At the 1812 Hitching Post Historic Wedding Venue in Turnersburg, North Carolina (near Harmony and Statesville), our history is not just found in old buildings and family stories. It is found in the people who came before us — the families who lived here, the dreams they chased, and the remarkable stories they left behind.
Long before couples gathered here to celebrate their own love stories, this Iredell County farm was home to another unforgettable chapter.
A horse was born here who would go on to represent the United States on the international stage — carrying with him a connection to this small North Carolina community that reached far beyond Turnersburg.
His name was Night Owl.
In 1956, the Winston-Salem Journal shared an incredible story with the headline:
“Olympic Horse Produced by Iredell County Farm.”
The article announced that a North Carolina-bred and trained jumping horse had been selected as one of the ten mounts for the United States Olympic team competing in Stockholm, Sweden.
That horse was Night Owl — a bay gelding foaled right here on the property that is now home to the 1812 Hitching Post Historic Wedding Venue. In the 1940s, this farm was owned by C. V. Henkel Jr., a Statesville businessman and one of North Carolina’s respected horsemen.
Night Owl was seven years old when he earned national recognition. Standing 16 hands, 3 inches tall, he was already known as a talented blue-ribbon jumper with the athletic ability and courage he needed for top-level competition.
His breeding reflected careful planning and exceptional bloodlines:
Dam: Starwood — a Thoroughbred mare and granddaughter of the legendary Man o’ War
Sire: Bonne Nuit — a jumper born about 1920 and owned by Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Whitney of Upperville, Virginia
The horse who would compete among the best jumpers in the world began his story right here in Turnersburg.
The Mare Behind the Legend
Behind every great horse is often a great mare.
Night Owl’s mother, Starwood, was a Thoroughbred mare with an impressive pedigree and a special place in the Henkel story.
The story of how Starwood came to North Carolina begins with friendship and a shared love of horses.
Dr. C. L. Haywood of Elkin, North Carolina, was a fellow horseman and close friend of C. V. Henkel, Jr. In 1941, Dr. Haywood read an article in Foxcroft magazine about two promising young Thoroughbred mares in New York State — two-year-olds named Starwood and Chatwood.
The mares reportedly belonged to a college girl who was willing to trade them for a Ford convertible.
C. V. Henkel Jr. was already a well-known Statesville businessman, involved in ventures including Rocky Creek Mills and Henkel Vance Co., a farm machinery company. His business connections, combined with his love of fine horses, placed him in a world where extraordinary opportunities could arise.
With access to the automobile needed to make the trade possible, C. V. sent his trusted horse trainer and rider, Ed Daniels, north to New York with the Ford to inspect the mares and complete the exchange if they proved worthy.
After seeing the horses, Daniels called back with an enthusiastic report.
The mares were exceptional.
The trade was completed, and Starwood and Chatwood soon made their way south to North Carolina.
After Dr. Haywood’s death in 1943, C. V. Henkel purchased Starwood from the Haywood estate, and she became part of the Henkel horse program.
Mrs. Haywood later became the wife of C. V. Henkel, Jr., and her children, Sugar Haywood and Chuck Haywood, moved to Turnersburg with her and their horse — further weaving the Haywood and Henkel stories together.
Starwood would later produce Night Owl, a colt whose future would carry forward the promise of his dam. Her distinguished bloodlines, including the influence of Man o’ War, helped create a horse known for athletic ability, courage, and refinement.
C. V. Henkel, Jr.: A True Horseman
C. V. Henkel, Jr. was not simply a breeder. He was a horseman who loved competition and understood the special bond between people and horses.
By the 1930s, Henkel was showing horses throughout the Southern circuit. At the Sedgefield Horse Show in Greensboro in 1937, one of his horses, Dark Star, was shown by professional rider Ed Daniels.
Daniels was also riding another remarkable horse at the time — Red Sails, owned by Bob Brooks of Columbia, South Carolina.
C. V. was so impressed with Red Sails that, according to family stories shared by C. V.’s stepson Chuck Haywood, he purchased him at the show.
Red Sails became one of C. V. Henkel’s favorite horses.
Chuck remembered him as an incredible jumper — a horse who seemed to believe no fence was too high. The family story goes that when C. V. would drive his Cadillac up the driveway, Red Sails would jump over the fence to greet him for sugar, then jump right back over.
Stories like this remind us that these horses were not just competition animals. They were companions, trusted partners, and part of the family.
C. V. Henkel, Jr. was also instrumental in the reconstruction and expansion of the Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show in the early 1960s — one of America’s oldest continuous outdoor horse shows.
His influence reached beyond his own farm and helped shape the equestrian traditions of North Carolina.
| YouTube about the inception and contribution by C. V. Henkel of the Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show – one of only 20 heritage horse shows |
From Turnersburg to the Olympics
After spending his yearling days at Henkel’s Rocky Creek Farm, Night Owl began the next chapter of his journey.
He was trained by Ed Daniels at Southern Pines and quickly became known throughout North Carolina as a talented jumper. Both Daniels and Loyd “Junebug” Tate rode him in competition.
C. V. Henkel, Jr. had recognized something special in this young horse from the beginning. Through careful breeding, training, and the skill of the horsemen around him, Night Owl developed into the athlete everyone hoped he would become.
In 1955, Henkel sold Night Owl to the United States Olympic team.
After training and competing during Olympic tryouts at Tryon, Night Owl was selected by William Steinkraus — one of America’s greatest show jumping riders — as one of the horses he would ride for the United States team.
A horse born on a farm in Turnersburg was headed to Stockholm.
A World Champion Moment at Aachen
Night Owl’s story did not end with the Olympics.
In 1960, he reached one of the greatest achievements in American show jumping when George H. Morris rode Night Owl to victory in the Grand Prix at CHIO Aachen in Germany — one of the most prestigious competitions in the world.
That victory became an important moment in Morris’s early international career and in the rise of American show jumping.
Night Owl was admired for his athletic ability, courage, and scope — qualities that began with his exceptional breeding, his early years at Henkel’s Rocky Creek Farm, and the vision of the horsemen who believed in him here in Iredell County.
History Lives Here
Today, the 1812 Hitching Post celebrates the beauty, history, and stories of Turnersburg & Harmony.
The same property that once raised a future Olympic jumper is now a place where couples begin their own stories.
Night Owl’s journey reminds us that history is not always found in famous cities or grand landmarks. Sometimes it begins quietly — with a horse, a family, a small community, and people who believed something extraordinary was possible.
A horse was born here.
He went on to the Olympics.
And his story will always be part of Turnersburg history.dmired for his athletic ability, courage, and scope — qualities that began with his breeding and his first years here in Iredell County.
Frequently Asked Questions About C. V. Henkel and Turnersburg Horse History
Who Was C. V. Henkel, Jr?
C. V. Henkel was a Turnersburg and Statesville businessman, horseman, and breeder known for his involvement in hunter and jumper horses and the North Carolina equestrian community. He was also a 5-term NC Senator.
C. V. Henkel Jr. was a dedicated horseman who bred, trained, and campaigned top Jumpers, helped expand the Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show in the 1960s, and his efforts connected Turnersburg to broader American show?jumping traditions.
What is the historical significance of the 1812 Hitching Post site in Turnersburg (Harmony)?
The 1812 Hitching Post sits on land that carried an extraordinary equestrian legacy, from a farm in Turnersburg that bred Night Owl, the Olympic jumper whose story connects local families to national and international show jumping history, to the people like C. V. Henkel Jr. whose love of horses shaped North Carolina’s equestrian traditions.
Who was Night Owl and what is his connection to Turnersburg?
Night Owl was a bay gelding foaled on the property that is now the 1812 Hitching Post. He rose to national prominence as a blue?ribbon jumper and was selected for the United States Olympic team, later achieving a world championship moment at Aachen, with his early years and training rooted in Turnersburg.
