Piedmont Phantoms by Daniel W. Barefoot

Author:Daniel W. Barefoot
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Folklore/Ghosts
ISBN: 9780895874573
Publisher: Blair
Published: 2002-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

Now there is nothing but the ghosts of things—

No life, no love, no children, and no men.

Edwin Arlington Robinson

Nestled in the rolling foothills of North Carolina, venerable Lincolnton is the state’s second-oldest incorporated town west of the Catawba River. Chartered by the state legislature in 1785, the city was the birthplace of the Southern textile industry and the site of a significant Revolutionary War battle. A number of historic homes, reminders of Lincolnton’s proud past, are located throughout the city and the adjacent countryside.

One such home is Woodside, a magnificent late-eighteenth-century Federal-style brick plantation house on NC 182 approximately two miles west of Lincolnton. Erected in 1799, the well-preserved masterpiece survives as the third-oldest house in Lincoln County.

As important as its architectural significance are the prominent persons who have called Woodside home. Lawson Henderson, the original owner, was a wealthy planter who amassed an estate that exceeded two thousand acres. Henderson was also a political powerhouse who served as clerk of superior court for thirty years and then boldly declared the office his for life. One of his sons born at Woodside, James Pinckney Henderson (1808-1858), was destined for political greatness in a faraway place. As an adult, James migrated to Texas, where he emerged with his friends Sam Houston and Stephen Austin as the great heroes of the fight for independence from Mexico. Subsequently, he served as the European ambassador for the Republic of Texas. In 1846, he was elected the first governor of the state of Texas.

Two years later, James Pinckney Henderson’s widowed mother sold Woodside to Dr. Alexander Ramseur. In 1858, Ramseur’s daughter, Alice, married a local physician, John Richardson. The newlyweds made their home at Woodside. Among the five children born to the Richardsons at the plantation was Malvina, a beautiful daughter.

In the aftermath of the Civil War, Woodside fared as did many other plantations in North Carolina and throughout the South. Although the mansion was spared the torch of General George Stoneman and his Yankee raiders when they arrived in Lincolnton on April 30, 1865, the plantation economy was forever at an end. As a result, the Richardson family was forced to find an alternate means of income to keep the estate viable.

During Reconstruction, wealthy Northerners began making extended hunting trips to the Lincolnton area. Dr. Richardson quartered some of the hunters in the mansion and allowed them to hunt pheasant on the estate grounds. Meanwhile, Malvina had matured into a beautiful young woman who busied herself as a teacher at the school conducted for local children at Woodside.

One of the visiting hunters who enjoyed the hospitality in Dr. Richardson’s fine home was young and strikingly handsome. His name has long been lost to history, but he will be called Jim for the purposes of this story. Early into his visit at Woodside, Jim met Malvina. Theirs was love at first sight. Jim soon asked Dr. Richardson for Malvina’s hand in marriage. Assured by Malvina that she was deeply in love with Jim, the physician graciously consented.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.