The Regulator - NC Historic Sites

VOLUME 2 ISSUE 4
The Regulator
MAY 1, 2012
The newsletter for the Alamance Battleground Friends’ Support Group
Celebrate the Battle of Alamance
Of Special Interest to You:

Work Day at The Battleground
Saturday, May 12
9:00 am until

241st Anniversary Celebration
Wednesday, May 16
6:00—9:00 pm

Eighteenth Century Living
Experience
Saturday, May 19
10:00 to 5:00
Sunday, May 20
1:00 to 5:00
In this Issue:
Meet a Regulator Martin Gambill
Second Saturdays
Return for Third Year
Alamance Battleground
Walking Trail to Open
in May
Work Day at Alamance
Battleground
2
2
3
3
Message From the Site
Manager
4
Message From the
President
4
Wednesday, May 16, will mark
the 241st Anniversary of the Battle of
Alamance. You are invited to be a part
of this celebration.
On Wednesday, the Battle of
Alamance Chapter - Daughters of the
American Revolution wreath laying
ceremony will take place at 6:00 pm.
Following this ceremony there will be a
covered dish dinner. Please bring your
favorite food and join in the fun. Following the dinner, the Alamance
County Historical Association will hold
a brief business meeting followed by a
program on Colonial Medicine given by
Mike Williams. Mr. Williams is a reenactor with the Craven Regiment that
will be encamped at the battleground
during the weekend.
The Eighteenth Century Living
Experience will be held on Saturday
and Sunday, May 19 and 20. The
event will begin on Saturday at 10:00
am and continue until 5:00 pm. Cannon firing, musket firing, colonial drilling, costumed
interpretation of colonial life and many other
activities will be presented. At 11:00 a ribbon cutting ceremony will be held for the
opening of the new Alamance Battleground
Walking Trail. At 2:00 pm, the Alamance
Battleground Chapter of the Sons of the
American Revolution will conduct a wreath
laying and the Patriot’s Day program at the
monument across the road from the Visitor
Center.
The activities continue on Sunday
beginning at 1:00 and ending at 5:00 pm.
Throughout the two days, re-enactors from
both the Craven Regiment and the Guilford
Militia will be encamped at the battleground.
We hope you will join us in this exciting
celebration of part of our American Heritage.
(Photo by Amy Sawyer, Exhibit Designer Historic Sites,
shows part of the encampment from 2011)
Page 2
The Regulator
Meet a Regulator—Martin Gambill by Lisa Cox
Martin Gambill was born in
Virginia, but because of his love of liberty, he moved to North Carolina in
1768 and joined the Regulators in
Rowan County. According to family
lore, Martin was present during the
Battle of the Alamance on 16 May
1771. Like many others in the backcountry, shortly after the battle he
moved west and settled in what is now
Ashe County.
Nine years later as the Revolutionary War moved south, Major Patrick Ferguson had been assigned to
protect the British army’s flank. Ferguson sent out orders to the mountain
men not to enter the conflict or he
would march directly into the mountains himself, destroy their homes, and
hang their leaders. As you know from
history, this does not sit well with the
citizens of the area.
On 18 September 1780 Colonel Isaac Shelby and Colonel John
Seiver held a meeting in which Gambill
attended. It was decided that day to
engage Ferguson. Martin Gambill volunteered to deliver the message and
thus he begins his famous ride. Starting at the home of Colonel Sevier, he
rode more than 100 miles in 24 hours
spreading the word to local militia,
some who were former Regulators.
Many believe Martin Gambill to be the
Paul Revere of the Southern Campaign.
Martin, the son of Henry and
Mary Davenport Gambill, was born in
Culpeper County, Virginia. He married
Mary Nall 23 September 1777 and was
the father of William, Jesse, Jeremiah,
Robert, Martin,Jr., Thursa, and
Narcessa.
Sources: Gambill family history, Ashe
County, NC history, Baptist Preservation Society: Jeff Faggart
The painting, "The Ride of Martin Gambill" is displayed at the Ashe County, NC History Museum. It was commissioned
by the Baptist Historical Preservation Society and painted by artist Ron Adair.
Second Saturdays Returning for a Third Year
The Second Saturdays are
returning to Alamance Battleground
this summer. The dates are June 9,
July 14, and August 11. We are currently looking for artisans and crafts-
men who would like to display and sell
their crafts on any or all three dates.
We are also looking for musicians
(soloist or groups) who would like to be
part of the entertainment on these
dates. If you are interested or know
someone who might be interested
please contact us at 336-227-4785 or
e-mail us at [email protected] .
Be a part of the fun this summer.
VOLUME 2 ISSUE 4
Page 3
Alamance Battleground Walking Trail to Open in May
After being closed for
nearly twenty years, the walking
trail at Alamance Battleground will
reopen in May 2012. Chase Spillman recently completed his Eagle
Scout project working on the trail.
The project included the building of
three bridges across creeks on the
trail and the repairing of two others. This final work opened the
way for a grand opening to occur in
May.
Work on the trail began
over a year ago, when Ladd Sawyer and Ted Henson began to cut
and clear what had once been a
nature trail at Alamance Battleground. Through their efforts the
half-mile trail has been reopened
and is ready for the public.
In addition to the loop trail,
a side trail has been cut leading
down to a huge magnolia tree
along the banks of the creek which
runs through the woods at the battlefield. The grand opening will
take place as part of the 241st Anniversary of the Battle.
Thanks to all who helped
Pictured above are Chase Spillman and his crew standing on one of the bridges they built on
make this a reality.
the Alamance Battleground walking trail.
Photo by Lisa Cox)
Work Day at Alamance Battleground
It’s spring cleaning time at Alamance Battleground. Saturday, May 12
has been set aside as a work day at
Alamance Battleground. We need to
clean up, paint and do various other
jobs to get ready for our big celebration
on May 16.
Here is a list of jobs that need
to be completed:
 Painting inside of the bathrooms we will have the paint, plastic drop
cloths and some rollers and
brushes. You bring additional rollers, pans and brushes.

Garden jobs—we need to plant
marigolds in the herb sections of
the garden, weed herbs, and pot
some plants for sale at the Anniversary program. We will provide
the marigolds, pots for seeds and
potting soil. You bring trowels,
picnic tables—We have buckets,
rags, soap, hunter green paint.
You bring the paint brush.



Paint the foundation of the pump
house—We have the paint. You
bring the brushes.
Please take time from your
busy schedule to help with this project.
We need volunteers to get these jobs
done. We will begin work at 9:00 on
Saturday, May 12. If you can give an
hour, two hours, whatever you can
contribute would be greatly appreciated. Around noon we will stop and
hoes, shovels, etc.
have pizza for the volunteers.
Window Washing—Supplies
We look forward to seeing you,
needed newspapers, Windex, step you are needed. Please let us know in
ladders
advance if you can participate by calling 336-227-4785 or e-mail us at alaWash and spruce up two concrete [email protected] .
Page 4
Alamance Battleground Friends, Inc.
The first organizational meeting of what would become
the Alamance Battleground Friends, Inc. was held on February 8,
2006. From this original meeting the group has grown to become
a non-profit organization with a Board of Directors and a very
active Support Group.
The mission of Alamance Battleground Friends, Inc.
states:
Alamance Battleground Friends, Inc.
5803 South N.C. 62
Burlington, North Carolina 27215
Phone: 336-227- 4785
Fax: 336 - 227 - 4787
E-mail: [email protected]
The Alamance Battleground Friends, Inc. is a North Carolina
Nonprofit Corporation formed under the North Carolina Nonprofit Corporation Act. The mission is to support, enhance, and
promote education, interpretation and preservation at the Alamance Battleground State Historic Site. Alamance Battleground
Friends, Inc. carries out this mission by:
 Providing support and guidance to site personnel
 Securing financial donations and grants to support site programs, and
 Seeking volunteers to actively participate in site programs.
Alamance Battleground Historic Site is now on Face book. Be
sure to check us out.
From the Site Manager:
From the President:
It is a pleasure to announce
that our walking trail will be open for
use once again. This has become a
reality thanks to an Eagle Scout
project completed by Chase Spillman and the hard work of Friends’
President Ted Henson and member
Ladd Sawyer. We look forward to
its official opening during our spring event on May 19.
The Allen House has proven to be a big draw for independent
filming companies. Permits were approved for Second Section
Pictures and Frantic Puppy Productions to shoot footage for the
short films entitled Knight of Faith and The Hollers. We hope to
benefit from these productions.
We would appreciate your support of our planned Work Day
and other events scheduled over the next few months. These
include our 241st Anniversary Celebration (May 16), 18thCentury Living Experience (May 19-20), and 2nd Saturdays
(June 9, July 14, and August 11). Craftsmen and musicians are
still being sought for the latter.
Bryan Dalton
Many good things are
happening at Alamance Battleground thanks to our dedicated
staff and the work of our volunteers. A sincere thank you to all
who help make a difference
every day at Alamance Battleground.
As you know we are
coming up on the celebration of
the 241st Anniversary of the
Battle of Alamance. To be ready for this celebration,
we are scheduling a Work Day asking volunteers to
come down and help out with needed tasks at the
site. You will find more information about this day in
this newsletter and you will receive a separate e-mail
notice about ways you can help on May 12. To better
plan for this day, we need to know how many people
plan on coming down to assist with this project. If you
can come for an hour, two hours or the whole day,
please let us know and we will be ready for your assistance so we can make the best possible use of all
volunteer hours. Please call or e-mail us if you are
available to assist.
Ted Henson