On the morning of February 21, 2018 we learned of the death of Dr. Billy Graham. This post explains his influence in the Charlotte area.
Last Saturday I finally made it to Charlotte to tour the Billy Graham Library. Sometimes we fail to see the interesting places that are close by. This was a great experience.
I loved seeing the old film clips of Billy Graham speaking to thousands of people all over the world. It was great to hear his strong, comforting voice again.
The tour at Billy Graham’s library was very well done. Many of the guides are volunteers and they acted like they loved being there to meet visitors. We walked over to a stall and waited for Bessie the cow to tell us about young Billy Graham. This was the start of the tour. Different rooms in the library told of the spread of Billy Graham’s ministry.
He started out as a farm boy from Charlotte and his ministry grew to cover much of the world. I loved hearing his wife, Ruth, talk about being his wife. On one of the films a newscaster asked if she had ever considered divorce. Divorce, NO—-Murder, YES—-she said with a twinkle in her eye.
The films of Billy talking to Woody Allen and Phil Dunahoo showed Billy’s great sense of humor.Here is a short video of Billy Graham’s Easter Message in 1966. I was 12 years old.
It seems like yesterday that I could hear Billy Graham’s voice coming from the little T.V. in our den. Dr. Bill Cranford
There was a nice restaurant area as we exited the library. It looked like they served milk and food that Billy would have eaten while living on the diary farm as a boy.
As we left we stopped at Ruth Graham’s grave. She had seen a construction sign years before and asked that the words on the sign be engraved on her tombstone. What a great message from this amazing lady!
We walked back up the hill and looked in the windows of Billy Graham’s childhood home. The furnishings and pictures were just as they would have been when he lived there. We are fortunate to have this museum only 30 minutes from Rock Hill. I would recommend a visit, especially if Billy Graham was a childhood memory as he was for me. What a great man and what a great message! Billy Graham had a beautiful smile—and this was in the days before advanced cosmetic dentistry. He exuded warmth that was from the heart.
The Library did a great job of reminding me of the impact he had on the world as he spread God’s message with sincerity. I highly recommend a visit!
If you have any questions, come by Cranford Dental or post them on facebook. I would love to talk to you about our visit. Better yet, I would love to go for another visit to the library.
If anyone else has comments about the library or other places near Rock Hill that are inspirational to visit, please leave them below.
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