Monday, November 26, 2018

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.

Monday, November 19, 2018

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.


Monday, November 12, 2018

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.

Monday, November 5, 2018

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 328th 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.