To those who knew him, James Lawton Haney was a Southern gentleman and a scholar who sought to interpret and preserve history, both in McDowell County and at the international level through his teaching and research.
For many years, the retired professor was active with Historic Carson House and local historical preservation eff orts.
"Jim gave everything he had to the preservation and interpretation of local history," said friend and fellow historian Anne Swann. "He seemed driven by a need to get it all done before time ran out, and went from one project to another with an eagerness born of the realization that if he didn't do it, no one else would."
Haney died on March 6 at the age of 93, according to his obituary.
He was a native of Lincolnton but grew up in the Glenwood community of McDowell County and was a 1950 graduate of Glenwood High School. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a bachelor's degree in ancient and medieval history with a minor in religion, according to his obituary.
Haney was a leading actor in the outdoor drama "Unto These Hills" in Cherokee but he felt the call to become a minister in the Lutheran Church. After several years as a minister, he applied and was accepted in the graduate school of Yale University's Department of Religious Studies. Haney became a professor of the history of Christianity in the Religion Department of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. He earned his Ph.D. in 1968, and he continued his postdoctoral studies in Eastern Orthodoxy under Russian and Greek scholars in England in 1972 and in 1981 at the Universities of Oxford and Durham, according to his obituary.
He found time in 2001 to translate a biography of the biblical translator and pioneer missionary to the Altai Region of Siberia from Russian. He published numerous articles in scholarly journals. In 2001, Haney retired to McDowell County after teaching at Concordia College for 37 years.
"The return to his 'roots' in western North Carolina brought an abrupt end to Jim's ministry in church and college," reads his obituary. "It became, however, the occasion for him to re-direct his interests to local historical interests and historical conservation."
He purchased and restored the homes of Abram C. and Nannie C. Neal Gardin (built in 1878), and the Lewis A. and Margaret Mosteller Haney home (built in 1872). He joined other local residents in organizing a McDowell Preservation Commission in 2000 and edited "The McDowell County Historic Preservation Guidelines" for its use.
In 2002, Haney was elected to the board of directors of the Historic Carson House and was elected its chairman in 2008, a position he held until 2016.
Chuck Abernathy remembers Haney
Chuck Abernathy, with the board of directors for Historic Carson House, said Haney was chairman at a time when resources for McDowell's most important historical site were "extremely limited."
"He would do tasks on the house himself, like painting and maintenance and that kind of thing," said Abernathy about Haney. "He was instrumental in the barn being restored."
An old barn is located behind the historic house. For a long time, the site's directors wanted to restore the barn and turn it into a museum of 19thand early 20th-century agriculture. Under Haney's leadership, that goal was accomplished and now visitors can see exhibits of the tools used in farming more than 100 years ago.
Another project that happened under his leadership was the Jubilee Arbor. This open-air structure provides a venue for special events like weddings and reunions, and the rental of the Arbor helps provide funding for the Carson House's operations. The Arbor is dedicated to the memory of the enslaved people who served the Carson House plantation. Haney was active in acquiring period furnishings for the house museum and its additional special collections.
"He just added a whole lot to the experience and we will miss him," Abernathy said.
Haney also wrote and edited a number of publications about McDowell County's history.
One was his book "McDowell County, North Carolina, 18431943," which was published in 2002 by Arcadia Publishing Co. as part of the firm's "Images of America" series. Haney is credited as the author along with the McDowell County Historic Preservation Commission. The book is filled with historical photographs and information covering 100 years of McDowell's history.
In 2003, he was the guest speaker at the annual banquet of the McDowell Chamber of Commerce.
In his speech, Haney said McDowell County can draw strength from the history and cultural heritage that has been here for generations. While facing terrorism, a war with Iraq or a space shuttle tragedy, local residents can learn from the examples of their ancestors. He added the county's leaders should take advantage of McDowell's cultural heritage, according to a previous story by The McDowell News.
Chamber officials said Haney was offered an honorarium for his speech at the annual meeting and he turned this money over to the Carson House.
Anne Swann: He was a dear friend and mentor
Swann said Haney was her dear friend and mentor.
"It's hard to know where to start to talk about Jim, since we go way back," Swann said. "It seems that we have lived next door to each other for decades. I first met him back in the 1980s when both of us lived in Glenwood. He was restoring an old family home, the first of three or more that he worked on. Jim loved old houses, loved history and loved his family, so these passions became entwined. He had a remarkable knack for refurbishing these houses with impeccable accuracy and furnished them in the same way. To visit in Jim's home was like walking into a museum, and every piece had a story."
Swann said Haney encouraged her to pursue her interest in history and invited her to attend her first historical society meeting. He prompted her to start writing.
"We went on many 'expeditions' together, the last one was just a few years ago when we walked an old road near his home," Swann said. "He could still out-walk me even though I was younger. He seemed to have boundless energy that defied his age, doing things that would have intimidated younger folks. I spoke with him just a couple of weeks ago and found him just as sharp and quick-witted as ever. His mind was a treasure vault of history and information, and I will no doubt pick up the phone many times to call him with questions before realizing that I can't do that anymore."
"To me, there is a vast difference between knowledge and wisdom," Swann said. "Knowledge can be acquired; wisdom must be lived. Jim was endowed with both."
Swann said if she had to choose Haney's most lasting accomplishment, it would be his part in the preservation of the old Bob's Creek Natural Area, which joins the old original Haney home in Glenwood.
"This amazingly beautiful place is now protected forever because Jim never gave up fighting for it, and wouldn't let me and others in the community give up either," she said. "Jim's involvement with history and preservation sometimes made me forget that he was a 'preacher,' actually, with a doctorate in divinity, I believe is how it's said. I don't think I ever heard him discuss religion, but he was a fount of information on the origins of it, and his daily life and actions were all the testimony needed."
Haney often gave the invocation and the blessing during events at Historic Carson House and played the part of a 19th century gentleman during the candlelight tours, complete with period clothing.
"Jim was the picture of an old Southern gentleman," Swann said. "He looked elegant, and right at home in period dress from the 1800s, and some felt intimidated in his presence because he was 'scholarly' and looked like the professor that he had been. I'll always think of him in faded jeans with paint on his hands and on the old billed cap he wore outside, asking me with a wink if I'd 'heard any good gossip lately!' He was, after all, as he once said, 'just an old Glenwood boy.' He belonged to a time I'm afraid we have lost. I will miss him forever."
Patti Holda and Amanda Finn remember Haney
Patti Smith Holda with the McDowell County Historical Society said she and other members are "deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our dear friend and colleague Jim Haney."
"He was an inspiring and thorough researcher of history whose knowledge of our area was unsurpassed. We feel incredibly blessed to have had such a wonderful gentleman forging a path before us. We will truly miss you, Jim," Holda said.
For several years, Amanda Elledge Finn was the executive director of Historic Carson House. Finn and other local leaders recommended Haney for the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. The award from the governor recognizes exemplary service to the state of North Carolina.
Haney received it in 2017 during a meeting of the McDowell County Board of Commissioners.
"Dr. James Lawton Haney was a scholar of remarkable caliber whose academic career began in the field of church history," Finn said. "Though his formal scholarly training was far removed from the history of western North Carolina, he later devoted himself with extraordinary dedication to preserving and interpreting the story of this region.
"Through multiple books and countless hours of research, Dr. Haney documented the families and communities of McDowell County and undertook important work uncovering the lives of the enslaved people connected to John Carson's estate. His careful scholarship helped deepen our understanding of the people who shaped this region."
"Beyond his scholarship, Dr. Haney was also a generous colleague and friend, Finn added. "Even long after our years working together at the Carson House, he remained someone I relied on for thoughtful feedback and conversation about history and interpretation."
A memorial service to celebrate Haney's life will be held Saturday, March 21, at Trinity Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Vale. Haney will be laid to rest in the Haney-Gardin Cemetery in the Glenwood community he loved, which is near Marion.
The family is asking for memorial donations to be made to Historic Carson House, according to his obituary.
