Veterans Day in Mint Hill NC
Want to know how Veterans Day is celebrated in Carolina small towns?
I decided to check out the festivities in Mint Hill NC and in Matthews NC on a beautiful fall day with Carolina blue skies.
Mint Hill's Veterans Day celebration was a learning experience. It took place at the Carl J. McEwen Historic Village in downtown Mint Hill NC and was sponsored by the Mint Hill Historical Society. Local veterans were honored with a ceremony that included a prayer and a patriotic song, a flag raising by a Boy Scout troop and a flag retirement ceremony.
A Living History program at the McEwen Historic Village took me back over a hundred years. As I wandered among the old buildings from Mint Hill's history, I was able to speak with a gentleman farmer, a military recruiter from the Civil War, Clara Barton, and General Robert E. Lee and his youngest daughter. Of course, these folks weren't actually a part of Mint Hill history but it was fun to listen to them tell stories about their lives.
What were these visitors from the past doing and talking about?
The Farmer
The farmer was repairing his shoes. He was making nails from slivers of wood to attach new heels to his shoes.
The Military Recruiter
The military recruiter talked about the difference between recruiting for the Civil War before 1861 when everyone thought that the war would be over in six months and after 1862 when it became obvious that it would be a long war. Military recruiters after 1862 spent a lot of time looking for deserters.
Clara Barton
Clara Barton spoke of the 1895 Ashcraft school, a rural one-room school in Mint Hill.
Robert E. Lee and his Daughter
Robert E. Lee's daughter described how she and each of her 6 siblings had been given nicknames by their father.
Visit www.CarolinaSmallTownLiving.com for more information about living in Mint Hill NC and other area small towns.
About the author: Carol Fox is a veteran agent who began her real estate career in Mint Hill over twenty years ago.
Copyright 2008. Carol Fox. All rights reserved. "Veterans Day in Mint Hill NC"