Pete Bikas Greek Restaurant Owner: Struggle and Success

This week featured photograph is looking south down Broad Street from the intersection of Broad and Main streets.  The signs along the building fronts identify long time Brevard businesses including Morris Pharmacy, Jones Newsstand, Crest Five & Dime and Varner’s Drug. 

Snow remained piled in the middle of downtown streets
following a March 1960 snowstorm.

On the north side of Crest is a large sign for Bikas Restaurant—Home of Country Ham.  Although Bikas Restaurant only operated under that name from 1958-1960 owner Pete Bikas was a well-known restaurateur.

Bikas was born in Greece in 1893. He served in the Greek cavalry and in King Constantine’s Royal Bodyguards.  During the revolution in Greece in 1924 Bikas decided it was time to leave though.  He made his way through France, Spain and Cuba before arriving in Macon, Georgia.  Over the next ten years Bikas would purchase a restaurant in Greenville, SC, become a U.S. citizen and send for his wife and son in Greece.  Bikas also helped other relatives, including his three brothers, come to the United States.

By 1942 Bikas had purchased Galloway’s Restaurant on South Broad Street in Brevard. This establishment would later be known as Bikas Restaurant.  

Bikas built a home in Brevard and raised his family here in the mountains that reminded him of his native village in Greece.  For many years he regularly commuted between Brevard and Greenville.  In addition to restaurants in both locations, he also owned and operated two billiard parlors in Greenville. 

Multiple attempts were made to hold-up Bikas at his businesses.  An undated newspaper article reads, “Robbers, and would-be robbers, in Greenville, S.C., should learn to leave Pete Bikas, former Brevard restaurateur, alone. Three times they have attempted to rob him, and each time Pete got the best of them.”

Bikas died in 1978 from injuries suffered in an automobile accident several months earlier.  He is buried at Gillespie-Evergreen Cemetery on Country Club Rd. in Brevard.  To learn more about Bikas’ life visit the NC Room at the Transylvania County Library.

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.

How Reid Furniture Co. Started and Grew

This week’s Picturing the Past photograph features Reid Furniture Company and was taken in 1959. The building where Reid’s was located at the time looks different today.  The best clues in the photo are actually small parts of the buildings on either side.  Can you identify where it was located?

Theodore Reid and W.M. Melton formed Reid-Melton Furniture Company in late 1944.  They held their formal opening on Saturday, February 17, 1945.  They carried living room, dining room and bedroom suites, tables, chairs, rugs and appliances.  Products could be purchased on credit with weekly or monthly payment plans.  Mr. Reid, who had worked in the furniture business for many years, managed the store located at 21 East Main St.

The Reid Furniture Company truck in front of the business at 123 W. Main St.

The business quickly outgrew the small store and in 1947 relocated to the Mull Building on the corner of S. Broad and Jordan streets.  Two-and-a-half years later they again moved to a larger store.  It was shortly after this move that Reid purchased Melton’s share of the business and changed the name to Reid Furniture Company.

In December 1960 Reid announced, “With my lease expiring in January, I have decided to close my furniture store at that time.  Between now and then, I am offering the citizens of Brevard and Transylvania County bargains in furniture that are unheard of.  It has been a real pleasure serving at Reid Furniture Company since 1944, and I cordially invite one and all to come by and see our hundreds of close-out bargains.”

Reid opened an office on Caldwell St. where people could make payments on their accounts.  He continued the business in some fashion until retiring in 1965.

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.

The Day Houston Furniture Nearly Went Up in Smoke

Over the last two weeks Picturing the Past has featured businesses that were located at 55 E. Main during a portion of their existence—B&B Feed & Seed from 1928-1940 and Grover’s Office Supply from 1992-2005.  Houston Furniture was located in the building from 1941-1990.

Flames shot from the front of Houston's Furniture on E. Main St.
as firefighters prepare to fight the early morning fire on October 24, 1953.

This week’s featured photograph was taken on Saturday, October 24, 1953.   A delivery man for the grocery store next door to Houston Furniture reported a fire at 7:15 that morning.  Almost all the merchandise on the main floor was destroyed.  However, thanks to the quick and efficient response of the Brevard Fire Department damage to the structure was limited and stock on the lower level received only minor damage.  Store records were also saved.

The following week Houston Furniture set up business in two available store fronts in the Waltermire (Aethelwold) Hotel building.  They also immediately began repair work on their building.  They would move back into their newly remodeled building just over a month later, on November 30.

The work of the firefighters is also credited for saving the adjoining businesses of Belk’s Department Store and Cash and Carry Super Market.  Belk’s Department Store, located on the east side, had opened a year prior to Houston Furniture, in March 1940.  The Cash and Carry Super Market, owned and operated by Curtis Kelley, was in the adjoining building to the west.  Cash and Carry opened on E. Main St. in April 1943 and remained there until October 1957 when it moved to N. Broad and became affiliated with Piggly Wiggly.

The photograph collection in the Local History Room at the Transylvania County Library does not include a picture of Piggly Wiggly.  If you have one that you would be willing to share please contact the Local History Room staff.

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.

Grover's 40 Years of Business Brought About Many Changes

Grover’s Office Supply was a well-known, long running business in downtown Brevard before it was sold to Hoyle Office Solution in 2016.  The business had been located at 372 S. Broad St. for about 10 years.  Do you remember any of Grover’s three previous locations though?

Grover and Gladys Frisbee began their office supply business in 1976.  In addition to general office supplies they sold desks, chairs, filing cabinets and equipment, including typewriters, adding machines and calculators. 

During their 40 years of business technology brought about many changes.  Fax and copy machine services were added and items like printers and ink cartridges replaced typewriters and typewriter ribbons.  When Grover and Gladys retired they passed the business to their son, Randy and his wife, Sherri.  What did not change through times was their service policy.  They would order any products they did not have in stock, typically with next day service.  They also delivered to businesses in downtown Brevard.

Grover’s first location on W. Jordan Street was small and within a short time they moved to a larger store on the corner of S. Broad and W. Jordan.  After about 12 years they again moved to a larger building, the former Houston Furniture on E. Main St., which the Frisbees purchased.  Grover’s final move to South Broad Street in 2006 offered additional space and parking.

Grover's Office Supply, Phone Mart and B&J Sales and Service
at 100 S. Broad St., 1983

Citizen’s and Comporium telephone books listed Grover’s Office Supply at the following locations through the years—10 W. Jordan 1977-78; 100 S. Broad St. 1979-1991; 55 E. Main St. 1992-2005; and 372 S. Broad St. 2006-2016.

The other two businesses shown in this 1983 photograph are Phone Mart and B&J Sales and Service.  Phone Mart was located at 112 S. Broad St. and apparently was only in business the one year. 

B&J Sales and Service, specializing in appliance repair opened at 212 S. Broad Street in 1979.  They moved to 116 S. Broad a couple of years later and remained there until 1996.  The business is still in operation as B&J Appliance Service.

If you have additional photographs or information about these businesses the staff in the Local History Room would like to hear from you.

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.

B&B Feed & Seed Business Boosted County's Economy

Most people who have lived in Transylvania County for over twenty years are familiar with B&B Feed & Seed, formerly located on Gaston Street.  However did you know that for approximately 40 years the owners also operated Brittain Tractor Company?

The original business opened on East Main St. on January 1, 1928.  Cousins, Willis and Trigg Brittain sold Quaker Dairy Feeds and Full-O-Pep Poultry Feed along with a full line of garden and field seed.  Trigg Brittain sold his interest in the business to Grady and Allen Brittain, brothers of Willis, in July 1931. 

B&B Feed & Seed not only survived the Stock Market Crash and Great Depression but continued to grow.  For a time the “Brittain boys” leased the Breese Mill at Maiden Hair Falls to grind corn meal, graham flour and special orders.  They aided local farmers by buying chickens and eggs for resale to markets and cream for the Biltmore Dairies, boosting Transylvania County’s economy as well.

Brittain Tractor Company on S. Gaston St., 1953.

Sometime between June 1940 and April 1941 the Brittains moved their business around the corner to 12 S. Gaston Street.  In August 1947 they expanded by incorporating the Brittain Tractor Company, an authorized dealership for Ford tractors and Dearborn farm equipment.  The new business also sold parts for tractors and farm equipment and had a small engine repair shop.

For many years Willis and Allen ran the businesses, while Grady farmed the family land in the Mills River area of Henderson County.  Later, Willis also retired to farming.  The Brittains had numerous employees through the years.  Fred Hogsed worked there for 40 years, serving as manager of the Brittain Tractor Company and the small engine repair shop for many of them.  In 1987 the Brittains sold the business to Harold Paxton, who operated it until closing in 1998. 

Interior of Brittain Tractor Company.

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.

Ford's Corner: Once A Popular Brevard Hangout

Over the next few weeks Picturing the Past will take a closer look at some photographs from the collection in the Local History Room at the Transylvania County Library.  These images feature some of the smaller or lesser known businesses in Brevard and at other locations in the county—places you may have never even heard of or long ago forgotten. 

This week’s featured photograph focuses on the southwest corner of Main and Caldwell streets. A sign attached to the corner of the Clemson Theater building reads, Ford’s Corner.  Above that is another sign for Biltmore Ice Cream.  Ford’s Corner was a popular hangout for young people to meet friends.  They served sandwiches, sodas, popcorn, candy, gum, sundries and cigarettes.  A search of advertisements in the Transylvania Times and Brevard College yearbooks and student newspaper indicated that Ford’s Corner was in business from approximately 1941-1951.

Looking down the block past the Clemson and Co-Ed theaters, Abercrombie Furniture was located in the next building from 1938-1949.  Across Main Street, where Blue Ridge Bakery is today, the sign above the awnings is for Poole’s Men Shop.  Russ Poole opened his shop carrying men’s suits and sportswear in April 1948.  The business operated until at least May 1951 when the latest advertisement for it was found in the Brevard College Clarion.

The exact date of the photograph is unknown but using the known information on these businesses it was likely taken in 1948 or 1949.  The movies showing at the Clemson and Co-Ed theaters had been released in the early 1940s—“Durango Kid” in 1940 and “American Empire” in December 1942, so they were probably being shown as second-runs.  Searching the Transylvania Times for movie showings did not produce a date when both films were playing simultaneously.

If you have more information about these businesses the staff in the Local History Room would like to hear from you.

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.

Thanksgiving Day Traditions: Family, Food and Football

Thanksgiving in the United States traces its origin to 1621 when the Pilgrims at Plymouth celebrated a successful fall harvest. For more than 200 years the colonies and states held days of thanks on irregular dates. Congress and George Washington tried to establish November 26 as a national Thanksgiving Day in 1789 but it was not until 1863 that President Lincoln officially proclaimed the last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day in the U.S.

Then in 1939, a year that had five Thursdays in the month of November, President Roosevelt moved the holiday up in the month in an effort to lengthen the Christmas shopping period and boost the economy. Some states, including North Carolina, ignored this and continued to hold it on the last Thursday of the month.  In 1941 Congress resolved the issue and declared the fourth Thursday of November as the official and legal Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S.

Accounts of the first Thanksgiving say that the three day celebration included recreational activities. Today, football has become part of the Thanksgiving tradition for many. From flag football with family and friends to watching a televised game even those who aren’t fans often get a serving of football on Thanksgiving Day.

The first Thanksgiving Day football game was held in 1876 between Yale and Princeton, with the Yale Bulldogs taking the win by a score of 2-0. 

Beginning in 1935 Brevard College played Mars Hill on Thanksgiving Day.  The two teams met on Thanksgiving Day at least nine times until Brevard College dropped football from its athletics department in 1950.  Brevard won four of those nine games and two ended in a 0-0 tie.

In 1943 and 1944 Brevard College played Brevard High School on Thanksgiving Day. Brevard College won both of those games.  An informal survey of old Transylvania Times revealed that Brevard High often held a game on Thanksgiving Day evening.

Midget and Mite football teams also got in on the Thanksgiving Day tradition for a time.  The Brevard Mites played the Hendersonville Mighty Mites in the Fourth Annual Apple Bowl in Hendersonville in 1962. 

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.

Bells of Peace - A Celebration After World War I

On November 11, 1918 “engines whistled, church bells rang, the fire bell clanged, guns and pistols were fired, even firecrackers appeared from somewhere and added to the general din. There were tea bells, dinner bells, cow bells, sheep bells, tin horns, alarm clocks and—Voices, anything and everything that could make a noise” all on Main St. in Brevard. 

Hundreds of people gathered in the square and as far as St. Philip’s Rectory. Following a scripture reading and prayer by Rev. John C. Seagle, Mayor Breese gave a speech championing the victory ending the Great War.  D.L. English spoke in support of the recent election proclaiming that the Republican and Democratic parties were united in celebrating the victory.  Mrs. Silversteen, Chair of the National League of Women’s Service spoke of being overjoyed to know no more American soldiers would be killed.  The crowd joined in singing “America the Beautiful” and “The Star Spangled Banner” before a closing benediction by Rev. Manley.

This description of Brevard’s celebration of the declaration of peace was found on the front page of the November 14, 1918 issue of the Brevard News.  However, other front page articles call for continued support of the United War Work drive and the efforts of the Victory Girls led by Mary Jane King in raising funds. It was also announced that five local men had left for Camp Green in Charlotte.  C.M. Doyle, proprietor of Brevard Hardware, continued to ask for pictures of Transylvania soldiers. Doyle had over 300 photographs of “our heroes” on display in his store window.

These two photographs were taken at Underhill,
the home of T.L. and Dovie Ann Deaver Gash
on November 11, 1918.

There is a small display of reference books on North Carolina’s role in World War I in the Local History Room at the Transylvania County Library. Files containing materials related to Transylvania County’s role in the Great War are available in the Local History Room as well. Some of the books are also in the circulating collection for library card holders to be check out.

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.

Black Soldiers Stationed at Pisgah Forest in 1918

During World War I African American soldiers in the U.S. military faced an enormous degree of discrimination from the draft process throughout their service.  They were trained at separate camps and served in separate units commanded by white officers.  Those stationed in the U.S. were housed in inferior quarters and assigned to manual labor jobs, such as building roads and bridges, repairing railroads, hauling supplies and even digging graves.

Headquarter camp of the U.S. Army 328th Labor Battalion located
south of the entrance to the Pisgah National Forest.

The U.S. Army 328^th Labor Battalion, consisting of over 1,000 black soldiers, was stationed at Pisgah Forest from early June to late December 1918.  They were divided into companies of 250 soldiers, ten white non-commissioned officers and three white commissioned officers, spread a few miles apart along the Davidson River.  A headquarters camp was located near the forest entrance on the east side of the Davidson River.  Officers’ tents, an infirmary, a supply tent and corral were located across the river near present day Lowe’s. The commanding officer was Lt.         
   Nathaniel Golden.

In a letter to Mary Jane McCrary dated June 2, 1961 Golden shared his memories of the time.  Golden provided a basic description of the camps and key events that occurred.  It appears there was little interaction between local residents and soldiers, with the exception of a few officers.  A search of the Brevard News supported this as there was little mention of the encampment.

One incident that Golden touched on in just a few sentences was a mutiny in Company B.  The uprising stemmed from a general discontent with conditions—a continued food shortage, lack of entertainment and poor leadership. On the evening of July 17 Headley Braveboy cut in line for a second cup of lemonade.  When the mess sergeant tried to remove Braveboy and take him to the guard tent he resisted, a crowd gathered and things quickly got out of hand. This event lead to the court martial of 22 African American soldiers on charges ranging from disobeying orders to attempted murder.

Jan Hodges’ account “The Mutiny at Pisgah Forest” from the Summer 2013 issue of National Archives and Records Administration’s quarterly magazine, Prologue can be found online at www.archives.gov/files/publications/prologue/2013/summer/pisgah-forest.pdf or in the WWI archival file located in the Local History Room at the Transylvania County Library. A transcript of Golden’s letter to McCrary is also available.

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.

Hall Recorded History of Black Community

Nathaniel Hall was born in Brevard to D.C. and Etta Gash Hall on January 17, 1916. Hall was educated at Rosenwald School. He moved to Washington D.C. where he earned both a B.S. and M.A. in education. Hall taught social studies in the public school system for many years.

Nathaniel Hall, pictured here with his sister Selena Robinson, received the
Transylvania County Historical Society's 2004 Preservation Award for his
account of community heritage and other writings.

When the Transylvania County began preparing for its Centennial celebration Mary Jane McCrary asked Hall to write a history of the African American people of the county. Written in 1961, Nathaniel Hall’s book “The Colored People of Transylvania County” remains an excellent sources for the years of 1861-1961. Because of the lack of written records much of the information comes from personal interviews conducted by the author. Written material used included letters, newspaper articles and tax records.

Hall provides information on schools, churches and cemeteries. He also covers social and community life, ranging from secret societies like the Independent Order of the Odd Fellows established in 1898 to the community center conceived by Mary B. Kilgore in the early 1940s. Baseball teams, Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, bands, a library, a nursery and kindergarten, a swimming pool all played important roles in creating the community as well.

Throughout the early and mid-1900s African-American businesses in the Carver St. and Mills Avenue area included a barber shop, beauty shop, boarding houses, cafés, grocery stores and a taxi stand. In addition to the importance of place Hall covers the people of the community, including teachers, preachers and businessmen and women, as well as those active in the military and politics. He also talks about the relationship between the black and white communities through the years.

In 1960 the Transylvania Citizen’s Improvement Organization (TCIO) was organized to improve and promote educational, political, economic and civic opportunities for African Americans in Brevard and Transylvania County.  Their first goal was integration of the school system. In 2000 the group published “Reflections: TCIO Celebrates 40 Years of Community Service” highlighting community achievements and featuring numerous photographs.

In 2003 Hall published a biography on the life of his sister, Selena Robinson.  The book begins with the story of the Hall family growing up in the Rosenwald community in the early 1900s.  It continues with Selena’s adult life—her marriage, family and role in the community.  Selena was active in church, readily offered help to all and became a community leader.

These books are available at the Transylvania County Library, although “The Colored People of Transylvania County” is only available in the North Carolina Reference collection.

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.

'Lewis Redmond, The King of the Moonshiners' Unravels the Story

Lewis Redmond—moonshiner, murderer, notorious outlaw or folk hero? In “King of the Moonshiners: Lewis R. Redmond in Fact and Fiction” historian Bruce Stewart brings together Redmond’s family history, a sympathetic newspaper interview, a dime novel depicting Redmond as a hero, the arresting deputy’s report and an array of articles to unravel the true story.

Old postcard depicting a mountain moonshine still.

Lewis Redmond was raised in Transylvania County during the Reconstruction Period when the political climate was highly charged. A moonshiner by trade, Redmond’s real trouble began on March 1, 1876 when he killed U.S. deputy marshal Alfred Duckworth who was serving a warrant against Redmond for illegal distilling. 

Redmond escaped into Pickens County, SC where a five year conflict between Redmond, his cohorts and supporters and the Bureau of Internal Revenue played out.  At the time, Revenuers were viewed as carpetbaggers, and thus the real criminals, by many former Confederates. Plus Redmond cast himself as the victim in a July 1878 Charleston News and Courier article that wrote, he was “an honorable man who protected his family and community from corrupt federal agents.”

As the national media picked up the story Redmond became a larger-than-life figure and the anti-hero of a dime novel. Stewart includes the novel, “Entwined Lives of Miss Gabriel Austin, Daughter of the Late Rev. Ellis C. Austin, and of Redmond, the Outlaw, Leader of the North Carolina ‘Moonshiners’” by Bishop Edward B. Crittenden published in 1879, in this biography of Redmond.

Also included is Deputy Collector Robert A. Cobb’s “The True Life of Maj. Lewis Richard Redmond, the Notorious Outlaw and Famous Moonshiner of Western North Carolina.” Cobb and his men arrested Redmond on April 7, 1881.

After just three years in prison Redmond was pardoned and lived out the remainder of his life relatively quietly in upstate South Carolina. “King of the Moonshiners” separates the facts in this legendary Transylvanian’s life from the fiction and is available to be checked out at the Transylvania County Library.

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.

Book Offers Picture of Connestee and Carson Creek

In the preface of his book, “Shadows of the Past: Return to Reba”, Ed Comer wrote, “Long before the Connestee Falls community existed, its land held pockets of hardy souls that built their homes here, tilled its rocky slopes, raised families and generally went about their lives in an independent and self-sufficient manner.”

In 2007, work on a hiking trail revealed traces of earlier residents within the current Connestee Falls community. The discovery prompted Comer to research who these residents had been and to learn more about their lives.

Carson Creek School, 1907

Comer provides an overview of early settlement, the construction of roads and even the dream of a rail line through what is today a gated residential community in the Dunn’s Rock and Eastatoe Townships of Transylvania County.  He tells of the little community of Reba, which officially existed as a post office from 1898 to 1907.  The Bagwell, Batson, Beasley, Clark, Garren, Hubbard and Raines families all lived in the area that also included Carson Creek Church and Carson Creek School.

The initial home site uncovered turned out to be the remains of a cabin belonging to Thomas M. Beasley.  A collapsed stone chimney, a couple of logs that had likely been support beams, foundation posts and hundreds of nails helped determine the location and size of the cabin. 

Beginning in the early 1800s, the Beasley family lived in the East Fork area on and off, with occasional moves to Pickens County, SC.  Alston Beasley, father of Thomas, was a partner in a silver mine located near the present day Blue Ridge Parkway in Transylvania County beginning in 1834.  At his death the property went to Thomas and was eventually sold in two parts in 1912 and 1915. 

Batson family at their home in present day Connestee Falls.
Back: Fred and Maggie Hogsed Batson, daughters Mayo and Corrine.
Front: Son, Milton; daughter, Bonnie; and son, Russell.

Research on the Beasley site led to the discovery of what remained of the Fred Batson place.  An intact stacked stone chimney, debris of the collapsed cabin and other artifacts of a past life were all discovered.  Fred Batson was the third generation of his family to live in the Carson Creek area.  Batson moved his family to a small farm near Island Ford Rd. in Dunn’s Rock by 1925.

 “Shadows of the Past” offers a picture of the Connestee and Carson Creek area from the late 1800s into the mid-1900s.  It is available to be checked at the Transylvania County Library.

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.

'Transylvania Memories' Captures Oral History

Transylvania Memories, published in 2011, captured the stories of some of Transylvania County’s older residents through oral interviews. Peggy Hansen recorded their memories of growing up in the 1920s, local life during the Depression and into the 1940s and then compiled it into a book. Each chapter offers a unique perspective of growing up in what they all agree was a simpler time.

L.C. Betsill's father, Victor came to Brevard to at
Transylvania Tanning in the early 1920s.  He opened his own
barbershop, pictured here, on Carver St. in 1924.

L.C. Betsill shared his experiences growing up in the African-American community of Rosenwald. When asked about segregation of schools and businesses Betsill stated, “People accepted a lot of things because it had always been that way, but that didn’t mean they was satisfied.” He went on to talk of the respect children had for their elders, the strong work ethic and the sense of community.  These were common themes throughout the memories.

Jeraldine “Jerri” Raxter Paxton stated, “Children were more responsible back then. You were expected to do things the right way.  That was the only way.  You did what you were expected to do.  The older kids would teach the younger kids their manners.” Paxton told of the many chores she and her siblings had but also of the fun and games.

Employees at Silversteen's Transylvania Tanning located on the south side of Brevard.

Dalice Gravley Powell agrees regarding people’s work ethic and strong family bonds. Her family, like Betsill’s, came from South Carolina for the jobs Silversteen’s timber and tanning industries offered. Even during the Depression her father had a job and the family all worked on the farm to put food on the table.

The people interviewed included those who grew up in the towns of Brevard and Rosman, as well as those from the rural areas around Balsam Grove, Cedar Mountain, Cherryfield, Dunn’s Rock, Lake Toxaway, Middlefork, Old Toxaway, Pisgah Forest, Rosenwald and Silversteen. Regardless of where they were raised though, all spoke with pride of the community they called “Home.”

Many of those interviewed for Transylvania Memories have since passed away and are reminders of the importance of capturing the stories of loved one now. The book is available to be checked out at the Transylvania County Library.

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.

Stinson's Stories Give Readers A Picture of Mountain Life

Vera's father was the caretaker at the Cedar Mountain
Hotel not far from Caesar's Head for the
first thirteen years of her life.

Vera Jones Stinson was born into a family of storytellers and was a natural storyteller herself. She was born and raised in Cedar Mountain, where her father was the caretaker at the hotel at Caesar’s Head.  As a child, Vera would take visitors to the distinctive landmark and shared stories of the rock and the valley below.

After graduating from Brevard High in 1928, Vera attended Western Carolina Teacher’s College in Cullowhee. She taught for a year in the one-room school she had attended as a child and then in Winston-Salem for several years. Vera married George Stinson in 1943. They raised two children in his home state of Ohio where she taught for many more years.

In a review of her book a former student from the early 1960s recalled the fond memories of stories shared and used in classes.  After retiring to Cedar Mountain, Vera continued the practice of sharing her vast knowledge of the history and culture of the mountain people.  Through her “Living Appalachia” class at Brevard College’s community college program and regular talks for various local clubs and groups the larger community came to appreciate her gift for storytelling.

Stinson said, "When I look back over the span of forty-five years of teaching
in Winston-Salem and Cincinnati, I remember the little mountain school in
Cedar Mountain as the most gratifying."

She typically ended her stories with, “I’m going to put that in my book.” Encouraged by her children, who had grown up loving these tales, she began writing them down at the age of 90. Her book, Stumbling Blocks Were Stepping Stones in Appalachia, was published six years later in 1996.

Stinson writes the stories as she told them, giving readers a picture of true mountain life.  She shares the stories of her childhood in Cedar Mountain and the stories of her ancestors. She was a descendant of Solomon Jones on her father’s side and Hugh McCrary on her mother’s side.  Readers will come away appreciating a different time and lifestyle.  The book can be checked out at the Transylvania County Library.

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.

'Mountain Doctor" Is The Story Of Dr. Gaine Cannon, His Medical Work And Reverence For Life

Dr. Cannon often used short wave radio to communicate
in the remote areas of the county, 1961.

Mountain Doctor by LeGette Blythe is the biography of Dr. Gaine Cannon and his work to provide medical care for the people of the more isolated areas of Transylvania and Jackson counties in the mid-1900s.

Cannon was born in Rosman and raised in Pickens, South Carolina.  His father, Dr. James Cannon was a physician in Pickens but often returned to Rosman to provided medical care for the people in the western part of Transylvania County.

Dr. Cannon preparing medication in the hospital pharmacy, 1961.

Blythe briefly covers the years of Cannon’s youth, his education, time in the Army and early private practice.  As a young man, Cannon came to be a great admirer of Dr. Albert Schweitzer.  He had stumbled onto an article about Schweitzer’s work in Africa during a time when he was questioning his personal religious beliefs.  This led to a lifelong study of Schweitzer and a shared philosophy for life that would affect Cannon and his patients.

Years later, when Cannon’s hectic life demanded he slow down he came home to the mountains to recuperate—“to think and ponder, to consider nature and man and God, the attributes of each, the role of each in the grand scheme of existence.” 

Dr. Cannon and a nurse inside the obstetrics ward at the
Albert Schweitzer Hospital complex in Balsam Grove, 1961.

But when the local people learned that a doctor was living nearby and flocked to his little cabin Cannon immediately returned to work.  He soon had a busier schedule than ever. Cannon stated, “My office hours are day and night throughout the week.” He served the people around Balsam Grove no matter what time they arrived at his door or called and never turned away a patient who was unable to pay.  He believed that by caring for those with limited access to medical care he was, in a small way, following Schweitzer’s model for the reverence of life.

Blythe tells of Cannon’s compassion, dedication and respect for the people of the Balsam Grove area and their love, support and respect for Doc Cannon and his dream of building a hospital in their community.

Mountain Doctor was published in 1964, two years before Gaine Cannon’s death.  Copies of the book are available at the Transylvania County Library.

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.

'Voices of Our Mountain Kin' Features Family Stories That Reveal Details of Everyday Life

Over the next several weeks Picturing the Past will be featuring books about the people and places that make up Transylvania County’s history.

Voices of Our Mountain Kin shares the stories of the ancestors of members of the email group, MountainKin and was edited by Jerry Owen, Linda Anders and Pamela Yarborough.  The first volume, published in 2006, contains contributions from descendants of families who settled in the upper part of what is today Transylvania County. 

While many of the stories focus on the Owen family, other longtime mountain families are also featured.  The stories stretch beyond the boundaries of Transylvania County throughout Western North Carolina, upstate South Carolina and northeast Georgia.

Owen family reunion at the Jesse Owen home place in September 1939.

Many of the stories have been passed down through families from generation to generation.  As Jerry Owen explains, these family traditions occasionally become altered through retelling.  Owen and his brother chose to research the details of their family stories to paint as accurate of a history as possible.  Owen sites an example were research led to a shift in who the family moonshiner was and even whether or not it was a legal operation.

The book also includes Civil War letters and memories, remedies for ailments, stories of everyday life and even a few ghostly happenings.

One humorous story tells of a prank Rufus Owen and his son played on a neighbor at dusk one evening.  Owen attached a wire to the neighbor’s porch post and stretched it tight to a nearby hiding place.  When his son plucked the wire it produced an eerie sound.  The man came to the porch to investigate but in the near dark was unable to see anything unusual.  The trick was repeated several times until the man no longer came to the door.  When Owen paid a visit later that evening the man shared that they had been hearing noises that they attributed to a ghost.  Owen didn’t divulge the true cause of the mysterious sounds.

These brief tales and those in a second volume, published in 2009, make for a quick and enjoyable read.  Both are available to be checked out at the Transylvania County Library or for browsing in the Local History Room at the Library.

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.