Malcolm Blue Festival
Celebrates 25 Years
Located in the Sandhills. Aberdeen
resembles many other small North Car¬
olina towns. lax al traffic is regulated by
one stop light, four highways and three
railroads converge. 20 churches are
attended by the town faithful, and a 14-
block historic district honors the resi¬
dences of founding fathers and former
businesses.
Rusty railroad tracks running north
and south divide the community of
approximately 2.700 citizens, who reside
in neatly kept homes on streets named
for trees.
But this quiet little town brims with
activity every year in late September
when it hosts the annual Malcolm Blue
Historical Crafts and Farmskills Festival.
The 25th anniversary celebration is set
for September 30-October 2. The three-
day festival will feature traditional crafts
and skills demonstrations. Civil War
reenactors, a barnyard petting zoo.
wagon and pony rides, a steam engine,
a grist mill and tours of the Malcolm
Blue farmhouse and museum.
The first settlers of Aberdeen were the
Scottish Highlanders who escaped the
Celtic Feudalism of Scotland. Arriving
about 1760, they lied from overpopula¬
tion. economic oppression, frequent
civil wars and poverty. Arriving at the
ports of Wilmington and Charleston full
of hope and enthusiasm, they settled in
the Cape Fear River Valley. large tracts
of land were available and inexpensive
to these political refugees who extend¬
ed their clan system to America.
Among the many who fled Scotland
was the Duncan Blue family from the isle
of Jura. 1 le and wife Margaret Campbell
migrated with their children and settled
on Shaddocks Creek (now called Lake-
view). about 12 miles from present-day
Aberdeen. One of their sons, John
Campbell Blue, married Catherine
McMillan and they made their home on
the same creek as his parents. Malcolm
McMillan Blue, one of their 13 children,
was horn in 1802.
At the age of 19, Malcolm Blue sold
some land that his father had given him.
and with the profits Ixmght acreage in
the nearby Bethcsda community. In
1825 he built a farmhouse and began to
convert pine barrens into farmland, pro-
Visiting children take advantage of the
petting zoo at Malcolm Blue Farm.
viding garden space and pastures for
domestic animals. His home was about
60 yards through the woods from the
Old Pee Dee Road (now highway N.C.
5). which was then the main route
through the Carolinas. The farmstead
eventually included more than 6,000
acres (from the Pinehurst Race Track to
the western boundary of Fort Bragg
Reservation).
.As land was acquired, the prosperous
Blue entered the turpentine and lumber
industries. Barrels of rosin were trans¬
ported by wagon and distilled into tur¬
pentine and pitch, which were taken to
Fayetteville, then down the Cape Fear
River to Wilmington and exported to
Europe.
Malcolm McMillan Blue was a lifelong
member of Bethesda Presbyterian
Church. Having been elected Clerk of
the Session when he was only 38 years
old. lie was held in high regard by the
congregation. By 1859. membership
bad outgrown the church structure and
a larger building was required. Land was
donated for the new building (today
known as Old Bethesda) by the Blue
family.
in 1973. 101 years after his death.
Aberdeen residents interested in pre¬
serving the historic landmark formed
the Malcolm Blue Historical Society.
Their initial goal was to maintain and
develop the property and provide a "liv¬
ing history" setting for the education of
schoolchildren. The story of the Mal¬
colm Blue family and the celebration of
early 18th century farm life is presented
each autumn.
Traditionally, the first day of the festi¬
val (Friday) is devoted entirely to
schoolchildren, and over the last quar¬
ter-century approximately 40.000 stu¬
dents have attended the event. Young
people have the opportunity to observe
artisans and crafters. participate in early
19th century customs and practices and
view educational exhibits.
Saturday and Sunday, October I and
2, are open to the public. In addition to
the marquee attractions, continuous
entertainment will Ik- provided through¬
out the day by storytellers, folk singers,
doggers, puppeteers and Scottish vocal¬
ists and dancers. Tours of the 1825 farm¬
house, country store and museum will
be provided and a Civil War reenact¬
ment group will be encamped in the
south meadow.
There are hopes to add a historical
outdoor drama to the mix in the fall of
next year with the production of Belle.
The time setting for the play will be
March of 1865, when part of Union Gen¬
eral George T. Sherman's army of
60,000 men under the command of
General Judson Kilpatrick marched up
from Savannah. Georgia, along the Pee
Dee Road and took charge of the Blue
farm for two day’s.
For further information about the
Malcolm Blue Historical Society, the
upcoming festival or craftcr and artisan
inquiries, write P.O. Box 603, Aberdeen.
N.C.. 28315 or call (910) 944-7685 or
(910) 944-7558. The farm is open from
March 17 until November 17, Wednes¬
day through Saturday, from I until 4
p.m. Arrangements can be made for
tour and community groups, school chil¬
dren. educational seminars and re¬
ceptions.
Lei’s Talk Turkey:
Tar Heel State No. 1
North Carolina can again lay claim to
being the king of turkey in America.
According to experts from North Car¬
olina State University, the Tar Heel
State’s turkey industry produced more
than 62 million turkeys last year, more
than any other state in the nation.
The Statc/Scpicmbcr 1994
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