Lt Levin Woollen Sr DAR Patriot 'New Market Blues'
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In reply to:
Re: Levin Woollen of MD & NC
Katherine Benbow 8/10/00
My understanding is Lt. Levin (Leavan) Woollen, Sr., of the 'New Market Blues', Dorchester County, Maryland; is a DAR Patriot? He patrolled from his home on Taylor's Island to New Market. He was "three months in U.S. service". This may mean he was in the Maryland Continental Line; if so, he may have fought at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, North Carolina, and afterwards encamped at Speedwell Ironworks, on Little Troublesome Creek. His log cabin was built 1793 (date from poor memory)(date on deed and in stone chimney built by slave who built many other nearby cabin chimnies) near "Woolen's Cross Roads", Rockingham County, near Speedwell Iron Works dam; a mile or two) the site of the late Chalmer Woollen's country store.I was in the two connected cabins 30 years ago, then in great shape; lived in untill twenty years before that. The "logs" were not round, but circa one and one/half feet square, massive virgin timbers; no mud chinking. I was told the notches were; I think, German style?I asked North Carolina State Archives to inspect and inventory the cabins; but the man in-charge of the program said there were almost no authentic pre-1820's cabins still in existance, and besides he liked; what turned our to be historic mansions and upper-class stuff, not yoeman's humble stuff (ie., the master's home over the slave cabins). I went to the Federal government, only to learn it had deligated it's authority to the State; which deligated it's authority to the same guy's historic tastes. To locate the Woollen cabins site: at old Southern Railroad Station, Greensboro; get on Church Street, head north many miles; cross from Guilford County into Rockingham County; not very far, to Church Street ends at the "T" intersection at Woolen's Crossroads; at the late (I knew him) Chalmer Woollen's store. Back-up perhaps 300 yards; look for the sight at right, between 100 feet and 100 yards. There was a log barn dug into the side of the hill, too. Inside, on the sandy floor, I could still see the outline of a square, low-sided, tradional North Carolina tobacco basket; into which tied 'hands' of tobacco were once pyramided. I was told there a Civil War company was recruited, and the Woollen blacksmith was the local wagon wheelright. James A. Miller, Jr., 4978 N. Hampton Dr., Southport, NC 28461. Chal Woollen's descendants nearby, showed me simple colonial furniture in their homes from the cabin.