Monday, November 20, 2017

Receipts Reveal Some Basic Costs From Years Ago

This Brevard Institute receipt shows a breakdown of
possible expenses.
This week Picturing the Past continues to feature items from a collection of County Commissioners documents of the early 1900s by looking at the contents of a few specific items.

A Brevard Institute tuition receipt dated February 28, 1910 shows fees of $30.25 paid in full for a twelve week term for Donnie Mae Wilson.  Brevard Institute offered four years of standard high school work in home economics, agriculture, business, music, college preparatory, and normal education in preparing teachers from about 1900 through 1933.  There is no indication who paid the fees or why this item would be in with Commissioners papers. 

Chain gangs were used for road construction in the early 1900s. 
Presumably the dynamite was used to break up rock
for clearing the roadway.
A March 1, 1915 Brevard Hardware receipt showed that L. Ashworth purchased 100 sticks of dynamite for the county chain gang.  The Annual Statement of Expenditures for Transylvania County in the Sylvan Valley News on December 17, 1915 shows total expenses of $2,572.82 for Chain Gang Claims during the fiscal year ending November 30, 1915 for items such as clothing, equipment, food, camp supplies, animal feed, and a guard. 

On January 4, 1928 F.F. Bagwell received $20.30 for groceries
purchased for the County Home.
There are a number of Brevard Banking vouchers for expenses paid by the county beginning in 1927.  Included are many for supplies for the County Home and assistance to those in need who did not live at the County Home.  The State Board of Public Welfare mandated that “county commissioners have the duty of providing for the poor, either in county homes or in such way, as they deem best.”  Generally this population was made up of the elderly without family support or those with disabilities.

These items offer a look at county government services at different times.

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 828-884-1820.



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