Family history, movie, mentors, & Stormy

Our inn by DNA and marriage was built in 1879 by Dr. Alfred Frederick Hambright (Hambrecht) - our Philadelphia, Lancaster, PA, and Prussia family.

An idea was developed in 2007 by Chefs Marti and Stormy Mongiello with the team. Curator and Executive Director of the museum, Martin CJ Mongiello, developed a 109-page business and marketing plan that he wrote and subsequently sold to Business Plan Pro and Live Plan after publishing it worldwide. This marks the third time Marti has sold a written business and marketing plan to Palo Alto Press, created and crafted from his creative mind.  He and Stormy have designed, upgraded, and fixed numerous resorts, hotels, and restaurants worldwide while living in America, Japan, and Belgium. In 2006, Marti designed and sold two restaurant plans for publishing to Palo Alto Press.  Their plans, like the Inn, get funded daily - in dozens of countries and can be purchased as Business Plan Pro and Live Plan at Staples, Office Max, Best Buy, Office Depot, and Target - to name a few outlets near you. We are also online for a few dollars subscription per month. The textbooks and DVD included offering exact guidance on business and marketing plans taught and used in present university curriculums worldwide. 

This project was approved for Small Business Administration (SBA) financing under the capped two-million-dollar program of 7a backing. Business Plan Pro is run by the president and founder of Palo Alto Software, co-founder of Borland International, author of books and software on business planning, Stanford MBA, father of five, married 38 years - Tim Berry. Marti has been a long-term proponent of Mr. Berry and Business Plan Pro with its acceptance by the SBA and has been rated number one by the Wall Street Journal, the SBDA, Yahoo Finance, and Inc. Magazine for almost 15 years now. Marti's Executive Chef wife and Curator, Stormy Mongiello, helps design elements along with Managing Director  Allan B. Miller (featured photo), Corporate Chef Rick Scott (below and from the Tokyo American Club), and Creative Director and mentor - Andrew Martin King of New York, NY. The inn and its hard-to-find requests for 1000-pound mirrors and antique furnishings were made possible by interior designer and antique experts Randy Bolin, Russell, and Coit McCarter, who scoured three states of estates and auctions. Mr. and Mrs. Dan Friedkin (owners of Auberge Resorts Worldwide) of Houston, Texas, are owed special thanks for their support and esteemed kindness to Marti and Stormy. 

Some of our goals: Part of Marti and Stormy's team goals as disabled vets endorse robust green programs and the 1776 Farm - which included the installation of exterior solar to light the entire home with low voltage lighting, a 30' composting pen in usage, working side-by-side with Stormy on well and rain capture watering and numerous gardens for crops, flowers, and herbs to grow in. Eventually, they want to take the house off the power grid and make their own energy. The museum building talks out loud on 540 AM radio.

The house is always being painted in historical schemes, a palette with Olympic Paints from Lowes and National Historic Preservation Trust colors- while the landscaping with numerous gardens is being done with additions brought from the Monticello. Frederick Law Olmstead's palette was used for Nature and earth room colors. National Historic Preservation Trust turquoise was used with Woodrow Wilson creme in the Baby Ruth room.

The couple started the plantings with large flowering Gladiolus in early 2008.  In 2012, they planted numerous pencil skyscrapers, CFL bulb greening conversion completed in 2011 (from incandescent), and began the transition to LED in 2012, concentrated green laundry detergents, green cleaning agents, and multi-stay towel program for guests. On May 23, 2012, the Chefs purchased the mansion in a Foreclosure Auction, having previously leased its use. They attended such on the Cleveland County Courthouse steps in Shelby, NC. Doctor Dean and Anne Ornish, close friends from the White House and Camp David work, stepped in and assisted the disabled and injured veterans project by immediately paying off the loan. "I am in Fiji with some friends at Tony Robbin's place, but go ahead and get that proper SBA loan slowly and surely. It's a pleasure to help you and all veterans, Marti, PAY IT FORWARD."

The Inn and Mansion are part of the fame in America of Prussians (Germans) moving here from Prussia (Germany), with strong Christian beliefs after the bible's conversion to English in 1611. They will marry into the Scotch-Irish and English that live here and the American Indians (Asians). Since Chefs Marti and Stormy hold German, Scotch-Irish, and English heritage, they enjoy celebrating everything. Eating German foods like bratwurst, sausages, sauerkraut, rotkohl, and more is just as fun as Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties or Shortbread! It is no small feat that the Bavarian Motor Works (BMW) has also built the only German plant (in history) outside of Germany - a stone's throw from the inn. The plant makes three BMWs that are not even made in Bavaria - these lands here are the only place on earth they are being made. This side of the family also did not align itself with the Hessians and King George III. 

HERE ARE SOME OF THE OLDEST PHOTOS FROM 2008 TO ADVERTISE AND OPEN THE INN, CONVERT IT FROM IT'S OLD BLACK AND WHITE LOOK TO WHAT IT IS TODAY:

The mansion was built in 1879 by Doctor Alfred Frederick Hambright / Hambrecht (page 6L The Charlotte Observer, Friday, December 13, 1996), an Assistant Surgeon/Hospital Steward during the Civil War - for the Confederate States Army (CSA) to Generals A.P. Hill and Stonewall Jackson.  

Doctor Alfred was the great, great-grandson of the Revolutionary War NC Congressman and Lt. Colonel - Frederick Hambright of Philadelphia and Lancaster, PA (the clan's progenitor to move South alone). Dr. Alfred will join with the Governor of South and North Carolina to purchase the battleground privately that we know today as a national park and clean it up to sell it to the Centennial Commission. Stormy is a DNA-documented member of the family line, and Marti's family married into the Hambright family via his Schafer line in Lancaster, PA, and the Schafer of NC, living here in 1709.

Initially, the family (Hambrecht) moved to America from Prussia (Germany).  Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Hambright was ultimately one of the most famous in a group of Colonels at the historical, local battle of Kings Mountain when Lord General Cornwallis had his left flank crushed.  One-third of the British army vaporized from the North American continent during the contest. His British Army Major (Patrick Ferguson) was killed, and his flight to escape the South began in desperation - to reach the coast and his supply ships. One thousand seven hundred eighty had been a horrific year for the Patriots, from Valley Forge to tremendous defeats. When Colonel Hambright took three bullets through his hat and one in his leg, his boot filled with blood, and refused to leave the battlefield. Despite a horrible year and horrible battle, he refused to allow medical service for himself. He insisted that all of the others be served first.

Often, the Tennessee "over-the-mountain" men are historically stated to have saved America at the Battle of Kings Mountain. However, only due to the fate of Colonels Shelby and Sevier becoming Governors in their states has this mistake been perpetuated. The Tennessee over-the-mountain men were outnumbered two to one by North Carolina men. The notion is often that, perhaps, North Carolina men could not save themselves. This is a great lie and outrageous to have spread against North Carolina families. This fact is well documented and supported on placards and informational signs at the Kings Mountain National Military Park. The Department of the Interior supports these facts along with the National Park Service. To get here, many "over-the-mountain" men traveled great distances over mountains IN North Carolina. An "under the mountain victory trail" has begun celebrating the hundreds of men who came from Georgia, South Carolina, and elsewhere.

Congressman/Lt. Colonel Hambright (Hambrecht - Hamprecht) and his troops also suffered repeated, vicious bayonet charges and sustained the battle's highest and most devastating casualties. They moved on and crushed the "most powerful seated King's troops in the world." The last known exchange of heated words between Colonel Hambright and Major Patrick Ferguson also occurred on the steep hillside.

Later, he was taken to his cabin at the foot of the mountain, and the nurse he soon married became his second wife, with 22 children birthed between both wives. This cabin is immortalized by the famed muralist Clive Haynes in Kings Mountain City. This is the only battle in the history of America's colonial war in which one side was wholly made up of rifled weapons. The troops (the Patriots) were also branded and stereotyped as illiterate, filthy, stupid backwoodsmen who could never stand up to the raw and unchecked power of the British force of control and military discipline.  The Inn is part of this family dynasty for the Hambright / Hambrecht who settled all up and down Cleveland Avenue - in Grover, NC. Lt. Colonel Hambright (Hambrecht) is considered to be the progenitor of the NC Hambright's. Many of them stayed and became Captains and even a Brigadier General in Lancaster, PA.

A 2008 afghan donation was made by then-President (Eudora Ratcliffe) of the Hambright - Hambrecht Reunion Association showcasing Hambright's historic journeys into America. Now, the Inn and its Hambright ~ Hambrecht family story are being brought to life and shared for the first time - worldwide. This is the right thing to do, given the fact that Colonel Hambright (Hambrecht - Hamprecht originally) is the most essential and critical hero of the Kings Mountain battle. Colonel Frederick knew and stopped the boy in the woods (the little Ponder family boy) with a secret dispatch to Lord General Cornwallis, had the boy questioned, and then searched. Upon learning that the British officer in charge, Major Patrick Ferguson, was now wearing a checkered shirt and had taken off his fancy jacket for the day - he issued killing orders appropriately. Colonel Frederick Hambright (Hambrecht) also seized the day and took over when his Commander, Major Chronicle, was dead and urged his men to press forward despite three bullets through his hat and one in his leg with a blood-filled boot. (This information is courtesy of the then President of the Hambright Hambrecht Legacy Association/Reunion - Ms. Eudora Anne Ratcliffe.)

This mansion was built by our cousin, Doctor Alfred Frederick Hambright. Here is his lineage chain:

LIEUTENANT COLONEL FREDERICK HAMBRIGHT / HAMBRECHT  b May 17, 1727, in Germany d March 9, 1817, York District, SC Married: Sarah Hardin - his first wife (later married Mary Dover - his second wife) b _______ d. Before 1780, a year after the battle, his first wife had passed away long ago.

MAJOR FREDERICK HAMBRIGHT, JR. (3rd child of Colonel Frederick & Ms. Sarah Hardin) b 1766 d August 1, 1844, Married:  Mary Eaker b 1772 d November 15, 1832

MICHAEL A. HAMBRIGHT (4th child of Major Frederick Hambright, Jr. & Ms. Mary Eaker) b. March 29, 1798 d. September 27, 1867 (2nd marriage) Faithie Stewart (Reynolds)b. August 16, 1798 d. August. 26, 1878

DOCTOR ALFRED FREDERICK HAMBRIGHT (Doctor A. F. Hambright) (first child of Michael & Ms. Faithie Stewart) b. Aug. 16, 1836 d. Feb. 2, 1915, Married: Sallie Deal, Grover, NC - helped build and move Shiloh Presbyterian Church to a new and third location in the town of Grover, NC (formerly Whittaker, SC until the state line moved it into NC. Then it became Grover, NC). The church is next door to the

THEIR FIVE CHILDREN:1. Charles F. Hambright m. Nancy Bridges 2. Jacob F. Hambright m. Ida Ware 3. Bell P. Hambright m. Lena Turner 4. Mamie Hambright died in 1940 (Unmarried) Always lived at the Cleveland Ave. address 5. Edith Hambright died in 1957 (Unmarried) Always lived at the Cleveland Ave. address.

The dynasty of good Germans (Prussians and Hessian deserters) living in the North and moving South is the same for the Inn owner. Marti, also having grown up in Philadelphia - like the Hambright's AND BEING GERMAN knew that a slice of popular breakfast meat called "Scrapple" was extremely loved amongst locals - but only in that area of the North (Philadelphia & Lancaster). Nowhere else is it eaten in the world - and this is a guaranteed fact of life and American history, other than the Philly metro area, including Amish country, Germany, and Charlotte. Scrapple is also known as Liver Pudding and Liver Mush, depending on which region or country you eat it in. Some variations of the Charlotte regional version have cornmeal in the loaf. It's interesting to see these states and cities linked together - the Colonial capital of Philadelphia and the Queen City of Charlotte, named after Queen Charlotte of England, formerly of Mecklenburg, Germany. It is also interesting to see the city named after a German Queen - who married off to King George...

Scrapple/Livermush/Liver Pudding is a German product brought to Pennsylvania - a Germanic-dominated and controlled region and is a United States foodstuff composed of pig liver, head parts, and cornmeal. It is commonly spiced with pepper and sage. Considered a more tolerable scrapple version, livermush was most likely brought south through the Appalachian mountains by German settlers from Philadelphia. Livermush is colloquially known as the poor man's or poor boy's pâté. If you follow the Great Warrior Path or Great Philadelphia Wagon Road through Lancaster, through Conestoga, PA (yes, wagons), and on down to Charlotte and finally to Augusta - you will see the origin of it, which in this country is Pennsylvania. But it comes from Germany. You won't find it anywhere in the South other than the Charlotte region. Did the Hambrights individually contribute to this phenomenon?

Shelby, North Carolina, hosts an annual Livermush Exposition, which began in 1987 to celebrate the unique delicacy. In that year, the Cleveland County Commissioners and the Shelby City Council passed resolutions proclaiming that "livermush is the most delicious, most economical and most versatile of meats." Other towns in North Carolina that have livermush festivals include Drexel and Marion. And, of course, we serve Livermush and Liver pudding here many days for breakfast! It is commonly prepared by cutting a slice off of a prepared loaf and frying it with grease in a skillet until golden brown, much like you would Spam. At breakfast, it would be served alongside grits and eggs. It can be made into a sandwich with mayonnaise or mustard, either fried as above or left cold for lunch. Stormy always tells Marti to cook it longer and crisper on the outside! Marti makes a secret sandwich with it combined with hints of Austrian methods. Marti married his beautiful Kings Mountain and Bessemer City "Chef" wife - Stormy, in the Inn on April 6, 2008. You can read more about their specific history here, along with their team.

In 1977, it was still ten years before Earl Owensby would partner with blockbuster producer James Cameron - creator of Titanic and Avatar! Before our local hero, Earl, partnered with James to film THE ABYSS inside of an unfinished nuclear reactor plant in Gaffney (becoming the, then, largest underwater sound stage in the world), he would shoot a slew of films locally.

Called "E.O.," he used mostly unknown talent in its productions, and many well-known names came through its doors. 1984's Gremloids, which E.O. produced in conjunction with Regency Productions, featured comedians Paula Poundstone and Chris Elliott, while the action film Hooch (1977) (IMDB link) starred Gil Gerard, known for his turn on the TV show Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and Danny Aiello. Catch the trailer for the movie here, or watch it on DVD here.

The Oscar-nominated 1984 film Reuben, Reuben, starring Tom Conti and Kelly McGillis, though not produced by the studio, was filmed on the studio's lot as did 1987's Florida Straits (with Raul Julia and Fred Ward). Director Worth Keeter, who helmed eight films for E.O., became a regular director for the Power Rangers franchise. Power Rangers is still going strong today.

Our family home was used for a shoot-out, a mafia hotel to stay in, kidnapping, and eventual escape from (at high speed) - and for the MOONSTRUCK, THE GODFATHER, and DO THE RIGHT THING star, Danny Aiello - this was one of his first films. He stayed in the Oceanicus Blue Dreams Room on the top right of the stairs. More recently, stars like Ed Sheeran, Diana Gabaldon (Outlander), Kevin Spacey, Presidents Hoover & Carter, & Bill Paxton (Titanic, True Lies, Aliens, Apollo 13) have walked the local neighborhood.