High School Year Books?

Did you know that the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room has a collection school year books? The collection include annuals from Brevard High School, Rosman High School, and other local schools.

Check our online catalog to see if a year book you are interested in is held by the library or call the North Carolina Room at 884-3151 ext 242.

You are also always welcome to stop by during regular ours to browse through all of the resources.


Local History Room Hours

Monday 9:30-8:00
Tuesday 9:30-5:30
Wednesday 9:30-5:30
Thursday 9:30-8:00
Friday 9:30-5:30
Saturday CLOSED
Sunday CLOSED

Dunn's Rock Home to First Summer Visitors

The Dunn’s Rock area was home to the earliest summer colony within Transylvania County.  In the 1850s, while still a part of Henderson County, wealthy plantation owners from the Charleston area headed for the mountains to escape the summer heat, humidity, insects and sickness of the lowlands.

Among those who purchased thousands of acres from Dunn’s Rock northward along the French Broad River where Francis W. Johnstone, William C. Johnstone, Rev. J. Stuart Hanckel and Robert W. Hume.

Montclove

Francis Johnstone’s Montclove estate is the furthest north (located just east of the Brevard Racquet Club).  The home is a mix of Gothic Revival and Greek Revival architecture and sits on a hill above a bend in the river.  Francis Johnstone was a captain in Company E of the 25^th North Carolina Regiment of the Confederate Army.

 

Many years later the property was slated for development as part of the Brevard Country Club.  The venture failed during the depression though, thus saving Montclove.  Owned by the Gilfillin family since the 1930s the house and outbuildings have retained their historical character.

Johnstone-Ramsey Home

William Johnstone, brother of Francis, built his home overlooking the French Broad River a short distance downstream.  William’s home was Gothic Revival in style and similar to that of his brother. 

In the 1920s Dr. Robert Stokes operated the Riverside Sanatorium, the first hospital in the county, from the home for a short time.

Attorney Ralph Ramsey and his wife bought the home in the mid-1900s and extensively remodeled it in the Neoclassical Revival style.  The Ramsey family still lives in the home.

Hanckel's Chestnut Hill

In 1856 Rev.James Stuart Hanckel bought property from the Johnstones.  Here he built his home, Chestnut Hill.  On June 21, 2014 the Transylvania County Historical Society will host a house tour at Chestnut Hill.

Ruins of Hume's "Rock Hotel"

To the south, Robert W. Hume owned nearly 2000 acres.  Hume built a stone hotel on his property for those who visited for shorter periods of time or could not afford the grand estates.  The lodging was known by various names, including “Rock Hotel”, “Stone Hotel”, “Connestee Hotel” or “Dunn’s Rock Hotel”.  Bushwhackers are said to have burned Hume’s hotel during the Civil War.

In 1915 Royal Morrow hauled the stones from the old hotel to Brevard to build his Craftman style home on East Main St.  Today this is the home of Mac and Veronica Morrow.

In the summer of 1856 the Johnstone, Hanckel, Hume and other Charleston families began holding church services in Francis Johnstone’s carriage house.  Three years later St.-Paul’s-in-the-Valley, the first Episcopal church in the county, was constructed.  Rev. Hanckel served as the minister during the summer services.

The Civil War brought unrest to Transylvania County and was particularly hard on these Charleston plantation owners.  Some lost everything and never returned to the mountains, others settled in Brevard when they did come back following the war.  Membership at St.-Paul’s-in-the-Valley shrink and evidently the congregation relocated to Brevard as well and re-established itself as St. Philip’s Episcopal Church.

Morrow home built using stone from "Rock Hotel"

All of this played a part in the early development of the Dunn’s Rock area.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library.  Visit the NC Room during regular library hours (Monday-Friday) to learn more about our history and see additional photographs.  For more information, comments or suggestions contact Marcy at marcy.thompson@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-3151 X242.

First County Officials Meeting, May 20, 1861

          

           Transylvania County was officially formed from Henderson and Jackson Counties on February 15, 1861.  Within the act that established Transylvania County it states that “a court of pleas and quarter sessions shall be held, and the same is hereby established in and for the county of Transylvania, to be held by the justices for said county on the third Monday of February, May, August and November.  The first session of which shall be held at the house of B. C. Lankford, on the third Monday of May next, when the court aforesaid, a majority of the justices of the said county being present, shall elect a clerk, a sheriff, a coroner, a register and entry taker, a surveyor, constable, and all other officers for said county.”             
            As it turned out the first shots of the US Civil War where fired at Fort Sumter, SC on April 12, 1861.  On Monday, May 20th North Carolina joined nine other southern states and seceded from the Union.  And, as the 20th was the third Monday of May, Transylvania County’s Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions met for the first time.  The justices elected George Orr, Clerk of Court; Robert Hamilton, Sheriff; J.W. Clayton, Coroner; John J. Wilson, Register of Deeds; James Hamlin, Entry Taker; T.G. Henson, Surveyor; John E. Rice, Constable; A.W. Beck, Standard Keeper; J.W. Killiam, Chairman of Court of Please & Quarter Session; W.P. Poor, Trustee for County; P.C. Orr, Treasurer of Public Buildings; and A.D.B. Allison, County Ranger to serve Transylvania County, North Carolina in the Confederate States of America.         
            According to a letter dated May 19, 1861 from Amanda Lankford, B.C. Lankford’s wife, to her brother, Jimmy Morris, “This week is to bee court & it is raining now.  I think tha will hold court at the camp ground, it is said there is to bee a flag hoisted & a cannon fired on Tuesday next & a speech by Jourden to make up a company in this part of the state as hard times are here & worse comeing I feare.” 

Road Construction Continued

Transylvania County "chain gang", 1931.

For years I have wanted to pin down where the chain gang 1931 Road Construction Photo was taken. I felt that it was taken along Hwy 276. I hiked to the two spots that I considered most likely.  One ended up being rejected do some terrain differences.

Probable location of 1931 photo, 2014.

However, I believe the second site is a good match. I cannot say that the site is definitely where the photo was taken but I feel that it is highly probable. The terrain matches. There is some minor difference in the excavated cut profile but you can see from the old photo that the crew was not finished excavating the cut - the steam shovel is still at work on the cut. I was unable to get to the exact spot that I think the photo was taken due to view blockage by rhododendrons. Nonetheless, I got reasonably close. I also walked the original road bed in two places. It is quite well preserved. I believe that the chain gang 1931 Road Construction photo was taken near 35.167729, -82.732357

In addition to the remnants of old Mill Hill Turnpike, at that spot there is a second road coming up from the Gwynn Valley area that joins Mill Hill Turnpike. It cannot be seen from the road.

This mark-up of a topographical map shows the area where I think the 1931 Road Construction photo was taken - where the GPS coordinates are. I have marked in blue the approximate location of the Mill Hill Turnpike in that section as existing remnants in solid and destroyed roadbed in dotted blue.

New photograph, topographical map and information provided by Ed Comer.

Men Annually Commissioned To Work On County Roads

The development of roads has always played a vital role in the growth of any region.  Native Americans, early explorers, trappers, traders and settlers, those escaping the summer heat of lower elevations and the first industrialists all helped in various ways to build the road system Transylvania County has today.

The earliest paths were created by the buffalo, elk, deer and smaller game animals that made their homes in the mountains and valleys and along the rivers and streams.  Native Americans followed these same routes to hunt game, gather berries and nuts, and travel between villages.  As the first white men came into this area they widened and improved these paths into riding trails and wagon roads. 

By the late 1700s and early 1800s when the settlers were moving into the area the militia was used to construct roads.  In 1790 the Buncombe County Court ordered the local Militia Company to build a “wagon road” following near the Estatoe Path from the Swannanoa River to the Davidson River.  Two years later in 1792 Clayton’s Militia was ordered to join it with the Catawba Trail near Flat Rock through the Little River and Crab Creek valleys.  In April 1793 James Davidson, Moses Smith and Walter Hogshead were ordered to serve on a road jury to layout a road from the Estatoe Ford of Ben Davidson’s River to the middle fork of the French Broad River.

As the population of the state grew so did the demand for roads.  By the mid 1800s the North Carolina General Assembly held authority for the laying out of roads.  For example in 1854 they authorized the laying out and making of a turnpike road from the South Carolina line at or near the Sassafras Gap through the valleys of  the East Fork and French Broad Rivers to any point on the French Broad Turnpike Company’s Road.

During the Civil War road improvements in North Carolina ceased and the roads fell into disrepair. Following the Civil War the common means of road construction, improvement or repair was to require road duty from citizens.  Men were commissioned to work on the roads annually.  Each man must provide his own tools.  There were fines imposed on anyone who failed to appear or did not have tools.   The age requirement, service time and fines seemed to vary by county.

In September 1911 Transylvania County Commissioners voted to begin using convict labor for road work.  Previously local convicts had been hired out to Buncombe and Henderson counties.  By late 1912 convict labor was being used and the days of mandatory road duty ended.

The photograph seen here shows a work crew with convicts cutting a road along a Transylvania County mountainside in 1931.  Ed Comer has hiked along today’s Hwy 276 as well as the old Mill Hill Turnpike between Island Ford Rd. and Connestee Rd. in an effort to identify the location of this photograph.  Visit the NC Room Blog at nchistoryroom.blogspot.com for a current photograph of the area believed to be shown in the old picture and a topographic map marking the area.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library.  Visit the NC Room during regular library hours (Monday-Friday) to learn more about our history and see additional photographs.  For more information, comments or suggestions contact Marcy at marcy.thompson@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-3151 X242.

Transylvania County "chain gang" road construction, 1931.

Upcoming Event: Preservation and the Legacy of Silvermont

Silvermont Park is being preserved for future generations through efforts of the Silvermont Centennial Committee.  Learn what the plans are and what is currently occurring at the mansion and on the grounds. Presented by Ellen Harris and Kathy Zimmerman. Ellen will discuss preservation plans for the 1917 colonial revival mansion.  Kathy will present the updated plans for the eight and a half acre grounds.

Date: Thursday, May 22, 2014
Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Location: Rogow Family Meeting Room

For More Information, Contact:
Marcy Thompson
marcy.thomspon@transylvaniacounty.org
828-884-3151 ext 241

Wartime Gasoline Rationing

On this day in North Carolina History,

"Wartime gasoline rationing goes into effect in North Carolina and 16 other Eastern states. The maximum purchase per week: three gallons." (1942)

Source: Powell, L. (1996). On This Day in North Carolina History.Winston-Salem, North Carolina: John F. Blair, Publisher. 

Connestee Was Part of 'Walton War'

Although Native Americans never had permanent villages within the boundaries of Transylvania County they certainly travelled through the area, camping for extended periods of time while on hunting expeditions.  They also fished the abundant streams and rivers and gathered berries and nuts.

Folk history tells of the Connestee tribe having a village in this area.  And legend says that a heart-broken Cherokee maiden plunged to her death off Connestee Falls.  Folklore is full of similar tales and although there is no evidence to support it, it does make a good story.

As white settlers began moving to the area in the late 1700s, North Carolina and Georgia engaged in a land dispute over the exact location of the state boundary lines.  At stake was a piece of land, often referred as the “Orphan Strip”.  Georgia claimed it as Walton County and North Carolina claimed it as part of Buncombe County (today Transylvania County).  Skirmishes broke out, folks were jailed but “escaped”, there may have been one or more deaths, and law suits ran on for years.  While the facts concerning exactly what happened during the “Walton War” vary, today Connestee Falls, Dunn’s Rock and Eastatoe are all within the boundaries of this disputed territory.

In the late 1880s The Carolina, Knoxville & Western Railway planned to construct a rail line from Augusta, Georgia to Knoxville, Tennessee through the mountains of western North Carolina.  It would have run through the Connestee Falls area.  Deeds show right-of-ways granted through Transylvania County.  There remains evidence of clearing for the proposed railway near the Connestee Falls main gate and on to where a trestle would have crossed above Batson Falls as well as in other places along the route.  Rails were never actually laid in Transylvania County and the project was abandoned by 1899.

The steep mountains and poor roads in the area above the Dunn’s Rock valley kept Connestee from having many early settlers.  However, the little community of Reba flourished from 1898-1907.  There was a post office, along with Carson Creek Baptist Church and Carson Creek School.  If The Carolina, Knoxville & Western Railroad had been built the area would have been much different than today. 

The current Connestee Falls community began with the purchased of nearly 3000 acres in 1971.  Connestee Falls was developed as a vacation community but over the years many property owners became full-time residents.  Originally there was a small motel and restaurant at the entrance. 

Some of the information for this article came from Ed Comer’s book, Shadows of the Past, a history of the Reba community and early residents of the area.

Photograph above:  Carson Creek School, 1907.  Teacher, Bonnie Wilson.  Children include Bagwell, Batson, Clark, Garren, Hubbard and Raines.

Left:  Lewis Summey built a mill at Connestee Falls after the Civil War.  It is unusual in that it sat above the falls and had an undershot wheel. It operated as a grist mill only. According to the Summey family around 1900 he traded the mill for four fine horses and the family moved to Brevard.

Digital Microfilm/Fiche Reader

The Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room has a new microfilm reader. It is the Powerscan 3000, and it allows users to digitally enhance images for printing. The Powerscan 3000 is very easy to use and provides more options for viewing, saving, and printing microfilm images.

Feel free to stop by anytime during our regular hours to try out the reader yourself or call ahead to make an appointment with our staff if you would like help learning how to use it.

Seeoff Has Always Been a Strong Community

Long before the community of Seeoff was named pioneer families settled in the area from the top of Dunn’s Rock moving east toward Rich Mountain.  Most have descendants who still live in the Seeoff community.

Old Buncombe County deeds show that Samuel Walter Hogsed had property in the area prior to 1800. He was married to Rebecca Ashworth.  Among their children was Samuel (b. 1833) who married Caroline Hefner.  Samuel and Caroline’s children included Riley and Walter who married sisters Louise and Mary Kate Raxter, daughters of Samuel and Tabitha Raxter.

Other early families in the area included Dunn, Eubanks, Gravely, Hamet, Hamlin, Heath, Holden, Lance, Landreth, McCrary, McGaha, Raines, Saltz, Wilson and others.

Dunn’s Creek Baptist Church was organized in 1876 although the first building wasn’t constructed until the 1880s.  Joshua and Sarah Ann Holden deeded over property on which a one-room log church and school was built.  This building was destroyed by fire and replaced in 1882 by a wooden building also used as both a church and school.  Around 1890 a new church was built on land deeded to the church by Walter and Laura Raxter in 1894.  On March 23, 2011 that church was destroyed by fire.  People in the community and beyond have come together to build the new Dunn’s Creek Baptist Church.

After the new (1890) church was built the school continued to use the old building.  It was known as the Holden School.  When it was condemned as a fire hazard and closed a new school was constructed nearby.  Later the children from Seeoff went down the mountain to the new Connestee School in Dunn’s Rock (today the Dunn’s Rock Community Center).

In 1912 the Appalachian Club Estates held nearly 1000 acres of land in Seeoff.  They intended to develop it as “an exclusive, co-operative summer club, whose membership is open only to ladies and gentlemen of good repute, their families and guests.” The Appalachian Club Estates built an office beside the courthouse.  After they went bankrupt the building was sold at auction in November 1912 for $200 to the United Daughters of the Confederacy for the first library in Transylvania County.

In 1955 a group of Seeoff women led by Mrs. Eliza Ware and Mrs. Allie Harllee organized “The Homesteaders” to form a “Closer Unity of Seeoff Community.”  Originally they met in the homes of Mrs. Ware and Mrs. Harllee, then in the old schoolhouse.  In 1968 Eliza Ware’s children donated property to build a community center beside the Dunn’s Creek Baptist Church and cemetery.  From the beginning the clubs goal was to help others.  Over the years they were the driving force in bringing advancements to the community, including rural free delivery mail service, telephone services and improvements to Becky Mountain Road.  In 1968 the Ware-Harllee Memorial Scholarship Fund was created for Seeoff students pursuing a college education.

The Seeoff Community Club continues to be active within the Seeoff community.

Photo 1: Dunn’s Creek Baptist Church, 1890-2011.  In 1920 Andy Hamet, Joe Hamet, Andy McGaha and Ed McGaha built the belfry and the entrance to the church.

Photo 2:  Mrs. Eliza Ware at her Yanside home overlooking the valley, with Cecil Wilson, Fred Landreth and Herman Hogsed.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library.  Visit the NC Room during regular library hours (Monday-Friday) to learn more about our history and see additional photographs.  For more information, comments or suggestions contact Marcy at marcy.thompson@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-3151 X242.

Ecusta Basketball Team, 1947 Identified

Bob Merrill was able to identify the members of the 1947 Ecusta Basketball team.  Left to right:  Head of Personnel, Buddy Baldwin, Pete Dockins, Troy Drake, Jay Merrell, Claude Laughter, Willie Nelson, Conley McKinnis, Bob Merrill, Mitchell Taylor, Oliver Taylor and Fritz Merrell.