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    John Willis Historical Marker

    3.0 (1 review)

    John Willis Historical Marker Photos

    Recommended Reviews - John Willis Historical Marker

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    5 months ago

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    Cotton Press Historical Marker - Cotton Press Historical Marker, Latta SC

    Cotton Press Historical Marker

    5.0(3 reviews)
    36.0 mi

    Located just a quarter mile south of I-95 on South Carolina Highway 38, this marker has a small…read morespace for parking and a view. There is a "historical marker ahead" sign and you shouldn't miss the hulking shape of the machinery it points out. The marker reads, "This cotton press, built in 1798 according to tradition, is thought by many to be the oldest in existence. It was first owned and used by John Bethea, III, and later by Henry Berry. Powered by oxen or mules rotating the beam to tighten the press, it was rendered obsolete by modern machinery. A Berry descendant moved it to this site about 1948 to preserve it." The marker was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. It had been built in 1798 for bailing ginned cotton and is made of pegged and doweled oak. Turning the screw (powered by mules) compressed the cotton into a wooden frame to form a bale. A very clever piece of machinery, all built by hand well prior to modern power tools. Except for minor repairs of the base and roof, it is still the original materials and is the only press of this era in South Carolina. [Review 14328 overall, 1652 of 2020, number 706 in South Carolina.]

    This cotton press, built in 1798 according to tradition, is thought by many to be the oldest in…read moreexistence. It was first owned and used by John Bethea, III, and later by Henry Berry. Powered by oxen or mules rotating the beam to tighten the press, it was rendered obsolete by modem machinery. A Berry descendant moved it to this site about 1948 to preserve it. Erected by Dillon County Historical Society - 1974

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    Cotton Press Historical Marker - Cotton Press Historical Marker, Latta SC

    Cotton Press Historical Marker, Latta SC

    Cotton Press Historical Marker - Cotton Press Historical Marker, Latta SC

    Cotton Press Historical Marker, Latta SC

    Cotton Press Historical Marker

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    General William C Lee Airborne Museum

    General William C Lee Airborne Museum

    4.2(6 reviews)
    51.5 mi

    The General William C. Lee Airborne Museum is in the Lee House built in 1903 in Dunn, NC. The Lees…read morebought the foreclosed three story Brownstone house in 1935. In 1984, the Lee Commission purchased and reconditioned the house with a new heating and air conditioning system. The museum is three stories, the first two levels are about General Lee and Airborne History and the renovated third floor is about WWII. It is listed on the National Registrar of Historic Places. The museum is free to visit but does accept donations. The museum is a short drive from I-95 and has its own parking lot as well. The museum is self guided so you can go at your own pace reading the displays. So who was General Lee? Lee was in WWI and stayed in the Army in Germany. After watching Hitler and the Germans developing airborne troops and through President Franklin Roosevelt , he organized the first airborne unit and became the "Father of the American Airborne". Lee became the first Commander of the 101st Airborne Division in Louisiana in 1942. He organized the D-Day air invasion and was going to be one of the jumpers but he had a heart attack so was sent back to Dunn. I really enjoyed visiting this museum and only stopped as it was on my way back from Fayetteville. I was not aware of General Lee and his contributions to history. I was impressed by the displays about the parachutes and how they evolved from the idea of Da Vinchi. I am glad the museum exists so that we can learn of this important individual. The historic house was a bonus.

    The house itself is a magnificent thing. Huge, well laid out and with the creaky wood floors and…read morestairs expected in a turn of the last century home. What is inside is equally impressive. I walked in, greeted by a friendly tour guide who offered the story of how the museum came to be, and then left me to explore. It's a self-guiding tour, there's explanations accompanying the displays, so I could take all the time I needed. It's not a typical museum in that it was actually Lee's home and it still maintains the feel of a home. Because it's a nearly mid-twentieth century topic, the events and displays are not so old that it feels impersonal. It's kind of like being in your grandparents or great-grandparents home. The first floor is the personal story of Lee and his wife. The second floor contains the history of the airborne and the third floor has artifacts of the era. It's a fascinating museum and a low-key way to spend some time learning the origins of the Army Airborne.

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    General William C Lee Airborne Museum
    General William C Lee Airborne Museum
    General William C Lee Airborne Museum

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    Odell Williamson Bridge - looking north near the boat launch

    Odell Williamson Bridge

    4.6(5 reviews)
    60.3 mi

    Odell Williamson: decorated US Army Pilot, politician, developer, guy with his name on a bridge…read more.. kind of a nice bridge as far as weather resistant bridges go but nothing remarkable unless this is your regular commute in which case it's probably a functionally fine replacement for the earlier crossing but so utterly useful and un-storied so as to have no real story except that of it's namesake and the means it replaced... and yet here it stands in all it's linear concrete splendor - rising the 65 mandatory feet dictated by the intracoastal waterway commissioners - depositing resident and visitor alike in front of the Ocean Isle Beach / Pier which is exactly the point of it.

    This review is a tribute to the gateway of Ocean Isle Beach, NC...the Odell Williamson Bridge. The…read moregateway because it is the ONLY access on/from the island itself, so you cannot avoid it if you come to OIB and want to get to the beach front, period. The bridge itself is fairly modern, clean, and a nice welcome to all those coming to OIB for some fun and relaxation. It arches pretty high at the peak as so vessels can navigate through using the Intercoastal Waterway of which it passes over. It's the first thing you see coming onto the island and the last thing you pass coming off there when you finish your visit and head home. It's a tried and true symbol. Why 4 stars? Well, on Saturdays when people are heading onto the island for their check-ins, it just becomes a long parking lot most of the day! So many come to OIB to enjoy their vacation that it takes some time to get everyone onto the island and set to enjoy their week. The wait can be a excruciating one, actually. So sadly, it escapes full 5 star status just on that. Bottom line: Beloved gateway landmark for Ocean Isle Beach. Except for being a long parking lot on Saturdays as people come onto the isle, it's a beautiful thing to behold.

    Photos
    Odell Williamson Bridge - Wattah

    Wattah

    Odell Williamson Bridge - Photo credit: from Andy B.

    Photo credit: from Andy B.

    Odell Williamson Bridge - View of Odell Williamson Bridge from the island side, while looking over the Causeway roundabout in front of the fishing pier on OIB.

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    View of Odell Williamson Bridge from the island side, while looking over the Causeway roundabout in front of the fishing pier on OIB.

    John Willis Historical Marker - landmarks - Updated May 2026

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