dogs and a love of horses." But all of James Robertson's time was not spent in fight-ing. A government had to be organized which, could protect the people, keep order, maintain the laws, and punish crimi-nals. Robertson was one of the leaders in this work. He was made the head of the government at Nashborough ; and he represented the new settlement in the North Carolina Con-gress. The Spaniards who owned the lands along the lower Mississippi River, tried to induce Robertson to separate Watauga and Kentucky from the United States and form an independent government. But Robertson firmly and patri-otically refused. In 1790, President Washington appointed him a general. The last years of his life were spent in mak-ing treaties of peace with the Indians and in building up the new State which he had founded. He died in Tennessee in 1814, in his seventy-third year. A DAUGHTER OF NORTH CAROLINA. The early history of Tennessee is a part of the history of North Carolina. Bold North Carolinians pushing their way through the valleys and the gaps of the mountains pitched their camps on the banks of the Holston, the Watauga, the Nolichucky, and the Cumberland rivers. President Roose-velt says that they were "men of sterling worth ; fit to be the pioneer fathers of a mighty and beautiful State.' 7 Their leaders were James Robertson and John Sevier. The settlements grew so rapidly that a government was soon necessary. So in 1772, a great meeting of the settlers was held. Robertson, Sevier and others were elected officers, and a written constitution, called aThe Watauga Association" was adopted. This was the first written constitution ever adopted west of the Alleghany Mountains. Sevier and Rob-ertson, in 1776, were elected to the North Carolina Congress. The Congress declared that the Watauga settlement should be a county of North Carolina, called Washington. Three other counties, called Greene, Sullivan, and Davidson, were afterwards formed. After the Revolution these counties grew into the State of Tennessee. The war for independence had cost a great deal of money, and at its close the United States owed millions of dollars. Some of this was owed to foreign countries, like France, who had helped the Americans. A large part of it was owed to the brave soldiers who had fought the war and won the independence of their country. How were these debts to be paid ? This was a hard question to answer, for the United States had no money. But several of the States owned great tracts of land in the West, and they now offered to give these to the United States, so these lands could be used to pay the soldiers. North Carolina was one of these States. Her territory stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River. So in 1784, the Legislature offered to the United States the land now within the State of Ten-nessee. Most of it was a great wilderness then. Congress hesitated to accept the gift. This made the people angry. 49 It seemed to them that nobody wanted them, for North Caro-lina gave them away, and Congress would not take them. So they made up their minds to take care of themselves. A convention of the leading men met at a place called Jones-boro, and decided to form "a separate and distinct State, in-dependent of the State of North Carolina." Another con-vention met later and named the new State the "State of Franklin," in honor of the great statesman Benjamin Frank-lin. John Sevier, one of the heroes of Kings Mountain, was elected governor. Everything was now done to put the new State government into operation. Officers were elected, laws were passed,, and a curious kind of money was adopted. There was but little coin in the State of Franklin. So in order that the people should have some way of carrying on trade and paying their debts, the Legislature declared that cloth, sugar, bees-wax, tallow, whiskey, brandy, the skins of coons, deer, beavers, and otters should be used as money. One raccoon skin was to be one shilling and three pence ; one deer skin, was six shillings. One gallon of rye whiskey was two shillings and six pence ; one gallon of brandy was three shillings. But now it was North Carolina's turn to get angry. What right had John Sevier and his followers to make a new State out of territory that belonged to North Carolina ? There were many people in the new State who did not want to sepa-rate from North Carolina. They would not obey the laws of the State of Franklin ; and the others would not obey the laws of North Carolina. Everything for a while was in great disorder. There was almost a state of civil war. But after a while the North Carolina party got control, and the " State of Franklin" came to an end. A few years later North Carolina again offered to give the same territory to the United States, and Congress accepted it at once. . It was made into a territory of the United States, and William Blount, of North Carolina, was appointed gov-ernor. The people were satisfied this time. Finally, in 1796, a new State was made, called Tennessee, and admitted to the Union. John Sevier was again elected governor. The first man sent by the new State to Congress was a North Carolinian, whose name was Andrew Jackson. North Carolina's daughter has given three presidents to the United States, who were born in North Carolina. They 4 50 were Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, and Andrew Johnson. Their lives show that in our country any boy, no matter how poor or how humble, if he works hard and is honest, may reach the highest place in the land. Andrew Jackson was born in a log cabin, in the Waxhaw settlement, then in Mecklenburg county, but now in Union. When he was a boy thirteen years old, he was captured by the British and treated so badly that he was almost starved. Once a British officer ordered him to clean the officers' boots. The boy haughtily refused and the cowardly officer cut him across the face with his sword. Jackson bore the scar all his life. Maybe when he fought the great battle of New Orleans in 1815, and gave the British such a beating, he remembered that scar. It is said that he was a "roaring, rollicking, mis-chievous fellow' 7 when he was a boy. But he was as brave as a lion. There was no danger that he feared and no hard-ship that he could not stand. When he became a general his soldiers called him "Old Hickory." After studying law at Salisbury he moved to Tennessee. There he had many wild adventures fighting criminals and Indians. The peo-ple admired him for his courage and honesty and elected him to many high offices. He was always noted for his purity of life and his great respect for women. He was firm, honest, and hated meanness. He was proud of his country, and when he was President made the nations of the world respect her. He is regarded as one of our greatest Presidents. James Knox Polk was also born in a log cabin in Meck-lenburg county. He studied at the University of North Carolina and was graduated as the best student in his class. When he moved to Tennessee he became a friend of Andrew Jackson. The people elected him to Congress several times, and he became one of the most famous men in the country. He was president during the Mexican War, and to him more than to any other man the United States owes all the territory included in the States of Texas, California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Wyoming and Colorado. The great historian, Bancroft, said that from its results the administration of President Polk "was perhaps the greatest in our national history." Andrew Johnson was born in Raleigh. He was so poor that he could never go to school. While the other boys were 51 at school he was learning to be a tailor. He taught himself to read after he became a large boy, and several years later his wife taught him how to write. When he was eighteen years old he set out with his mother and step-father in a two-wheel cart, driving a blind pony, for Tennessee. The people along the way who laughed at this odd party little dreamed that they were laughing at a future President of the United States. He began life in Tennessee as a tailor, but in a few years was elected Governor, then to Congress, and then to the United States Senate. When war began between the North and the South, he opposed secession and would not follow the South. He was elected Vice-President when Lincoln was elected President the second time. So when Lincoln was killed the poor Paleigh tailor became President of the United States. DAVID LOWRIE SWAIN. Adapted from the address of Zebulon B. Vance. [A Declamation.] In a beautiful valley of the Blue Kidge near where the Swannanoa pours its waters into the French Broad, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, stood an old-fashioned log house of the kind generally known as a "double-cabin." The tall dome of Mt, Mitchell literally casts its shadow over this spot as the sun first appears above the eastern horizon. Great mountain ridges hem it in on all sides. A fresh brook, springing high up in the heart of the mountain, runs through green meadows, and pours its bright, sparkling waters into the French Broad. An orchard, surrounding the little moun-tain cabin, gave to the scene that air of rustic beauty and abundance which makes the special charm of the country home. On this spot, in this cabin, on the 4th day of January, 1801, was born David Lowrie Swain. Of all the eminent men given to North Carolina by her mountain counties, none loved her more or served her better than this son of Buncombe. Four times a member of the Legislature, Solicitor of the Edenton District, though a resi-dent of Asheville ; Judge of the Superior Court ; twice Gov-ernor of North Carolina, in every place of trust he served the people with an eye single to their welfare. But neither as Solicitor nor as Judge, neither as lawmaker nor as Governor, did he render his greatest service. Retiring from the gov-ernor's office in 1836, he was elected President of the State University, and for thirty-two years through peace and through war, in days of prosperity and in days of disaster, he guided the affairs of that institution with the greatest suc-cess. Under him the number of students increased from 90 to 500. When war came, he bent every energy to keep the University open. Though every member but one of the Freshman Class, though every member of the Senior Class, enlisted in the army, though but a dozen students remained, though Northern troops occupied the University buildings, under Governor Swain's direction, the old college bell still 53 called the handful of students to daily prayer and to daily classes. But finally the great calamity came ; enemies closed the doors ; the grand old man was driven away. This great blow broke the last link that united his heart and hopes to earthly objects. The whole manner of the man changed. His step became tottering and slow; his great frame bowed down in grief. Finally in the sixty-seventh year of his life, death came to his relief, August 27, 1868. Governor Swain's greatest pupil and one of his most de-voted friends, Zebulon B. Vance, paid him a noble tribute. Said he: "A just estimate of the talents and character of Governor Swain * * * is not easily made plain to popular appre-hension. By the world the term "great" is variously applied, and misapplied. It is often withheld when it is most richly deserved * * * because men rarely appreciate the full extent and character of the labors of a lifetime. And espe-cially is this true when that life has been mainly spent in the planting of moral seeds below the surface, which, perhaps, for years make no great show of the harvest which is sure to come. Generations are sometimes required to elapse before the world can see the golden sheaves which cover and adorn the landscape, the result of that patient and judicious planting. "They who in life are followed by the noisy plaudits of the crowd, who fill the largest space in the eyes of their con-temporaries, and seem to tower far above their fellows, are not, always, found to have their reputation built on the securest foundations, nor to have left their mark on the age in which they lived. * * * "In many senses of the term Governor Swain was not a great man. As an author, though a man of letters, he neither achieved nor attempted anything lasting. As a politician, though he rose rapidly to the highest honors of his native State, he did not strikingly impress himself upon his times by any great speech, nor by any grand stroke of policy. In this respect he was inferior to many of his contemporaries who constituted, perhaps, the brightest cluster of names in our annals. As a lawyer and a judge, he occupied compara-tively about the same position ; and as a scholar he was not to be distinguished, being inferior to several of his co-laborers in the University. But in many things he was entitled to be 5 54 called great, if we mean by that term that he so used the faculties he possessed that he raised himself beyond and above the great mass of his fellows. In him there was rounded fullness of the qualities, intellectual and moral, which consti-tute the excellence of manhood, in a degree never excelled by any citizen of North Carolina whom I have personally known except William A. Graham. If there was in Swain no one grand quality of intellect which lifted him out of comparison with any but the demigods of our race, neither was there any element so wanting as to sink him into or below the common mass. If there were in him no Himalayan peaks of genius, piercing into the regions of everlasting frost and ice, neither were there any yawning chasms or slimy pools below the tide-waters of mediocrity. He rose from the plain of his fellow-men like the Alleghanies, in whose bosom he was born, by regular and easy gradation—so easy that you know not how high you are until you turn to gaze backward—every step surrounded by beauty and fertility—until he rested high over all the land. If there be those who singly tower above him in gifts, or attainments, or distinctions, there are none as a whole we can contemplate with more interest, affection, and admira-tion ; none whose work for North Carolina will prove to be more valuable, or more lasting, or more important to future generations ; none to whom at the great final review, the greet-ing may be more heartily addressed: cServant of God, well done !' "No estimate of Governor Swain's walk through life should omit the consideration of his Christian character. * * * On his deathbed he spoke often of the communion of saints with one another, and with their Head. * * * He was a praying man, and not ashamed to be known as such. He first introduced the practice of opening the regular meetings of the faculty with prayer. The night before he died he said of the Lord's Prayer : The oftener I use it the more precious it is to me ; it contains a whole body of divinity.' "In private life he was most upright, kind, social and hos-pitable. An excellent financier, he left a handsome estate, even 'after the war.' He had a proper conception of the value of wealth, and all his life practiced a judicious economy, but he knew well both how to lend and how to give. His conversation was delightfully interesting and instructive, replete with anecdote, genial humor, historical incident, or literary quotation. Few men of his associates equaled him 55 in these respects, even after the infirmity of deafness had cut him off from much social enjoyment. "'His remains lie buried in Oakwood Cemetery, near Kal-eigh, and close beside the sleeping soldiers of the Confederacy. The soil of our State holds the dust of no son who loved her more or served her better. Peaceful be his rest, as he waits for the clear breaking of the day over the brow of the eternal bills." RACING WATER.* BY MARY BAYARD CLARKE. Racing Water, who can paint thee, With thy scenery wild and grand ? It would take a magic pencil Guided by a master hand. Here are towering, rugged mountains, Granite rocks all scarred and gray, Nature's altars whence her incense Floats in wreaths of mist away. At thy feet the murmuring waters Now are singing songs of praise, Or in sonorous notes triumphant A majestic pean raise. Down the canyon's rocky gorges Now they wildly, madly sweep, As, with laughing shout exultant, O'er the rocks they joyous leap. Then in calm and limpid beauty Still and deep they silent flow, With the verdant banks o'erhanging Pictured in the depths below. Pulsing from the heart of Nature, Here thy "Hot Spring's" genial gush, There, like stream from Alpine glacier, Down the mountains coldly rush. Tah-kee-os-tee—Pacing Water — Was thy sonorous Indian name, But as "French Broad" thou art written On the white man's roll of fame. Perish that—but live the other ! For on every dancing wave Evermore is shown the beauty Of the name the red man gave. *The name of the French Broad river in the Cherokee language was " Tah-kee-os-tee, signifying "racing water." ZEBULON BAIRD VANCE. Iii the valley of the French Broad, ten miles from the city of Asheville, on the 13th of May, 1830, was born Zebnlon Baird Vance. The place of his birth was a small, simple farm-house. But this little cottage, though simple in itself, nestled amid some of the grandest scenery on the American continent. Near by the beautiful French Broad River flowed through a green valley. The loftiest peaks of the Blue Ridge threw their shadows on the little house. Within plain view were the peaks of Pisgah and Mitchell. Forests of great oaks, and hickory, and laurel, covered the mountain sides. The valley was musical with the rippling of the stream and the songs of birds. All this beauty and grandeur had a strong effect on the lad who grew up with such surroundings. They kindled his imagination ; they planted in him a love of nature ; they aroused in him a strong pride of country and an ambition to be of service to his native State. His father was David Vance ; his mother Margaret Baird. Young Vance bore the name of his mother's father, Zebulon Baird. The Vances and the Bairds were among the early settlers of the mountains. Both families were sturdy pa-triots during the Revolution, and fought for American Inde-pendence at Kings Mountain. From them young Vance inherited a strong mind, a vigorous body, and an intense love of liberty. When he was but twelve years old his father died, -leaving a family of eight children, with but a small farm for their support. Margaret Vance had a hard struggle to rear her large family, but she bore it bravely. There were but few opportunities among the mountains for education—the poorest child in North Carolina to-day can find a better school right at his door than young Vance could have found in many a mile of the French Broad valley. His father sent him across the mountains to Tennessee to school, but in a few weeks his father died, and he had to return home. When he was twenty-one years old he decided to,become a lawyer. He wanted to go to the University of North Caro-lina, at Chapel Hill, to study, but he had no money. Presi-dent Swain, of the University, was a Buncombe county man, 58 so young Vance decided to ask him for help. His letter ask-ing for a loan was so straightforward and manly, that Presi-dent Swain was greatly pleased, and wrote to him that he should have the money. So young Vance rode over the mountain wall, doAvn to Chapel Hill, and began his studies. He and President Swain became warm friends, and their friendship continued until Swain's death. Vance was at the University but one year. But he worked hard, read much, and acquired a fair education. His favorite books were the Bible, the plays of Shakespeare, and the stories of Sir Walter Scott. It would certainly be hard to select a better library for a boy than young Vance selected for himself. He read but few books, but these he knew thoroughly. Better than this, he made many friends who remained true to him throughout his life. After leaving the University, he went to Asheville to practice law. He was a good speaker, and had such a supply of good stories and jokes, which he told so well, that he was always welcomed in any company. His lively spirits, his ready wit, and his good humor soon made him a general favorite. He was only twenty-four years old when he was elected to the Legislature of North Carolina. This was in 1854. Four years later he was elected to Congress and went to Washington City to help make laws for the whole United States. He was then only twenty-eight years old, and was the youngest member in Congress. In 1860 he was elected again to Congress. But he was not to remain in Congress long. For many years the North and South had been quarreling over the question of slavery. Finally the South declared that the North was trying to take away the rights given her under the Constitution, and that the only way she could prevent it was to withdraw from the United States. The North replied that no State had a right to withdraw, or secede. But in 1860, South Carolina declared that she was no longer a member of the United States, and six other Southern States soon followed her example. These seven States then formed a new government called the "Confederate States of America.." They invited all the other Southern States to join them. Should North Carolina accept this invitation? Many people said, Yes. But Vance and most of the people said, 59 No. The people loved the old Union which their fathers had. fought for at Moore's Creek Bridge, at Kings Mountain, at Guilford Court-house, and at Yorktown. They did not want to leave the Union if they could help it. So at first they followed the advice of Vance, and other leaders, and refused to join the Confederate States. Peace was what they wanted, and they did all they could to keep the country out of war. But war came anyhow, and President Lincoln called on North Carolina to send troops to fight against the South. Then Governor Ellis replied: "You can get no troops from North Carolina"; and the people all cried out: "If we must fight, let us fight by the side of our friends and neighbors and not against them." So on May 20, 1861, North Caro-lina withdrew from the United States and joined the Con-federate States. Vance then had to leave the Congress of the United States and come home to get ready for war. Great preparations were now made for war. Soldiers gathered at various places in North Carolina, ready to fight for the South. Ports were built along the coast to keep the enemy's ships from landing troops. The women worked night and day with their needles, making clothes and knitting socks for the soldiers. Many pretty girls embroidered beautiful flags for their sweethearts to carry into battle. Everybody was excited and talked about the war as if it were to be some holiday excursion, for few people understood what a terrible thing war is. Vance at once raised a company of sturdy mountain men, whom he called "The Rough and Ready Guards." They marched away to Virginia to join the Confederate army. Vance proved to be a brave fighter, and was soon promoted to the rank of colonel. But North Carolina needed him at home for other work than fighting. In 1862, while he was away in Virginia leading his men in battle, the people of North Carolina elected him governor. He returned at once to Raleigh to take up his new work. No other man in the history of North Carolina ever had a harder task before him. But he met his difficulties bravely and did his duty well. The proud record made by North Carolina during the war was due more to him than to any-body else. It was he who kept North Carolina's ranks in Virginia and Tennessee full, and caused her to send more soldiers to the Confederate army than she had voters. 60 It was he, too, who kept the North Carolina soldiers better clad and better fed than those from any other Southern State. After the battle of Gettysburg the Confederate army in Virginia was terribly gloomy and disheartened. Vance visited the army and made some wonderful speeches to the soldiers. These speeches stirred their hearts with hope and courage. General Lee said that Vance's visit was worth 50,000 soldiers to him. But Vance did more than make speeches. He sent more supplies to the army than any other governor in the South. Among the things he bought were: 2,000 fine rifles, 12,000 overcoats, 50,000 blankets, 250,000 pairs of shoes, gray cloth for 250,000 uniforms, 100,000 pounds of bacon, and $50,000 worth of medicines. Most of these things of course were sent to the North Carolina soldiers ; but a large quantity also found its way to the camps of soldiers from other States. Many a poor, ragged soldier had shoes on his feet, a blanket to cover him from the snow, and a ration of bacon once a week because Zebu! on Baird Vance was governor of North Carolina. No wonder the soldiers called him "The Great War Governor of the South." No other man did so much as he to keep up the courage of the people during the terrible days of suffering that the war soon brought to every Southern home. Those terrible days came soon after Governor Vance was elected. North Caro-lina had sent thousands of her bravest men to the battlefields of other States. The work at home had to be done by women, children, and negroes. They worked bravely day and night, but found it hard to keep the soldiers clothed and fed without starving themselves. Many people could not buy the food and clothing they needed, because the price of everything was so high. A gallon of molasses cost $8. It took $50 to buy a bushel of corn, and $100 to buy a barrel of flour. A boy thought he had a good dinner if he could get cornbread and sorghum and peas. He did not expect to have meat. A pair of boy's boots cost $150, so most of the boys went bare-foot, even in winter. The women made their own shoes. Carpets were torn up from the floor and cut into blankets. Even the richest people had to do without things that the poorest can now have. The chief cause of all this suffering was what is called the "blockade." The United States had large fleets of war ves- til sels which sailed along the coast of the Southern States and would not let other. vessels go in and out of the harbors. No cotton could be shipped to Europe to be sold, and no clothing and food could be brought in from Europe. But there was one port in the South which the war vessels could not close up. This was Wilmington. A powerful fort had been built on Cape Eear River, a few miles below Wil-mington, called Fort Fisher, and this protected the city. Swift little vessels called "blockade runners" slipped in and out of Wilmington, protected by the guns of Fort Fisher. They carried out cotton and brought back many things needed by the people and the army. The most famous of these blockade runners was the "Ad-vance." She was a fast sailing little vessel, which Governor Vance bought in England. For two years the "Advance" managed to keep out of the way of the big vessels, sailing back and forth between Wilmington and the West Indies. She made eleven trips, but was captured on the twelfth and destroyed. The "Advance" carried out hundreds of bales of cotton, which were sold in the West Indies to English merchants. The money was used to buy all sorts of useful things. Tools for farmers, medicine for hospitals, uniforms, blankets, rifles, and food for soldiers, all were brought into North Caro-lina in large quantities. But the United States now decided to capture Fort Fisher, and put an end to the blockade running. A powerful fleet and army were sent to the Cape Fear, and after some terrible fighting the fort was compelled to surrender. Soon after this the war was brought to a close by the surrender of the Confederate armies in Virginia and in North Carolina. After the surrender of the Confederate armies the soldiers told each other good-bye with tears in their eyes and turned their faces homeward. What sad journeys they had before them ! Everywhere they say the ruin and suffering caused by the war. North Carolina, like the other Southern States, was in a terrible condition; thousands of her sons had been killed on the battlefield ; thousands of others came home sick and crippled for life ; all were ragged, hungry, and penni-less. When they reached home they found nothing to cheer them except the love of their friends. Where they had left beautiful homes, they found tumbled down ruins or heaps of 62 ashes. Fine farms, where corn and cotton had grown in abundance, were waste places covered with grass and weeds. Their barns and fences were rotted to the ground. There were not enough horses and mules in the State to plough the fields. But the men were as brave now as they had been in the war, and went cheerfully to work to rebuild their State. But evil days now followed in North Carolina. Hostile United States soldiers roamed everywhere, robbing and in-sulting the people. Hundreds of men, most of whom were bad men, followed the army from the North to plunder the South. They were called "carpet-baggers," and were pro-tected by the army. They soon got control of the State. Thousands of ignorant negroes were allowed to vote. They turned out the brave old Governor Worth, and elected Wil-liam W. Holden Governor. Many negroes were put into public offices. The schools built up by Calvin H. Wiley were destroyed ; the doors of the University were closed ; business and trade were ruined ; and there was no order, no peace, no safety, for men who were true to the South. But finally the enemies of the State were beaten ; Governor Holden was turned out of office ; and after a few years the people again called on Vance to be their Governor. Hap-pier days then came to the "Old North State." The Union soldiers were sent away, and the people of North Carolina were left to control their own affairs. Governor Vance proved himself to be one of North Caro-lina's greatest sons. While he was Governor the laws of the State were obeyed ; again there was peace and order ; the lives and property of the people were protected; schools and colleges were opened. The hum of mills, the shriek of fac-tory whistles, the roar of trains proclaimed that industry had taken the place of war. Trade began to thrive, farmers plowed their fields in safety, and men with glad hearts set themselves to the task of building their homes again, plant-ing their fields, and making the State stronger and richer and happier than ever before. Governor Vance became the most popular man in the State. In 1879, after he had been Governor two years, the Legisla-ture elected him to the United States Senate. He remained in the Senate for fifteen years and became one of the strong leaders of the "New South." He was so eloquent, so gener-ous, so kindly, and so honest that those who had been his 63 enemies became his friends. He defended the South from attacks of her enemies without offending the North. No man did more than he to make the two sections friends again. The hard work which he did in the Senate injured his health. His physician sent him to the mountains of North Carolina, to Florida, and to Europe in search of health. The people of North Carolina waited anxiously for the news that he was well again. But this news never came. Instead came the tidings, April 15, 1894, that he was dead. Never before had the people so mourned the loss of a great man. When his body was taken from Washington City to Raleigh, and from Raleigh to Asheville the little stations, and the val-leys and the hillsides along the railroad were lined with people who had come out to catch a glimpse of the train that bore the body of their beloved leader. Thousands of people went to Raleigh and to Asheville to see for the last time the body of the man whom they had loved and followed for so many years. Already, while he was living, the Legislature had named a county in his honor ; and now that he was dead, the State erected to his memory a handsome monument in the Capitol Square at Raleigh. This is the only monument the State has ever erected with public money to the memory of any of her great sons. Another monument to his memory has been erected in Asheville. THE WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA RAILROAD. One day, many long years ago, a small boy who lived in the valley of the French Broad River, got a fright that he never forgot. Standing nnder the trees in his father's or-chard, he heard a loud, rumbling noise coming down the val-ley, gradually getting "nearer and nearer to him. Suddenly a wonderful object came in view. It looked for all the world like a great moving tent drawn by two horses. Under it were four wheels, one at each of its four corners, which turned over and over, rattling and rumbling as they rolled over great rocks or crashed into the deep washouts. Under-neath hung several big iron .pots and kettles that swung to and fm, adding to the noise and din. As the boy gazed at this strange object, with awe and wonder, he was suddenly overcome with fright, and taking to his heels, fled in dismay without stopping until he was safe in his father's house. This lad was the future Governor of North Carolina, David L. Swain; the strange object which gave him such a fright was the first wagon that ever crossed the Blue Ridge. From this old, rickety, rumbling wagon to the great, puf-fing locomotives that now pull their long trains of cars through the valleys of the Blue Ridge, it is a long, long step. But few men did more to bring about this great change than the boy who ran away from the first wagon that he ever saw. The story of how this change was brought about is the most important chapter in the history of the mountain counties since the Revolution. After the Revolution, North Carolina did not grow as rapidly as some of the other States. New York, Virginia, Maryland, and even her daughter, Tennessee, began to out-strip the Old North State in population, in trade and in prosperity. People began to say that North Carolina was asleep, and they called her "The Rip Van Winkle" of the States. What was the trouble ? Many men said it was be-cause the farmers could not get their products to the markets of the world. Before North Carolina could have great cities and fine farms and grow into a great State, she must build good roads, dig canals, deepen her rivers, and build rail- 65 roads. Such works are called "internal improvements" ; they cost large sums of money, but they soon pay for themselves in increased wealth and prosperity. So under the leadership of David L. Swain, and other pa-triotic men, the people began to plan for internal improve-ments. They talked about internal improvements, they wrote letters to the papers about them, and they held great meetings to decide what should be done. After a while all this led to work on some of the rivers, which were deepened and widened, and to the digging of a few canals. But the most important work to be done was the building of rail-roads. This was the work in which the western counties were most interested. The eastern counties had deep and broad rivers on which boats could sail ; but the rivers of the moun-tains, though very beautiful, were too shallow and rapid for boats. The mountain roads were rough and frequently im-passible, as many of them still are, and often there were no roads at all over which wagons could travel. So the West wanted railroads that would carry their corn and wheat and fruit and timber to market. In 1848 the North Carolina Railroad from Goldsboro, by way of Raleigh, Greensboro and Salisbury, to Charlotte, was begun, and in 1856 was ready for trains. In the meantime the people of the West had demanded a railroad from Salis-bury to Asheville. So in 1854 the Legislature passed a law for building a railroad from Salisbury "to some point on the French Broad River beyond the Blue Ridge." This road was to be called "The Western North Carolina Railroad." When it was begun there was great joy in the mountains. After this work was started the Civil War broke out and de-layed it for a while. But after peace came the work was pushed along again, and in 1869 that part of the road from Salisbury to Old Fort in McDowell County, 111 miles, was opened for travel. Ten years later the line was extended to Asheville. The plan was to build out from Asheville westward two lines, one to Paint Rock on the boundary between North Carolina and Tennessee, the other to Murphy in Cherokee county. But when the road reached Asheville, the Legis-lature declared that the State would give no further help. The people to the west of Asheville were in despair, and for a while it seemed that their dreams would never be realized. But finally in 1880 there came a ray of hope. A company of wealthy men bought the road from the State, and declared their purpose to complete it. Hope again "brought gladness to the whole trans-montane country, which now looked with confidence to the early completion of the road." But the time came for work to begin, and still "no sound of pick rang through the rocky gorges, no shovel of dirt was thrown, and the gloominess of disappointment was settling over the whole of Western North Carolina." For it was learned that the men who had bought the road could not get the money to pay for it. So the road came back into possession of the State, and work was put off again. Then Governor T. J. Jarvis turned to Col. A. B. Andrews, a well-known railroad man, for help ; and Colonel Andrews persuaded the Richmond and Danville Railroad Company to undertake the work. It now seemed certain that the road would be finished soon. But delays came. Politi-cal and financial difficulties had to be met and overcome. Much legislation was needed, and the expenditure of large sums of money was necessary. For a time it seemed as if it would be impossible to complete the road. But in spite of all these difficulties, the energy and determination of Colonel Andrews never failed. He had promised to complete the road, and he would not give up. He even pledged his own private fortune to the work, and finally he had the gratifica-tion of seeing both lines, to Paint Bock and to Murphy, ready for trains. The line to Paint Rock runs partly through Buncombe county and through Madison county, and con-nects Western North Carolina with the great railroad lines of Tennessee and the Northwest. The line to Murphy serves the people of Buncombe, Haywood, Swain, Jackson, Graham, Macon, Clay and Cherokee counties, giving them an outlet for their products and manufactures. The building of the Western North Carolina Railroad was, perhaps, the greatest piece of engineering work ever done in North Carolina. The road is 309 miles long. Rivers were bridged, mountains were tunneled, deep gorges were filled in. The road crosses the Catawba, the French Broad, the Pigeon, the Little Tennessee, and the Hiwassee rivers. It spans great gorges and deep precipices. It climbs to the tops of high 67 mountains, and winds like a great serpent around their lofty peaks. It runs through long, dark tunnels, one of which, the Swannanoa tunnel, is 1,800 feet, or nearly one-third of a mile long. Millions of dollars were spent in the building of this great railroad, the dream of the mountain section of North Carolina, for more than half a century. The building of railroads through the mountains has changed that section of North Carolina from the hunting-grounds of Indians and the haunts of wild animals to the playgrounds of the South. The cool, invigorating air, the healthy climate, and the magnificent scenery of that sect |
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