Yesterday’s Journeys
The Nissen Wagon that is usually housed in the Nissen Wagon Museum at Shallowford Square in Lewisville, North Carolina was pulled out recently for an up-close inspection by attendees of the 4th Annual Yadkin Valley History Fair & Conference.
Let’s Go!
Let’s take a trip together, shall we? We’ll journey back in time — as far back as 300 years ago — and get a glimpse of the various modes of transportation used in Piedmont North Carolina, beginning with the early settlers. And while we’re at it, we’ll stop by a few local historic sites.
In the 1700s and 1800s, traveling was downright hard and was often dangerous. With a little help from the folks who sponsored the 4th Annual Yadkin Valley History Fair & Conference on Saturday, August 8, 2009, we’ll learn about such challenges as making one’s way over the Indian trails, dirt roads and treacherous rivers of earlier times.
Please continue to the NEXT SECTION for more HISTORY, PHOTOS and AUDIO on early transportation in the Yadkin Valley/Piedmont area of North Carolina.
4th Annual Yadkin Valley Historic Fair & Conference
The theme of this year’s history fair and conference was “Transportation in the Yadkin Valley Before the Automobile.” The conference was held at Lewisville United Methodist Church in Lewisville, North Carolina and was sponsored by The Yadkin Valley Historical Association. More than 80 people attended the conference, which included interesting speakers, exhibitors, authors and historians, including the keynote speaker, Tom Magnuson, and live music by R. G. Absher.
The day was packed with historical travel-related info touching on such topics as Native American trading routes, Daniel Boone’s trails, the Great Wagon Road, rivers, fords (including the Shallow Ford), ferries, covered wagons and stagecoaches.
The conference wrapped up with a tour to the Nissen House and the Nissen Wagon Museum in Lewisville, and a tour to the Hattie Butner Stagecoach and the Paul Clemmons House/Stagecoach Stop in Clemmons.
Photo Gallery
Be sure to visit the 2009 Yadkin Valley History Fair & Conference photo gallery. The gallery not only includes shots of many of the conference’s exhibits, speakers and attendees, but also covers the tour stops in Lewisville and Clemmons.
Audio Recordings
As an added feature, you can listen to specific segments of the conference from the selection of tightly edited audio recordings provided below. (Portions of the recordings that were not pertinent to the respective topics were edited out.)
If you’re interested in history, I believe you’ll enjoy the various topics. The first recording is of the beautiful hammered dulcimer music of R. G. Absher.
- Hammered Dulcimer Music — R. G. Absher (MP3, 1 MIN.)
- Welcome — Andrew Mackie (MP3, 7 MIN.)
- Exhibitor Introduction — Ann Shelton Black (MP3, 4 MIN.)
- Keynote Introduction — Andrew Mackie (MP3, 3 MIN.)
- Keynote Address: Transportation in the Yadkin Valley Before the Automobile — Tom Magnuson (MP3, 64 MIN.)
- Carrying the Mail for Three Generations — Marcellene Blackburn Lindsey (Introduction by Andrew Mackie) (MP3, 11 MIN.)
- Proposed Daniel Boone Heritage Trail in North Carolina — Tom Holder (Introduction and Follow-Up by Andrew Mackie) (MP3, 25 MIN.)
- George Elias Nissen House, Nissen Wagon and the Great Wagon Road — Darla Johnson (MP3, 17 MIN.)
- The Hattie Butner Stagecoach and the Paul Clemmons House/Stagecoach Shop — Janet Banzhof (MP3, 18 MIN.)
- Tour: Nissen House Exterior — Darla Johnson (MP3, 11 MIN.)
- Tour: Nissen Wagon — Darla Johnson (MP3, 4 MIN.)
- Tour: Great Wagon Road — Kyle Stimson (MP3, 10 MIN.)
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Mark Your Calendars — Celebrating 150 Years!
The Town of Lewisville will celebrate its 150th Anniversary on October 17, from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. The celebration is sponsored by the Lewisville Historical Society. There will be games, music, children’s choirs, a flower show, a self-guided walking tour and hay rides.
The day’s activities will also include a parade of buggies and vehicles from the different decades of Lewisville’s existence and a re-enactment of the wedding of Lewis Laugenour, Lewisville’s founder. Lewisville’s Sesquicentennial Celebration is sure to be an unforgettable, fun-filled day. I hope to see you there!
