From House in the Horseshoe to the Lockville Dam, the Deep River between Chatham and Lee counties is home to some of the most fascinating human history in the Triangle.
On Saturday, November 8, led by local historian Edwin Patterson, we will visit and explore four of the historic jewels of the Deep: House in the Horseshoe state historic site; the circa 1800 Tyson House; Deep River Park and the Camelback Bridge; and Endor Iron Furnace.
Schedule
| 8:45 | Meet at the Food Lion parking lot near the intersection of US 15-501 and US 1 in Sanford (2581 Hawkins Ave.) | |
| 9:00 | Depart for House in the Horseshoe | |
| 9:30 | Arrive for guided tour of House in the Horseshoe state historic site | |
| 11:00 | Depart for Tyson House (c. 1800), Carbonton | |
| 11:15 | Arrive Tyson House for guided indoor*/outdoor tour. *Those going inside will be asked to take off their shoes. |
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| 12:00 | Depart for Deep River Park | |
| 12:20 | Arrive Deep River Park for lunch and talk about Gulf/Camelback Bridge | |
| 1:05 | Depart for Endor Iron Furnace | |
| 1:15 | Arrive Endor Iron Furnace (Tour group will be joined here by people coming for just the Endor tour) |
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| 1:30 | Begin walking tour to Endor Furnace | |
| 3:30 | End walking tour, depart for Food Lion meeting place | |
| 3:45 | Arrive Food Lion parking lot, disperse. |
We are offering transportation (passenger vans) for up to 30 participants on a first-come basis. Cost is $10 per person. We also are offering box lunches (sandwich, pickle, chips, cookie, bottle of water) from the General Store Café of Pittsboro for $8 (menu). As noted, participants may join us for the entire tour, or for just the Endor Iron Furnace tour.
Registration is now closed.
Brief Information about the Tour stops
House in the Horseshoe (ca. 1770) state historic site
As the Deep River wanders through North Carolina's Piedmont plateau and curves in a horseshoe bend, there stands on a hilltop above it one of the first big houses of upland North Carolina frontier country, the House in the Horseshoe. Named "Retreat" by its second owner, Gov. Benjamin Williams, it was also known as the Alston House after Philip Alston, who built the house in 1770. Today, its walls still bear numerous scars and bullet holes from a Revolutionary War skirmish, and its chambers feature fine antiques of the colonial and Revolutionary War eras.
Tyson House (ca. 1800)
Cornelius Tyson, a Quaker, received a land grant in 1748 and moved his family from Hyde County to what was then Moore County. In 1800, his son Aaron built the Tyson House. Featuring unique architectural elements and incredible woodwork, the Tyson House was restored in 2005 by the current owner. Edwin Patterson, who wrote the section on the Tyson House for the book, The History and Architecture of Lee County, North Carolina (J. Daniel Pezzoni, 1995), will lead our tour of the house along with the current owner who was so gracious to allow us to visit.
Deep River Park / Camelback Bridge (ca. 1908)
Originally part of a longer bridge over the Cape Fear River at Lillington that washed out in a flood in December 1930. The Camelback Bridge was moved to its present location around 1931 to replace a covered wooden bridge that burned down. It connected the communities of Farmville (Chatham) and Cumnock (Lee) until 1992, when it was replaced by the current vehicle bridge connecting Rosser and Cumnock roads. The state planned to tear down the Camelback Bridge at that time, but locals succeeded in acquiring the bridge and land on both sides of the river to create the Deep River Park. In 1995, the Camelback Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Endor Iron Furnace (ca. 1861)
At 35 feet tall, the Endor Iron Furnace represents, both literally and figuratively, the pinnacle of this area’s 19th century industrial revolution. Iron and coal had been found in the area and mined to varying degrees. In 1861, the Endor Iron Company was founded and construction of the Endor Furnace began. Production began in 1863, with the pig iron the furnace produced being shipped by rail down to the armory in Fayetteville where it would be used to make arms for the Confederate war effort. A second life as a producer of iron for train wheels was envisioned in the 1870s but the iron ore played out, and with it the area’s future as the “Pittsburgh of the South.”
Last updated on 11/24/2008