"Met Her On the Mountain" by Mark I. Pinsky (2013)

When VISTA volunteer Nancy Morgan arrived to Madison County, North Carolina in 1970 she believed that she could make a difference in the lives of the working poor who lived there. And, to some extent she did. By most accounts she was a friendly and outgoing young woman who was determined to do what she could to help in the War on Poverty. Her future plans after her stint with VISTA involved obtaining her nursing degree and returning to Madison County to provide health care to the people who lived there. It just didn't work out that way.

One night in June, as Nancy was headed home to her cabin next door to the grocer’s, she was apparently abducted, raped and killed. Her body was left; bound; in the backseat of her government issued Plymouth, where it was found several days later by a passing motorist answering the call of nature.

What followed was one of the most botched investigations imaginable, with local law enforcement competing with the FBI for clues to solve the killing. The body was left on Federal land, and should have been a Federal crime scene from the beginning of the investigation until the last. Even local politics played a part in not solving the case of Ms. Morgan’s murder. The case is still unsolved as of this writing.

Social attitudes were also a sticking point in the investigation, with the more conservative local folks believing, in some measure, that Ms. Morgan was too sexually active. Books were found in her belongings concerning S and M. It was reported that she had several lovers in the area. It was even rumored that she was killed by a local woman, jealous of Nancy’s easygoing ways. None of these things were ever proven to have had a bearing on her murder. As a matter of fact, none of those things was ever proven at all.

The title of the book comes from the ballad “Tom Dooley”, which was actually written about a murder in Statesville, North Carolina. The author traces the roots of mountain violence back to the original settlers from Scotland and their clan wars. The violence was almost endemic there, and some of that culture did spill over into the Appalachian Mountain communities. The suspicion of outsiders also played a part in this true life mystery.

The most striking thing about this book is that the crime remains unsolved. The author, a VISTA volunteer, who although he never actually worked with Ms. Morgan, thinks he knows who killed her. Carefully culling everything known about the people with whom she dealt in Madison County, he pieces together a picture of good gone bad, and justice denied. This is a compelling book.

"Tales from Old Iredell County" by O.C. Stonestreet (2012)

Thanks to author O.C. Stonestreet I will never look at the local roads, such as route 115, 21 and 150, in the same light again. They say that the only thing new is the history you don’t know, and Mr. Stonestreet has managed to gather all of the local folklore into this delightfully entertaining, quickly read, 200 page book.

Mr. Stonestreet was speaking at the DAR meeting last Saturday in Mooresville, and Sue; who is a member; bought a copy of this book which details all of the local legends in the county. Some are suspect, but others ring very true, even explaining some of the things I see; or wonder about; as I travel the local roads each day.

Among the stories related here, which vary from Tom Dooley’s hanging, which made a great folk song; to some more important; although not fully proven tales. We also can boast that Iredell County was the birthplace of Kit Carson, the legendary pioneer, and North Carolina’s version of Daniel Boone. Remember, these events took place when North Carolina was the western frontier of our nation.

I especially liked the story about Abraham Lincoln, whom I have written of several times here and is one of my favorite Presidents. It seems that Abraham Lincoln may have been fathered by a man named Abraham Enloe in Rutherford County; about 60 miles from here; who had a maid named Nancy Hanks. She became pregnant by her employer; and although he was already married with kids; he did the honorable thing by paying Tom Lincoln $500 and a wagon; with a team of oxen; to claim the child was his. Tom Lincoln was on his way to Illinois and just passing through, so he readily agreed to the arrangement. Moreover, Tom Lincoln; who was never overly fond of his son; was short and stocky; while Mr. Enloe was tall and lean, just as Abraham Lincoln was. Even pictures of Mr. Enloe’s son bear a striking likeness to the President. This story has never been definitively disproven, with even some of Lincoln’s own words alluding to the uncertainty of his parentage.

From crimes and punishments, lynching’s and murders; with a bit of mayhem thrown in; there are some truly colorful stories in this book. Along with some stories concerning gravestones; the book is a wonderful thing to have in the car as you go about your daily business. It will enable the reader to expand upon the little tidbits of tales which he may have heard about, but thus far been unable to verify. So much of local history has been lost to the ages, and Mr. Stonestreet’s little book may go a long way in stopping some of that loss.