Goat Cart Photos Income Idea for Photographers

After coming across old photographs of children in small wood carts pulled by a goat Kim Anderson and Ian Dunn with the Special Collection Section of the State Archives of North Carolina decided to investigate the story behind the photos.  What they discovered was an innovative way for travelling photographers to capture a community's attention and hopefully make a profit during hard times.

Kim explained on the State Archives of North Carolina blog, "History For All the People" posted March 9, 2018.

"A goat cart was typically like a magnet to children in any town, and at the instigation of the photographer, the curious children would be invited to approach the spectacle coming down the street and pose in the little cart – with or without parental permission or oversight.  And the photographer would snap picture after picture as delighted children took turns in the cart, squealing with delight, and drawing the attention of more and more children and adults.  The carts were often colorfully decorated, and many were numbered on their sides as if they were part of a fleet.  Each cart usually had a plaque on the front as well with the year and often the name of the town painted on it, thus making a photo of a child in such a cart an instant precious keepsake.  The simple genius of appealing to the universal instincts of children who love cute furry animals and rides, and preying on the sentimentality of parents to indulge their children and want pictures of their children, especially when they are doing something adorable, guaranteed the goat cart racket to be a nearly fool-proof revenue generator for photographers through the 1930s." 

Claud, Bill, Fred, Paul and Tom Stroup with their goat cart.
The boys were born between March 1902 and January 1910
dating the photo to the mid-1910s.

But before goat cart photography was a thing, one Transylvania County family put a goat cart to work in a different way.  Zeb Stroup was the Rosman town marshal.  Stroup and his wife, Minnie also operated a restaurant in town.  The popularity of their Friday fish specials led to another business.  They purchased extra fresh fish by order.  The fish was packed in ice for customers to pick up or for 25 cents the Stroup boys would deliver it using their goat cart.

 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.

Club Promoted a Community Alive With Music

The Brevard Music Lovers’ Club was organized in November 1922.   The first meeting, hosted by Mrs. O.L. Erwin, included a discussion of music history and the election of club officers.  Miss Ellen Pike was named president, with Miss Elisabeth Godfrey, vice-president and Mrs. Mary Jane Walker, secretary.

Mary Jane Walker (later McCrary), pictured on the right, with a friend at
the Transylvania County court house fountain, was an original member of
the Brevard Music Lovers' Club.

The group, whose main purpose was the study of classical music by the masters of the past and present, held monthly meetings at the homes of members.  They also sponsored community music events.  The first activity was a community sing-a-long of carols and hymns December 23, 1922 hold on the courthouse lawn.

In honor of the first National Music Week, held in 1924, the club presented music books to Brevard High School and Brevard Institute.  Four years later they organized and sponsored a Junior Music Lovers’ Club at Brevard High School.

In addition, they sponsored a Lyceum course held over a several weeks in Brevard for many years and were the sponsor of local talent on Brevard Night on Asheville radio station, WWNC in 1928.

Other projects through the years included presenting special music in the churches and schools and a donation of records to the elementary school to build music appreciate and aid students in preparing for the state wide Music Memory contest. 

In later years they established a music scholarship fund and sponsored local students at Brevard Music Camp and Brevard College.

The inspiration for the Brevard Music Lovers’ Club, which existed for at least 60 years, came from Mrs. Louise Simons.  Mrs. Simons was a noted musician and music teacher from New York who lived in Brevard for many years.  She was an honorary member of the club.

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.

WWNC Radio Hosted Brevard In 1927

WWNC hosted Brevard’s first night on the air on Thursday, May 19, 1927 in their Asheville radio studio.  The hour long program sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce was comprised of local musical talent and two addresses about Transylvania County.

Misses Adelaide and Dorothy Silversteen, accompanied by Miss Marguerite Robertson on the piano, led off the program with a duet of Frederic Knight Logan’s “Hush-A-Bye, Ma Baby.”  Calls immediately came into the station requesting they sing again, which they did later in the evening.

Adelaide Sivlersteen

Dorothy Silversteen

They were followed by a violin solo, “A Hungarian Dance” composed and played by Mr. A.B. Carter, a noted musician who resided in Brevard for many years.  Miss Elizabeth Hanaman also played a violin solo.  A duet by the two violinists was on the program as well.

Former Brevard Mayor, William E. Breese urged listeners to visit Transylvania County and enjoy its wondrous beauty.  Letters from as far away as Florida stated, “The program was distinct in their cities and people were keenly interested in the things he (Breese) said about Brevard, the Beautiful.”

The second address was presented by Brevard News editor, James F. Barrett on a vital piece of attracting tourists to the county, “Good Roads in Transylvania.”

Additional musical numbers were presented by Mrs. Mary Jane Walker and by both men’s and ladies' quartets.  Mrs. Walker sang, “Can’t You Hear Me Calling, Carolina” composed by Caro Roma with lyrics by William Henry Gardner.  She was accompanied by pianist, Miss Marguerite Robertson.  Ray Lyon, Walter Duckworth, Dr. Carl Hardin, J.O. Barrett made up the men’s quartet.  The ladies' quartet, consisting of Miss Helen James, Mrs. Mollie Allison, Mrs. Dorothy Kizer and Mrs. Elsie King, shared “Medley From the South” by H.H. Pike.

Telephone calls and telegraph messages from local folks and people throughout the listening area from Nashville, Tennessee to South Carolina poured into the station with praise for all.  The ladies' quartet in particular received a large amount of flattering feedback from listeners and were asked for an encore.

Brevard musicians were featured on WWNC again on February 16, 1928.

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.

'Cyclone Mack' Traveled Widely Preaching to Thousands

Baxter Franklin "Cyclone Mack" McLendon

Baxter Franklin McLendon was born into a poor tenant farming family in South Carolina in 1879.  He received little formal education as a child but was introduced to religion through a traveling evangelist and believed he was destined to become a preacher.  However, as a young man, he was also a heavy drinker, involved in bootlegging, cockfighting, gambling and other illegal activities.  He even shot another man in anger.

Around 1907 an inebriated McLendon attended one of the popular tent revivals of the early nineteenth century.  From this experience he was converted and attended seminary.  As a traditional preacher McLendon was largely unsuccessful though.

Advertisement for the upcoming visit of "Cyclone
Mack" to Brevard from the June 10, 1921 issue of
the Brevard News.

It was not until 1920 when he began holding tent revivals in North Carolina that his reputation as a fiery evangelist was established.  Soon he would be known as "Cyclone Mack" and traveled widely preaching to thousands.

His first visit to Transylvania County was June 20, 1921 when he spoke to a large crowd from the courthouse band stand.  Families were asked to bring baskets of food for a community picnic prior to the event.  Following McLendon’s hour long sermon there was a baseball game between Brevard and Asheville, with the home team winning by a score of 4 to 2.

On July 4, 1926 Cyclone Mack preached two services at Brevard High School.  He was accompanied by a choir with members from local churches.  He returned to speak at the Woodmen of the World convention in Brevard on May 5, 1927.

His final appearance in Brevard was a month long tent revival beginning on August 7, 1927.  McLendon’s team setup a tent with seating for 3000 on the corner of Broad and Jordan.  “The McLendon Evangelistic Party” included Choir Director, J. H. Jones and his wife, who worked with the ladies and girls in the choir; B.D. Ackley, Musical Director and pianist; and Business Manager, S.W. Eadon.

McLendon preached two or three times most days, drawing over 5000 people on at least one occasion.  The revival continued through September 5 when he moved to Rosman for two additional weeks.  Numerous accounts of Cyclone Mack’s six-week revival meeting in Transylvania County were published in the Brevard News during August and September 1927 and can be found on DigitalNC.org. 

Cyclone Mack was described in a North Carolina Historical Review article from July 1971 as a “big blustery, self-willed, sometimes bullying person who confined his belligerency (after his conversion) to evangelism and politics.”  In addition to being an evangelical preacher, McLendon preached Americanism and had a following of Ku Klux Klan members.  He died of a heart attack at his home in Bennettsville, SC on July 22, 1935.

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.