The Field of Flags, And More

By: W lly Wersching

riday, M arch 27th, w as another great early

spring day with sunny skies, and temps in the low 80’s. I had to go for a ride. It was so warm that I wore my summer mesh jacket. It was great!

I left to go to the Field of Flags. I headed west on Rte. 74. I veered to the right to go onto Business 74. I turned right just before the railroad crossing. It’s a two lane that goes past the local school. I turned left onto Tiney Road. After traveling about a mile through a residential area, the Field of Flags is located in the middle of nowhere between Ellenboro, Bostic, and Washburn, NC. It’s really a neat place.

I parked in the grass near the road. The field consists of many flags, American, and other US military flags, along with plywood silhouette cutouts of American soldiers painted black. There were also many rose bushes planted throughout the display. There was a stiff breeze which made the flags flutter and stand out straight. It was easy to see that many of the flags had been replaced since the last time I was there. They were all brightly colored, and in great shape.

I looked for some sort of identification as to who built the display but could not find anything. and I wish I knew more about whoever created it. Whoever did it spent a lot of time making the silhouettes, erecting the flag poles, and planting the rose bushes along with adding the mulch. It was a beautiful display!

I continued heading west on Rte. 74, and eventually turned right onto Bostic-Sunshine Highway just south of the Washburn Store. I decided to stop by the Washburn Store for a fudge bar. When I stopped at the store, I noticed that they were closed. The sign on the door said that their new hours were 9:30am to 2:30 pm. It was 2:35pm, and they had already left.

I rode straight up Bostic-Sunshine Highway until I turned right onto Rte. 226 by the old “Good Ol’ Boys”. On the way, I stopped at an old United Methodist church called Lee’s Chapel. It appears that the old church is not used anymore even though the building still looks in great shape. There is also a graveyard next to the church. Some of the dates on the headstones go back to the early 1800’s, and then as recent as 2017. It was interesting to walk around and read the inscriptions on the head stones.

There were two from the Whisnant family that were very sad. It seemed that two of the children died very early. Lillie

Mae lived only 2 ½ months before she died in 1892. The grave next to hers was Harris Lester’s who lived only 7 months before he died in 1896. I liked the little lamb resting on top of the headstone. It showed the innocence of the baby buried there. Those must have been hard times for the Whisnants.

I continued on Rte. 226 south of Polkville. As I got close to home, I realized that I hadn’t taken any pictures of “Miss Vickie” in front of the Metcalfe Station recently. It was the perfect time of day for some great shots, so I stopped.

The Metcalfe Station was a stop for the Lawndale Railway and Industrial Company between Lawndale and Shelby from 1899 to 1943. The railway called the “Lawndale Dummy” served as a means for the mills in Lawndale to send their goods to Shelby and beyond. It also transported the mill workers to and from Shelby. It eventually became a Texaco gas station when the traffic on what is now Rte. 226 slowly turned from horse and carriage to cars and trucks. That must have been an interesting (but hard) time to live in and around Shelby.

The Metcalfe Station is maintained by the Lawndale Histori- cal Society. In the last couple years, they have added the water tower. It was donated to the museum in 2011, and recently restored. It adds even more to the little museum along with the bright red boxcar. There’s a lot of history in that little building. It has a very interesting history and is open to the public on Sunday afternoons during the summer.

I arrived home in time for supper. It was a great way to spend a retirement day.