The Regulator - NC Historic Sites

VOLUME V ISSUE 2
The Regulator
AUGUST 30, 2013
The newsletter for the Alamance Battleground Friends’ Support Group
Wayside Markers Blazing the Trail at the
Battleground
Of Special Interest to You:
Colonial Living Week

October 14-18, 2013
9 am—2 pm
Civil War Living History Encampment and Lantern Tour

October 26 & 27, 2013
!0 am—4 pm
Gingerbread Christmas

December 14, 2013
10 am—4 pm
Inside this issue:
Regulator Day at Hillsboro 2
Summer Interns at Ala-
2
New Signs on Walking Trail 3
Rednap Howell Makes an 3
Appearance in Williamsborough, N.C.
From the Site Manager
4
The marker pictured above is
one of five now on display at Alamance
Battleground. When the entire project is
completed, eight such markers will be
located along an historical trail leading
from the visitor center across the battleground on both sides of Highway 62.
These signs are part of the follow-up to
the archeological dig conducted two
years ago at Alamance Battleground.
The markers reflect information
gathered during the dig and during additional research done by leaders of that
dig and local historians. This information helps to give a more completed
story of the battle which occurred here
on May 16, 1771.
The first of the markers dealing
with the Allen House has been in place
for over a year. In recent months, markers have been erected giving the history
of the two monuments at the battleground, the story of Pugh Rock and the
story of the skirmish that took place at
Alamance prior to the Battle of Guilford
Courthouse.
The three additional markers will
provide information about the militia,
the Regulators, and a gun tool uncovered during the dig. A time line for the
actual completion of the trial has not
been finalized.
Page 2
THE REGULATOR
Regulator Day at Hillsborough
On Wednesday, 19 June 2013, the staff of the
Orange County Historical Museum conducted a memorial service for the six Regulators hung in Hillsborough on 19 June 1771. The event was held at the
Regulator Hanging Site near King Street at 6:00 PM.
A bronze marker was placed there in 1963 by the
Durham-Orange Committee of the Colonial Dames of
America, so it was only fitting that members of the
Durham-Orange Committee return 60 years later to
remember these brave men.
Scott Washington, assistant director of the Orange County Historical Museum spoke to the participants about “the six brave men who met their fate 242
years ago. By today’s standards,” Washington noted,
“those courageous men had simply exercised their
rights of freedom of speech, freedom of assembly,
and freedom of petition. In response, they were denied due process and the right to trial by jury.”
Flowers were placed by members of the Wake
and Durham-Orange Committees Colonial Dames of
America and Hillsborough Mayor Tom Stevens rang a
bell as each name was called.
Also in attendance were descendants of Captain Benjamin Merrell, one of the executed Regulators, and
two staff members from Alamance Battleground State
Historic Site.
Article and picture by Lisa D. Cox
Summer Interns at Alamance Battleground
During the summer at Alamance Battleground,
staff members are engaged not only with daily operations, but additional special programming, so we were
fortunate to have recruited two exceptional volunteer
summer interns.
Dylan Walton is not unfamiliar to Alamance
Battleground; as a Boy Scout he built the Allen House
fence for his Eagle project in 2009. He is an Alamance County native, graduating from Western Alamance High School and now attends Western Carolina University majoring in history.
Dylan, along with his father Jeff, is also a Civil
War re-enactor with Company K, 6th Regiment North
Carolina Troops and has been reenacting for about
ten years.
This summer, in addition to his internship here
at Alamance, he is working as a lifeguard at the Burlington YMCA. Dylan has been giving tours on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays and is currently
compiling interesting facts about the Regulator Movement and the Battle of Alamance to be displayed
along the nature trail on special markers as his summer intern project.
Melanie Staley resides in Liberty, NC and has
been interested in history from a young age, which
was also a hobby of her father. “I did not consider
history a passion until college when I enrolled in US
environmental history at UNC-Greensboro.” Melanie
graduated with a bachelor of arts in environmental
studies, with a minor in biology and history from UNCGreensboro in the spring of 2013. This fall, Melanie
will be entering the MA program, again at UNC-G, intending to focus on environmental history. During our
July 2nd Saturday event, she was outfitted in period
clothing and demonstrated 18th century knitting and
crocheting in conjunction with our weaving
and lucet demonstrations.
Her internship
project here at Alamance this summer has
been researching the
potential colonial uses
of trees and plants
found on the nature trail.
Her research will be exhibited on the trail upon
completion.
Article and picture by Lisa D. Cox
VOLUME V ISSUE 2
Page 3
New Signs on Walking Trail
Thanks to the efforts of our two summer interns Dylan Walton and Melanie Staley and the work
of volunteers Ladd Sawyer and Ted Henson the Alamance Battleground Walking Trail now includes signs
providing historical facts as well as plant identification.
Dylan worked on identifying twenty facts about the
Battle of Alamance based on work done by Josh
Howard during the archeological dig two years ago.
Melanie began the process of identifying trees and
plants that are visible
along the trail.
Ladd Sawyer
and Ted Henson
painted twenty of the
old plant identification
posts that were put in
place nearly twentyfive years ago when a
scout project helped
label and identify trees
along the trail. These
posts were painted
barn red and a sign
holder was installed on
each post to hold “A
Regulator Moment” fact about the battle which took
place in 1771. Many of these facts will be new to most
people walking the trail.
The second addition includes twenty seven
signs identifying trees or plants along the trail. These
signs give the common and scientific names of the
plants along with a picture. A short paragraph tells
about the plant and where possible, it details how the
plant was used by the settlers in 1771.
These signs are the first of what is hoped will
be additional signage
added at a later date.
Time is being given to
see how these signs
hold up in the weather
before additional work is
done. The signs add a
great deal to the walking
trail and we hope that
you will come out and
view this new addition to
the battleground.
Rednap Howell Makes an Appearance in Williamsboro, North Carolina
In our last newsletter, you read about the visit
made to Henderson and Williamsboro by Lisa Cox,
Ladd Sawyer and Ted Henson. As a result of that
visit, the Lunch and Learn Committee at the First
Presbyterian Church in Henderson invited Rednap
Howell, aka Ted Henson, and friends to return to do a
PowerPoint presentation on the War of Regulation in
Vance County (Granville County in 1771) and specifically address the role played by persons in the Williamsboro Community.
The program was held on June 27, 2013 with
over forty people in attendance. Following a snack
meal hosted by FPC, the PowerPoint and main program was presented at the church and then the group
moved eight miles north of Henderson to the St.
John’s Episcopal Church in Williamsboro, which dates
back to 1754. The St. John’s Vestry Committee
opened the church for this special event and allowed
Rednap Howell to use the old wineglass pulpit as the
sounding board against the abuses of the colonial
sheriffs, tax collectors and judges in the back woods
of North Carolina.
The service was conducted as it would have
been in 1771 closing with a Psalm done in the 17th
Century Style called “Lining Out.” In this process the
congregation repeats each line of the poem after the
chanter reads the line
aloud.
The next appearance of Rednap
Howell be at the Sylvan School Reunion
on September 28,
2013. If you know of a
school or group that
would like for Rednap
to appear please contact the Alamance
Battleground.
Page 4
Alamance Battleground Friends, Inc.
The first organizational meeting of what would become
the Alamance Battleground Friends, Inc. was held on February 8,
2006. From this original meeting the group has grown to become
a non-profit organization with a Board of Directors and a very active Support Group.
The mission of Alamance Battleground Friends, Inc.
states:
The Alamance Battleground Friends, Inc. is a North Carolina
Nonprofit Corporation formed under the North Carolina Nonprofit
Corporation Act. The mission is to support, enhance, and promote education, interpretation and preservation at the Alamance
Battleground State Historic Site. Alamance Battleground Friends,
Inc. carries out this mission by:
 Providing support and guidance to site personnel
 Securing financial donations and grants to support site programs, and
 Seeking volunteers to actively participate in site programs.
Alamance Battleground Friends, Inc.
5803 South N.C. 62
Burlington, North Carolina 27215
Phone: 336-227- 4785
Fax: 336 - 227 - 4787
E-mail: alamancefriends@gmail.com
Alamance Battleground Historic Site is
now on Face book. Be sure to check us
out.
life through demonstraWe held three successful 2 Saturdays on June 8 , July 13 , and tions. These demonstrations, ranging from open
August 10th, drawing a total of 696 visitors to the site. The first
-fire cooking to cider
two events revolved around the theme of Summer Fun at the
making to cannon firing
Battleground. These enabled visitors to learn about the various
will be performed daily
uses of corn, spinning, weaving, and colonial clothing. Representatives from the Sword of Peace Outdoor Drama also came to from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00
promote the annual summer production. Local artist Anna Sims p.m. We hope to surpass
sold some of her pen and acrylic artwork and gained commission the record-breaking
numbers of 2012. Reserwork. Interested parents had their children photographed in reth
vations have already
production 18 -century clothing during the latter program. Our
been made for 582 stufinal event, Rachel Allen, Medicine Woman, became the most
popular of the summer. Jewel Clark, historic interpreter, made an dents/children. All organized groups are asked to call and reserve a specified time. We encourage you to come out for the
excellent presentation, including leeches and all, about Rachel
Allen and her role as a “traveling doctor.” Rachel’s various me- annual event that has drawn educators from across the Piedmont
dicinal recipes became the talk of the day. Of course, Rachel was for many years. You won’t be disappointed!
the wife of John Allen who constructed the circa 1780 Allen
With our unique Civil War connection, The Sons of ConfederHouse now located at Alamance. Hamburger and hot dog sales
ate
Veterans, Camp 813, and the United Daughters of the Conwent well at all of the events.
federacy, Chapter 944, are co-sponsoring a Civil War Living HisEncampment and Lantern Tour on the weekend of October
As fall approaches, it is known that our popular Colonial Liv- tory
26th-27th. The Lantern Tour has been scheduled for 7:00 p.m.,
ing Week is just around the corner. The planning for the wellreceived educational event continues and school groups are now 8:00 p.m., and 9:00 p.m. We saw a great public response to a
similar event held at Alamance ten years ago. Please try to keep
scheduling for available times during the week of October 14 thth
your schedule open for this event.
18 . This will be the thirty-third edition of the five-day living
history program that offers students and the general public unique
Bryan Dalton, Site Manager
opportunities to learn about 18th-century military and domestic
From the Site Manager
nd
th
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