The Legend of the Tory's Gold.

 By D.C.

 Webster's dictionary defines the word legend as,"a story coming down from the past; especially: one popularly regarded as historical although not verifiable." I think the the following story would fit this definition.

 I grew up in a rural area of North Carolina. My family's home is near a Revolutionary War battlefield known as the House in the Horseshoe. A river runs around this property creating a horseshoe shape. The original plantation house is still there with bullet holes in it from the battle.

 Every year they do a big reenactment of the battle,which was between the local Tories,British supporters,and the local Whigs,who were American Revolutionaries. It was mainly a bunch of farmers shooting it out for control of the county and more of a skirmish than a real battle. The most important thing to remember is that the Whigs ended up surrendering to the Tories. The Tories won the day.

 On the highway in front of my family's property is a historical marker that tells this is where the Tory's Rendezvous was. It is where the Tories met up before going to the battle. Not far away from this marker,in the woods,is the foundation of an old farm house. This foundation is on our neighbor's property. It is no where near to being old enough to date to Revolutionary times,but we can't allow these pesky facts to stand in the way of a good story.

 When I was around 10,the neighbor who owned the property took a bunch of us kids out to the old foundation. Sort of like a treasure hunt. This guy was always pulling pranks on us kids,so I was suspicious from the start. There were several little kids,like 5 or 6 years old with us.

 So,we get out there,and start poking around. He tells some of the kids to flip this big rock over. Lo and behold a bunch of coins were under the rock. The little kids went nuts,but I noticed these coins had dates like 1980 on them. I kept my mouth shut,the little kids were having too much fun to spoil it. But,I never forgot this.

 Near this foundation is a creek and there is a waterfall with some big rocks. Years later,this spot became our teenage hangout,to do teenage stuff. I spare you the details of what went on,but we spent many a Friday night "camping" out there. As most teenagers do,a lot of ghost type stories were told around the campfire. I was rather good at this.

 So,I invented,then over the years added more and more to it,the Legend of the Tory's Gold. The basic story goes like this. The Tories met up at the old house,now just a foundation. They all agreed to put their gold together in a box and buried it. They did this so if they lost,the Revolutionaries wouldn't get their hands on it. Then the Tories went to the battle,which they lost and most were killed. The ones who survived had to hightail it out of the state. So,the gold was never retrieved and still lays hidden to this day. None of which is true,but why let the facts ruin a good tale?

 Now,added to the story is the fact there is an unusual holly bush,which has grown wild into a large tree,a few hundred yards from the foundation. When all the leaves are gone from other trees,the evergreen holly really stands out. Someone has added to the legend that somehow this tree is a clue to the mystery. I like this addition.

 It's hard to tell how this story grew and grew. I know we spent many a Saturday afternoon looking for the Tory's gold. Well,I should say,I know several of my girlfriends and I had a lot of laughs watching our boyfriends look for the Tory's gold,with picks and shovels. We gave this up by the time we finished high school and I hadn't thought about it for years.

 I was in my mid twenties when one day a guy stopped by our house. He wanted to know where this foundation was and if he could have permission to look for the "gold". He said he would split it 50/50 with us. I tried not to laugh,I didn't want to hurt his feelings. I explained the foundation was not on our property and who he needed to ask.

 Later,after he had got permission from my very amused neighbor,he was back with a metal detector and a shovel. This guy has returned to the site who knows how many times over the years.

(The amused neighbor has since passed away,but knowing what a prankster he was I'm sure he got a huge thrill out of folks coming by his house to look for the gold. I know that the old prankster threw many metal items,such as bottle caps and nails,out in the woods to confound the treasure hunter's metal detectors. Much to his own delight.)

 Now,on every fall weekend when the temperature is mild and the foliage has died down,there may be 10 cars parked on the side of the highway while their owners are stomping around the woods in search of the gold. I'm still waiting on one of them to run into Bigfoot. There have been several sightings of Mr.Foot in the area and he could possibly have some info on the gold.

 Yesterday,I was talking to one of my best friends,Lynda,on the phone. She and I were best friends in school,so we have known each other for years. She still lives in the area with her husband,John,and their 11 year old son,John Jr. I asked her what were their Thanksgiving day plans. She said,"John and J.J. are going out looking for the Tory's gold in the morning. John has bought a new metal detector."

 There was a slight moment of silence,then Lynda and I erupted into laughter. The kind of laughter that you can't stop for three or four minutes,with tears and nose blowing. After we calmed down I said,"At least they will be out of your hair while your cooking."

 Lynda said,"Honey,John has been dragging J.J. out there looking for that gold since he was 3 or 4,they go every Thanksgiving."

 After much more laughter,I asked her,"You have never told them after all these years?"

 She said,"Oh,heck no! It's too much fun watching them make fools of themselves,plus John wouldn't believe me anyway." Again comes the laughter.

 And so the Legend of the Tory's Gold has been passed to another generation.