Mount Airy Museum of Regional History Barbara Case Summerlin, one-time editor of the Mount Airy News, was also one of the founders of the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History and served as executive director. Though she has moved from the region, she’s left her mark on telling the history of the area, not only journalistically and with the museum but she compiled the book “The Hollows,” a photo-filled book about life in the region. She is seen here in 2000 accepting the first Appearance Commission Architectural Excellence Award from Jim Cavallo, the commission’s chair at that time. - Mount Airy Museum of Regional History Luther Byrd (1905-1982) was a teacher, coach (baseball, softball, and track) and principal at Westfield High School, sports writer, and editor of the Mount Airy Times, genealogist, and history and journalism professor at Elon College where he was inducted into the college’s sports hall of fame. The museum has a copy of his history of Surry County, written when he was 10. He authored several articles on the history of the region and, at the time of his death, had more than three filing cabinets filled with genealogical research in the days before so much was accessible online. - Mount Airy Museum of Regional History Jesse Hollingsworth (1893-1967) wrote the first history of Surry County, “A History of Surry County or Annals of Northwest North Carolina,” published in 1935. A graduate of both UNC and the University of Texas, he began compiling the book while in college. He served in the US Navy during both World Wars and was a teacher afterwards. His work reached back into the beginnings of European settlement in this region, documenting everything from industries to the names of each county resident known to have served in any wars. - Mount Airy Museum of Regional History Ruth Minick (1907-2001) is, perhaps, the best-known local historian because of the history column she wrote for the Mount Airy News for 25 years. Many knew her as a teacher and principal of both the North Main and South Main Street Elementary Schools. She was deeply involved in the community, serving on several significant committees including the Mount Airy Centennial Committee, and the county Bicentennial Commission. She was a founding member of the county historical society, and was involved in the establishment of the history museum. She is seen here with Marion Venable in 1976. - -

Our History is a regular column submitted by Kate Rauhauser-Smith, visitor services manager at the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History, examining the region’s history and some related displays at the museum.

A year ago, I pitched an idea to John Peters, editor of the Mount Airy News. Would he be interested in a regular column sharing the history of the region as collected and shown in the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History?

The first column ran the first Sunday in June 2018. We unraveled the origins of a mystery letter in our archives, something, we determined, was written by Obe Webb on the occasion of his 16th birthday August 2, 1895. Since then we’ve explored a great deal of history in this column.

The history in this area is, to say the least, fascinating. From Bob Belton’s 300 runaway turkeys coming down the mountain from Virginia in 1904 to the “year it snowed every Wednesday” to the advent of the trucking industry. Some pieces highlighted the intimacy of life in a small town such as the story about The Canteen or when we looked at children’s toys.

Others considered the economic impact of the wide array of patents held by folks in Surry County, the impressive diligence and creativity shown by the African-American community in terms of educating their children, and the undeniable accomplishments of the courageous local men fighting on the muddy, bloody Hindenburg Line during WWI.

In researching the stories, I’ve learned about the hardworking and talented people who’ve settled this region and hewn communities from the wilderness. It’s been an honor and a joy in ways I don’t think I could explain to anyone but another “history nut.”

Fortunately for me there has been a steady stream of “history nuts,” researchers, and storytellers in this region, people who’ve been gathering and sharing the memories of the area for decades before I had ever heard of Mount Airy. I’ve relied on their work, digging through those books and news clippings often.

The name I hear most often is Ruth Minick who wrote a column about various bits of regional history for years in this paper. She compiled a great deal of history but, for my money, the greatest contribution she made to the history of the region was to pull together oral history, the stories people tell one generation to the next but rarely get written down.

She also did a tremendous amount of research, collecting images of Surry County’s early years and she shared that information freely. In the course of working with various committees in the 1970s she worked with younger people such as Marion Venable, igniting and feeding their thirst for historical knowledge.

Marion, the executive director of the Surry Community College Foundation and coordinator of grants there, has continued Ruth’s work with passion, collecting and researching the history of the region, independently and as part of the county’s Historical Society. She’s served with Ruth on the Bicentennial Commission and is now serving on the county’s committee helping to plan the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of Surry County’s founding.

Several folks with local ties, who have attained the highest academic achievement, have focused their attention on regional history. They include Evelyn Scales Thompson, Annette Ayers, and Douglas Porter as well as many others.

The list of people, past and present, who have added to the knowledge about the region, its people, and their accomplishments is long, too long to do justice to here but what I do know and appreciate every day is this: I, and anyone else wishing to learn about this area’s history, owe an incalculable debt of gratitude to the many people who have collected and recorded what they knew or what they could find out. We would not be able to build on the known history base without their labors.

As we move into the 250th year of Surry County we know there is a great deal yet to learn and more history to make. And many more historians to come. Perhaps you’re one?

Barbara Case Summerlin, one-time editor of the Mount Airy News, was also one of the founders of the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History and served as executive director. Though she has moved from the region, she’s left her mark on telling the history of the area, not only journalistically and with the museum but she compiled the book “The Hollows,” a photo-filled book about life in the region. She is seen here in 2000 accepting the first Appearance Commission Architectural Excellence Award from Jim Cavallo, the commission’s chair at that time. https://www.mtairynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/web1_Barbara-Summerlin-.jpg Barbara Case Summerlin, one-time editor of the Mount Airy News, was also one of the founders of the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History and served as executive director. Though she has moved from the region, she’s left her mark on telling the history of the area, not only journalistically and with the museum but she compiled the book “The Hollows,” a photo-filled book about life in the region. She is seen here in 2000 accepting the first Appearance Commission Architectural Excellence Award from Jim Cavallo, the commission’s chair at that time. Mount Airy Museum of Regional History Luther Byrd (1905-1982) was a teacher, coach (baseball, softball, and track) and principal at Westfield High School, sports writer, and editor of the Mount Airy Times, genealogist, and history and journalism professor at Elon College where he was inducted into the college’s sports hall of fame. The museum has a copy of his history of Surry County, written when he was 10. He authored several articles on the history of the region and, at the time of his death, had more than three filing cabinets filled with genealogical research in the days before so much was accessible online. https://www.mtairynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/web1_Luther-Byrd.jpg Luther Byrd (1905-1982) was a teacher, coach (baseball, softball, and track) and principal at Westfield High School, sports writer, and editor of the Mount Airy Times, genealogist, and history and journalism professor at Elon College where he was inducted into the college’s sports hall of fame. The museum has a copy of his history of Surry County, written when he was 10. He authored several articles on the history of the region and, at the time of his death, had more than three filing cabinets filled with genealogical research in the days before so much was accessible online. Mount Airy Museum of Regional History Jesse Hollingsworth (1893-1967) wrote the first history of Surry County, “A History of Surry County or Annals of Northwest North Carolina,” published in 1935. A graduate of both UNC and the University of Texas, he began compiling the book while in college. He served in the US Navy during both World Wars and was a teacher afterwards. His work reached back into the beginnings of European settlement in this region, documenting everything from industries to the names of each county resident known to have served in any wars. https://www.mtairynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/web1_Jesse-G.-Hollinsworth.jpg Jesse Hollingsworth (1893-1967) wrote the first history of Surry County, “A History of Surry County or Annals of Northwest North Carolina,” published in 1935. A graduate of both UNC and the University of Texas, he began compiling the book while in college. He served in the US Navy during both World Wars and was a teacher afterwards. His work reached back into the beginnings of European settlement in this region, documenting everything from industries to the names of each county resident known to have served in any wars. Mount Airy Museum of Regional History Ruth Minick (1907-2001) is, perhaps, the best-known local historian because of the history column she wrote for the Mount Airy News for 25 years. Many knew her as a teacher and principal of both the North Main and South Main Street Elementary Schools. She was deeply involved in the community, serving on several significant committees including the Mount Airy Centennial Committee, and the county Bicentennial Commission. She was a founding member of the county historical society, and was involved in the establishment of the history museum. She is seen here with Marion Venable in 1976. https://www.mtairynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/web1_Ruth-and-Marion-USE-.jpg Ruth Minick (1907-2001) is, perhaps, the best-known local historian because of the history column she wrote for the Mount Airy News for 25 years. Many knew her as a teacher and principal of both the North Main and South Main Street Elementary Schools. She was deeply involved in the community, serving on several significant committees including the Mount Airy Centennial Committee, and the county Bicentennial Commission. She was a founding member of the county historical society, and was involved in the establishment of the history museum. She is seen here with Marion Venable in 1976. Mount Airy Museum of Regional History

By Kate Rauhauser-Smith

Kate Rauhauser-Smith is the visitor services manager for the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History with 22 years in journalism before joining the museum staff. She and her family moved to Mount Airy in 2005 from Pennsylvania where she was also involved with museums and history tours. She can be reached at KRSmith@NorthCarolinaMuseum.org or by calling 336-786-4478 x228

Kate Rauhauser-Smith is the visitor services manager for the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History with 22 years in journalism before joining the museum staff. She and her family moved to Mount Airy in 2005 from Pennsylvania where she was also involved with museums and history tours. She can be reached at KRSmith@NorthCarolinaMuseum.org or by calling 336-786-4478 x228