'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.

'We Love America' Quilt on Display at Library

Following the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001 the 2^nd grade teachers at Brevard Elementary choose to undertake a social studies project to focus students on the good in America. 

Teachers Vicki Denton, Connie Mosser, Louise Stroup and Molly Tartt worked with their students to identify what made them proud of their country.  The students then selected and designed artwork representing American landmarks and events.

Quilter Elizabeth Lemon provided fabric blocks and markers for students to produce their images.  The 6x6 blocks portrayed America from its mountain majesties to its shining sea.  They featured symbols of the United States, such as the U.S. flag, the Statue of Liberty, the Liberty Bell and the bald eagle.  Native Americans, pilgrims, soldiers, explorers and astronauts were all depicted through the eyes of seven-and eight-year-olds.

Lemon then assembled the blocks using dark blue fabric with shooting stars of various colors for sashing and a wide border of red, white and blue U.S. flag material.  She finished the project by quilting around each block and with a flowing stitch on the border.

The “We Love America” quilt hung in the school library at Brevard Elementary for many years.  Recently the Waightstill Avery Chapter of the DAR borrowed the quilt to share with their members.  It is currently on display on the 2^nd floor 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.

"We Love America" quilt created by 2nd graders at Brevard Elementary School during the 2001-2002 school year.

Newspapers Provide a Unique View of the Past

Behind the scenes at The Transylvania Times, 1967

One of the most common requests in the Local History Room at the Transylvania County Library is for newspaper articles of past events.  The Library has microfilm of all available editions of the Sylvan Valley News, Brevard News, and Transylvania Times through 2015.  More recent issues of the Transylvania Times are available in hardcopy.

The difficulty in locating information arises when the exact date of the event or newspaper coverage is not known.  For the most part the newspapers are not indexed but there are a few strategies that can be used to assist in searches.

For newspapers prior to July 1940 the easiest means of access is through DigitalNC.org.  Included in the collection are Sylvan Valley News, 1903-1916; The Brevard News, 1917-1932 and The Transylvania Times, 1933-June 1940.  It should be noted that there are gaps in the collection though.

Sylvan Valley News, December 1, 1916

To learn exactly which issues are available each newspaper has a calendar for every year.  For example, in 1910 the Sylvan Valley News was published on Fridays and all issues are available.  In 1930 the Brevard News came out on Wednesdays, except for October 30^th, which was a Thursday.  There are also seven issues missing that year.

Advanced search options allow for keyword or phrase searches that can also be limited by newspaper and date.  As an example, a search for last week’s Picturing the Past article using the term “moonshine” included 23 results from the Sylvan Valley News, 48 from the Brevard News and 60 from the Transylvania Times.  Experimenting with a variety of search options and words will lead to different results.

The Brevard News, February 16, 1928

Currently newspapers after mid-1940 are not available digitally, so searching requires browsing through microfilm page by page. Therefore, it is helpful to narrow down the date range as much as possible. The Local History Room also has archival files that include clippings on businesses, organizations, people and major events that can often be used to provide a time frame for additional searches on microfilm. 

It should be noted that there are two large gaps in the Transylvania Times holdings from July 1940 through March 1941 and from mid-March through mid-September 1953.

The Transylvania Times, August 11, 1938

Complete runs of the Ecusta Echo, 1940-1954 and DuPont Fotofax, 1968-1988 are available on DigitalNC, as well.  And, Brevard College has made hundreds of issues of their student paper from 1933-2011 available through the same online resource.  A search of these company and student papers can sometimes narrow the date range or provide added information.

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.