Post by Brian on Jul 5, 2011 8:50:36 GMT -5
09/16/07 at 08:49 AM
Michael818
Hey! So, where exactly did Arthur meet his tragic fate? Is the stretch of road still accessible, or has it been replaced by one of those "new" roads?
Michael R.
Michael818
09/16/07 at 09:44 AM
Maria
It's in Walnut Cove at the intersection across the street from the shopping center where Ingles store is. Being terrible with directions that's the best I can tell you. It's a paved road now but I don't know if it was paved when he had the wreck. By "new fangled road" do you mean paved?
Maria
09/16/07 at 04:31 PM
Michael818
Sorry. No. I mean where the route of roads has changed, as in "New 421," "New 601," New 21," etc... as opposed to the "Old" paths.
Michael R.
Michael818
09/16/07 at 04:57 PM
Maria
No idea on that answer Michael. Sorry. I'll be going by there again tomorrow and will look, if I don't forget.
Maria
09/19/07 at 07:30 AM
LuvMyDog
Maria, do you know if Arthur was driving a car or a truck on that day? And, what happened to it.
LuvMyDog
09/19/07 at 07:49 AM
Maria
I've always heard it was a pick-up truck...dump truck, the one he drove when he worked for Marion Lawson. But Arthur also owned a yellow Ford pick-up truck, so it might have been that one.
Maria
09/19/07 at 08:15 AM
LuvMyDog
what ever happened to these truck(s)?
LuvMyDog
09/19/07 at 08:48 AM
Maria
I have no idea. Marion owned and operated a dump truck business and Arthur was one of his employees. I assume Marion's business failed at some point or was passed down to his son when he died. I don't know if anyone in Marion's family would know where the dump trucks are. They never mentioned it when we interviewed them. I could try to find out later.
Maria
09/19/07 at 06:50 PM
Maria
From what little I was able to learn today, Marion eventually sold the business but I don't yet know to whom. The| yellow truck was one and the same as the dump truck, not Arthur's personal truck. This person said that the vehicle that killed Arthur was the dump truck and contrary to what has previously been told, Blaine Nelson was the person driving that night, not Arthur. Which person it was I really don't know. I would need more proof on one or the other before saying it was Blaine or it was Arthur. The man who told me this said he was absolutely certain it was Blaine. However, I need more proof.
Maria
09/19/07 at 07:27 PM
LuvMyDog
I wonder if this Blaine guy or Arthur had been drinking and maybe this is what caused the accident, it seems to me that they would have passed by the road work several times and would have been aware of the situation? Just speculation on my part, of course. Thanks once again......you never fail!
LuvMyDog
09/19/07 at 07:59 PM
Maria
I've heard Arthur was drunk and I've heard he never saw the culvert until he hit it. But if Arthur wasn't the one driving then whether he was drunk or not doesn't matter.
Maria
09/19/07 at 09:18 PM
LuvMyDog
I am really interested in finding out more about this Blaine guy. Is he still living, was he really with Arthur on the night| of the accident and better yet was he the driver. I have read statistics on drinking and driving and it is more common for the driver to survive a related drinking/driving accident than a passenger. This whole saga leads to one question after another.......it is never ending and so interesting.
LuvMyDog
09/20/07 at 06:07 AM
Maria
The last I heard was that Blaine Nelson is dead but his wife is still living. Blaine was severely injured in the accident and would definitely have died along side Arthur if not for a nurse (some have said teacher) who was on her way home that night and came upon the accident She applied pressure to Blaine's would to stem the bleeding until the ambulance arrived. There was no saving Arthur pinned beneath the dump truck that landed on top of him when he was thrown from the truck. He died from a crushed chest. Poor Arthur. He was unable 15 years earlier to save his mother and sisters and brothers and no one was able to save his life as he lay pinned beneath the weight of that yellow dumptruck. One of the ladies in the documentary said, and I quote, "It was meant for that whole family to be destroyed." I don't know quite how to interpret that remark, especially the word "destroyed". Can it ever be meant for children to die or worse yet, be destroyed. I know that question has been dealt with before in here but I still don't grasp how it can be meant for children to be destroyed. It's the word "destroyed' that bothers me, and who? meant for them to be destroyed.
Maria
09/20/07 at 08:42 AM
sissy
It is so sad, I hope you can find out some more about Mr. Nelson. Did they work together or were they friends?
sissy
09/20/07 at 01:00 PM
Maria
I've heard they were not friends but just worked together. Blaine died in 1996.
Maria
09/21/07 at 08:13 AM
JiNx
My grandfather had told me that Arthur's wreck happened on Hwy. 311 right outside of Walkertown and as your entering stokes county. He said he remembers working at my family's auto shop at the time as a boy and someone running in and telling my great grandfather "that Lawson boy got himself killed in a wreck". It supposedly happened a few hundred yards from where you turn right off of number 8 onto hwy 311.
Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.
Confucius
JiNx
09/21/07 at 08:51AM
Maria
That's the place Jinx, thanks. Like the Lawson property, there is absolutely nothing to see. No indication of the wreck that took the life of Arthur Lawson. Now-a-days people erect crosses and wreaths and things like that to tell anyone passing by that someone they loved died there. I've often thought of making a permanent cross or marker that says: Arthur (Buck) Lawson, sole surviving child of the Christmas Day massacre of the Charlie Lawson family, died here on May 5th, 1945 in an automobile accident. I'm just concerned that someone would remove or steal it.
Maria
09/21/07 at 09:18 AM
LuvMyDog
That's a great idea Maria, and would be such a moving memorial to Arthur. I'm sure his family would be very appreciative too. But I understand what you are saying about someone removing or damaging it. If someone can steal raisins off a raisin cake and take a family photo off the Lawson's grave site, I'm sure they would have a field day with a memorial.
LuvMyDog
09/21/07 at 09:37 AM
Maria
There are a few Lawsons, not many but still...that just want this tragedy put to rest, forgotten about, to go away. However, if I could find a way to erect a marker in such a way as to prevent it from being taken up and I could get permission from the county commissioners or who ever, to do this, I would.
Maria
09/21/07 at 01:35 PM
Angel71242
I think that's a really good idea!
Angel71242
09/21/07 at 02:56 PM
LuvMyDog
I have never had something of this magnitude happen in my life, so I can only try to understand how the family feels. Even though I believe this tragedy will never go away. This is one of the most mesmerizing stories I have ever heard. And for it to have happened so close to where I was born and raised makes it even more intriguing.
LuvMyDog
09/21/07 at 03:07 PM
Maria
The weird thing about the Lawson murders for me is how it keeps cropping up in my life. I heard about it the first time in 1967. After a few weeks I put it on the back burner in my mind. 12 years later it comes back into my presence by way of the article in our newspaper on the 50th anniversary of the murders (1979) and my subsequent visit to the Lawson house and the cemetery. It got delegated to the back burner again until 11 years later when Matthew presented me with the book WC/BC. Then back to the back burner for another 15 years until 2005 when Matthew decided to do a Documentary about it and asked me to do the research work on it. No back burner now though. It's been 2 years of daily involvement in the story. It's just so strange. It's as if someone or something keeps dragging me back into it.
Maria
09/28/07 at 10:08 AM
Chellemo
If you go out Old Hollow Rd from Winston and head into Walkertown towards where Roses is, is that the area or am I totally lost?
Chellemo
D 09/28/07 at 10:15 AM
Maria
If you ask me anything about the murders I can pretty much guarantee you an answer!! But when it comes to giving directions I'm a total basket case. I'm one of those people who can get lost in an elevator or a phone booth.
Maria
09/28/07 at 10:16 AM
Chellemo
LOL I understand that. I couldn't give directions to my driveway.
Chellemo
09/28/07 at 10:16 AM
Angel71242
Ain't that the truth!! And I'm good with directions, but I don't know where the wreck happened!!
Angel71242
09/29/07 at 06:32 PM
Michael818
Where Old Hollow Road intersects NC 8, you want to go North towards Germanton, instead of back towards Winston. When NC 8 goes left towards Brook Cove and the Lawson sites, you keep going straight. This will take you to the intersection in Walnut Cove where Arthur died.
Michael R.
Michael818
09/30/07 at 01:54 PM
Maria
Thanks Michael for the excellent directions. Like I said, I'm lousy with that sort of thing. Men seem to be better at that sort of thing than women. You guys being from Mars and all while women are from Venus, the goddess of Love!!!
Maria
09/30/07 at 02:33 PM
Michael818
Welcome. But I don't know about that. Remember we don't like to stop and ask for directions! Men would rather drive fifty miles the wrong way than ask someone!
Michael R.
Michael818
09/30/07 at 08:37 PM
LuvMyDog
You're right about that Michael......or the big one "Admit when their directions are wrong!" And Maria......Quit bragging......everyone here knows you are the goddess of love
LuvMyDog
09/30/07 at 09:33 PM
Maria
I've also noticed that when you stop and ask a man at the gas station for directions somewhere most of them will give you wrong directions or make up directions rather than say they don't know.
Maria
09/30/07 at 09:42 PM
LuvMyDog
Don't worry GUYS we love you but it is so TRUE!
LuvMyDog
10/01/07 at 04:32 PM
Maria
Hey Michael..."And the truth shall set you free"!!!!!
Maria
10/01/07 at 04:43 PM
Michael818
Speaking of which, see my last post!
Michael R.
Michael818
10/01/07 at 08:27 PM
LuvMyDog
They say the truth hurts.......how does it really feel guys?
LuvMyDog
10/03/07 at 07:28 PM
LuvMyDog
Does anyone know (Maria) if Arthur had an autopsy done and if so what the results were? This poor guy went through more than I could possibly have imagined! Not only did he have to go through years of enduring pain from his family's murder/suicide, he apparently was acting as his family's protector against his father as well. And then, not| even 20 years later dying a horrific death of his own. How could so much pain happen to one family. I guess the only possible peace that the family could have from this tragedy was knowing that those precious children were resting in the arms of angels.
LuvMyDog
10/04/07 at 03:44 PM
Maria
I don't know if an autopsy was done on Arthur or not. I've never heard one was done but that doesn't mean yay or nay. I spoke with someone at the funeral home who was in charge of his body and they checked their records only to find out that the funeral home, Burroughs Fowler did not keep records back then. What a shame. HOWEVER, I received a document today from one of my good sources that has the most detailed and thorough account I've yet to encounter about the wreck that took Arthur's life. It is a great bonus for us and I was/am thrilled to get it.
Maria
10/04/07 at 03:47 PM
sissy
Oh just leave us hanging why don't ya. Details we want details!!!
sissy
10/04/07 at 03:50 PM
Maria
Un-wad your shorts girl... you'll get the details of that and a whole lot more when the Scrapbook comes out. HEE HEE.
Maria
10/04/07 at 03:51 PM
sissy
Man I should have known it. I guess we will have to wait.
sissy
10/04/07 at 08:35 PM
LuvMyDog
You are just being down right evil Maria! LOU! This scrapbook is going to be an awesome piece of work! Can't
wait.........hurry up!
LuvMyDog
10/04/07 at 09:21 PM
Maria
As my Uncle Alfred use to say to me...you bad seed Missy!!!!!!!
Maria
10/04/07 at 09:33 PM
LuvMyDog
THANK GOD FOR UNCLE ALFRED!!!
LuvMyDog
10/05/07 at 01:27 PM
Angel71242
I cannot WAIT for that durn scrapbook to come out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Angel71242
10/09/07 at 03:09 PM
Maria
When my friend and I went up to Walnut Cove today we passed that place where Arthur's wreck occurred. Knowing already that my friend and her parents had been to the scene of the accident that night I asked her what she remembered about it. She said that Arthur was lying in the road on his back and that the dump truck had rolled over and landed on it's side on top of Arthur. She didn't recall seeing Blaine Nelson but she said she vividly remembered seeing Arthur's face. She also said she remembered he was on the right side of the dump truck and that the dump truck was hardly damaged at all. When she told me about seeing Arthur's face as he lay on his back on that road I suddenly felt a terrible sadness for Arthur. I can't get the image of him lying there on his back dead out of my mind. This man lived and died under horrible circumstances. He endured more than anyone should have to. I feel incredibly sorry for him.
Maria
10/09/07 at 09:05 PM
LuvMyDog
I truly wonder what was going through Arthur's mind in those last minutes of his life with all that he went through. Was he thinking of his children, his wife, or perhaps his father and everything that he did to the family knowing that soon he would be gone? It is so sad.
LuvMyDog
10/10/07 at 05:23 PM
Michael818
I am taking the vanguard of my group up there to the place where Arthur died. Has the culvert they hit been replaced, or is it still there?
Michael R.
Michael818
10/10/07 at 05:32 PM
Maria
As far as I can tell it's still there but I'm not really sure what a "culvert" looks like.
Maria
10/24/07 at 10:46 AM
LuvMyDog
I accidentally came across this post in a forum I was reading this morning and thought it interesting enough to post what I read here. I have never heard that Arthur was possibly riding on the back of the pick-up truck, when he was killed that night. However it does explain how he could of ended up under the truck. The post is as follows:
"I also lived in Germanton once. I know several members of the Lawson family. Hill Hampton was a cousin that sold tickets for people to tour the house after the murders. Their graves are at the end of Brookcove road. My family knew the son that lived, but later died from a fall from the back of a truck that he was riding in. Oh, yes there are many stories to tell about that one, and very interesting. Have you ever read the book or saw the DVD ?"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6XS0iltYIo
LuvMyDog
10/24/07 at 11:22 AM
Maria
I've never heard that before. I've always heard that Arthur was driving the dumptruck and Blaine Nelson was a passenger and that Arthur and Blaine were both drunk. Which is NOT to say that the version I've always heard is right. But if Arthur was in the back of the dumptruck then of course I can see how he ended up being thrown. However, a dumptruck is not like a pickup truck so would he have been in the dump part of the dumptruck? And why? At any rate it's a different set of facts and bears looking into.
Maria
10/24/07 at 12:46 PM
Angel71242
Yeah, that does seem weird that someone would get in the dump part of a dump truck. I just don't know about
that.
Angel71242
10/24/07 at 05:10 PM
LuvMyDog
I'm so confused, I've heard his was driving a truck, then I've heard he was driving a dump truck^and now I am hearing he was riding on the back of a truck, or a dump truck??? Can someone help?7? (Maria)
LuvMyDog
10/24/07 at 05:21 PM
Maria
Arthur Lawson and Blaine Nelson both worked for Marion Lawson driving a Dumptruck, a blue one. I've always heard that the accident occurred in the dumptruck. Arthur owned a yellow pickup truck that he use to drive around town with his mule standing up in the back of it. A lady who saw Arthur on the road the night he was killed said that it was the blue dumptruck that belonged to Marion that was laying on it's side on top of Arthur. These are the things I have been told. Since I wasn't around back then I of course don't know first hand which is right. Hope this helps.
Maria
10/24/07 at 05:53 PM
Michael818
People will do silly things when alcohol is involved. Maybe he was fooling around in the dumper. Were they drinking, Maria?
Michael R.
Michael818
10/24/07 at 06:00 PM
Maria
Both were drinking heavily I've been told. Some people say Arthur was driving and some swear it was Blaine who was driving. But this whole story is like that. Full of contradictions. And everyone thinks they are right. Including me.
Maria
10/24/07 at 06:30 PM
doodlebug
It's entirely possible, depending on how drunk they were, they didn't actually "know* who was driving. I have a neighbor who was involved in a drunk driving accident about 30 years ago, he still isn't entirely sure who was driving. He thinks it was the other guy, because he remembers putting his seatbelt on to the left, but admits that could have been earlier in the evening or even a false memory....
www.insearchofghosts.com
doodlebug
10/30/07 at 10:27 PM
LuvMyDog
I'm still trying to picture what a dump truck would look like in 1945, even though I would believe it would be similar to what they look like tody. But even still, if you are drunk, I think you could do about anything without thinking about the consequences. I wonder if Arthur was hanging on to the back of that dumptruck for whatever reason when it hit the culvert. It sure would answer the question as to why he ended up under the truck.
LuvMyDog
10/30/07 at 10:46 PM
doodlebug
Here's a picture of a 1945 Chevy Dumptruck. www.oldchevytruck.com/trucks8/19458.24c.jpg It may not have been identical, but I imagine it would be similar. Looks alot like a standard heavy duty truck of the time with a larger bed.
BTW, LuvMyDog, I LOVED the video of Libby Holman!! She had an amazing voice! First time I've heard her songs in years...my grandpa used to have "Moanin' Low" on the old scratchy 78's.
www.insearchofghosts.com
doodlebug
10/30/07 at 11:17 PM
LuvMyDog
Thanks for the post doodlebug!! I too love Libby Holman and remember my mom and dad listening to her music.....she had such a haunting voice.
LuvMyDog
10/30/07 at 11:21 PM
LuvMyDog
Thanks for the link to the old dump truck....it does differ in that it seems to have a wooden bed compared to the steel iron beds now. It looks like it would be possible for Arthur to be riding on the back, maybe even hanging on to the back like the garbage collectors do now. Just an assumption on my part.
LuvMyDog
10/31/07 at 05:50 AM
doodlebug
It reminds me of the old "ton" trucks that used to be used on alot of farms, minus the whole bed lifting part...I've seen people ride in the back of them hundreds of time. In all honesty, unless someone who was there and had a knowledge of styles, bodies, years, etc and specifically said it was a 1945 Ford Heavy Duty Short Bed with a 351 big block (or whatever they had back then...) then we'll most likely never know. (REALLY too bad my Daddy wasn't there then, loL.he could have told you the trim style!)
I'm guessing there weren't any eyewitnesses to the accident, so where exactly he was is just assumption....
www.insearchofghosts.com
doodlebug
10/31/07 at 02:24 PM
Michael818
Trying to get it together for a trip to Arthur's wreck site. Pretty busy road, though. May have to do this one in the wee hours.
Michael R.
Michael818
10/31/07 at 05:55 PM
doodlebug
Considering that intersection, it would be best to do it in the very wee hours! Then again, I'm beginning to wonder if there is a good time, it just gets busier and busier all the time around there.
www.insearchofghosts.com
doodlebug
11/01/07 at 05:53 AM
Maria
Everytime I've passed by that intersection day or night there has been tons of traffic. I bet there was very little in Arthur's time compared to ours, especially at 10:30 at night, the time his accident occurred.
Maria
11/21/07 at 11:38 AM
Maria
While talking with Mr. Turtle's wife yesterday she told me that in the front yard of the house her mother bought
is where Arthur Lawson died. She said the house is real close to Ingles store and that when Arthur
was thrown from the truck his body landed in her front yard and there is where he died. I'll be seeing them
either next week or the following week and she said she'd take me there and show me exactly where he died.
Maria
11/21/07 at 11:51 AM
Angel71242
Wish I had time to go see all these places with you!
I wonder if you can see Ingles from her house? I don't know much about that area, but I DO know where Ingles is!
Angel71242
11/21/07 at 11:53 AM
LuvMyDog
Well I guess that answer's the question of whether Arthur was pinned under the dump truck as many had thought happened. That's an exciting piece of news Maria, and will hopefully answer allot of questions about how Arthur died that night.
LuvMyDog
11/21/07 at 12:00 PM
Maria
Actually she said the truck did flip over and landed on him. It just happened that he and the truck landed in their front yard. Her mother is 85 and her mind is good and Ronnie's wife is going to take me to see her and talk with her. Her mother grew up in Lawsonville so I want to ask her about the Lawsons when they lived there.
Maria
11/21/07 at 07:49 PM
NascarLover
I sure would like to go with you sometime Maria to see where Arthur died. And I want to go with you to Browder Cemetery. Call me sometime so we can make plans to, o.k.
Tim
NascarLover
11/21/07 at 08:04 PM
Maria
I will Tim. Maybe we can go the week before Christmas.
Maria
Michael818
Hey! So, where exactly did Arthur meet his tragic fate? Is the stretch of road still accessible, or has it been replaced by one of those "new" roads?
Michael R.
Michael818
09/16/07 at 09:44 AM
Maria
It's in Walnut Cove at the intersection across the street from the shopping center where Ingles store is. Being terrible with directions that's the best I can tell you. It's a paved road now but I don't know if it was paved when he had the wreck. By "new fangled road" do you mean paved?
Maria
09/16/07 at 04:31 PM
Michael818
Sorry. No. I mean where the route of roads has changed, as in "New 421," "New 601," New 21," etc... as opposed to the "Old" paths.
Michael R.
Michael818
09/16/07 at 04:57 PM
Maria
No idea on that answer Michael. Sorry. I'll be going by there again tomorrow and will look, if I don't forget.
Maria
09/19/07 at 07:30 AM
LuvMyDog
Maria, do you know if Arthur was driving a car or a truck on that day? And, what happened to it.
LuvMyDog
09/19/07 at 07:49 AM
Maria
I've always heard it was a pick-up truck...dump truck, the one he drove when he worked for Marion Lawson. But Arthur also owned a yellow Ford pick-up truck, so it might have been that one.
Maria
09/19/07 at 08:15 AM
LuvMyDog
what ever happened to these truck(s)?
LuvMyDog
09/19/07 at 08:48 AM
Maria
I have no idea. Marion owned and operated a dump truck business and Arthur was one of his employees. I assume Marion's business failed at some point or was passed down to his son when he died. I don't know if anyone in Marion's family would know where the dump trucks are. They never mentioned it when we interviewed them. I could try to find out later.
Maria
09/19/07 at 06:50 PM
Maria
From what little I was able to learn today, Marion eventually sold the business but I don't yet know to whom. The| yellow truck was one and the same as the dump truck, not Arthur's personal truck. This person said that the vehicle that killed Arthur was the dump truck and contrary to what has previously been told, Blaine Nelson was the person driving that night, not Arthur. Which person it was I really don't know. I would need more proof on one or the other before saying it was Blaine or it was Arthur. The man who told me this said he was absolutely certain it was Blaine. However, I need more proof.
Maria
09/19/07 at 07:27 PM
LuvMyDog
I wonder if this Blaine guy or Arthur had been drinking and maybe this is what caused the accident, it seems to me that they would have passed by the road work several times and would have been aware of the situation? Just speculation on my part, of course. Thanks once again......you never fail!
LuvMyDog
09/19/07 at 07:59 PM
Maria
I've heard Arthur was drunk and I've heard he never saw the culvert until he hit it. But if Arthur wasn't the one driving then whether he was drunk or not doesn't matter.
Maria
09/19/07 at 09:18 PM
LuvMyDog
I am really interested in finding out more about this Blaine guy. Is he still living, was he really with Arthur on the night| of the accident and better yet was he the driver. I have read statistics on drinking and driving and it is more common for the driver to survive a related drinking/driving accident than a passenger. This whole saga leads to one question after another.......it is never ending and so interesting.
LuvMyDog
09/20/07 at 06:07 AM
Maria
The last I heard was that Blaine Nelson is dead but his wife is still living. Blaine was severely injured in the accident and would definitely have died along side Arthur if not for a nurse (some have said teacher) who was on her way home that night and came upon the accident She applied pressure to Blaine's would to stem the bleeding until the ambulance arrived. There was no saving Arthur pinned beneath the dump truck that landed on top of him when he was thrown from the truck. He died from a crushed chest. Poor Arthur. He was unable 15 years earlier to save his mother and sisters and brothers and no one was able to save his life as he lay pinned beneath the weight of that yellow dumptruck. One of the ladies in the documentary said, and I quote, "It was meant for that whole family to be destroyed." I don't know quite how to interpret that remark, especially the word "destroyed". Can it ever be meant for children to die or worse yet, be destroyed. I know that question has been dealt with before in here but I still don't grasp how it can be meant for children to be destroyed. It's the word "destroyed' that bothers me, and who? meant for them to be destroyed.
Maria
09/20/07 at 08:42 AM
sissy
It is so sad, I hope you can find out some more about Mr. Nelson. Did they work together or were they friends?
sissy
09/20/07 at 01:00 PM
Maria
I've heard they were not friends but just worked together. Blaine died in 1996.
Maria
09/21/07 at 08:13 AM
JiNx
My grandfather had told me that Arthur's wreck happened on Hwy. 311 right outside of Walkertown and as your entering stokes county. He said he remembers working at my family's auto shop at the time as a boy and someone running in and telling my great grandfather "that Lawson boy got himself killed in a wreck". It supposedly happened a few hundred yards from where you turn right off of number 8 onto hwy 311.
Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.
Confucius
JiNx
09/21/07 at 08:51AM
Maria
That's the place Jinx, thanks. Like the Lawson property, there is absolutely nothing to see. No indication of the wreck that took the life of Arthur Lawson. Now-a-days people erect crosses and wreaths and things like that to tell anyone passing by that someone they loved died there. I've often thought of making a permanent cross or marker that says: Arthur (Buck) Lawson, sole surviving child of the Christmas Day massacre of the Charlie Lawson family, died here on May 5th, 1945 in an automobile accident. I'm just concerned that someone would remove or steal it.
Maria
09/21/07 at 09:18 AM
LuvMyDog
That's a great idea Maria, and would be such a moving memorial to Arthur. I'm sure his family would be very appreciative too. But I understand what you are saying about someone removing or damaging it. If someone can steal raisins off a raisin cake and take a family photo off the Lawson's grave site, I'm sure they would have a field day with a memorial.
LuvMyDog
09/21/07 at 09:37 AM
Maria
There are a few Lawsons, not many but still...that just want this tragedy put to rest, forgotten about, to go away. However, if I could find a way to erect a marker in such a way as to prevent it from being taken up and I could get permission from the county commissioners or who ever, to do this, I would.
Maria
09/21/07 at 01:35 PM
Angel71242
I think that's a really good idea!
Angel71242
09/21/07 at 02:56 PM
LuvMyDog
I have never had something of this magnitude happen in my life, so I can only try to understand how the family feels. Even though I believe this tragedy will never go away. This is one of the most mesmerizing stories I have ever heard. And for it to have happened so close to where I was born and raised makes it even more intriguing.
LuvMyDog
09/21/07 at 03:07 PM
Maria
The weird thing about the Lawson murders for me is how it keeps cropping up in my life. I heard about it the first time in 1967. After a few weeks I put it on the back burner in my mind. 12 years later it comes back into my presence by way of the article in our newspaper on the 50th anniversary of the murders (1979) and my subsequent visit to the Lawson house and the cemetery. It got delegated to the back burner again until 11 years later when Matthew presented me with the book WC/BC. Then back to the back burner for another 15 years until 2005 when Matthew decided to do a Documentary about it and asked me to do the research work on it. No back burner now though. It's been 2 years of daily involvement in the story. It's just so strange. It's as if someone or something keeps dragging me back into it.
Maria
09/28/07 at 10:08 AM
Chellemo
If you go out Old Hollow Rd from Winston and head into Walkertown towards where Roses is, is that the area or am I totally lost?
Chellemo
D 09/28/07 at 10:15 AM
Maria
If you ask me anything about the murders I can pretty much guarantee you an answer!! But when it comes to giving directions I'm a total basket case. I'm one of those people who can get lost in an elevator or a phone booth.
Maria
09/28/07 at 10:16 AM
Chellemo
LOL I understand that. I couldn't give directions to my driveway.
Chellemo
09/28/07 at 10:16 AM
Angel71242
Ain't that the truth!! And I'm good with directions, but I don't know where the wreck happened!!
Angel71242
09/29/07 at 06:32 PM
Michael818
Where Old Hollow Road intersects NC 8, you want to go North towards Germanton, instead of back towards Winston. When NC 8 goes left towards Brook Cove and the Lawson sites, you keep going straight. This will take you to the intersection in Walnut Cove where Arthur died.
Michael R.
Michael818
09/30/07 at 01:54 PM
Maria
Thanks Michael for the excellent directions. Like I said, I'm lousy with that sort of thing. Men seem to be better at that sort of thing than women. You guys being from Mars and all while women are from Venus, the goddess of Love!!!
Maria
09/30/07 at 02:33 PM
Michael818
Welcome. But I don't know about that. Remember we don't like to stop and ask for directions! Men would rather drive fifty miles the wrong way than ask someone!
Michael R.
Michael818
09/30/07 at 08:37 PM
LuvMyDog
You're right about that Michael......or the big one "Admit when their directions are wrong!" And Maria......Quit bragging......everyone here knows you are the goddess of love
LuvMyDog
09/30/07 at 09:33 PM
Maria
I've also noticed that when you stop and ask a man at the gas station for directions somewhere most of them will give you wrong directions or make up directions rather than say they don't know.
Maria
09/30/07 at 09:42 PM
LuvMyDog
Don't worry GUYS we love you but it is so TRUE!
LuvMyDog
10/01/07 at 04:32 PM
Maria
Hey Michael..."And the truth shall set you free"!!!!!
Maria
10/01/07 at 04:43 PM
Michael818
Speaking of which, see my last post!
Michael R.
Michael818
10/01/07 at 08:27 PM
LuvMyDog
They say the truth hurts.......how does it really feel guys?
LuvMyDog
10/03/07 at 07:28 PM
LuvMyDog
Does anyone know (Maria) if Arthur had an autopsy done and if so what the results were? This poor guy went through more than I could possibly have imagined! Not only did he have to go through years of enduring pain from his family's murder/suicide, he apparently was acting as his family's protector against his father as well. And then, not| even 20 years later dying a horrific death of his own. How could so much pain happen to one family. I guess the only possible peace that the family could have from this tragedy was knowing that those precious children were resting in the arms of angels.
LuvMyDog
10/04/07 at 03:44 PM
Maria
I don't know if an autopsy was done on Arthur or not. I've never heard one was done but that doesn't mean yay or nay. I spoke with someone at the funeral home who was in charge of his body and they checked their records only to find out that the funeral home, Burroughs Fowler did not keep records back then. What a shame. HOWEVER, I received a document today from one of my good sources that has the most detailed and thorough account I've yet to encounter about the wreck that took Arthur's life. It is a great bonus for us and I was/am thrilled to get it.
Maria
10/04/07 at 03:47 PM
sissy
Oh just leave us hanging why don't ya. Details we want details!!!
sissy
10/04/07 at 03:50 PM
Maria
Un-wad your shorts girl... you'll get the details of that and a whole lot more when the Scrapbook comes out. HEE HEE.
Maria
10/04/07 at 03:51 PM
sissy
Man I should have known it. I guess we will have to wait.
sissy
10/04/07 at 08:35 PM
LuvMyDog
You are just being down right evil Maria! LOU! This scrapbook is going to be an awesome piece of work! Can't
wait.........hurry up!
LuvMyDog
10/04/07 at 09:21 PM
Maria
As my Uncle Alfred use to say to me...you bad seed Missy!!!!!!!
Maria
10/04/07 at 09:33 PM
LuvMyDog
THANK GOD FOR UNCLE ALFRED!!!
LuvMyDog
10/05/07 at 01:27 PM
Angel71242
I cannot WAIT for that durn scrapbook to come out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Angel71242
10/09/07 at 03:09 PM
Maria
When my friend and I went up to Walnut Cove today we passed that place where Arthur's wreck occurred. Knowing already that my friend and her parents had been to the scene of the accident that night I asked her what she remembered about it. She said that Arthur was lying in the road on his back and that the dump truck had rolled over and landed on it's side on top of Arthur. She didn't recall seeing Blaine Nelson but she said she vividly remembered seeing Arthur's face. She also said she remembered he was on the right side of the dump truck and that the dump truck was hardly damaged at all. When she told me about seeing Arthur's face as he lay on his back on that road I suddenly felt a terrible sadness for Arthur. I can't get the image of him lying there on his back dead out of my mind. This man lived and died under horrible circumstances. He endured more than anyone should have to. I feel incredibly sorry for him.
Maria
10/09/07 at 09:05 PM
LuvMyDog
I truly wonder what was going through Arthur's mind in those last minutes of his life with all that he went through. Was he thinking of his children, his wife, or perhaps his father and everything that he did to the family knowing that soon he would be gone? It is so sad.
LuvMyDog
10/10/07 at 05:23 PM
Michael818
I am taking the vanguard of my group up there to the place where Arthur died. Has the culvert they hit been replaced, or is it still there?
Michael R.
Michael818
10/10/07 at 05:32 PM
Maria
As far as I can tell it's still there but I'm not really sure what a "culvert" looks like.
Maria
10/24/07 at 10:46 AM
LuvMyDog
I accidentally came across this post in a forum I was reading this morning and thought it interesting enough to post what I read here. I have never heard that Arthur was possibly riding on the back of the pick-up truck, when he was killed that night. However it does explain how he could of ended up under the truck. The post is as follows:
"I also lived in Germanton once. I know several members of the Lawson family. Hill Hampton was a cousin that sold tickets for people to tour the house after the murders. Their graves are at the end of Brookcove road. My family knew the son that lived, but later died from a fall from the back of a truck that he was riding in. Oh, yes there are many stories to tell about that one, and very interesting. Have you ever read the book or saw the DVD ?"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6XS0iltYIo
LuvMyDog
10/24/07 at 11:22 AM
Maria
I've never heard that before. I've always heard that Arthur was driving the dumptruck and Blaine Nelson was a passenger and that Arthur and Blaine were both drunk. Which is NOT to say that the version I've always heard is right. But if Arthur was in the back of the dumptruck then of course I can see how he ended up being thrown. However, a dumptruck is not like a pickup truck so would he have been in the dump part of the dumptruck? And why? At any rate it's a different set of facts and bears looking into.
Maria
10/24/07 at 12:46 PM
Angel71242
Yeah, that does seem weird that someone would get in the dump part of a dump truck. I just don't know about
that.
Angel71242
10/24/07 at 05:10 PM
LuvMyDog
I'm so confused, I've heard his was driving a truck, then I've heard he was driving a dump truck^and now I am hearing he was riding on the back of a truck, or a dump truck??? Can someone help?7? (Maria)
LuvMyDog
10/24/07 at 05:21 PM
Maria
Arthur Lawson and Blaine Nelson both worked for Marion Lawson driving a Dumptruck, a blue one. I've always heard that the accident occurred in the dumptruck. Arthur owned a yellow pickup truck that he use to drive around town with his mule standing up in the back of it. A lady who saw Arthur on the road the night he was killed said that it was the blue dumptruck that belonged to Marion that was laying on it's side on top of Arthur. These are the things I have been told. Since I wasn't around back then I of course don't know first hand which is right. Hope this helps.
Maria
10/24/07 at 05:53 PM
Michael818
People will do silly things when alcohol is involved. Maybe he was fooling around in the dumper. Were they drinking, Maria?
Michael R.
Michael818
10/24/07 at 06:00 PM
Maria
Both were drinking heavily I've been told. Some people say Arthur was driving and some swear it was Blaine who was driving. But this whole story is like that. Full of contradictions. And everyone thinks they are right. Including me.
Maria
10/24/07 at 06:30 PM
doodlebug
It's entirely possible, depending on how drunk they were, they didn't actually "know* who was driving. I have a neighbor who was involved in a drunk driving accident about 30 years ago, he still isn't entirely sure who was driving. He thinks it was the other guy, because he remembers putting his seatbelt on to the left, but admits that could have been earlier in the evening or even a false memory....
www.insearchofghosts.com
doodlebug
10/30/07 at 10:27 PM
LuvMyDog
I'm still trying to picture what a dump truck would look like in 1945, even though I would believe it would be similar to what they look like tody. But even still, if you are drunk, I think you could do about anything without thinking about the consequences. I wonder if Arthur was hanging on to the back of that dumptruck for whatever reason when it hit the culvert. It sure would answer the question as to why he ended up under the truck.
LuvMyDog
10/30/07 at 10:46 PM
doodlebug
Here's a picture of a 1945 Chevy Dumptruck. www.oldchevytruck.com/trucks8/19458.24c.jpg It may not have been identical, but I imagine it would be similar. Looks alot like a standard heavy duty truck of the time with a larger bed.
BTW, LuvMyDog, I LOVED the video of Libby Holman!! She had an amazing voice! First time I've heard her songs in years...my grandpa used to have "Moanin' Low" on the old scratchy 78's.
www.insearchofghosts.com
doodlebug
10/30/07 at 11:17 PM
LuvMyDog
Thanks for the post doodlebug!! I too love Libby Holman and remember my mom and dad listening to her music.....she had such a haunting voice.
LuvMyDog
10/30/07 at 11:21 PM
LuvMyDog
Thanks for the link to the old dump truck....it does differ in that it seems to have a wooden bed compared to the steel iron beds now. It looks like it would be possible for Arthur to be riding on the back, maybe even hanging on to the back like the garbage collectors do now. Just an assumption on my part.
LuvMyDog
10/31/07 at 05:50 AM
doodlebug
It reminds me of the old "ton" trucks that used to be used on alot of farms, minus the whole bed lifting part...I've seen people ride in the back of them hundreds of time. In all honesty, unless someone who was there and had a knowledge of styles, bodies, years, etc and specifically said it was a 1945 Ford Heavy Duty Short Bed with a 351 big block (or whatever they had back then...) then we'll most likely never know. (REALLY too bad my Daddy wasn't there then, loL.he could have told you the trim style!)
I'm guessing there weren't any eyewitnesses to the accident, so where exactly he was is just assumption....
www.insearchofghosts.com
doodlebug
10/31/07 at 02:24 PM
Michael818
Trying to get it together for a trip to Arthur's wreck site. Pretty busy road, though. May have to do this one in the wee hours.
Michael R.
Michael818
10/31/07 at 05:55 PM
doodlebug
Considering that intersection, it would be best to do it in the very wee hours! Then again, I'm beginning to wonder if there is a good time, it just gets busier and busier all the time around there.
www.insearchofghosts.com
doodlebug
11/01/07 at 05:53 AM
Maria
Everytime I've passed by that intersection day or night there has been tons of traffic. I bet there was very little in Arthur's time compared to ours, especially at 10:30 at night, the time his accident occurred.
Maria
11/21/07 at 11:38 AM
Maria
While talking with Mr. Turtle's wife yesterday she told me that in the front yard of the house her mother bought
is where Arthur Lawson died. She said the house is real close to Ingles store and that when Arthur
was thrown from the truck his body landed in her front yard and there is where he died. I'll be seeing them
either next week or the following week and she said she'd take me there and show me exactly where he died.
Maria
11/21/07 at 11:51 AM
Angel71242
Wish I had time to go see all these places with you!
I wonder if you can see Ingles from her house? I don't know much about that area, but I DO know where Ingles is!
Angel71242
11/21/07 at 11:53 AM
LuvMyDog
Well I guess that answer's the question of whether Arthur was pinned under the dump truck as many had thought happened. That's an exciting piece of news Maria, and will hopefully answer allot of questions about how Arthur died that night.
LuvMyDog
11/21/07 at 12:00 PM
Maria
Actually she said the truck did flip over and landed on him. It just happened that he and the truck landed in their front yard. Her mother is 85 and her mind is good and Ronnie's wife is going to take me to see her and talk with her. Her mother grew up in Lawsonville so I want to ask her about the Lawsons when they lived there.
Maria
11/21/07 at 07:49 PM
NascarLover
I sure would like to go with you sometime Maria to see where Arthur died. And I want to go with you to Browder Cemetery. Call me sometime so we can make plans to, o.k.
Tim
NascarLover
11/21/07 at 08:04 PM
Maria
I will Tim. Maybe we can go the week before Christmas.
Maria
