More Food Festival

International Food Festival

I took this picture at the International Food Festival this past Saturday. The crowds were large and the food was good.

Antique Lamps

If you ever read a book with one of these lamps you are old. These lamps use kerosene oil to wet the wick. You light the wick, place the glass shade back over the wick and you have enough light to read your book. You can find these lamps in Selma Antique stores.

Mariachi Band

I went to an International food Festival today and captured this picture. The food was good and this band had the crowd applauding.

Reflection

I was taking pictures of antique lamps at TWMS Antique Mall when I captured this shot.

RR Crossing

The new crossing looks good. It should hold up longer that the old asphalt type did.

New RR Crossing

We are getting a new railroad crossing in Selma. This is going to be one of those Whoopee Do steel and concrete type crossings.

New Camera

I bought me a new camera today – now if I can find some film that fits I will take some pictures to put on this blog.

The Marlboro Man

This is a picture I took of the Marlboro Clock – TWMS Antique Mall.

The Neuse

This is a picture that I took of the Neuse river in Smithfield.

Bratwurst

If you like bratwurst then you need to check out Edelweiss Café on Selma
http://www.edelweiss-bakery.com

A Lovely Pot of Flowers

I took this photo at WRAL this past spring.

The Clowns

You can find anything in the antique stores in Selma. I was taking pictures at TWMS Antique Mall today and captured these two sad sacks. www.twmsantiquemall.com

Ham Hock

Ham Hock and sauerkraut. Now this might be standard fare in Germany. But for Selma it was something special.

Oktoberfest 2

This is the bass section of the little German band.

Oktoberfest

OK I have been corrected it is Oktoberfest not Octoberfest. Check out this plate of bratwurst and sauerkraut. In the south we have to add some French fries on the side.

Octoberfest

Octoberfest in Selma – yes we did – and we had a little German band.

State Capital

This is a picture of the state capital in Raleigh, NC about 25 miles from Selma.

911

Lovely flowers in a planter

I took this picture on Railroad St – lovely planter of flowers.

Bookerdairy Rd.

This is the view on the other side of the entrance to Eden Woods.

Eden Woods

I was coming out of my doctors office and saw this view. Got my camera and clicked off about a dozen shots. This subdivision is located in Smithfield.

Hanna Harmless

The headline in the N&O this morning read “Nearly harmless Hanna merely soaks Triangle”. I guess it could have been worse, but having a tree removed from my house is not what I had planed for this Sunday.

Tropical Storm Hanna

This is what happens when you procrastinate. The tree cutter told me I needed to get this tree trimmed this spring. As you can see part of the tree in now on the house.

More Tracks

Yesterday I showed you the tracks coming from the west. I did a 180 turn and took this picture. This is the tracks that the coal train takes when it is heading south to the ports in Morehead City. We must export a lot of coal .

Tracks

Now we know why the coal train slows down when it comes through Selma.

Smithfield, NC

Carolina Premium Outlet

This is a picture that I took while waiting for my wife to shop in the book store.
The benches are quite comfortable.

Carolina Premium Outlets

September Theme Day - Sister Cities

Welcome to Selma... Alabama, a sister city to Selma, North Carolina!
Thanks to Rambling Round, photographer and author of the Selma, Ala. Daily Photo for permission to use this photo. http://selmaala.blogspot.com/2008/09/september-theme-day-sister-cities.html

"MITCHENER’S STATION
About a mile and a half west of what is now Selma, the old Louisburg to Smithfield stage road was crossed by the new railroad. At this strategic point Mitchener's Station became a focal area for shipping. Here farmers gathered not only to send and receive goods, but also to market their produce at the station itself. Miss Amma Stancill tells of hearing her mother say that she and Miss Stancill's grand­mother walked from their home one and a half miles northeast of Selma to Mitchener's Crossing where they bought supplies and sold eggs, butter and milk.
It was also from this station that soldiers moved off to the War (War between the States) and later returned to their run-down farms and homes. John Mitchener, a boy of twelve at the time, reported hearing the sound of guns as they were fired in the last great battle, of the War at Benton­ville, just twenty miles south of Selma. Monroe Pittman, who lived some five miles north of Selma, also told of having heard the gunfire. And Miss Flora Hatcher relates that her father, Hardy Hatcher, when returning from the war, got off a flatcar and walked home to his farm which was five or six miles north of Selma.
According to Mrs. J. P. Temple, her father John H. Parker ran away from home at 15 to join a beloved older brother who had been called into service. "Due to his age my father was put in the band where he soon earned the sobriquet of Bugler Parker." He was with General Lee when he surrendered at Appomattox Court House in 1865, Mrs. Temple states.
SIPHONING BRANDY
John Mitchener also related an interesting story con­ concerning Mitchener's Station, which he pointed out was built by the North Carolina Railroad Company out of long leaf pine lumber. I will state that the old building had a Confederate War record All plantations were assessed one­ tenth of everything raised on the farm for government purposes. This of course included apple brandy. Several barrels of this brandy were in the depot waiting for ship­ping orders, and all, to save room, were standing head on or head up as you may have it. Soldiers camping near there took in the situation, and with tubs, canteens, and buckets went under the floor and into the barrels above and drew every drop of brandy out, and it was not discovered until loading time and hands were setting the barrels in box cars for shipment. No arrests were made.'"
SHARP COMES TO AREA
When Col. John W. Sharp (or Sharpe), a Confeder­ate veteran, came to this county in the fall of 1866 seeking consignments of naval stores and cotton for his firm in Norfolk, Virginia, he became interested in locating a town at the Station. However, investigation showed that the lands around the depot belonged to the minor heirs' of Agrippa Mitchener. Steps were taken to get an order of sale of the lots, but this took time because of the estate laws. In the meantime, Col. Sharp met Mr. Daniel Sellers who owned much of the land south of the railroad here, pur­chased 50 acres (some reports say 200 acres) from Sellers, and started a movement to have the depot moved to its present site. In spite of efforts by Thomas H. Atkinson, Sr., an uncle of the Mitchener heirs, to clear the Mitchener land titles for sale, Col Sharp was able to have the station moved. The original depot was moved to the place where it now stands as a part of the Southern freight depot on Rail­road Street.
The newly purchased property was platted by Sur­veyor Charley Massey, and on May 1, 1867, a public sale of lots was held. This was a gala occasion as crowds came to the area for a barbecue, the sale, and a dance that night. Incidentally, very few lots brought as much as $100.00. Thus Selma was born on May 1, 1867-born at a barbecue, sale and dance held in the passenger-freight depot.
NAMING THE TOWN
Along with Col. Sharp, new residents of the pros­pective town were Captain A. M. Noble and Samuel Hines Hood, early merchants. Some other families moved into the area and soon decided their community needed a name. The pioneer residents held a meeting at which Mr. Noble and Mr. Hood voted in favor of naming the place Sharps­burg. Mr. Sharp said, "I'll be damned if you do." Where­upon they said.” All right; you suggest a name." Mr. Sharp thought for a minute or two. Finally he said, "Well, I'll tell you, boys. I've got a lot of affection in my heart for my old hometown of Selma, Alabama; and if you fellows wouldn't object too strenuously, I'd like to name this-here place Selma, in honor of the place where I was born." Mr. Hood said that it was all right with him, and so did Mr. Noble, and the name of Selma was officially adopted. It also has been pointed out that Mr. Sharp disliked the name of Sharpsburg because he had fought there during the War. " From Selma Centennial History.