From April 2016

Ninety Six: An Odd Name and Battle

The town of Ninety Six was established in 1751 as a trading post with the Cherokee:  the trading post was 96 miles from the large Cherokee city of Keowee, near today’s Clemson, South Carolina.  Several Indian trails intersected at Ninety Six and it became a growing community on the frontier.  When the white settlers stole …

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Eastern Whippoorwill

Recently Tom and I have enjoyed hearing a new bird call:  the Eastern Whippoorwill.  Generally I love hearing the birds, especially early in the morning.  And when the Eastern Whippoorwill first migrated back to our area, we were fascinated by its noisy (really loud) cry.  The bird is named after it’s song.  It sounds like …

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Congaree National Park

On one of our adventure days this week, Tom and I headed to Congaree National Park, near Columbia, South Carolina.  Congaree National Park protects 26,000 acres of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest.  It is the wetland system of the Congaree and Wateree Rivers.  In other words – it’s a swamp. More than half of South Carolina …

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Peeps – An Easter Favorite

My favorite Easter candy is Peeps.  I have always loved the super-sugary sweetness of Peeps.  I delight in biting off the heads first, letting the sugar melt in my mouth, and then chewing the rest of the soft marshmallow.  Because I am a purist, my favorite Peeps are the originals:  the yellow chicks.  Every Easter …

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Making Life Easier

Recently I asked a coworker, “How can I make your life easier today?”  This is an easy question for me to ask since I am a volunteer without any specific duties except to help others.  At first she laughed, then she had a few suggestions on things I could do that would be helpful.  About …

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Battle of Guilford Courthouse

The Battle of Guilford Courthouse was fought on March 15, 1781, two months after the Battle at Cowpens.  Guilford Courthouse was the first time that General Cornwallis and his Provincial army would fight General Greene and the Continental Army.  The two armies had fought previously, but commanded by different people, and both were resounding defeats …

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Catawba Nation Cultural Center

Recently Tom and I visited the Catawba Nation Cultural Center in Rock Hill, South Carolina.  We were hoping to get some information that we could use in one of the displays we have been working on. The Catawba Nation Cultural Center is an interesting mix of things.  It is partly a museum with some displays …

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Great Wagon Road Display

One of the projects that Tom and I have been working on at Kings Mountain is the Great Wagon Road Display for the museum.  We were given this assignment when we first arrived, to be a temporary display in the museum.  There is a “temporary” display case, but it is so hard to get into …

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Left in the Dark

Have you ever been left in the dark? When Tom and I help close up the Visitors Center at Kings Mountain, one of the things we do is put “clubs” on the doors so they can’t be opened from the outside, even if someone has the key.  We put clubs on the main doors, the …

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