THE BLADEN JOURNAL
The Battle of Elizabethtown chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, will unveil two highway markers with ceremonies on Friday, June 23, at 11 o'clock. The first roadside D. A. R. marker will be placed near the old home site of James Iver McKay, one of Bladen's most distinguished sons, six miles east of Elizabethtown. A second marker will be located near the "Tory Hole." This is a state marker furnished by the Board of Conservation and Development.
McKay Unveiling
Thomas Sutton, III, Fayetteville, will speak briefly at the ceremonies and give a short historical sketch of the life of James Iver McKay. Mrs. Eugene Davis, state regent of the D. A. R., will accept the marker. A member of the State Highway Commission will accept the marker for the state. Mrs. Charles Rankin, Fayetteville, and H. R. Allen, chairman of the Bladen county Board of Commissioners, will bring greetings. Mrs. W. H. Belk, Charlotte, vice president general of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, will respond.
At the unveiling of the "Tory Hole" state marker, Conrad Clark, mayor of Elizabethtown, will welcome the visitors to which Mrs. George McNeill, Fayetteville, member of state historical commission, will respond. H. H. Clark, Elizabethtown attorney, will be the principal speaker at this site.
President Frank P. Graham, of the University of North Carolina, will speak at a luncheon following the Tory Hole unveiling. The luncheon will be held at White Lake. He will be introduced by J. H. Clark.
Mrs. D. S. Currie, chapter regent, will preside over the ceremonies at both unveilings and at the luncheon.
Tory Hole
"Tory Hole" ?
[Top of line is unclear]
The "Tory Hole," name of the ravine down which the Tories fled after being routed in the Battle of Elizabethtown, will be honored by a second marker.
Col. Thomas Robeson led a scant handful of men against an overwhelming number of Tories on a September night in 1781. After crossing the river at midnight by moonlight the men gathered near the enemy camp near the site of the old Presbyterian church. It was a magnificent feat of military strategy Colonel Robeson worked.
The men would fire, reload and run to a new position as the leader would shout the command for a company to advance and fire. The Tories believed great numbers had encircled them and fled.
A few years ago the Battle of Elizabethtown chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution placed a marker near the site of the battle.
Descendants
Descendants of James I. McKay to unveil the marker are as follows: Miriam Stith, Cape Henry, Va.; Anna Sutton, Eugene and Frank Sutton, Fayetteville; David Ray Whitted, Elizabethtown; Minnie and James Meyers and Betsy Robeson, Tar Heel.
Little Emelia Hutchinson, Elizabethtown, will lay a wreath at the foot of the marker.
Emily Love Robeson, Tar Heel, and Mary Bartram Robeson, Council, Descendants of Col. Thomas Robeson, will unveil the Tory Hole marker.
Many notables are expected to attend the ceremonies. The public is invited to attend the unveilings.
(Editor's Note #1:)
This article seems to come from The Bladen Journal. Basically, it seems to cover the same material as a front-page article shown elsewhere. I believe that it comes from a "Society Page". Much of the article is devoted to giving the names and societal positions of the participants.
(Editor's Note #2:)
(From the second line of this page)
Elizabethtown, North Carolina Thursday, June 15, 1939
(Perhaps!)
(Editor's Note #3:)
(This was typed from a Xerox copy. In one instance, where the words, "Tory Hole" appear in boldface centered in the column, I could not tell if quotation marks had been used or not because the top of the line was in the Xerox top margin. The original can be consulted later and corrections made. --Site Ed.)