February 1924Introduction by Dr. Debbie Russell: One of the most noted court cases in the county’s history had its roots in February 1924, when the Rockingham County Board of Commissioners decided to cancel a contract to build a bridge across the Dan River. They had just approved the contract with the Luten Bridge Company of Tennessee on a vote of 3-2 a month earlier at their regular meeting in the 1907 Courthouse (now the location of the MARC). In the intervening weeks, a very vocal opposition movement and a new member appointed to the Board of Commissioners resulted in a vote to rescind the contract. Despite the cancellation of the contract, the company went ahead and completed the bridge anyway, and then sued the county to recover their costs. Spanning the river at Fishing Creek in the Leaksville area, this made the third bridge across the river within a distance of less than two miles. The scenario had started months before, involved some of the most prominent citizens in the area, and for a time seriously divided Rockingham County into those for and opposed to building the bridge. The controversy included accusations of manipulation by influential leaders, two thousand protesters at one meeting, resignations, new appointees, scores of newspaper articles for and against the bridge, and ultimately court filings that went back and forth for more than a decade. In fact, in the legal world, the Rockingham County v. Luten Bridge case has become a staple of contract courses and is now studied in virtually every law school in America. Other legal analysts have also noted its importance in local government law, in addressing the legitimacy of elected and appointed boards and their role in economic development. The story behind this fascinating case and what was called both “the bridge to nowhere” and “the most beautiful bridge in the South” is covered in local historian Bob Carter’s article from the Journal of Rockingham County History and Genealogy (June 2004) found below. Keep reading to find out the history of one of Rockingham County’s most important court cases.  (Luten Bridge: October 2019: courtesy of Gordon Allen)  (Luten Bridge: October 2019: courtesy of Gordon Allen) A Bridge To Nowhere - by Bob Carter (County Historian)(read using the slides below or by downloading the PDF) 
References:
In addition to those cited in Bob Carter’s Journal article, the following sources might also be of interest to readers: Articles from The Tri-City Daily Gazette (Leaksville, NC): “Mass Meeting Is Called Monday, February 4,” January 17, 1924, 1, reprinted from The Reidsville Review; “Democratic County Chairman Condemns Mass Meeting and Upholds Orderly Government,” January 30, 1924, 1; “Madison Man Pleads To Put Down Strife,” January 31, 1924, 1; “3 County Commissioners Bring Suit,” February 2, 1924, 1; “Mass Meeting Did Not Accomplish Its Purpose Yesterday,” February 5, 1924, 1; and a series of commentaries from the Gazette editor, Murdoch E Murray, entitled “A Tale of a Bridge” from February 8- March 8, 1924, in which he generally supports B. Frank Mebane and the building of the bridge. See also Rockingham County v. Luten Bridge Co., 35 F.2d 301 (4th Cir. 1929), Justia, US Law, https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/35/301/1488369/; Barak Richman, Jordi Weinstock & Jason Mehta, “A Bridge, a Tax Revolt, and the Struggle to Industrialize: The Story and Legacy of Rockingham County v. Luten Bridge Co.,” 84 N.C. Law Review, 1841 (2006), https://scholarship.law.unc.edu/nclr/vol84/iss6/2; Donnie B. Stowe, “Mr. Mebane’s Bridge and the Railroad That Never Was,” Rockingham County Legacy: A Digital Heritage Project, Original in Linda C. Vernon Genealogy Room, Rockingham County Public Library, Madison, NC, Digital NC, https://lib.digitalnc.org/record/101073#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0&r=0&xywh=299%2C438%2C1936%2C1176; Brenda Marks Eagles, Benjamin Franklin Mebane, Jr., NCpedia, State Library of North Carolina, https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/mebane-benjamin-frankli-0; and Helen Lounsbury, “The Bridges of Rockingham County: Quite a Tale Could Be Written about Local River Spans,” January 6, 1994, News & Record (Greensboro, NC), https://greensboro.com/the-bridges-of-rockingham-county-quite-a-tale-could-be-written-about-local-river-spans/article_61085f9a-38fc-5d14-acef-f4b9debe6e50.html
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The remains of one of Rockingham County’s oldest houses were demolished during the summer of 2019. The structure was located on the west side of NC Highway 14 near Town Creek one mile south of Bethlehem United Methodist Church. The old home had been known as the “Nancy Moore Place” for generations. The property was owned by Barnett Moore and his descendants from 1815 until the 1990s.
The building is believed to have been erected prior to 1815 when Barnett Moore purchased the 300-acre tract of land. The property can be traced back to 1779 when Thomas Young entered a claim for the land from the State of North Carolina. The property was granted to Young on 14 October 1783. A few months later, on 2 January 1784, Young sold the 300 acres to Andrew Fargis of Halifax County, Virginia. Fargis probably resided on the property until 1794 when he sold the land to Edward Williams. In April 1803, Williams sold the 300 acres to Francis Jackson who was formerly of Prince Edward County, Virginia. During this time span, a number of migrants from that region settled along Town Creek. The creek provided rich bottomlands that grew excellent crops of corn – the fuel for man and beast during pioneer days. These family surnames included Moore, Ellington, Forrest, Wesson, Hutherson, Jackson, Guerrant, Wells, Tucker, and perhaps others. It appears that some members of these families were members of the Methodist Church in Virginia and when they settled on Town Creek, they helped found two new churches in the area. Mount Carmel United Methodist Church became a class meeting in 1808 and was formally organized in 1813. Bethlehem United Methodist Church organized in 1835. Bethlehem was only one mile from Town Creek and the Moore family and other families living in the area became members of that congregation. Both church congregations are still active. Francis Jackson settled on the 300-acre farm on Town Creek. He built a new home there ca 1803 – the house that later became known as the Nancy Moore place. The construction and architectural style of the Moore house fits that date. The building was constructed of hewn oak logs covered with weather boards. (In the mid-twentieth century the exterior of the house was covered with rubber shingles.) On each end of the building were large stone chimneys. A portion of the rock used in the construction of the chimneys was quarried stone, which was unusual in Rockingham County at this time. The chimney on the east end of the house collapsed in the 1980s. The main body of the house had a cellar underneath with the entrance outside next to the east chimney. The building was one and one-half stories tall. The main body of the house was divided into two rooms by a plank wall on both the upstairs and downstairs levels. The two main rooms downstairs were covered by wide board layered in board and batten fashion. Access to the second floor was by an enclosed stairway in the southwest corner of the room. The two fireplaces lacked decorative mantle pieces. The board walls were whitewashed as was the style of the time. The doors in the building were also of board and batten style and the windows were six over six sashes. On the north side of the house, two shed rooms were attached to the main body of the house. By 2011, these two rooms had fallen into ruins. The nails used in construction of the building were blacksmith made “T” or rose head nails. A spring encased in a rock form in a nearby hollow furnished water for the house. Later a well was dug near the house. Francis Jackson became one of the leading citizens of Rockingham County. He was appointed as a Justice of the Rockingham County Court in 1807. He acquired 499 acres of land in addition to his 300-acre homeplace. It may be on the larger tract that Jackson owned a grist mill by 1807. The mill was probably located on Piney Fork, a large tributary of Town Creek and may have been owned originally by David Lovel, one of the pioneer settlers of the area. In 1811, records mention Jackson’s Machine Branch. It is not clear what type of machinery was in operation at the site. Francis Jackson married Elizabeth W. Childress in 1789 in Virginia. Nine children were born into the family with the last two being born in Rockingham County. The Jacksons lived in Rockingham County from 1803 until 1811 when the family moved to Williamson County, Tennessee. Members of the family became prominent citizens in that state. Francis died on 10 February 1845 in Rutherford County, Tennessee. Barnett Moore’s roots were in Chesterfield County, Virginia, but by 1803 he had settled into Prince Edward County, Virginia. About 1806, he moved to the Town Creek area of Rockingham County. He is listed in the Rockingham census for 1810. In January 1815, he and his son, Thomas C. Moore, purchased Francis Jackson’s 300-acre farm on Town Creek. Barnett resided there until 1822 when he died. He was buried on the farm in what became the Moore Family Cemetery. His graved is marked by a native stone with his death date cut into the stone. Moore’s will was probated in May 1825 and he mentions his wife and nine children. On 5 March 1825, Barnett’s son, Thomas C. Moore, purchased his siblings’ interest in the 300-acre farm for $600. The half-acre family burying ground was excluded from the sale. Thomas wrote his will on 29 July 1830 leaving his property to his children. There is no probate date listed for his will, but other court records show he died in 1833. Thomas C. Moore married Mary (Polly) Forrest, daughter of John Forrest (1776-1836). The Forrest family also came to Rockingham from Prince Edward County, Virginia. To settle the Moore estate in 1837, Thomas’s brother, John F. Moore, purchased the 300-acre Barnett Moore Farm. John F. Moore was born in 1798. In 1842 he married Nancy Worsham Tucker, for whom the house and farm are referenced. She was the daughter of David Tucker, Jr. and Nancy Worsham Tucker. Nancy Moore’s sisters and brothers included Patsey Tucker, Elizabeth Tucker Kemp, and Paschal Goodwin Tucker. John F. Moore was active in the Bethlehem Church and was listed as a church trustee on the deeds in 1835 and 1838. In the 1850 county census, John’s age was listed as 50 and his wife’s age was listed as 42. Also listed in the household was Sarah Frances Tucker, age 17. Sarah Frances was the daughter of Nancy’s brother, Paschal, and Sarah Frances lived with them after her father died. Sarah Frances married William G. Burton on 27 October 1853. On 21 August 1851, John F. Moore sold 60 and ½ acres of his farm to John A. Ratliff for $227.00. Ratliff (1823-1874) lived a short distance west of Bethlehem Church and married Mary E. Moore in 1846. She was John F. Moore’s niece. On 28 July 1852, John F. Moore wrote his will leaving his wife, Nancy Tucker Moore, a lifetime right to his now 242-acre farm and bequests to other relatives. John and wife Nancy had no children. John died on 9 August 1852. On 6 December 1869, Mary Moore Ratliff (wife of John A. Ratliff) purchased 2/3 interest in the then 242-acre Nancy Moore farm from her siblings. On 14 February 1880, the widow Nancy sold her interest in the farm to Mary Moore Ratliff for $200. Nancy continued to live on the farm until her death on 26 June 1889. She was buried beside her husband, John, in the Moore family cemetery. In so far as is known, no other members of the Moore family ever lived on the farm after her death. John A. Ratliff and Mary Moore Ratliff’s youngest daughter, Minnie Cate Ratliff (1868-1902) married James Doyle Mobley. Their daughter, Eloise Mobley (1897-1973), married her second cousin, Edward C. Moore. The couple had no surviving children, but Eloise had a brother, James R. Mobley, whose two granddaughters inherited the Nancy Moore Farm. Eloise had also inherited her uncle Jim J. Ratliff’s interest in the farm in 1937. Eloise’s husband, Ed, managed farm business for his wife for many years. The farm was rented to various tenants for nearly seventy-five years. During the 1930s to 1970s, the Robertson, Stratton, and Hundley families lived in the Nancy Moore house and farmed the land. By the 1980s the house was abandoned and slowly deteriorated. There was some interest in moving the building to a new location, but the plans never worked out. In 1999, the part of the farm that contained the dilapidated house was sold to a new owner. It was sold again in 2018, leading to the demolition of the property thereafter. So, after nearly two hundred years of ownership by descendants of the Moore family, the Nancy Moore house is gone. |
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AuthorsMr. History Author: Bob Carter, County Historian |
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Rockingham County Historical Society Museum & Archives
1086 NC Hwy 65, Reidsville, NC 27320 P.O. Box 84, Wentworth, NC 27375 info@theMARConline.org 336-634-4949 |
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