Discovery of History Ride

[drdubb]

Yesterday was one of yet another fabulous fall days here in NC. Seemed like a good day to ride, no doctor appointments for the wifey, no other duties calling, so I decided to hit one of NC's scenic byways. The planned route was to take me from historic Hillsborough, through rural Yanceyville, another historic village, Milton, (near Virginia International Raceway), to Monticello, (not the Virginia one) and home. Total ride time was estimated at 4-5 hours, 200 plus miles.

I missed a turn that took me out of the Milton area, then I got fascinated at the history of Yanceyville, so I cut the ride short to get home at an hour the SOQS would find acceptable. I discovered a couple of good MC roads and a whole region that deserves to be explored. It's not the Smokies or the Rockies, but the area provides good country rides and I can get there without hitting heavy urban traffic or riding the super slabs.

The photos are of a civil war era courthouse and the adjacent jail. The historical marker mentions a "war". When looking this up I found that a state senator, John "chickin" Stephens was murdered in the courthouse by the KKK in 1870. Another prominent black  town commissioner, was lynched in a near by town, also by the KKK. The governor, William Holden, declared an insurrection and sent in militia from the western part of the state. The militia leader, Col. Kirk, rode roughshod over the area, arresting about 100 locals. After the next election, the Democrats took back the legislature and impeached the Republican governor.

When looking this up, I found an interesting photo of the old historical marker that mentioned the KKK, but the new marker does not. I still remember driving to the beach as a teenager and seeing billboards declaring some towns KKK Country. The south has some scary history.  http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ncccha/memoranda/kirkholdenwar.html

Coming home, I stopped at a small BBQ house in Hillsborough. Talk about a class of cultures. Hillsborough has become a haven for intellectuals and artists, but is surrounded by a southern rural community. Running the BBQ house are a couple of ladies from the mid-east. So while I was enjoying my BBQ, I heard liberal politics, broken English, and how things were going on the Nascar circuit in a COUNTRY southern drawl. (no single syllable words) We live in a great country.

A few more photos and blathering are here. http://dalewarren.blogspot.com/

[fishball]

A very interesting ride report!  Thanks for sharing.

[ariwhiteboy]

Man Doc, your ride reports have me counting the days until I can retire!  Keep it up for all us poor working saps. 

[fishmeister]

Very nice DD. Who says us oldtimers can't scoot?

Keep 'em comming.....

[drdubb]

Man Doc, your ride reports have me counting the days until I can retire!  Keep it up for all us poor working saps. 

Trying to get in some rides. Going back to work in November. Got two months of employment to refill the bike project coffers.

[Burgi]

Nice report, you should have posted that creepy house over here....it looks cool. 

[luckylindy]

Looks like a good day.  Thanks for the report.

[hppants]

Nice report Doc - great to see you enjoying your bike.

[drdubb]

Thanks pantsman, but you are the KING of rider reports. Nobody outside of La., knows what your are eating! ( I ask my brother-in-law who's from Slidell.)

[Burgi]

Thanks pantsman, but you are the KING of rider reports. Nobody outside of La., knows what your are eating! ( I ask my brother-in-law who's from Slidell.)

From the descriptions that should keep us alive a lot longer. 

[hppants]

 

What kind of BBQ do they serve in NC?  Memphis style, K/C style, or Texas style?

[happycommuter]

Oh man, I was in the VIR area last month...

I blame school for the utter lack of interest that I had in history as a child.  How did they make such fascinating stuff so tearfully dull and irrelevant?

Am I the only one that always seems to see historical stuff on a bike, never in a car?  In a way, I think it's best that these things remain somewhat obscure so they are purer for the true buff.  If they were 'marketed' and dumbed down...

[drdubb]

What kind of BBQ do they serve in NC?  Memphis style, K/C style, or Texas style?

NC style. Pork BBQ was invented in NC. There are two types, eastern and Lexington.

Both have a vinegar sauce, Lexington only uses pork shoulders, a few different spices, and a little different slaw.

[drdubb]

Oh man, I was in the VIR area last month...

I blame school for the utter lack of interest that I had in history as a child.  How did they make such fascinating stuff so tearfully dull and irrelevant?

Am I the only one that always seems to see historical stuff on a bike, never in a car?  In a way, I think it's best that these things remain somewhat obscure so they are purer for the true buff.  If they were 'marketed' and dumbed down...

As a former teacher, my brain was abuzz with ways to hook kids with "real" history. I sent a note to one of my former colleagues who teachers history, government, etc. to see if she could run with some of this.

We currently have a school board made up of recent (last 4 years) northern transplants and they are trying to make huge changes without understanding the background and history. They wonder why there is resistance. We still remember carpetbaggers here in the south. No offense to you yankees. If you ride a NH you can't be all bad.

[Burgi]

I could have done history classes all day long, but they kept wanting to teach us math.... 

[Soupskin]

What kind of BBQ do they serve in NC?  Memphis style, K/C style, or Texas style?

Yeah, I hope thats just a joke...

[Soupskin]

We still remember carpetbaggers here in the south.

Are they that far removed from the manufacturers that are here to exploit the cheap and union free labor pool?  Not to mention the politicians who pave their roads here with tax free golden properties?

Getting way off topic, sorry...