Now and Then

Sometimes, the old buildings survive and prosper. This is one example from Union Grove, NC. This particular little store/gas station sat empty for a number of years but was revitalized and reopened around 2007. So far, the passing of time has been kind to it. https://uniongrovegeneralstore.com/

The Unsolved Murder of Ethel Weaver

When unsolved cases “go cold” it doesn’t always mean they are forgotten by the local law enforcement officers who have worked and still work those cases, but it means there are no leads left to follow.What it also sometimes means is that the public forgets those cases as well, and so local police and sheriffsContinue reading “The Unsolved Murder of Ethel Weaver”

Sarah Anderson Heinzerling: Statesville’s Forgotten Poetess

Sometimes the assault of time against the collective memory of a place can obscure names and stories that were once meaningful to it. Much of what I do in researching local events and people is the attempt to rediscover these lost entities and tell their story as best I can with what remains. This storyContinue reading “Sarah Anderson Heinzerling: Statesville’s Forgotten Poetess”

Where Are The Houstonville Moravian Graves?

When exploring the history of the Houstonville Moravian Church, it quickly became evident there was an unresolved mystery concerning it’s graveyard.To simplify the content of the full post on that church into relevant data, here is the history of the graveyard I have been able to discover. The first recorded death in the church isContinue reading “Where Are The Houstonville Moravian Graves?”

The Triangle House

This modest little home seems to have been given up on some time in the late 70’s or early 80’s. All of the magazines, newspapers, catalogues, and other ephemera that litters the floor of the place are from that time period.It almost seems like there might have been a fire or else a very inefficientContinue reading “The Triangle House”

The Bugle Boy Who Was Buried Twice

Thomas Boyd Speaks was born in Union Grove, NC in 1901 to John Peter (J.P.) Speaks and Gillie Lutissen Templeton. Thomas’ father John was a local farmer who lived just off NC-901 and had been in the community his whole life. With a sizeable property of almost 100 acres, he was probably able to keepContinue reading “The Bugle Boy Who Was Buried Twice”

September, 1975 in Statesville. Murders, rape, and a John Doe.

Humans seemed naturally wired to look for patterns in life. Sometimes coincidences have meaning and sometimes they are statistical improbabilities. Either way, the mind naturally wants to create order from chaos, and the more we do that, the more likely we are to refute the randomness of events that share the same space and timeContinue reading “September, 1975 in Statesville. Murders, rape, and a John Doe.”

The Unresolved Death of Daria Wade

December 9th, 1976. Howards Bridge road in northern Iredell county.Just after lunch time, a local resident named Claude Howard discovers the nude body of a deceased female on the edge of a farm field just off the main road, and near the bridge the road is named for. How and why she was there andContinue reading “The Unresolved Death of Daria Wade”

Zion School

It always pays to notice your surroundings.On a trip through the back roads of Iredell county while dropping off a family member at a friends house, I happened to spot what I thought to be either a school or church hidden in brush and brambles. What became confusing was the interior of the building. DespiteContinue reading “Zion School”