Although I (Jim) am adopted from who knows where (backwards North Carolina law?) and Lane was born in Hampton Tennessee, we have both lived in North Carolina most our lives. I was adopted as a baby by parents in Shelby, about 40 miles west of here. I lived there until my Dad was transferred to Pinehurst in eastern NC when I was 15. I graduated in '76 from Pinecrest High School and then went to College at Lees McRae in Banner Elk NC. In 1978 I transferred to UNC Charlotte where I met Lane in 1979. Lane was a truck driver since getting back from Vietnam in 1975. I met his driving partner one night at a local bar (The Brass Rail, our club's ("The Tradesmen") bar) and we went back to his place. Then I had second thoughts, his ego was a little much, I bailed. On my way out "guess who" was sitting up watching late night TV? You guessed it! It was "instant chemistry" right there on the sofa. The rest is history. After we committed to each other in 1979 we moved from Charlotte to Iron Station, NC. It's about 40 miles north/north west of Charlotte in Lincoln County. Our farm is part of a larger tract that his parents settled after moving here from Tennessee when he was an infant. Two brothers and their wives, four grown children and eight grandchildren are still here. His Mom lived with us for twelve years until her death at age 87. Lane's son Tony has a house adjacent to our land. He's been here since he was eight. His five year old daughter lives nearby. Lanes daughter Stephanie came to live with us when she was twelve. She now lives 2 miles away with her partner and their two children. . My Dad moved back to Shelby in 1983 after my Mom died. Said that pretty much sums up who we are, and how we wound up in Iron Station, North Carolina. Hopefully you're getting a clue as to where we came up with NCIronMan. Combined that with the fact that we enjoy welding, metal sculpture, fabrication and design, NCIronMan just seem to click. As for how Iron Station got its name, click on the state's historical marker above. It's linked to an excerpt from "Our Enduring Past", a history reference book on Lincoln County North Carolina, written by M. C. York. It highlights Iron Station's rich history built on iron production in the South. Strange, almost medieval looking rock structures can be found within several miles of our home. These were actually crude implementations of the more famous Bessemer Furnaces of the North, intended to maintain the South's supply of iron when relationships with the northern states were strained by war. They are fascinating glimpse into the past and are all but forgotten now. We enjoy visiting them, photographing them and showing them to our friends, in the hopes of keeping their history alive.