Visits with Susan in Raleigh are always a delight. (She was my roommate before I met Barney.) Again we stayed at the state fairgrounds campground, but had to leave by October 1 since all sites were being saved for those coming to the state fair. Evenings here were noisy because of a Jonas Brothers concert across the street and a NC State football game on Friday night. But all were happy sounds.
day trip to Benson
We love to explore small towns and historical sites around Raleigh whenever we visit Susan (along with eating out). Today Barney stayed home to check out a wheel bearing that seemed to be having a problem (all was okay). Susan and I drove to Benson, about 45 minutes away, to go exploring.
Whenever I go to a small town, I wonder why people settled here and what keeps them here. We found out that Benson grew as a town when the railroad came through.
The town has its own historical museum, so we decided to start exploring there.
So what grew here that would need or demand a railroad. Benson’s early wealth in the late 1890s came from farming, small shops selling what was needed, turpentine, and cotton. Local merchants began buying it by the bales from the farmers who traveled miles to sell their cotton and have it shipped north on the train.
Wagon loads of cotton were baled in local gins, and wagons stood in long lines to be weighed and sold. Farmers could get cash for their product or trade it for commodities. By 1920, this small town became an established market; in one year 15,000 bales of cotton passed through the town.
Around the time of WWI, the cotton market was booming when a blacksmith opened a stock exchange, which was called the “bucket shop” by local citizens. It had a ticker tape and was connected with the New York Stock Exchange. Many citizens purchased cotton futures during this “stock craze” time.
right: farmers waiting in long lines to unload bales of cotton
In 1884, two Fayetteville men opened businesses here: a turpentine distillery and a dry goods store. Turpentine since the businessman had seen the product being hauled to town on oxcarts. When the railroad opened in 1886, transportation was more efficient and the industry grew. (In the 1800s, turpentine was used in paints and medicines, as a solvent, a fuel for lamps, and in processing rubber.)
The businessman who opened the first dry goods and grocery store because the growth of the town could support it. Behind his store he made barrels for the booming turpentine industry.
By 1890, Benson had a dozen merchants and 2 cotton buyers.
- top: Stores supplied farming families with sugar, salt, and flour. Farmers could exchange crops, chickens, and eggs for needed supplies. Other merchants sold furniture, cars, oil, and farm supplies.
- bottom left: In 1903 two fires destroyed the downtown district. New brick buildings replaced the old wooden structures.
- bottom right: In 1895 the first jewelry store opened that sold everything from a bone button to a diamond ring.
While some Benson citizens started businesses, others were interested in manufacturing and inventions.
The Cindy Lou Sleeve Finisher was invented, manufactured, and marketed here. It was named for a daughter and provided the answer to the difficult task of pressing men’s and women’s garments without leaving a crease.
Also manufactured here around 1910 was the solid brass steam whistler that was used at the Star Manufacturing Company where it was used 3 times a day.
left: solid brass steam whistler
In the mid-1850s, local farmers grew corn, wheat, oats, and cotton. Farms produced crops for a family’s consumption, and large “plantations” also grew crops and goods for sale. The first cash crop here in Benson was timber and the necessary saw mills and turpentine distilleries.
Some tobacco was grown but not enough to be include in the agricultural census. By the end of the 1800s, enough tobacco was grown so the area could be called “tobacco country.” Over the years, thousands of acres were converted from timberland into fields to support this cash crop economy.
- left: Thousands of barrels of turpentine were shipped out on daily trains for $3 a barrel. White oak was cut down to supply the barrel making. Turpentine was big business until wood engines and kerosene lamps took over for power and light.
- right: A tobacco market was established here in 1902 but didn’t prosper because purchasers preferred the larger markets in other towns nearby. The market reopened in 1919, but the town’s fire in 1921 shut it down.
For women, their kitchens were the center of their homes. Early on most families grew their own vegetables, hunted for game, raised chickens, and canned most of the foods the family needed. Cooking started in the fireplace until wood stoves came along.
Children’s clothes primarily were made from flour, sugar, or cotton sacks. Store-bought clothes became more available when merchants opened their stores in the 1890s. Quilting was a popular pastime as a necessity and as a social affair.
singing
The oldest festival in the county, and one of the oldest in the state, began in 1921 as a treat for the town. Area church choirs met in an old tobacco warehouse to have a “sing.” About 200 people heard 2 choirs that day, but over the years, thousands would come every year for the event.
When the old warehouse was destroyed by fire in 1922, the group had to find a new place to meet. One woman donated an oak shaded grove in the middle of town, which became the permanent home of the State Singing Convention.
Today large audiences still gather on the 4th weekend in June at the Benson Singing Grove on Main Street where gospel groups compete for trophies.
Mule Days
Around this county, the most widely known festival is the annual Mule Day Celebration (we saw such a festival in Bishop, Ca., too). This week-long celebration on the 4th weekend in September (it was going to start on the day after we visited Benson!) has mule competitions, rodeos, and races. Over 60,000 people come to town during this time. Amazing. In addition, the street dances, concerts, pageants, carnivals, and a popular parade entertain the visitors.
shopping
Now on to visiting the shops on Main Street.
What a great day in Benson; so glad we came. I love small towns that are so alive, but I wonder if I could live in one. After our short time with Susan, we’re off to the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. My first time to be on a military base. Can’t wait. (By the way, the ants are still with us.)
