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.