Hayden Hill’s first mine, was named the Providence. In the early 1870s, Hayden Hill was sometimes referred to as Providence. The following whimsical account is from the Mountain Tribune of Bieber, April 22, 1882 that explains how the name came to be: “While at Hayden Hill this week in search of information, we inquired of Ben Bradshaw which was the first claim located on the Hill and he informed me that the Providence was the oldest claim. Being curious to know why it was so named he said it was located and owned by ‘seven preachers and two white men.’ We record this fact for the benefit of the future historiographer of the Hill.”
I didn’t know this, Tim – but then my Waite-Dunbar clan were sort of late arrivals at Hayden Hill, probably around 1886. However, this also raises a question. The little Providence School, originally a one-room schoolhouse, was built somewhere other than its current location. My Grandmother and her brother, born on Hayden Hill, attended the original school. By 1929 it had been moved to its current location, about 3 1/2 miles south of Adin, and another room built on (by my Grandfather James Myers, actually). Surely it wasn’t moved all the way from Hayden Hill? And if not, how did it come to be called the Providence School? (It hasn’t been used as a school since the early 1950s -I “visited school” one day in the spring of 1951, and at that time there were only 7 students – but was sort of a “community center” for years.)
As always, MANY thanks for your blog!