Stepheny Forgue Houghtlin lives in Nashville, NC where she writes and gardens. Moving from Chapel Hill/Durham, NC in May 2013, she soon made her first visit to downtown Rocky Mount. Delighted with the streetscape, and beautiful architecture along the Main street and adjacent areas, she was disturbed that so many of these amazing buildings sat silent and neglected. She found herself imagining the writing that led to the creation of her blog, Main Street Rocky Mount. Though she lives in Nashville, Rocky Mount is the marker she uses when telling friends where she now lives. She shops the local businesses and restaurants and is a member of St. Andrews Episcopal Church. She is a board member of Preservation Rocky Mount and Twin Counties Hall of Fame. She is a past president of Rocky Mount Garden Club and wrote their newsletter for several years. She is a past member of the Tar River Orchestra & Chorus (TROC) League.
Stepheny, an author of three novels, Greening of a Heart,Facing East, and recently, Repairers of the Breach, has dedicated part of this newest book to Rocky Mount’s ‘Repairers’ who are revitalizing Main Street and beyond. She publishes a second blog about writing, books, gardening, and has taken her readers on five-day blog tours to Chicago, Charleston and the Cotswolds. If you have an interest in these types of subjects, she invites you to Visit her at Stepheny Forgue Houghtlin.
To help promote this area, she launched Mainstreetrockymount.comPlease Follow this site, which is built upon the theme, honoring the past, building a future. Feel free to share this link with your Facebook friends and on other social media platforms, to help spread Stepheny’s positive message. A proud moment for Stepheny and the blog came in March 2016 when she was named a Main Street Champion along with others across the State at The Main Street Conference.
In late 2019, Stepheny added a Facebook page by the same name, Main Street Rocky Mount. Learning to speak ‘Main Street’ and identify architectural elements are but a few of the posts promoting Preservation, Restoration, and Repurposing. She invites you to like and follow this Facebook page.
Hi Stepheny! I was born and raised in Rocky Mount. Had a paper route that began on Howard St. The President of City Industrial Bank, Young Pully, showed me how to open the back door of the bank with a coat hanger so I could take his paper to him at his desk… On around the block to Gay’s Funeral Home and Gay’s Hdwe.. Then over to the second and third blocks of Western Ave., Franklin and Grace Streets. The great Jim Thorpe roomed at the house on the corner of Western Ave. and Grace St. The James Craig Braswell school was one block over(where my brother, sister and I went grades 1-8(still there and operating). By the way, Mr. Thorpe lost his 1912 Olympic gold medals by playing baseball in Rocky Mount. But, the King of Sweden proclaimed him the greatest athlete in the world…………………..on to RM Wilson Jr. High and Rocky Mount Sr. High. I graduated in 1957. During high school, my Sunday School teacher at West Haven Presbyterian Church got me a job at People’s Bank on the Edgecombe County side of Main St. I enjoyed that so much, I went to work at Wachovia Bank after graduating from UNC………………my wife and I no longer have family in Rocky Mount. The last family member passed almost 2 years ago. We will always love Rocky Mount…………………………please forgive me for the length of this mail and best wishes to you.
I am delighted with your comment and all the information it includes. PLEASE consider being a guest blogger and write about your recollections of Rocky Mount first hand. It would read like the memories you have already left. If you are local, could we meet up and you talk and I will listen.I love what you have shared. Thank you. I want to hear more! Stepheny
Amazing work being done in Rocky Mount. There is something about this town that’s been getting my attention, although I’ve never been there myself. Looking forward to a visit very soon.
Hello Stepheny! My dad grew up in Nash County in the early 1900s, although our family was transplanted to Greenville, NC (just down the road) in the early 1950s. In my recent family research for membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution, I discovered my Patriot, James Drake, had a direct connection to the “Old Nash” apple brandy of which you wrote in one of your 1995 Main Street pieces about Rocky Mount and the railroad. Currently, I am writing my own “fiction” piece based on an incident involving both my ancestor and the brandy. Wonder if during your research you were able to gain more details on anything related to the Old Nash? Thanks for your consideration.I look forward to hearing back from you.
LouAnn Dickens Haddock
Greenville, NC
Hi LouAnn: For well over a month I have been out of commission with a cough that won’t go away. Would love to help you by asking others who might know about “Old Nash.” but for now can only acknowledge the project that you have written about. Let me get back to you when I am feeling more myself, hopefully with some help. You must come over and let’s have lunch and wander around together. in the meantime keep researching the era, clothes, music, background for your writing. One of my favorite things about writing a novel. Hold the thought, I’ll be back in touch. Stepheny
What would you like to know about Old Nash? My family made gallons of it, along with old fashion Corn Liquor. Most families here in Nash County made it to subsidize their income because the agriculture base in this area did not meet the needs of “share cropper” families. They had to rely on something to make ends meet and since corn and apples were abundant here, they were put to good use. I can give you some recipes if you are interested.
Thank you, Tim: I have copied and pasted your comment to LouAnn Haddock and I am sure it will be useful. You were great to take the time. Thank you. Hope the two of you get to talk.
Here is information I hope will help. This comment is from Tim Pridgen tapridgen@aol.com
What would you like to know about Old Nash? My family made gallons of it, along with old fashion Corn Liquor. Most families here in Nash County made it to subsidize their income because the agriculture base in this area did not meet the needs of “share cropper” families. They had to rely on something to make ends meet and since corn and apples were abundant here, they were put to good use. I can give you some recipes if you are interested.
I arrived in Rocky Mount at the age of 16 in 1960 with my family. I walked to RMSHS from Sycamore Street. I remember passing several grand homes/mansions along the way. The Mims house and the Battle house to name two. I worked in downtown Rocky Mount the summer of 1961 before going off to college. What I saw over the next fifteen years before I left Rocky Mount was a failure of foresight in the leaders of the town. Also, the demise of downtown and the Edgecombe side of town can be attributed to the failure of some leaders to understand the long term cost of continued segregation. I enjoyed living in Rocky Mount, and I have many friends still there. I visit once or twice a year because of events at North Carolina Wesleyan College where I graduated. Recently, I have been happy to see progress being made in the revitalization of downtown. Rocky Mount is a jewel in Eastern North Carolina, and deserves to be returned to its’ former greatness.
Main Street Rocky Mount 
Stephany, my apologies for failing to mention that my Mother was raised and lived in the beautiful Bellemonte(sp?)
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Hi Stepheny! I was born and raised in Rocky Mount. Had a paper route that began on Howard St. The President of City Industrial Bank, Young Pully, showed me how to open the back door of the bank with a coat hanger so I could take his paper to him at his desk… On around the block to Gay’s Funeral Home and Gay’s Hdwe.. Then over to the second and third blocks of Western Ave., Franklin and Grace Streets. The great Jim Thorpe roomed at the house on the corner of Western Ave. and Grace St. The James Craig Braswell school was one block over(where my brother, sister and I went grades 1-8(still there and operating). By the way, Mr. Thorpe lost his 1912 Olympic gold medals by playing baseball in Rocky Mount. But, the King of Sweden proclaimed him the greatest athlete in the world…………………..on to RM Wilson Jr. High and Rocky Mount Sr. High. I graduated in 1957. During high school, my Sunday School teacher at West Haven Presbyterian Church got me a job at People’s Bank on the Edgecombe County side of Main St. I enjoyed that so much, I went to work at Wachovia Bank after graduating from UNC………………my wife and I no longer have family in Rocky Mount. The last family member passed almost 2 years ago. We will always love Rocky Mount…………………………please forgive me for the length of this mail and best wishes to you.
LikeLike
I am delighted with your comment and all the information it includes. PLEASE consider being a guest blogger and write about your recollections of Rocky Mount first hand. It would read like the memories you have already left. If you are local, could we meet up and you talk and I will listen.I love what you have shared. Thank you. I want to hear more! Stepheny
LikeLike
Amazing work being done in Rocky Mount. There is something about this town that’s been getting my attention, although I’ve never been there myself. Looking forward to a visit very soon.
LikeLike
Hello Stepheny! My dad grew up in Nash County in the early 1900s, although our family was transplanted to Greenville, NC (just down the road) in the early 1950s. In my recent family research for membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution, I discovered my Patriot, James Drake, had a direct connection to the “Old Nash” apple brandy of which you wrote in one of your 1995 Main Street pieces about Rocky Mount and the railroad. Currently, I am writing my own “fiction” piece based on an incident involving both my ancestor and the brandy. Wonder if during your research you were able to gain more details on anything related to the Old Nash? Thanks for your consideration.I look forward to hearing back from you.
LouAnn Dickens Haddock
Greenville, NC
LikeLike
Hi LouAnn: For well over a month I have been out of commission with a cough that won’t go away. Would love to help you by asking others who might know about “Old Nash.” but for now can only acknowledge the project that you have written about. Let me get back to you when I am feeling more myself, hopefully with some help. You must come over and let’s have lunch and wander around together. in the meantime keep researching the era, clothes, music, background for your writing. One of my favorite things about writing a novel. Hold the thought, I’ll be back in touch. Stepheny
LikeLike
What would you like to know about Old Nash? My family made gallons of it, along with old fashion Corn Liquor. Most families here in Nash County made it to subsidize their income because the agriculture base in this area did not meet the needs of “share cropper” families. They had to rely on something to make ends meet and since corn and apples were abundant here, they were put to good use. I can give you some recipes if you are interested.
LikeLike
Thank you, Tim: I have copied and pasted your comment to LouAnn Haddock and I am sure it will be useful. You were great to take the time. Thank you. Hope the two of you get to talk.
LikeLike
Here is information I hope will help. This comment is from Tim Pridgen tapridgen@aol.com
What would you like to know about Old Nash? My family made gallons of it, along with old fashion Corn Liquor. Most families here in Nash County made it to subsidize their income because the agriculture base in this area did not meet the needs of “share cropper” families. They had to rely on something to make ends meet and since corn and apples were abundant here, they were put to good use. I can give you some recipes if you are interested.
LikeLike
I arrived in Rocky Mount at the age of 16 in 1960 with my family. I walked to RMSHS from Sycamore Street. I remember passing several grand homes/mansions along the way. The Mims house and the Battle house to name two. I worked in downtown Rocky Mount the summer of 1961 before going off to college. What I saw over the next fifteen years before I left Rocky Mount was a failure of foresight in the leaders of the town. Also, the demise of downtown and the Edgecombe side of town can be attributed to the failure of some leaders to understand the long term cost of continued segregation. I enjoyed living in Rocky Mount, and I have many friends still there. I visit once or twice a year because of events at North Carolina Wesleyan College where I graduated. Recently, I have been happy to see progress being made in the revitalization of downtown. Rocky Mount is a jewel in Eastern North Carolina, and deserves to be returned to its’ former greatness.
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