WPA's 'Good News' Hangs in Library

In 1935 the W.P.A., Works Progress Administration, was established to provide jobs to millions of unemployed Americans during the Great Depression.  Most people are familiar with the many public works construction projects undertaken from building roads and bridges to the construction of public buildings such as post offices, schools and libraries.

A lesser known aspect of the W.P.A. is Federal Project Number One which offered work to thousands of artists, musicians, actors and writers through the Federal Art Project, Federal Music Project, Federal Theatre Project, Federal Writers’ Project and the Historical Records Survey.

The Federal Art Project established community art centers, created the Index of American Design documenting historically and culturally significant material, and commissioned over 200,000 pieces of art in the form of murals, posters, photography, sculpture and other formats.

Much of the commissioned artwork was created within municipal buildings and public spaces.  One example was Pietro Lazzari’s “Good News” mural commissioned for the newly opened Brevard Post Office, a Public Works Administration project, in 1941.  He was paid $750 for the work.

Lazzari was an Italian born and trained artist who immigrated to the United States in 1926 and became a citizen three years later.  Over a long career he became well-known for a variety of paint media, as well as for sculptures.  His best known works are bronze busts of Pope Paul VI, Eleanor Roosevelt and Adlai Stevenson.

Elizabeth Kapp Tyson, library director from 1944 until 1983, helped ensure
that Brevard's "Good News" would be preserved for future generations.

“Good News” is a glazed tempera paint mural, reminiscent of a fresco and depicts rural mail delivery. The scene shows three farmers discussing the sale of a calf, a postman distributing letters and a disinterested child chasing a duck.

After the Brevard Post Office moved to its current location in 1972 the Broad Street building was renovated for the Transylvania County Library.  When the ceiling was lower the mural had to be moved from its original place above the post master’s office door, just inside the front entrance.  For many years it was located in the reference area where it would not be exposed to direct sunlight.

"Good News" hung in the reference area of the library to prevent exposure to direct sunlight.

When the library relocated to 212 S. Gaston St. in 2006 a frame matching the building’s woodwork was added to the painting.  It hangs in the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room on the second floor where conditions help preserve it.

Over a period of nearly 80 years much of the Federal Art Project work has been lost.  In recent years there has been a renewed interested in these works and their history.

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.

Focus African American Sites in County

This week’s Picturing the Past article completes a series on the 2019 survey of African American heritage resources in Transylvania County by looking at sites outside of Brevard.

Most, if not all, of the early African Americans in what is today Transylvania County came here as slaves.  Following the Civil War the African American population declined sharply from 450 in 1862 to 308 in 1870.  Nearly two-thirds of the African Americans were living in Brevard or the Boyd Township (Pisgah Forest area) by 1870.  Others lived in the Catheys Creek, Dunns Rock and Little River areas.

There is only one structure remaining in the county that may have been used as slave quarters.  It does have some features dating from the ante-bellum period, however further research is needed to confirm its primary use and date of construction.

The New French Broad Baptist Church was constructed in 1962 but its
roots go back to services started shortly after emancipation.

African American communities on both sides of the French Broad River in Pisgah Forest continued to exist well into the 1900s.  There were African American churches and schools on both sides of the river, as well.  French Broad Baptist Church first began holding serves shortly after the Civil War.  Glade Creek Baptist Church was established from it in 1912 to accommodate a growing population on the north side of the river.  Both New French Broad Baptist and Glade Creek Baptist have active congregations today.

The French Broad School closed in the early 1930s but Glade Creek School continued to operate until 1948 when the new Rosenwald School was build and opened in Brevard.  The school building was then used as a community center for many years.

The Pritchard and Ollie Mae Gash house and the Moses and Gertrude Gash house, both in the Glade Creek community, are the oldest standing homes outside of Brevard connected to African American families.  They were both constructed within the first two decades of the 1900s. 

This saddlebag style house in Cedar Mountain has two rooms on either
side of a central stone chimney.  It was used as servants' quarters for
the Hanahan family.

In the Cedar Mountain area wealthy seasonal residents often brought African American domestic servants who worked as cooks, housekeepers and drivers with them for the summer.  The hotel at Caesar’s Head also employed seasonal African American workers.  Because segregated society continued to require African Americans live separately though servants’ quarters were typically small dwellings behind the main house.  

Social life was limited to occasional free moments or a night off.  A large rock outcropping near the store in Cedar Mountain served as a gather spot for African American domestic workers to visit with one another during these times.  L.C. Betsill stated that an old clubhouse was available to them on Thursday evenings for dances.  He said African Americans from town would sometimes attend as well. 

Information for this series of articles was taken from the final report of the survey of African American heritage related resources, “Walking Around the World: African American Landscapes and Experience in Transylvania County, NC” by Dr. Michael Ann Williams and Sydney Varajon.  The report, interviews and survey materials are available in the Local History 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.

African American Workers Constructed Buildings to Last

When Transylvania County undertook an architectural survey in 1990-1991 it included structures built from 1820-1941.  Only a small number of buildings within the African American communities of the county met the criteria at that time and nearly half of those are no longer standing today.

As stated in last week’s Picturing the Past article, a new survey was undertaken to identify the African American heritage related resources of Brevard and Transylvania County during 2019.  It included more of the county’s African American architecture dating from 1920 to 1975.  The new survey resulted in fifteen property updates from the previous study and the addition of 86 properties.

When Transylvania Tanning opened on the west side of Brevard in 1917 employment opportunities for African Americans greatly increased.  This led to growth in the Rosenwald community and its surrounding neighborhoods of Hemphill Circle, Duckworth Avenue, The Flats, Georgia Hill, Goose Hollow and others. 

Many of the homes in these communities were small when built and expanded over the years.  Typically of frame construction, brick or stone veneer was added to a number of the houses later.  The stone veneer is attributed to Fred Mills and other local stonemasons.

Despite losing an arm in an accident at the tannery, Fred Mills was a talented mason.  He was trained by the Wright brothers of Henderson County and worked on many major stone projects in Brevard including St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, the Brevard College Wall and the retaining wall at the Courthouse.

The Avery Benjamin House on West Land is described in the survey's
final report as featuring "a variety of masonry techniques, including a
diamond-shaped keystone and diagonally laid rock forming a lintel
above the window of the front projecting gable."

Mills also trained his neighbor, Avery Benjamin as a stonemason.  They used their skills on landscaping projects throughout the Rosenwald neighborhood.  There are numerous stone retaining walls, walkways, steps and at least one raised flowerbed that were built by Mills and Benjamin throughout the community today.

One of Mills early works, which no longer remains, was a stone water fountain on the grounds of the original Rosenwald School.  It served as a gathering place for the African American community.  Later he would build the retaining wall around the new Rosenwald School that is today the Morris Education Center.

The circa 1970 entry gate at the Rosenwald community's Silversteen Park
was likely one of Fred Mills last projects.

There were several other African Americans in Transylvania County who worked as stonemasons and bricklayers.  Many of the brick workers were trained in vocational classes such as those taught by Eddie Young at the Ninth Avenue School in Hendersonville.

Information for this article was taken from the survey’s final report, “Walking Around the World” by consultants Dr. Michael Ann Williams and Sydney Varajon.  The complete survey also includes a one-page “Historic Property Survey Summary” and exterior photographs for each property.  It is available in the Local History 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.

'Walking Around the World' Available at the Library

During 2019 a project was undertaken to survey the African American heritage related resources of Brevard and Transylvania County. 

Retired Western Kentucky University Folk Studies professor, Dr. Michael Ann Williams was hired as the project consultant.  Dr. Williams and doctoral student, Sydney Varajon included an oral history component with the project to enhance the traditional architectural survey. 

These conversational style personal interviews focused on everyday life, including issues of segregation and racism.  They created a sense of place by offering a view of the African American community as a whole rather than of individual buildings.

A common theme among all interviewees was the closeness of the community.  Several mentioned that even prior to phone service word would reach home before the child did if they misbehaved.  Morris Young referred to the “little red birds” who would quickly pass word of misdeeds.  But Young and the others agreed that one of the good things was that people looked out for each other and took care of one another.  They repeatedly stated how safe they felt within the community.

Interviewees reminisced about their school days, where each morning began with devotions, singing and the Pledge of Allegiance.  Several people talked about the high expectations of their teachers and the respect they demanded but all spoke favorably of their time at the Rosenwald School and the top quality education they received.

Before integration African American families had to send their high school age children away to school because there was not a high school for black students in Transylvania County.  Those interviewed attended Ninth Avenue in Hendersonville, boarding schools or someplace where they could stay with family. 

They also talked about their struggles after school integration.  One interviewee stated, “All we could do was go to school, behave, stay in our place.  Don’t cause any trouble.” One positive experience was the respect and equality Coach Brookshire showed everyone on Brevard High’s first integrated football team and expected them to share with each other.  Fifty years later players remained close to their coach.

The interviews and transcriptions are all available in the Local History Room at the Transylvania County Library.  The name of the report is “Walking Around the World”  which came from a story L.C. Betsill told about walking from the Greasy Corner area, up Cashiers Valley and around to the Pinnacle neighborhood (present day Brevard Music Center) on Sunday afternoons to visit the families who lived up there.  They referred to it as “walking around the world.”

The Blue Diamond, a 1960s nightclub, owned by "Joe" Samuel Mack and
Winona Whiteside, was one of the later businesses at Greasy Corner.
It served as a gathering place, offering entertainment and dances and is one
the few remaining business buildings in the community.

Greasy Corner was the hub of the community.  It was the center of African American commerce and entertainment in Brevard from the early to the mid-20^th century.  After the Community Center was organized it provided a place for gatherings, including events for children, youth and adults.  Several people shared stories of businesses and activities around that busy area.

Edith Darity summed it up with “the Rosenwald community has been alive and still is alive and well.”  Next week Picturing the Past will look at the architectural component of the project.

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.