Ransom Hunter facts for kids

Ransom Hunter (born March 14, 1825, died September 24, 1918) was an important American businessman, landowner, and helper of his community. He is believed to be the first freed slave to own property in Gaston County, North Carolina. From 1874 to 1913, Hunter bought and sold land many times. He ended up owning over 1,920 acres of land. This was a huge achievement because very few Black people owned land back then. Hunter owned the land that is known today as downtown Mount Holly, North Carolina.

Ransom Hunter's Early Life

Ransom Hunter was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He grew up on the Middleton plantation. When he was about 10 years old, he was sadly sold away from his parents to the Hoyle plantation. There, Hunter learned many useful skills. He became a master at carpentry (working with wood), blacksmithing (working with metal), and horse grooming. He also learned to play the piano for guests visiting the Hoyle home. Hunter was granted his freedom from the Hoyle plantation in 1860, just before the Civil War began.

Buying Land After Slavery

Hunter started buying land within ten years after slavery was ended. He completed thirty land deals in Lincoln and Gaston counties between 1874 and 1913.

His first recorded land purchase was from Robert Calvin Grier Love. Love was a rich merchant, banker, and textile (cloth) business pioneer. He sold Hunter six acres of land right on the Catawba River. In 1875, Confederate General Daniel Harvey Hill sold Hunter his second property. Later, Hunter even sold land to two people who would become mayors of Mount Holly: W. B. Rutledge and Abel Peterson Rhyne.

Building the Freedom Community

Hunter opened his first livery stable (a place to keep and rent horses) on Hawthorne Street in Mount Holly, North Carolina. He used his skills as a farrier (someone who cares for horses' hooves) and blacksmith to make horseshoes. He also sold and rented out draft horses. With the money he earned from his livery stable, he bought more land nearby.

Hunter created a community he called "Freedom." This was a safe place for other former slaves who were escaping harsh conditions in South Carolina after the Civil War. For the first time, these former slaves had their own land to build homes and raise families.

Turning Rocky Land into Farms

At first, much of the land in Freedom was very rocky. People thought it was not good for farming. Because of this, the Hunter family called the area Rock Grove. However, Ransom Hunter saw value in the granite rocks. He hired the men of Freedom to dig up the rocks. He then sold these rocks to a company that used them to build local roads.

After the rocks were removed, much of the land became good for building homes and for farming. Hunter and the community successfully grew many acres of corn and cotton. They also grew groves of pecan, apple, peach, and fig trees. As the Freedom Community grew, Hunter opened a second livery stable on Main Street in Mount Holly. He also opened a general store. Hunter built a large home for his family in Freedom where he raised farm animals. Other freed slaves came to Freedom to start businesses and work on the farm.

Supporting Education and Faith

Hunter was a generous person. He donated land for a school and two churches. He also gave land for the first cemetery for Black people in Gaston County. The churches were Mt. Sinai Baptist Church and Rock Grove A.M.E. Zion Church (now called Burge Memorial United Methodist Church).

Hunter believed in the importance of education. In 1887, he formed a five-member Public School Committee. He donated the land for the first school created for Black children after slavery ended. It was named the District 12 Colored School.

Impact on the Industrial Revolution

Hunter played a role in the growth of industry in the area. In 1875, he sold land to Abel Peterson Rhyne and Daniel Efird Rhyne. They used this land to build the area's first cotton mill. The Mount Holly Manufacturing Mill was built on land Hunter had bought in 1874. It was the fourth mill built in Gaston County and is the oldest cotton mill still standing today. The mill's name came from a famous yarn mill in Mount Holly, New Jersey, hoping to have similar success.

The mill's success and the area's growth led local residents to ask the North Carolina General Assembly to officially make Mount Holly a town in 1879. In 1913, Hunter sold more land to the Mayes Manufacturing Company. They built another cotton textile mill near the South Fork Catawba River and the Southern Railroad.

Ransom Hunter's Family Life

Ransom Hunter married his first wife, Rebecca, and they had 11 children. Rebecca passed away in 1890. Seven years later, he married his second wife, Maggie Wells Hunter. They had two children named Torrance and Elmina (Mena). Maggie Hunter died on January 9, 1940, at the age of 79.

Legacy and Recognition

Ransom Hunter passed away on September 24, 1918, at the age of 93. He is buried at the cemetery of Burge Memorial United Methodist Church.

In 2014, Hunter's great-grandson, Dr. Eric Van Wilson, wrote a booklet about Ransom Hunter and his family.

The Mount Holly Historical Society honored Ransom Hunter's life by naming him their 2017 Historic Person of the Year. Eric Van Wilson, then 58, was one of eight family members who attended the event.

On October 17, 2017, Hunter was featured and celebrated by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction in the AT&T 2018 Edition of The Heritage Calendar.

In 2018, two of Hunter's great-great-granddaughters created The Ransom Hunter Foundation. This foundation aims to inspire others through his story and encourage giving back to the community.

In 2021, the Gastonia Honey Hunters professional Atlantic League baseball team was named after Ransom Hunter.