The little loves and sorrows are my song:
The leafy lanes and birthsteads of my sires,
Where memory broods by winter’s evening fires
O’er oft-told joys, and ghosts of ancient wrong

Those lines, written by North Carolina poet-laureate John Charles McNeill (1874-1907), could have been penned about his home. This beautifully restored home, which was moved to its current site in 1960, yields insights into the life of the poet who was awarded North Carolina’s highest literary award, the Patterson Cup. The Cup was presented by President Theodore Roosevelt.

A Scotland County native and grandson of Scottish immigrants, Only one volume of McNeill’s work, Songs Happy and Sad, was published before he died prematurely at age 33.

Listen to audio overviews of John Charles McNeill and Spring Hill:

Listen to “Old Spring Hill”

Listen to “SunBurnt Boys”

Listen to “Sundown”

Hwy 401, Old Wire Rd. & Sallie McNair Rd.,
Wagram
910-277-3149