This Date in History

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donbosco said:
I suspect there are a great many "crossing the county line" stories associated with alcohol in North Carolina History.
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Certainly true here in Burlington. I don’t know how much money Alamance County getting liquor by the drink cost Kembers, but I’m sure it was a bunch.
 
donbosco said:
I suspect there are a great many "crossing the county line" stories associated with alcohol in North Carolina History.
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When local option liquor by the drink finally passed in NC, I was living in Raleigh. The N&O had a reporter stationed at the state-run liquor warehouse where restaurants, who received permission/license to serve liquor by the drink, could pick up alcohol. Needless to say, there was a line of trucks at the gate that first day. A very prominent Raleigh restaurant had sent a truck to wait all night so it could be the first restaurant to serve a legal alcoholic drink. But as the gate started sliding to the side, a motorcycle slipped past all the waiting truck and through the opening gate. The motorcyclist purchased one case of bourbon, strapped on the back of his motorcycle, and raced back to his bar, were a group of regulars had gathered that morning to start day with the first legal liquor by drink service in Raleigh.
 
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The Klan was a fact-of-life growing up in Piedmont NC. Racist flyers with red ink printed on yellow paper would appear in public places. In the rural countryside my family happened by a cross-burning rally more than once when I was little. On another dark Chatham night Deddy very purposefully drove us slowly by a hayfield assembly - to literally see hate and to know unmistakably that it dwelled among us. Deddy did not approve and would pull me aside and point out klansmen to me after I got a bit older.

Schools began desegregating when I hit the Third Grade and race came to permeate the environment. The White Supremacist message of these homegrown terrorists sadly fell on sympathetic ears in too, too many cases. A conservative Southern Strategy was forming. The remembering sometimes gets blocked I think for white people-I think it takes effort for some memories, memories of being so utterly wrong and benefiting from an atmosphere of such corruption, dishonesty, and hatefulness, to be realized. It takes work - the easy path, the one that trumpism has further emboldened and enabled is that of denial and misremembering, of fabricating a ‘fake past’ and a ‘history never lived.’

#OTD (May 28) in 1965 the Ku Klux Klan burned crosses at courthouses and city halls of 13 NC towns: Burgaw, Currie, Elizabethtown, Henderson, Oxford, Roxboro, Salisbury, Southport, Statesville, Tarboro, Ward’s Corner, Whiteville and Wilmington. This Terrorism was meant to stop the growing Civil Rights Movement. The House Un-American Activities Committee had found N.C. had the largest KKK presence in the nation with 6000+ members and 112 ‘chapters.’ Sympathizers were also everywhere. At the time Governor Terry Sanford sought non-governmental efforts toward school desegregation and fair employment via organizations such as the Good Neighbor Council. The atmosphere remained tense nevertheless and terrorism by the KKK continued. The resurgence that has accompanied ‘modern’ conservatism is with us at 1960s levels, albeit modified and even cleverer. Cross Burnings by Ku Klux Klan
 
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Listening to where you live is fascinating. In the case of North Carolina it is ironic that a place that contains significant population numbers that are so resistant-to-linguistic-diversity would have historically had so many languages spoken (and continues in that trend today). One could make the argument that of the original 13 colonies that The Tar Heel State has a greater foundation of more languages than any other. Pre-Invasion Algonquian, Siouxian, and Iroquoian bases were spread across some 30 American Indian groups. British English, Spanish, German, French, versions of Gaelic, and even Swedish were spoken by the European invaders. Free and enslaved Africans spoke multiple languages. Most recently Mesoamericans have brought multiple indigenous languages from that region. Guatemalans alone have come to NC speaking not simple Spanish but at least 8 Mayan languages (K’iché, Kanjobal, Kakchikel, Tzutujil, Awakateko, Chalteko, Mam, and Keqché).

Figure in what NCSU linguist Walt Wolfram outlines in ‘Talkin Tar Heel: How Our Voices Tell The Story of North Carolina’ as the dialect heterogeneity stretching from the Outer Banks through the Piedmont into Appalachia and overlay that with accents and word-choices rooted in history and, again, North Carolina is an incredibly rich mosaic of How To Talk.

One of the groups that arrived in North Carolina in the late 19th century was The Waldensians, who spoke an Alpine French (I suspect flecked with Italian). #OTD (May 29) in 1893 Waldensians arrived in Burke County, NC. From the Italian/French borderlands in The Alps, overcrowding and land scarcity sent them searching for new lands. In NC they founded Valdese, one of the largest of several Waldensian settlements in the Americas. Textiles and Stoneworking have been associated with them in NC. Other destinations were New York City, Chicago, Missouri, Texas and Utah. Waldensian stonemasons worked in the construction of Asheville’s Biltmore Estate and The Grove Park Inn. Many other examples of timeless Waldensian stone work like The Old Rock School in the town of Valdese enrich The Land of The Sky. The Waldensians fled religious persecution in Italy and sought safety in the United States. Immigrant refugees the likes of which this country once welcomed theirs is yet another story of a past in danger of becoming little remembered and no longer heeded. Waldenses Settle in Burke County ALSO SEE: The Waldensians in North Carolina - Appalachian History

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donbosco said:
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Listening to where you live is fascinating. In the case of North Carolina it is ironic that a place that contains significant population numbers that are so resistant-to-linguistic-diversity would have historically had so many languages spoken (and continues in that trend today). One could make the argument that of the original 13 colonies that The Tar Heel State has a greater foundation of more languages than any other. Pre-Invasion Algonquian, Siouxian, and Iroquoian bases were spread across some 30 American Indian groups. British English, Spanish, German, French, versions of Gaelic, and even Swedish were spoken by the European invaders. Free and enslaved Africans spoke multiple languages. Most recently Mesoamericans have brought multiple indigenous languages from that region. Guatemalans alone have come to NC speaking not simple Spanish but at least 8 Mayan languages (K’iché, Kanjobal, Kakchikel, Tzutujil, Awakateko, Chalteko, Mam, and Keqché).

Figure in what NCSU linguist Walt Wolfram outlines in ‘Talkin Tar Heel: How Our Voices Tell The Story of North Carolina’ as the dialect heterogeneity stretching from the Outer Banks through the Piedmont into Appalachia and overlay that with accents and word-choices rooted in history and, again, North Carolina is an incredibly rich mosaic of How To Talk.

One of the groups that arrived in North Carolina in the late 19th century was The Waldensians, who spoke an Alpine French (I suspect flecked with Italian). #OTD (May 29) in 1893 Waldensians arrived in Burke County, NC. From the Italian/French borderlands in The Alps, overcrowding and land scarcity sent them searching for new lands. In NC they founded Valdese, one of the largest of several Waldensian settlements in the Americas. Textiles and Stoneworking have been associated with them in NC. Other destinations were New York City, Chicago, Missouri, Texas and Utah. Waldensian stonemasons worked in the construction of Asheville’s Biltmore Estate and The Grove Park Inn. Many other examples of timeless Waldensian stone work like The Old Rock School in the town of Valdese enrich The Land of The Sky. The Waldensians fled religious persecution in Italy and sought safety in the United States. Immigrant refugees the likes of which this country once welcomed theirs is yet another story of a past in danger of becoming little remembered and no longer heeded. Waldenses Settle in Burke County ALSO SEE: The Waldensians in North Carolina - Appalachian History

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Completely irrelevent side comment to the above post. I grew up in Eastern NC and was a member of the Boy Scouts. My council was named the Tuscarora Council. My district, a subunit of the Council, was the Torahunta District. I had always wondered if these two names were just pulled out of a hat or if they had some actual relation to pre-Colonial Native American tribes in Eastern NC. I now have my answer.
 
05C40 said:
Completely irrelevent side comment to the above post. I grew up in Eastern NC and was a member of the Boy Scouts. My council was named the Tuscarora Council. My district, a subunit of the Council, was the Torahunta District. I had always wondered if these two names were just pulled out of a hat or if they had some actual relation to pre-Colonial Native American tribes in Eastern NC. I now have my answer.
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My Piedmont council was Occoneechee, also rooted in actual history.
 
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Educated, Soberly Presented, and Civil Discussion on AM Radio. Sounds like an Impossible Dream, right? Nevertheless, once upon a long ago time a Tar Heel brought that very thing to the nation. “America’s Town Meeting of the Air” began in 1935 and for at least 15 years the citizenry embraced a program of debate rooted in fact. Alas, such maturity was ultimately fractured and polarized by The Cold War - descending in the direction of our current morass by ‘53 and ending altogether in 1956.

I’ve listened to some of the recordings of these shows (linked below) and the rhetoric IS pointed and even harshly partisan at times, the oratory is often sparkling as well, and appeals to the lowest, the primal, and uncivilized - the trumpian if you will - is rare - Frankly I fear this is a place to which we cannot return so poisoned is the stream today.

#OTD (May 30) 1935 “America’s Town Meeting of the Air” debuted. The radio hour was hosted by Washington NC’s George V. Denny. Political debates held in Town Hall format were the format and focus. With NBC Radio’s reach the experimental show became national and ran for 21 years. A 1922 graduate of UNC Chapel Hill, Denny also attended Bingham Military School in #Woodfin in #WNC. https://www.ncdcr.gov/.../george-denny-and-the-beginnings...

During Denny’s time in Chapel Hill he majored in ‘Commerce’ but spent much of his energy engaged in Theater with The Carolina Playmakers where his path was intermingled with that of fellow entertainer and author, Thomas Wolfe. The Arts lured him to New York City where he took his shot at acting and stage managing. By chance he landed a job at Columbia University where he managed a sort of Speaker Bureau. Clearly Denny was a “People Person” and what today would be termed a “Networker.”

Kicking off in 1935, “America's Town Meeting of the Air” dealt with a wide range of topics. Of course The Great Depression and economic recovery was a frequent focus. On one evening the question debated was even “What does the Public want in Music?” Nevertheless, as the fortunes of The Right rose in Europe, in particular the Fascism of Hitler’s Germany and Mussolini’s Italy, discussions of democracy’s obligation to oppose the expansionist moves that worldview promised became more often the backbone of the show.

On December 8, 1938 Denny’s focus was, “HOW SHOULD THE DEMOCRACIES DEAL WITH THE DICTATORSHIPS?” Indeed, by the late 1930s the threat of Totalitarianism and Fascism had become a regular theme of Denny’s shows - like today so too then did the dark shadow of anti-democratic authoritarianism loom large. Unlike today our national vision was much broadly clear in recognizing from whence came that threat. That December night Denny’s introduction began: “We live in a world where several hundred millions of our fellow human beings have delegated their sovereignty to a single leader or a small group in their desperate search for security. These totalitarian governments are efficient, militantly aggressive, and have set about the task of conducting their foreign policies by means of force or threat of force. In a world where modern science is welding closer and closer together every day, how will America meet this challenge to the very principles upon which this nation rests? Is it to America’s interests to unite with the remaining democracies of the world to stop the westward march of totalitarianism?”

The discussion that ensued in 1938 was one of HOW best to stand in opposition to the anti-democratic dictatorships - not as so many currently appear predisposed to stand for partnership with similarly inclined governments. Listening to this broadcast it is sadly evident of the peril we face today from our own extremist contingent on The Right.

Denny’s radio show was broadcast from The Town Hall in NYC. The list of performers and public figures that have appeared in Town Hall is amazing. Read the Wikipedia entry here (As always with Open-Access Created Wikipedia, check the references): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/.../The_Town_Hall_(New_York_City)


LISTEN to episodes here: Denny led a fascinating life read more here: Denny, George Vernon, Jr..

Yes…a long, early morning ramble. If you made it this far my sympathies to you.
 
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He claimed the Olympics were a socialist event as part of his justification for his terrorist bombing (1996). In 4 other bombings he struck out against Gay Rights and A Woman’s Right to Choose. He was driven by hatred and misinformation campaigns that had inundated him with propaganda his entire life. “Modern” Conservatism fueled this terrorist’s acts and even still continues to do so via trumpism and a ‘look-the-other-way’ refusal to take responsibility for actions taken. #OTD (May 31) in 2003 Anti-Choice/Anti-GayRights terrorist bomber Eric Rudolph was captured by local LEOs in Murphy, NC. In 5 bombings he had killed 2 & injured 100+. Fugitive Bomber’s Run Ended in Murphy
 

Tulsa Race Massacre​

On May 31, 1921, this nation witnessed a race massacre and acts of dispossession against Black residents in the segregated and thriving Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Described as “one of the largest single instances of State-sanctioned violence against Black people in American history,”<a href="Today in History - May 31">1</a> the Tulsa Race Massacre resulted in the deaths of an estimated 300 African American men, women, and children. White mobs also looted, destroyed, and burned Black-owned businesses and the homes of 1,256 Black residents occupying about 40 square blocks in the predominantly black Greenwood District. Churches, schools, grocery stores, a Black-owned hotel, a movie theater, a hospital, and a public library were also destroyed. An estimated 9,000 Black residents of Tulsa were left without their homes, possessions, or funds to rebuild.

tulsa531.jpgAfter the Mob Had Passed. Alvin C. Krupnick Co., photographer, 1921. Visual Materials from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Records. Prints & Photographs Division
The legendary African American Greenwood District, also known as “Black Wall Street,” was one of the wealthiest communities in Oklahoma prior to the massacre. With the spirit of self-empowerment, self-sufficiency, and self-determination among its residents, Black Tulsans created this thriving business district in response to state-imposed segregation and Jim Crow laws. One possible estimate of the number of times a dollar circulated before leaving the community is 19, but it is very difficult to determine, particularly over time. The level of entrepreneurial activity and success unfortunately led to resentment against the Black community.

tulsa531map.jpgAero View of Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1918. Pasaic, N.J.: Fowler & Kelly, [1918]. Panoramic Maps. Geography & Map Division
Use the “Zoom In” function to locate Greenwood Avenue and the surrounding Greenwood District as represented on this map from 1918, just three years before the Massacre.

The event leading to the massacre took place against the backdrop of this volatile environment. According to various accounts, Dick Rowland, a young Black man, stumbled in an elevator and accidentally stepped on the foot of Sarah Page, the white girl operating the elevator. She accused him of assaulting her. According to the NAACP’s Walter White, as reported by The Broad Ax newspaper, this action resulted in a senseless mob ‘seeking to avenge the honor of white womanhood.’ The police arrested Rowland and took him to the courthouse. As white mobs sought to lynch the young man on the evening of May 31, a group of Black men, many of them veterans of World War I, sought to defend him and protect their families. At one point, shots were fired, and the chaos began. Several men died in the initial fight that night. As the crowd of angry white Tulsans grew, they began to loot and burn stores, homes, and other buildings in Greenwood. When it all ended on June 1, Greenwood was destroyed. For years afterwards, the survivors received no reparations, redress, or justice, although the American Red Cross offered aid through their Refugee Center in Tulsa; and the NAACP established a Tulsa Relief Fund in the immediate aftermath.

For 100 years, while every effort was made to target and destroy the Greenwood community, hide the history of the Tulsa Race Massacre, and erase a culture, the community has remained resilient. A Tulsa Race Massacre Commission was established in 1997 to investigate the event, and it published its findingsExternal in 2001. In December 2016, the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission was established. In 2020, the House and the Senate introduced resolutionsrecognizing the centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre
 
donbosco said:
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He claimed the Olympics were a socialist event as part of his justification for his terrorist bombing (1996). In 4 other bombings he struck out against Gay Rights and A Woman’s Right to Choose. He was driven by hatred and misinformation campaigns that had inundated him with propaganda his entire life. “Modern” Conservatism fueled this terrorist’s acts and even still continues to do so via trumpism and a ‘look-the-other-way’ refusal to take responsibility for actions taken. #OTD (May 31) in 2003 Anti-Choice/Anti-GayRights terrorist bomber Eric Rudolph was captured by local LEOs in Murphy, NC. In 5 bombings he had killed 2 & injured 100+. Fugitive Bomber’s Run Ended in Murphy
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It was a brand-new policeman in Murphy that caught Eric Rudolph rooting through dumpsters looking for food. The area had been repeatedly searched by the FBI and State Police. I have always wondered if the reason that Eric Rudolph was not caught earlier was because he was getting assistance from the Murphy Police Department. And the new guy had not yet been vetted on the "Rudolph Secret" so as to ignore his presence. And the "new guy" let the news of Rudolph's capture get outside the "Murphy Bubble" before the other members of the police force could cover it up. Don't know that is what happened, but it is not inconsistent with other irregularities I have seen in small town police departments. ETA: The "new" guy who arrested Rudolph was also gay, yet another reason the other Murphy police officers would not have let him in on the "Rudolph Secret."
 
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