Poker Run on Saturday

A reminder that the CCHA's first poker run, visiting historic sites throughout Catawba County, will be held on Saturday, June 19. For more information, see below or visit Murray's Mill on Facebook.

Book Includes Murray's Mill

Last weekend, a visitor to the Mill brought with her a great book entitled "Our Vanishing Americana," by Mike Lassiter. She brought it because her goal is to visit all the different places featured in the publication and have an employee or interpreter at each location sign her book. Kind of like a North Carolina-themed "bucket list."

The book was beautiful and I was surprised by the pages dedicated to Murray's Mill, right here in Catawba County. Check out the website for the book, learn more about the author's project, keep updated on news and events, and enjoy some photographs.

Lassiter, a Statesville native and UNC Chapel Hill grad, teamed up with PBS to create a production based on his book in 2009. Enjoy the site...and turn your volume up! The website has nice music.

The Mill always has great guests with wonderful stories to share. Thank you!

Earth Day

 

For Earth Day, we wanted to remind readers that Murray's Mill is collecting aluminum cans to raise money for two projects: painting the waterwheel and getting a glass case made for Lloyd Murray's CLOSED sign. Collecting aluminum cans for these projects uses items that are already available at the mill and is environmentally friendly. It helps contain waste that could end up around our site, on the road, and in the creek. It also shows that lots of 'little bits' together can make something big and a big difference. Thanks for your support!

Murray's Mill in the Movies

While searching the archives recently, I came across an old issue of the Hickory Metro newsletter from 1996. Much to my surprise the front page showed Murray's Mill--but it looked a little bit different...turns out, Murray's Mill was the set of a 1996 NBC movie, The Lottery. It is based on Shirley Jackson's famous short story and the screenplay was written by Anthony Spinner. You can read the story here. The movie starred Keri Russell and Dan Cortese.



Another movie filmed at the Mill was Wildflower in 1991. Also a made-for-tv movie, it was directed by Diane Keaton and featured Beau Bridges and a young Reese Witherspoon.



The Mill reopens for the season March 13th. Come visit--it's famous!

Happy birthday, Mr. Murray!

John Lambert Murray was born on February 10, 1877 to William A. Murray and Harriet R. Murray in the Balls Creek community. William worked at the Wike and McNeil mill and eventually bought Wike's half around 1883, making him the first of three generations of Murrays to run the mill.

Around 1898, John bought the mill from his father and ran the business until it closed in 1967. " We made wheat into flour and corn into meal, and we shipped in a lot of wheat besides what we ground for farmers around here," said John Murray when interviewed for his 100th birthday.

In 1901, John married Minnie Cleola Minges. The couple had ten children: six sons and four daughters. All of the boys worked in the mill at one time or another. One son, Loyd, even took over the business when John semi-retired.

His wife died in early 1967, and John lived by himself in his house above the mill until just after he turned 100, when he went to live at Hickory Heath Care Inc. John was not alone in his picturesque setting - at least four of his children lived around the mill, as well as nieces and nephews.

When he died on January 4 , 1982, John was the oldest resident in Catawba County. One son and two daughters preceded him in death, but his surviving family included two sisters, five sons, two daughters, 20 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren, three great-great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

Mill in Magazine

Have you checked out the latest issue of the Conover publication, Sophie Woman's Magazine? A gorgeous photograph of Murray's Mill is in the Shutterbuggerz section, submitted by Terry Berry. Scroll down to Photo #83 to view. You can even vote for your favorite pics in their monthly contest.

The February issue is available now at many stores and restaurants around the area. Great local stories, ads, advice...and it's free!

Site Introductions

As the first post of our new blog, we'd like to introduce you to our multiple properties:

The Catawba County Museum of History

The Museum is located in downtown Newton and is housed in the old Courthouse, built in 1924. Here, visitors can browse many exhibits about the history and development of the County at their leisure, or request a guided tour (when available). Highlights include several period rooms, exhibitions on local pottery and furniture, a new hands-on gallery designed just for children, and many other permanent displays. Currently, the first floor gallery houses our temporary exhibit about the Catawba Soldier in WWII.

The Harper House/Hickory History Center

The Harper House is a stately Queen Anne Victorian style home dating from the late 19th century, full of history and surprising stories. It is located in downtown Hickory near Frye Hospital. It is available for tours and rentals, making it a beautiful setting for an elegant wedding.

Next to the Harper House is a restored Arts and Crafts style bungalow, built in 1912, which houses a wonderful space for parties and programs. This property contains temporary exhibitions on the first floor and "The Miracle of Hickory" exhibit on the second floor, about the polio hospital quickly constructed near Lake Hickory - a saving grace for the Piedmont.

Murray's Mill

Located in the charming town of Catawba, Murray's Mill highlights the agricultural past of the County. Visitors can enjoy tours of the waterwheel grist mill (we still grind each year during the Harvest Folk Festival!). The acres surrounding the mill are ideal for picnics and the site includes nature trails along Balls Creek. In addition to the mill, you can stop by the general store, built in 1890, for a cold drink and some old-fashioned candy. The annual Harvest Folk Festival in September always draws a large crowd. At that time, the John Murray home and the Huffman House are open to visitors. Murray's Mill is open from March through November.


Bunker Hill Covered Bridge

The Bunker Hill Covered Bridge was constructed in 1895 and is located on Hwy. 70 in Claremont. Designated as a National Civil Engineering Landmark in 2001, the Bunker Hill Covered Bridge is the only remaining example in wood of the Improved Lattice Truss patented by General Herman Haupt. The bridge spans Lyle's Creek on old Island Ford road, a former Native American trail. The bridge site is open daily from dawn until dusk and has picnic tables.