The History Museum of Burke County and Thornwell Books are collaborating for “A Night at the Museum” on Thursday, Oct. 15.
The event is free, but those planning to attend need to send an email to jean@thornwellbooks.com so that those in charge can get a headcount.
Attendees will meet at 5:30 p.m. at Thornwell Books in downtown Morganton, where there will be time to socialize, meet History Museum Curator Corwin Keys, and hear from local historian Bill Brown before heading over to the History Museum for a tour with docent Margaret Hampson.
— JM
Culture_community
Hundreds attend Overmountain Men commemoration at Quaker Meadows
Visitors of all ages had the opportunity to practice writing
with quill and ink.
PHOTOS COURTESY LINDA LINDSEY
Bobby Denton (right) and his friend Monty Harris talk to
Revolutionary War Day visitors about American long rifles, which
are traditional flintlock muzzleloaders.
Historic Burke volunteer Nora Franklin talks about Colonial-era
cooking inside the McDowell House.
Homestead animals, like these sheep, was one of 39 activities
and booths at the Sept. 27 Revolutionary War Day at the home of
Capt. Charles McDowell. The annual event was particularly special
this year as it celebrated America’s 250th anniversary.
Quaker Meadows stepped back into 1780 on Sept. 27 as visitors explored frontier skills, Revolutionary War history, and the story of the Overmountain Men through 39 interactive stations.
The event, Revolutionary War Day, commemorated the Sept. 30, 1780, arrival of about 1,400 Overmountain Men at the home of Col. Charles McDowell of Quaker Meadows.
The volunteers were pursuing British Maj. Patrick Ferguson, who had threatened destruction of anyone who did not swear allegiance to the king. They found Ferguson on Oct. 7, 1780, atop Kings Mountain, South Carolina, and defeated him and his army in about an hour in a battle that helped turn the tide of the American Revolution.
Attendance at the Sept. 27 event filled every available parking space on the grounds, along with spaces on an adjacent property, and spilled into the front parking lot of Stone & Leigh at the intersection of N.C. 181 and St. Mary’s Church Road.
Visitors could explore 39 stations depicting life on the North Carolina frontier in the late 18th century.
Demonstrations included tanning hides; cooking venison and rabbit over a campfire; packing a haversack for overnight horseback trips; battlefield and homestead medicine; Revolutionary War weaponry; flax spinning, lacemaking, and needlepoint; Colonial cooking and clothing; toys and games; homestead animals; quill writing; corn husk doll making; and Colonial music and dancing.
Information booths also featured the Burke County Public Library’s genealogy resources, The History Museum of Burke County, Fort Defiance in Lenoir, the Quaker Meadows Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Overmountain Victory Trail Association, the Overmountain Victory North Carolina State Trail, and Carolina Rising, the new interactive Revolutionary War museum in Gaffney, S.C.
A total of 124 people worked at the event. Historic Burke members and members of the Alexander Erwin Chapter and Catawba Valley Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution helped with setup the day before and the morning of the event, as well as cleanup that evening.
Among the presenters were 28 children who played fiddle, danced, made lace, taught other children to make corn husk dolls, or helped younger children color a drawing of a Betsy Ross flag to take home.
Several hundred children attended. Visitors to the corn husk doll station made 140 dolls during the four-hour event.
The afternoon concluded with Steve Ricker of the Overmountain Victory Trail Association telling the story of the events leading to the victory at Kings Mountain, followed by a musket volley on the front lawn of the house.
— AKC
Community_news
CAESAR prepares for busy October
By NICK ANDERSON
For The Paper
The Col. Alexander Erwin Chapter is the local chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR). The chapter supports Burke, Caldwell, and McDowell counties. The chapter members have been extremely active this past month participating in the annual Morganton Festival (Sept. 11-12), having their annual members meeting (Sept. 17), participating in the America 250 Festival in Ferguson (Sept. 19), supporting the Historic Carson house for their Patriot Celebration (Sept. 27), and supporting the Historic Burke Foundation at the Capt. Charles McDowell House (Sept. 27).
During the month of October, the chapter isn’t slowing down much as they host a dedication event for the new “Council Oak” tree (Oct. 1 at 10:30 a.m.) at AJ’s Restaurant at 101 Bost Road in Morganton; start up the Historic Speaker series presentations (Oct. 15 at 6 p.m.) at the Morganton Community House at 120 N. King St. in Morganton; provide a presentation about historical events at Patton High School (Oct. 21); and honor two patriots (Capt. William Lenoir and Maj. Charles Gordon) with a Grave Marking Ceremony (Oct. 24 at 9:30 a.m.) at Fort Defiance at 1792 Fort Defiance Drive in Lenoir.
The second annual Burke Day for Life will be held at Burkemont Baptist Church in Morganton on Saturday, Oct. 10.
All funds raised during the event — which begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m. — will benefit the Pregnancy Care Center of Burke County.
The cost is $30 to participate in the 5K run/walk at 9 a.m. and $25 to take part in the one-mile fun run at 10:30 a.m., and awards will be presented to the top male and female in each age group following the 5K. All ages are encouraged to participate, and online sign-ups are available at tinyurl.com/2fnmn9xx.
After the races, the fun continues with food trucks, live music, inflatables, carnival games, door prizes, and a raffle.
Packets with information about what to expect during the races will be available on Oct. 9 from 4-6 p.m. in the parking lot at Burkemont Baptist. Packets can also be picked up as early as 8 a.m. on race day, and they will help participants understand the logistics of the races.
— JM
Culture_community
Free screening of AI documentary made possible by Arts Culture Catawba
The Catawba Valley Heritage Alliance, in partnership with Footcandle Film Society & Arts Culture Catawba, will present a free screening of the documentary the “AIDoc: How I became an Apocaloptimist.” This film will be screened in two locations: on Oct. 13 at the State Theater, in Newton, and at the Drendel Auditorium at the SALT Block, in Hickory, on Oct. 15. Both events will take place beginning at 6 p.m.
The documentary deals with the subject of artificial intelligence using a combination of imaginative graphic interpretations and interviews with Big Tech industry representatives, developers, and critics to present a balanced introduction for the layman. The storyline follows the director’s journey to understand this emerging technology within the context of becoming a father.
This project is supported by a grant from Arts Culture Catawba and is being presented free and open to the public.
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