Ruralite Cafe: Published 06/21/01

By Lynn Hotaling Associate Editor

Gastonia business is named for Speedwell store

Thanks to loyal reader Nelson Bumgarner of Sylva, I found out a little-known fact: Down in Gastonia, there's a business named Speedwell Machine Works. When Nelson, who's in the financial consulting business, ran across the company's name, he was curious. Nelson grew up in Bo Cove, a Speedwell neighborhood, and he said he hadn't seen that name outside of our mountains.

Nelson, who's on the inquisitive side, called Speedwell Machine Works. When he talked to the owner, Randy Benefield, Nelson found out that Randy had graduated from Western Carolina University, and actually named his business after the Speedwell General Store, which was built back in 1972 by Wayne Hooper of Tilley Creek, who would later serve 16 years (1978-1984) as Jackson County's elected manager and chairman of the Board of Commissioners.

After he talked to Randy, Nelson called to tell me the story. He knew I'd be intrigued, too, since I live on Wilson Creek, a Speedwell suburb.

After Nelson's call, it was my turn to call Gastonia and talk to Randy, who graduated from WCU in 1974. Turns out that while he was a student at Western, he lived in a trailer just down the road from the store and traded there often.

"Those people (Wayne, his wife, Sue, and niece Julia Smith) were always real nice to me," Randy said. "They were always good about cashing checks - even checks for just $2 or $3."

Because he had such positive memories of the Hoopers' kindness, Randy said, he decided to use the name "Speedwell" for his business, which will be 26 years old come August.

Speedwell Machine Works manufactures parts for all different kinds of industry, Randy said, including Kubota tractors and Freightliner trucks. The machine shop initially was a part-time effort for Randy. After graduating from WCU with a business/accounting degree, he took a job with an accountant in York, S.C. For almost four years, until he built the machine shop business to the point where he could earn a living at it, Randy spent his days as an accountant and devoted nights and weekends to Speedwell Machine Works.

Originally from Gastonia, Randy said he picked WCU because he liked this area and hoped to play baseball for the Cats. Though he made the team, economic concerns forced him to quit baseball and go to work.

While Randy's business is named for the store, Wayne Hooper named his store for the community where it's located. And, according to Wayne, the community name comes from a little sailing ship that never made it across the Atlantic Ocean.

"Speedwell community is named in honor of a little ship that set sail with the Mayflower," Wayne told me. "But the seas were too rough in the North Atlantic, and the Speedwell had to turn back."

I found more information on that ship by doing an Internet search. From a site devoted to the history of Pilgrims, I learned that the Speedwell was purchased in Holland by a group of Pilgrims called the Leiden Separatists. They boarded the ship at Delftshaven and sailed to Southampton, England, to meet the Mayflower. The two ships began their voyage to America together, but the Speedwell leaked so badly that the expedition returned to England, first to Dartmouth, and then to Plymouth. The Pilgrims sold the Speedwell and all the Pilgrims then set sail from Plymouth on the Mayflower.

Charles Stallings and his son Chuck have operated the Speedwell General Store since about 1980. To keep the story of the sailing ship alive, Charles has a drawing of a 17th-century sailing ship on the store's gas pumps.

Charles' wife, Eloise, a former Sylva-Webster/Smoky Mountain chemistry and physics teacher, has another theory. She thinks the name Speedwell came from an English wildflower.

And there are several species of the genus Veronica that have speedwell as their common name. Three species, V. serpyllifolia, V. arvensis and V. officinalis, are listed in Radford, Ahles and Bell's "Guide to Vascular Flora of the Carolinas" as being found in Jackson County.

The Speedwell name has proven more fortunate for Randy's business than it was for the long-ago ship that had to turn back to England. His machine shop is a success. And while he hasn't been back to our area in a long time, he said he'd like to come visit.

Wayne Hooper thinks he might remember Randy, though he's not sure. He was surprised to hear that the WCU alum had named his machine shop after the Speedwell store.

"I had a lot of good customers back then," Wayne said. "I'd like to meet him again and talk with him. I'm glad he's done well."

Allergies forced Wayne from his store, and he sold it to David Hall around 1976. Hall operated it for a while and then sold it to the Stallings, Wayne said.

And that was another good thing about Nelson's tip - it gave me an excuse to call and talk to Wayne, an experience that's always a pleasure.

Wayne had an accident recently. As he put it, he "fell off the top of the house." He broke his fourth vertebra, he said, but didn't damage his spinal cord. Thankfully, doctors have assured him a full recovery.

"I'll be as good as new," Wayne said.

Down here at the Cafe, we love happy endings.

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