Forbes Mill Pond Once located on the grounds of what is now the Greenville Country Club, the Forbes Mill pond was a well known Pitt County landmark for over 130 years. The only remnant of the memory of the mill is the old Tyson-Forbes cemetery which sits on a rise above the former site of the mill and the mill dam. The Forbes Mill Pond can be traced back to Rev. Noah Tyson (1757-1805) who was a noted Primitive Baptist minister, being minister of Great Swamp Church in 1796 and Red Banks Primitive Baptist Church. Noah was also a large landowner and operated a water saw and grist mill on Hardee’s run, which still meanders through the Country Club. When Noah Tyson died in 1805, the mill fell to Tyson’s 16 heirs. Robert Forbes who married Gracy Tyson, one of Noah Tyson’s daughters, eventually bought the mill from all the heirs. In each of the deeds a half acre was exempted for the Tyson family cemetery. Robert Forbes (1789-1845) continued to run the mill and after his death it appears to have been run by his son Noah Forbes, Sr. (1812-1891). For many generations, Forbes Mill was a place to socialize while you got your corn ground into meal. The pond was used by fishermen and by all the local country churches as a place for baptisms. According to a court case, on Dec. 22, 1865, Marshall Gray James was on his way home from Noah Forbes’ Mill, and while walking beside his horse and cart on the path leading from the mill to the main road leading from Greenville to Snow Hill (Dickinson Ave.) he was met by Joel and Sherrod Tyson. Joel Tyson beat him with a stick, and Sherrod Tyson “pulled his whiskers” and threatened him with future violence. M. G. James went to court and the Tyson’s had to put up a bond to keep the peace. In April 1876, the Tarboro newspaper reported that 32 people were baptized at Forbes Mill in Pitt County and they joined the Free Will Baptist Church the same day. During a severe cold blast in Jan. 1886, it was reported that a large number of Greenville citizens went ice skating and took their sleighs out to Forbes Mill pond. The pond was covered with several inches of ice and all the “jolly noise” from all the skaters brought out a crowd of local onlookers to laugh at all the occasional tumbles. In Aug. 1886, Rev. Fred McLawhorn, Free Will Baptist minister (later Pitt County Legislator) baptized 12 people in the mill pond. In April 1888, a large strange bird showed up at Forbes Mill which brought out every hunter in the area. After numerous attempts to kill it and over 700 shots fired at it, W. H. Smith killed it and brought it to town. It was found to be a loon and was the size of a common goose. In Nov. 1889, the water was drawn off from Noah Forbes’ mill pond and a large crowd assembled to catch fish. Someone came and began selling wine and by evening there was a drunken crowd. A man named George Barnes was drunk and began a dispute with a son of B. F. Manning. A brother-in-law of this Manning boy named Jesse Baker, interfered and ordered Barnes to back off. Words ensued and Baker struck Barnes on his head with a cart round. Barnes died the next day from his injuries and Jesse Baker ran away. In Jan. 1890 the court returned two bills against Baker, one for murder and another for manslaughter. Jesse Baker eventually surrendered himself up to the authorities. In Sept. 1894 nearly 100 people were baptized at Forbes Mill pond. On each Sunday in that month, Rev. Fred McLawhorn baptized large crowds. On Sept. 12th, he baptized 28 people and they united with Reedy Branch Free Will Baptist Church. On Sept. 23rd, Rev. McLawhorn immersed 20 people and as soon as he was through a black minister immersed 17 more people. By Jan. 1898, Noah Forbes, Jr. (1859-1908) became indebted and his 3/4th share in the mill and 60 acres were to be sold on Mar. 7, 1898 to pay off his debt. It appears later he was able to get it back. In April 1898, the water was again drawn off from Noah Forbes’ mill pond to allow repairs to the mill and hundreds of local people assembled to catch fish. In Nov. 1899 the Pitt County Commissioners ordered a bridge built over the crossing at the old Forbes mill run on the road from Forbes’ school house to the Old Plank Road (now Dickinson Ave). In Sept. 1903 a Rev. Sam Stephens was having a revival at Reedy Branch Free Will Baptist Church near Winterville and on one Saturday morning he baptized 54 people in Forbes Mill pond at 9:00 am and the evangelist finished in time to drive back to the church and preach at 11:00 am. It was quite a sight seeing the long trail of wagons coming and going. By 1907, J. E. Elks was leasing the Forbes Mill and advertised ground meal by the bag. In Oct. 1908, the heirs of Noah Forbes, Jr. went to court and got part of the large land holdings of their father sold for partition among them. One of the tracts was the Forbes mill tract containing 68 ¼ acres. In April of 1920, W. P. Clarke and wife, Gracie, A. T. Tripp, and Claude D. Tunstall formed the Clarke-Tripp Amuzu Company to convert the Forbes Mill Pond, about three miles from downtown Greenville, into a pleasure resort. In Jan. 1921, it was advertised that Amuzu Park water ground meal was for sale at Claude Tunstall’s store in Greenville for 40 cents per peck. The Park opened for its third year on May 1, 1922, but they began to have financial trouble. In May 1922, the Pitt County Chapter of the Red Cross Life Saving Corps began using the Forbes Mill pond at Amuzu Park as a base to teach area swim instructors. After the end of the season the partners dissolved their co-partnership and in order to satisfy the partners and creditors, the Amuzu Park was sold at public auction in Oct. 1922 to W. P. Clarke for $11, 300. The Park consisted of the grist mill, 12 acres in the mill pond and the 32 acres of woods land and park buildings. On March 30, 1923, the newly formed Greenville Country Club purchased the Amuzu Park land and a part of the Gorman tract adjoining, giving the organization about 106 acres, including the beautiful lake and a rolling piece of ground on the Gorman tract. The Greenville Country Club eventually took down the old Forbes mill and the mill dam was dynamited in April 1927 and the pond drained. The old Tyson-Forbes cemetery, which still sits in the trees above the site of the former mill, has been sadly vandalized and abused over the years. In the last few years, Mr. John Moye, of Greenville, whose numerous Forbes ancestors are buried in the cemetery, has taken it upon himself to try to protect the cemetery and the memory of the Forbes family. _________________________________________________________________ Get more done, have more fun, and stay more connected with Windows Mobile®. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/119642556/direct/01/