"The Lost Colony Murder on the Outer Banks: Seeking Justice for Brenda Joyce Holland" by John Railey

While on our recent road trip through the Carolinas, I picked up a few books on local stories, strangeness and crimes.  One volume I picked up was John Railey's "The Lost Colony Murder on the Outer Banks:  Seeking Justice for Brenda Joyce Holland".

The History Press again delivers with a nice, complete and easy to read volume on an unsolved case.

In 1967, young Brenda Joyce Holland starts work in the season play production of "the Lost Colony".  Being friendly, kind and attractive made her popular among the actors and locals.

Sadly, she went missing and her remains were later found in water, though the cause of death was found to be strangulation.  This was no accident.

The investigation involves several young men who knew or dated her, and a local dentist who was married to a young lady who looked a lot like Brenda.

mishandled evidence and a false confession derail the investigation, but author John Railey is confident he knows what happened.  In fact, he devotes several of the last pages to telling what he believed happened that night, pointing his finger firmly at one suspect.

This is one of the most interesting true crime books I have read...  and the author gets bonus points for his own research and for wrapping this one up as completely as possible.
 

Jerry A. Goodnight's books on Abraham Lincoln and rumors of his birth in North Carolina

On our recent road trip through the Carolinas we stopped at the Bostic Lincoln Center, where the museum discusses the rumor that Abraham Lincoln was actually born there, and not in Kentucky.  The main rumor also involves a different father than Thomas Lincoln.

Those are some pretty heavy rumors to consider.

The Bostic Lincoln Center sells a couple of books, authored and coauthored by Jerry A. Goodnight, that address and explain those legends.

"Tarheel Lincoln" is the first book and mostly addresses the local legend of Lincoln's origins.

"Searching for Lincoln:  Amid the Rumors, Legends and Lies" is a bit of a follow up book, digging deeper into variations on the North Carolina rumors and some other stories.  He covers, in detail, the 17 or so men who have been mentioned as possible fathers of Lincoln.

Goodnight is academic and mentions his sources and where the stories originated- while his books are still easy to read and follow.

The rumors and legends are uncomfortable but interesting.  One name pops up in almost every variation on the story.  These books are thoughtful and thought provoking, and they are worthy of inclusion in any serious Lincoln Library.

 

Lost! A Ranger's Journal of Search and Rescue by Dwight McCarter and Ronald Schmidt

I mentioned the book "MAYDAY!  MAYDAY!  Aircraft Crashes in the Smoky Mountains" way back in 2012!  Well, that book's co-author, Dwight McCarter contributed to another fascinating book about search and rescue in the same area.

"LOST!  A Ranger's Journal of Search and Rescue" by the previously mentioned Dwight McCarter and his co-author Ronald Schmidt gives the story of about a dozen rescues that McCarter was involved in.  The chapters are taken from his journal, and each one is its own little short story.

All are fascinating.  Some end very happily with a successful rescue.  Some end sadly with the discovery of a body.  AND, Dwight gives his firsthand account of the search for Dennis Martin- possibly one of the saddest stories associated with the Smoky Mountains.

Dates and times are noted in the journal so you get a bit of a play by play kind of feel as the search continues.

This book is a very interesting and easy to read volume for anyone who has ever explored the Smoky Mountains.

Cherokee, North Carolina

We spent a very casual day in Cherokee, North Carolina.  It was my first time getting the chance to explore the town, and I will definitely have to go back again.

We drove over the mountain from the Gatlinburg area.  We stopped here and there to admire the views, which were so common it felt unreal.  You can get spoiled on good scenery that seems to be everywhere.

Our first stop was at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center.  They had a nice little museum in there and they had a great early Settlers area.

I have said it before, but a lot of these reconstructed 19th century farms remind me of my grandparents farm growing up.  Lots of wood, chickens running around, and the smell of salted pork in the air really take me back.

From there we visited The Museum of the Cherokee Indian.  This is a great museum, that is well done and polished.  Its actually a very nice place.  It does a great job of telling the story of the Cherokee Indians.  The museum has displays and films that are easy to understand.  I have been to similar museums that feel cluttered or confusing.  That is not the case here.  I really enjoyed their collections of relics and the presentations on the Cherokee Creation story.  This classy museum almost seems out of place among all of the touristy shop.

Someone at the museum recommended a nice little restaurant called Paul's to us.  It was right down the road.  This was a great place with a local feel.  It kind of reminded me of Mel's Diner.  I did get an "Indian Taco, which was their homemade chili, lettuce, cheese, and tomato on frybread.  Man, I know it sounds simple, but it was so good!  My wife had a burger served on frybread.  She liked hers too.  Both were big enough that we could have shared.  Mine was so good that my stomach hurt, but I kept eating anyway.  This is a great local place that I would love to hit again in the future- not fancy but the food was good and the vibe was nice.

On the way back over to Gatlinburg we stopped at the Mingus Mill, which is cool too.  Check out the photos!

Asheville North Carolina

We made a quick stop in Asheville on our way home!  We didn't have much time to explore, but I did get a few photos. 

James K. Polk Historic Site in Pineville, North Carolina

Pineville North Carolina was another stop for us on our trip.  We stopped here to visit the James K. Polk Historic Site.

At the site are a couple of reconstructed homestead buildings, and a very small museum about Polk.  Inside the museum/visitor center a short film is shown about Polk and his life.

An hour is more than sufficient time to visit.

Biltmore 1949

There is some GREAT personal writing on the back of this postcard I found recently, sent in 1949. The writer tells her friend that she had difficulty talking her travel companions in to seeing the Biltmore as it was $2.40 each to go! She notes that one rug was valued at $75,000! She describes the beautiful garden and mentions the flowers she saw. She also talks about the Holly Inn, where she had reservations, had closed.

This blogger payed about $60 to visit about a year ago with a coupon. I was happy to see it, by the way.

Biltmore Estate Asheville, NC.

http://www.biltmore.com/

The Biltmore Estate is another cool attraction that is a bit beyond description.

We got up early and spent most of our day in Asheville here, and that evening we went to an Asheville Tourists baseball game. That night, after leaving the game, by head hurt. There was just so much to think about! The Biltmore is overwhelming. a 2 day trip here is justified. You will need at the very least a day.

The house itself is the biggest one around. It was over 40 bathrooms and goes on forever.

It seemed like we had to drive about 20 minutes from the front entrance of the property until we finally arrived at the parking area. From there, you can walk or take a shuttle to the actual house. You exit out of another way, and I think we drove another 20 minutes getting out.

They have a winery place on the way out. I am personally not a big wine person, but I enjoy going by the wine shops. They had the standard dip samples, fun snacks, wine tasting, etc. They had a great hot apple cider mix. I had a sample and left with some. Good stuff!

There are several shops in the main estate building area too. They have a comfy outdoor eating area. We had some nice sandwiches from their cafe and enjoyed the view from outside.

They also had the nice Christmas themed shop, a candy shop, etc. I found some really cool postcards. I was very excited to see that they actually make new linen postcards for the Biltmore!

Admission is high ($60 per person and up) but it is worth at least one visit in every one's lifetime. You get a lot for your admission. There are many great gardens, a greenhouse and a tour. On the day we went, the place was packed. The lines through the house moved slow and leisurely.

High Point, NC Giant Chest of Drawers

This town has a giant chest of drawers! Check it out!

Asheville, NC Muffler Man

Muffler Men, in my books, are one of the coolest and most underrated attractions around. I love them. I think they are stunning.

Check out the map of known muffler men and the history of them at one of my favorite sites: roadsideamerica.com

You don't see many of them these days. In fact, they were really pretty rare to begin with. On our recent trip through North Carolina, we missed an exit near Asheville and found this one a bit by accident.

I took a photo of him up close at night and I saw him again the next day near the road. They really get your attention!