The Progressive Farmer

ONE OF THE FIRST.

Mr. Editor:—Zion Sub-Alliance, No. 35, was organized in the summer of 1887. It is not yet two years old, with a membership of about seventy. The zeal and enthusiasm of the members, and their devotion to the principles of the Alliance, are not less apparent than at the very beginning. New members are added to the roll at almost every meeting. Two lady members were received at our last meeting. These ladies are among the best farmers of the community; and to the surprise of all present, without solicitation, they came forward at once and took shares in the Business Fund.

But where is Zion Alliance? some one might ask. To say that it is located at Zion church would be an exceedingly indefinite reply, as the name is a favorite one with all Christian denominations, and they all have their Zions distributed from the mountain-crested Cherokee to the wave-washed shores of Currituck. But our Alliance takes its name from a Methodist church of the same name, situated in a community of well-to-do farmers in Richmond county, four miles east of Rockingham. Here, long years ago, was a famous encampment, and annually multitudes of our ancestors assembled together, in camp meeting to worship God in a style characteristic of those primitive times.

The people of this community come down as the worthy successors of a generation of the purest blood that ever settled in our State. There are those still living among us that have heard their great-grand parents tell of the pioneer days of the Pee Dee section; when, what is now known as Richmond county, was settled by six families, and there was only one needle to the six, to be borrowed "from house to house," and when droves of wild horses roamed at large where we now grow cotton, corn, peas and potatoes.

Near this place, along the Pee Dee river, is some beautiful scenery and some points of traditional interest; among them may be named DeBerry's Island. This island is surrounded by the waters of this majestic river, and tradition has it that here the Pee Dee Indians had their fisheries, and that the Indians from further east, in the section now covered by Cumberland and Robeson, were desirous of fishing there also; but being prohibited by the Pee Dee Indians, a great battle ensued. This battle was fought on this island, and the bones and mounds are there to this day to mark the battle field.

But enough; we have a community of as happy, prosperous farmers as one often sees, and farmers, too, who love the principles of the Alliance and are willing to exemplify the same.

Zion
Correspondent