The author, Steve Bailey, is outreach coordinator at the Anson County Historical Society. Information for this column came from the notebook of Lilly Bassett Carter Hoffman, 1888-1979.
Bob and Betty Carter moved to Wadesboro, where Bob clerked in a store and learned the mercantile business. Lilly Bassett Carter Hoffman’s sister, Sara Florence Carter, was born there April 13, 1874, and a little later, they moved to Polkton. Bob ran a general store at Polkton and Betty kept the hotel. Ida Estelle was born at Polkton on May 27, 1876.
While they lived there our Gov. Zebulon Vance was campaigning for United States senator and he came to Polkton and stopped at the hotel in May 1876. It was raining when he arrived on horseback. Bob went out and put the horse up for the night and invited the governor inside. The large kitchen had a fireplace which burned large sticks of wood and was also used as a family sitting room.
It was a cold, rainy night but the kitchen was warm and comfortable. The fire burned brightly. Governor Vance was shown his room. He changed his clothes and my mother hung them before the fire. She had a frying chicken dressed for breakfast but the governor was hungry so she prepared a nice supper for him including the chicken. Early the following morning she arose and pressed his clothes which had dried during the night.
After breakfast Governor Vance left on his horse but soon came back to thank her for the things she had done for him. As he rode away he called back, saying, “Mrs. Carter, that was the best fried chicken I ever ate. Thank you.”
Note: Lilly Carter Hoffman was Jodi Gee’s grandmother and left stories and family history in composition books that she wrote in the 1950s and 1960s.