Got Whitewash? Walnut Grove Does.
Posted by chshi on January 10, 2007
While watching the Walnut Grove development site preparation, Robert noticed some clay-like substance in the boggy area that recently held apple trees in the gravel curve of Goodrum Street. Unlike most clay around here it was not red, but white. A curiosity, certainly, but not necessarily a discussion topic.
But then I read about Davidson’s whitewash pit in Ken Brotherton’s Lake Norman Piedmont History (vols 1 & 2). A founding director of the N. Mecklenburg Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the Davidson planning and zoning board, and founder of Brotherton Realty Co, Ken Brotherton wrote many historical essays about the Lake Norman area. Originally from Lincoln County, Ken lived in Davidson for much of his life.
These two volumes contain short essays that cover a wide range of history for the area that surrounds what is now Lake Norman. The essays shift back and forth from early settler days to things as recent as decisions surrounding the creation of the River Run subdivision.
And through these books, I’ve learned a good bit about parts of our neighborhood…what was once Walnut Grove Plantation. Apparently there was a brick factory on the east side of South Main Street in the 400 block. This, according to Mary Beaty’s Davidson history, is the current location of Alexander trucking. And near that, just east of the former brickyard, was the source of whitewash clay, used by local women to whitewash their hearths.
So while I can’t guarantee that you’ll find all your answers to curiosities uncovered by development, I do recommend taking a look at Ken’s histories. I picked these up at Main Street Books, but if you want, you can borrow mine…
