Since 1934, thousands of Canadian geese have been flying south to Ansonville, N.C. to spend the winter at Lockhart Gaddy’s Wild Geese Refuge.
Gaddy was born in Anson County, and worked as a naturalist. He planted special grains and enlarged the lake on his property in order to attract more geese as they flew South. Gaddy died of a heart attack in 1953 as he was feeding the geese.
The refuge was a popular attraction for tourists and school field trips, and in a pamphlet dated at or after 1972, the admission fee was listed as 75 cents for adults and 50 cents for children. Gaddy’s refuge was later folded into the Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge in 1963.
See Hugh Morton photos of Gaddy’s Geese Refuge:
http://dc.lib.unc.edu/u?/morton_highlights,1090
http://dc.lib.unc.edu/u?/morton_highlights,1091
There is a marvelous book titled “Lockhart Gaddy with His Friends-The Wild Geese.” The book was published in 1954 by Mrs. Hazel Gaddy and contains hundreds of photographs…many of them taken by the couple.
On page 52 of the book there is the following…I don’t recall ever having read anything like it:
“In the early morning, between 7 and 8 o’clock on March 7, 1953 two weeks and two days after Lockhart Gaddy died, a very unusual thing happened among the 10,000 wild geese at the refuge. Normally, at this time they would be quite active–flying, honking and chatting among themselves. As we approached the refuge everything was quiet–all the geese had massed themselves around Lockhart Gaddy’s grave, and in a surrounding area. A ‘Holy Quietness’ prevailed for several minutes–as if they were breathing a farewell prayer–their Memorial Service for their master-friend. Then suddenly, the migratory call was given and many took off for Canada–the first of the season to migrate.”
Thank You Mr. Gaddy. I have pictures of my family here in 1957. I was two years old.