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To better understand the history of the
Triangle Sertoma Building Purchased by the Triangle Sertoma Club of
Durham from Sam Terry's daughter Melanie in May of 1998 is to take a
history course of the region and the lineage of the Terry family
back to1750 and the Little River Valley of northern Durham and
Northeastern Orange counties. Sparsely settled by dirt farmers who
barely survived off the land with a few larger "slave working
farms", the region was very rural. An example of a larger plantation
"hardscrabble" was owned and operated by the Cameron and Venahen
families into the early 20th century. Black families, direct
descendents of slaves at Hardscrabble, still live in the community
and carry the Cameron name.
The Terry's roots entwined with other prominent
family names of the region: Mangum, Latta, Hill, Tilley, Poole and
Walker had land "up the river" behind what is now Fox Run and
property across Guess Road in front of what is now the Citgo
station. Guess Road, a wagon road from Hurdle Mills to Durham, was
named after a Civil War hero, W.B. Guess, a colonel in the
Confederate army.
Six Terry brothers served in the Confederate Army
during the Civil War, four of which fought in many of the major
battles and campaigns of northern Virginia. All six survived and
returned home. Stephen Terry, the oldest of the brothers, was
considered an "unreconstructed confederate". A battle scarred
cavalryman, he was always a little edgy and never made peace with
the surrender he witnessed at Appomattox. Although never married, he
was a mason and contributed much to the community. He helped start
and build, with other Terrys and families the Lebanon Primitive
Baptist Church. The church and cemetery is still operating on Guess
Road a mile toward Durham. Stephen, a colorful character in his
later years, was reputed to have ridden his horse into church and
there he sat on his horse for the entire service.
Another brother, William S. Terry, who served with
the 57th NC Infantry, came back to Lebanon and married Martha Gates
whose family had extensive holdings of land on Guess Road. William
and Martha farmed the land and had a large family. Their home stood
where now is a brick house owned by Mary Ruth Terry Mebane
one-quarter mile above the club. One of their sons, John Wilkes
Terry, had children Mary Ruth and Sam. Sam Terry farmed the land and
operated a dairy which remnants of the silo and house still remain
one-quarter mile above the club.
Music has always been a part of the Terry legacy.
"Doc", Sam and Mary Ruth's uncle had a reputation for picking a mean
string with other music makers in the area. The Terry Boys became
favorite pickers at local barn dances and square dances all over the
area.
In the late 1940's, with substantial financing by
"Snoot" hunt, a fan and follower of the Terry Boys, the Pick
and Bow Dance Hall was built on the lower side of Sam Terry's dairy.
Built by all who wanted to "chip in". "Snoot" Hunt's home still
stands. it's the brick house in front of the Guess Road Prison Unit
back towards Durham.
The Pick and Bow was a gathering place for music and
square dance lovers and an important social and civic meeting place
for 50 years. Built with a cinderblock shell and wood saw milled
right off the property, its unusual characteristic was the placement
of the stage in the middle of the dance floor. Back then the music
was not amplified, so the musicians had to be in the middle of the
"ruckus".
Over the years, dancers and musicians aged out and
no longer was the Pick and Bow alive every Friday and Saturday
night. The Doc Branch Band, consisting of Roland, Timmy, Harold and
Davis Terry are still carrying on the Terry music legacy. The four
brothers are the sons of the late John Roland Terry, one of
the original Terry Boys. Their Uncle Edsel Terry is still alive and
picking music. Edsel lives on Guess Road above the South Lowell Road
intersection. Edsel and the Terry family received the Brown-Hudson
Award of the North Carolina Folklore Society in 2005. Edsel is also
a member of the N.C. Folk Music Hall of Fame.
Although the Pick and Bow has taken a big face lift,
the old dance floor removed, extensive renovations have altered and
changed much. But you can still see the cinderblock shell, the
original exposed rafters are still there although hidden by ceiling
tiles and the fireplace still drafts a good flame. If one were to
sneak in quietly on a quiet dark night, I bet you could still hear
the ghost of Pegram Terry barking out a square dance step with the
strings of Doc, Sam, John Roland and Edsel exciting a kid's squeal
or a dancer's glee.
Kenny Glenn (Club Historian)
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