The Kings Mountain Herald | www.kmherald.com
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■ OBITUARIES
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Hord Mansion to celebrate centennial in 2023 By Loretta Cozart
Robert “Bobby” William Ware Sr. DALLAS, NC– Robert “Bobby” Ware Sr., 65, of Dallas, NC, passed away suddenly on January 1, 2020 at his home. He was born in Mecklenburg County, NC, to the late William Leonard and Helen Lavenia Houser Ware and was preceded in death by his sister, Nancy Louise Ware. Bobby served his country honorably in the US Army. He worked with Project Masters Inc. as a consultant and trainer. Bobby was very active and enjoyed hiking, traveling and being a Boy Scout leader for his grandson, Carson. He was an Alumni of UNC Charlotte, very intelligent and loved reading, collecting books and was a Master Chess player. Bobby was always quick witted and was sought out by his family for guidance throughout his life. He was an avid animal lover. Bobby was a wonderful husband, loving father and grandfather, caring brother and great friend. He will be missed dearly by his devoted family and friends. He is survived by his wife: Randy Lynch Ware, of the home; daughter: Heather Christina Ware Blake and husband, Steven Anthony Blake, Gastonia, NC; son: Robert William Ware Jr., Bessemer City, NC; grandchildren: Sierra Christina Blake and Carson Anthony Blake; sister: Peggy Ware Johnson, Jacksonville, FL and niece: Nancy Reep, Maiden, NC. Visitation was Saturday, January 11, 2020 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Harris Funeral Home Memorials may be made to the ASPCA at www.aspca. org Guest register is available at: www.harrisfunerals.com. Harris Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Kings Mountain, NC is in charge of arrangements.
The Hord Mansion, now known as Mauney Memorial Library, will celebrate its centennial in 2023. It is hard to imagine that Kings Mountain was only 49-years old when the home was built and that both W.A. Mauney and J.S. Mauney were both alive to see it completed. We know a great deal about the Mauney’s and the history of the library. The history of this Hord family is less known but of equal importance and interest. The following is taken from the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, submitted by Kevin Cherry in 2014. The purpose of the submission was to place Mauney Memorial Library on the Register of Historic Places and record the social and educational history of Kings Mountain regarding the efforts of its citizens and government alike to undertake and maintain facilities for the welfare and betterment of its residents. Dr. Jacob George Van Buren Hord held a leading role in the civic, social, and commercial life of the town while also having a successful medical practice. A native of Cleveland County and a son of Jesse (182? -1911) and Elizabeth Hord, he attended the University of North Carolina, graduated from Tennessee State Normal College, Nashville, Tennessee, in 1889, and received his medical degree in 1891 in Louisville, Kentucky. On 25 November 1891, he married Mattie White (1867-1895) who died from complications with the birth of the couple's third son, William E. Hord (1895). Otto Leon Hord (18931920), alone of the three, lived to adulthood. Dr. Hord next married Carrie Belle White (18771940), his wife's younger sister: they were the parents of nine children, the lastborn and last surviving of whom was Carolyn Rebecca Hord Harris (1919-2013). The Misses White were the daughters of William White (1838- 1916) and his wife, who lived with their family
Jacob George Van Buren Hord in a house in the southeast comer off King Street and Piedmont Avenue. On 19 January 1892, within two months of his marriage, Dr. Hord purchased the lot in the southwest corner of Piedmont A venue and King Street, with a frontage of 100 feet on South Piedmont Avenue and 218 feet along West King Street, from Philip Sylvanus Baker (1848-1907) and his wife Selena Ellen Patterson Baker (1850- 1912). The property was described in the deed "as the old School House lot" and had been the site of one of the earliest known schools in Kings Mountain, which dated to ca. 1875 and was taught by Alexander Aderholdt. Whether the Hords immediately made their home here is unconfirmed but very likely. The lot was at the intersection of King Street, later US 74, the principal east/ west artery through Kings Mountain, and Piedmont Avenue, which was long a principal residential avenue in Kings Mountain and, through time, also boasted the churches of the town's five leading congregations, the Kings Mountain Town Hall (1937-1979), the United States Post Office (1939-1987), and the offices and plant of the Kings Mountain Herald along its length. On 23 October 1907 Dr. Hord increased this holding by purchasing a rectangular lot on its west end, measuring 65 by 250 feet, with a West King Street frontage of sixty-five feet, from A. J. Stockton and his wife. it was on this enlarged, L-shaped
Hiking to better health By Loretta Cozart With the New Year just begun, many have resolved to work toward better health during the coming year. Many options are available, but few are as inexpensive and available than hiking. Novice and experienced hikers can take advantage of local opportunities. If you are just beginning to hike, fewer locations are as easily accessible as Patriot’s Park in downtown Kings Mountain. The wide paved walkway is easy to maneuver and offers a variety of inclines. Along the way, seating is available. Even if the walk is easy for you, be sure to take a moment to appreciate this beautiful space open to all. For the more adventuresome, a variety of trails are available within a few miles of Kings Mountain, enabling hikers’ quick access. If you are just beginning to hike, don’t push your limits. Walk shorter distances, or to a specific location along the trail, and then turn back. Over time, you will be able to walk farther and build your endurance. Be sure to wear appropriate footwear, clothing, and carry plenty of water. The Gateway Trail in
SCENIC WALKWAY ALONG THE GATEWAY TRAIL. Photo from https://www.carolinathreadtrailmap.org/trails/trail/kings-mountain-gateway-trail
downtown Kings Mountain and offers a variety of hikes depending upon one’s preferences. Kings Mountain Gateway Trail's trailhead is located a half mile south and is connected to downtown via sidewalks. Carolina Thread Trail starts in downtown of Kings Mountain, running through the Kings Mountain Gateway Trail parking lot, on to the entrance of the Rail Trail
US MONUMENT AT KINGS MOUNTAIN NATIONAL MILITARY PARK IN FOG Photo from https://www.facebook.com/kingsmountainNPS
Mauney Memorial Library corner lot, of the many properties he owned, that he built the house in ca. 1923, which became his family's legacy to Kings Mountain and remains, some ninety years later, a landmark in its townscape. The architect and builder of the house are not known at present. Jacob George Van Buren Hord died on 4 January 1930 and was buried in Mountain Rest Cemetery in the family plot that held the graves of his first wife and their three sons, those of two infants born in 1900 and 1901 of his second wife, and the graves of his wives's parents, William White (1838-1916) and Margaret J. White (18401895). His will, signed on 16 September 1922 and acknowledging the relative youth of the children of his second marriage, left his estate intact under the administration of his widow until the youngest child, Carolyn Rebecca Hord, came of age. Carrie Belle White Hord resided at the family house with her unmarried children, including her daughters Mary Frances Hord and Maude Eunice Hord (19171948), until her death on 25 November 1940. In her will she made provisions for those daughters and the recently married Carolyn Hord Harris, a special cash bequest to James Edwin Hord, her only surviving son, and she bequeathed her estate in equal shares to her at the Gateway. The trail then turns right onto the loop trail then right again onto the Foote Trail that heads south to I-85 and on past to Galilee Church Road. The new section of trail on the south side of I-85 is great for flat surface walking and biking. That’s good for those who want to bring children and their bicycles. You can park at the trail entrance at the end of Industrial Drive just off hwy. 161. Go south over I-85 and Industrial Drive is to the right. If you’d like to include some history in your hike, visit Kings Mountain National Military Park just 8 miles south of town. The park has three trails and often offers group hikes, so check their Facebook page for opportunities. The Battlefield Trail is a 1.5-mile self-guiding walking trail that allows visitors to see both perspectives of the battlefield. Wayside exhibits around the trail highlight battle events. This paved trail is foot travel only, except for motorized wheelchairs. Although the trail is paved it is steep in places. Benches are located along the trail. Browns Mountain Trail is a 2.5-mile trail from the visitor center to Browns Mountain. This is not a loop trail, so you must backtrack to get back to the visitor center. A
six surviving children. Her obituary, published on the front page of the Kings Mountain Herald on 28 November 1940, acknowledged that "Mrs. Hord ... since the death of her husband several years ago has shouldered the burden of the management of large real estate holdings." The Hord House remained the residence of the unmarried sisters for some time, through the marriage of Mary Frances Hord to Thomas White Cothran, and the property of the Hord heirs into October 1946. On 21 October 1946 the Hord heirs conveyed the family house and its two-parcel lot to the Mauney family for the price of $26,500: the deed conveyed the property to William Kemp and Dorris Carl Mauney. The deed conveying the former Hord residence to the City of Kings Mountain was executed by Messrs. Mauney and their wives, on behalf of the Mauney family, on 1 November 1947. The first condition written in the deed defined the donation and provided for the eventual expansion of the library. "That it be used for a public library and teachers Home and in the event the library should grow and expand and thereby need more room, in that event a part or all of the Teachers Home may be used for the library.
Most residents are familiar with the story of Jacob S. Mauney’s heirs purchasing the Hord Mansion and converting it into a library and teacherage. But the history of Dr. Jacob George Van Buren Hord, his wives and heirs is less known. His is an equally compelling story. According to his descendant, Ruth Hord Craft shared in the Heritage of Cleveland County, that at the time of his death, Dr. Hord was one of the largest landowners in Cleveland County, having property in Oklahoma and in the eastern and western part of NC. He was also one of the organizers and incorporators of Peoples Loan and Trust Company of Kings Mountain. It is interesting to note that the lot on which William White and Margaret J. White, the in-laws of Dr. Hord lived, was located directly across Piedmont Avenue from the Hord Mansion. In 1926, the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey built an Esso station on that lot. Norman Fuller McGill, Sr. and his descendants ran that business of decades before the station closed. Dr. Hord’s mother-in-law was Margaret McGill, according to Ruth Hord Craft. Knowing that helps in the understanding the history of that property.
THE SCENIC VIEW FROM KINGS MOUNTAIN PINNACLE Photo from https://www.carolinathreadtrailmap.org/trails/trail/pinnacle-trail
total hike of 5 miles. This trail leads to higher areas where the highflying hawks and vultures can best be seen Clarks Creek Trail leads to Lake Crawford in Kings Mountain State Park, a 3-mile trail from the visitor center to the lake. This is not a loop trail, so you must backtrack to get back to the visitor center. A total hike of 6 miles. Crowders Mountain State Park is a short drive, depending upon where you wish to access the trail. If you choose to hike the peaks of Crowders Mountain to Kings Mountain Pinnacle, known as Pinnacle Trail, the hike is more strenuous. The views are beautiful and ends at the highest point in Gaston County at 1,705 feet. If you wish to make a shorter hike of it, take the Fern Trail, which is an 0.80
mile loop trail begins at picnic shelter number 1, connects with a portion of the Turn-back Trail and follows a creek for some portions of the trail. Whether you are new to hiking, or an experienced hiker, Kings Mountain offers a variety of hiking options in town and within a short drive. The weather of the NC Piedmont varies daily, so plan to keep your New Year’s resolution to get or stay healthy. With a plan to hike as often as you can, you can enjoy nature and take care of your physical and mental health. Walking allows you to disconnect from wireless devices and enjoy nature, while exercising muscles and the heart.