RonnieAdventures: April 2025

Friday, April 25, 2025

RonnieAdventure #0668 - Battle of Ramsour's Mill, Ivan-Hamrick Log Cabin, North Carolina

The Battle of Ramsour's Mill in Lincolnton County, North Carolina, significantly change the course of the Revolutionary War in the southern states.

In the spring of 1780, under the command of Lord Cornwallis, the British recruited a large number of Loyalists in Georgia and South Carolina to attack the Patriots in North Carolina. On the evening of June 19, about 1,300 Loyalists camped on the east side of Clark's Creek in Lincolnton County. On the west side of the Creek was Ramsour's gristmill. To the northeast, about 400 Patriot forces gathered to plan a surprise attack on the Loyalist's camp at daybreak.

At dawn on June 20, there was a heavy blanket of fog covering Ramsour's Mill. The fog was so thick that morning, the Patriots were able to march right up to the Loyalist's camp before being discovered. Catching the Loyalists off guard, the Loyalists did not have time to organize into any type of fighting formation and fighting became hand-to-hand combat. In less than two hours, the battle was over. Since the Loyalists did not know that they significantly outnumbered the Patriots, they dispersed into the countryside and did not ever attempt to reorganize. The victory of this battle was significant because it lowered the morale of the Loyalists in the southern states and weakened their support of the British.

After the fog lifted, dead and wounded men were found scattered across the battlefield. While some of the dead were identified and returned to their homes for burial, the majority of the fighters were buried in a deep trench on the side of a hill. Since both the Loyalists and Patriots were not wearing uniforms, it was not possible to determine which side they were on, so all of the dead were buried together in a mass grave.

On special occasions, reenactments of the of the battle are held at the site and bleachers are available by Ramsour's Mill for spectator seating.

Picture by Kolohe

Located a short distance from the battlefield is a burial site that tradition holds is for Patriot Captains John Dobson and John Bowman, and other family members. It is unclear when the brick enclosure was erected; but in 1984, Boy Scout Troup 87 repaired the enclosure as an Eagle Scout service project.

Located in Cleveland County near Boiling Springs, is the Ivan-Hamrick Log House and cemetery. The two-room log house was built in 1795 and a rear addition was added sometime after the Civil War. There is also a small cemetery on the site.

The entire site is fenced and there are no placards at the site to give any additional information about the property.

Picture by Kolohe

After enjoying several days in North Carolina, we flew back to Las Vegas.

Friday, April 18, 2025

RonnieAdventure #0667 - Walt's PEZ Collection, Newton, North Carolina

Picture by Kolohe

Newton Antiques and Collectibles is an interesting stop in Newton, North Carolina. Although this is primarily an antique shop, the owner, Walt Granford, is a dedicated PEZ collector and has what may be one of the largest private PEZ collections in the United States. It was reported that the collection contains over 100,000 PEZ units. He started colleting PEZ dispensers 30-years ago when he purchased a Pinocchio dispenser for $4 at a garage sale and when he arrived home he found out that it was worth $150.

We enjoyed looking at some of the unusual antiques before going to the back of the store to see his collection.

Picture by Kolohe

PEZ was first marketed in 1927 as a peppermint candy in Vienna, Austria. The name PEZ is an abbreviation for PfeffErminZ (German for peppermint).

Originally, the candies were round and sold as "PEZ Drops" in round rolls. However, over time the candy design was changed to a rectangular shape and packaged in containers similar in shape to a cigarette lighter.

In 1949, PEZ dispensers were officially introduced to the world at the Vienna Trade Fair; and then in 1952, PEZ products were sold in the United States. However, sales increased substantially in 1955 when PEZ started putting heads on the dispensers and marketing the product to children. The first heads were Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Popeye, and Santa Claus.

Currently, over 1500 character dispensers have been created and it was reported that today there are billions of annual candy sales in just the United States. PEZ Company headquarters are in Traun, Austria, while the candies are produced in Janossomorja, Hungary, and Orange, Connecticut. At the facility in Orange, there is a 4,000 sq. ft. visitor center and museum. I'll have to add this stop to my bucket list for the next time I'm in Connecticut.

Picture by Kolohe

After we had finished looking at the PEZ collection, we noticed a door with a sign that said: "World Fair Museum." When we inquired about the museum sign, the owner explained that he also collected world fair memorabilia and he agreed to unlock the door and let us look at some of the world fair items that he had collected. He explained that he became interested in world fair items because part of his PEZ collection was displayed at the 1984 World Fair in New Orleans. His world fair collection even included a limited edition Elvis set that featuring three different PEZ dispensers from different periods of Presley's life, and an Elvis record It happened at the World's Fair.

Picture by Kolohe