A Birthday Party At The Franklin To Remember

Some of the photographs in the North Carolina Room Collection at the Transylvania County Library have little information to identify the people, event or location.  Such was the case for today’s feature photo labeled “At the Franklin July 1, 1905” in the lower right corner.  At a much later date someone had written this information, plus “Photo by Scadin” beneath the image. 

While searching the Sylvan Valley News for unrelated information an article titled, “Mother Goose Birthday Party” was discovered.  It was obvious this explained the “At the Franklin” photo of a group of children dressed in costume.  The article also names the photographer, Hiram Glover of Brevard rather than his friend and fellow photographer, Henry Scadin from Sapphire.

Below is the complete article from the July 14, 1905 edition of the Sylvan Valley News.

The Mother Goose party given by Master Joe Morton at the Franklin hotel on Saturday afternoon to celebrate his sixth anniversary was in every way a most enjoyable affair, marred only by the threatening storm, which hurried the little ones home earlier than was intended.

Promptly at 4 pm as per the invitation, Little Boy Blue blew his horn as a welcome to his guests and Mother Goose received each member of her family whose numbers rapidly increased.  After a series of merry games the party repaired to the porch where the table was spread.  In the centre was a perfect meadow on which the sheep and lambs gamboled merrily, while in a corner was a pond and the pen with the cows in the corn, proved how fully each detail had been carried out. After partaking of the delicious refreshments the crowd was grouped and a picture taken by photographer Glover. 

Joe Morton,"Little Boy Blue" and his party guests. 
Photo by Hiram Glover.

The following is a list of the guests and the character they represented: Ruth Genkenger, Mother Goose; Lillian Genkenger and Andrew Orr, Wheelbarrow Pair; Goode Cheatham, Old King Cole; Banks Withers, Jack Sprat; Sarah Falls, Nancy Etticoat; Marian Falls, Betsy Brooks; Frances Campbel, Mother Hubbard; Rubin Cornal, Queen of Hearts; Margerie Breese, Bo Peep; William Breese, Bobbie Schafter; Liza and William Wallis, Jack and Jill; Josephine DeVane, Mary and her Lamb; Ruth Moore, Miss Moffett; Felix Brunot, Doctor Foster; Hilary Brunot, Crooked Man; Frank Morton, Tom Tom Piper; Joe Morton, Boy Blue; Irene McMinn, Curly Locks; Sarah Burrowes, Mary Quite Contrary; Edith Burrowes, Daffel Down Dilly.

Following is the invitation extended:

Won’t you come to my Birthday Party

All the children will be there,

We’ll hunt pipes and blow soap bubbles

Mother says she doesn’t care.

Mother Goose will also come

To meet her large family, of which you are one,

So please dress as her children do

And a hearty welcome she will give to you.

Little Boy Blue will blow his horn

July 1^st on The Franklin lawn,

Four o’clock is the hour to come

And I am sure we’ll have lots of fun.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. For more information, comments, or suggestions contact Marcy at marcy.thompson@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-1820.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps: Not Just Tools, But Vivid Links To The Past

Beginning in the mid-19^th century fire insurance companies in the United States used detailed maps to determine liability risks.  The Sanborn Map Company quickly became the leader in the field and by 1916 were the only company producing fire insurance maps.

Properties and businesses in thousands of communities across America were documented.  The maps included streets, sidewalks, water and gas lines, fire hydrants, railroads and waterways.  Property boundaries and building footprints were laid out on the maps.  A key helped identify materials used in the building construction, doorways, windows, fire walls and automatic sprinklers.  There was also a description of water facilities and the fire department.

The specific use of buildings, such as bank, church, grocery or domestic (private home) was often identified.  In some cases public buildings, like the Aethelwold Hotel in downtown Brevard and Spencer Hall at Brevard Institute were labeled.

Each large (21 by 25 inches) color lithographed sheet covered four to six blocks.  New editions of the maps were created and printed on irregular schedules depending on growth rates.  Updates were added as correction slips between editions by a paster, who literally pasted the correction slip on top of the most recent edition.

Changes in the insurance business led to a reduced need for fire insurance maps and by the mid-1960s they were no longer being produced.  Today, the historic maps are useful for researchers looking at community development and decline. 

They also aid in dating buildings. The 1911 Brevard maps show a small wood-frame structure labeled Fire Dept. just west of the courthouse, in the middle of what is today Broad Street.  A fire bell stand is beside it.  The building remains on the 1916 but the bell stand is gone and another wood-frame structure, marked Street Dept. Machinery Storage has been constructed.  Both buildings are metal clad by this time.  By 1924 there is a third building of brick.  It is labeled A, for auto house (garage). 

This portion of the 1924 Brevard Sanborn Map shows
Broad St. from Jordan to Probart.

The January 1931 map shows N. Broadway (Broad) as a thru street.  The City Hall and Fire Dept. are located on the north side of West Main, midway between Caldwell and England streets.  The final Sanborn Map for Brevard, which is an update rather than a new edition, shows that City Hall and the Fire Dept. have relocated again.  This September 1945 map places them on the south side of the same block of West Main.

Although the Sanborn Maps are labeled Brevard, Transylvania County they extend beyond the business district and a larger area is covered in each edition.  Most include the Railroad Avenue area, the Brevard Institute (Brevard College) campus, Transylvania Tanning south of Brevard, the area around Carr Lumber in Pisgah Forest and all of Rosman.

A fragile, original copy of the 1924 edition for Brevard is available in the Local History Room at the Transylvania County Library.  Black and white copies of all editions are can be accessed at www.nclive.org and color editions of the three earliest Brevard editions are available at www.loc.gov/collections/sanborn-maps/.  Detailed guides to reading and using Sanborn Maps are also available online.

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.

Moonlight Schools Held At Rosman In Late 1914

The illiteracy rate among adults in North Carolina was significantly higher than the national average during the early 20^th century.  According to the Bureau of the Census the national percentage of adult illiteracy was 11.3 percent in 1900.  In North Carolina illiteracy was 30.1 percent.

It was fairly common for children to receive limited formal schooling prior to 1900.  Schools often operated for six or eight week sessions, scheduled around planting and harvesting or based on availability of teachers.  Many students in rural areas were too far from a school to attend regularly.  In addition, parents frequently needed older children at home to help support the family in various ways.

During the second decade of the 1900s programs were established throughout the state to provide education for adults who had received limited schooling.  They were instructed in reading, writing and basic arithmetic using materials of interest to them such as newspapers, letters and the Bible.  Participants were also taught skills like household management, including finance, nutrition and first aid.  The goal was to meet the needs of those attending.

These night schools, sometimes referred to as moonlight schools, were held sporadically in Transylvania County.   The first mention of night classes in the county was in late 1914, taught by faculty at the Rosman School.

Traditional students at the old Shoal Creek School.  Teachers
were Janie Gillespie, Janie Matthews and Jessie Matthews. 
Photo courtesy: BalsamGrove Community Center
and Bernice Powell.

In January and February 1915 Miss Fay Moses operated a moonlight school at Shoal Creek three nights a week.  She reported that many of her students worked 10-hour days in a logging camp and then walked three miles over the mountain to attend classes from 7:30-9:30 pm.  The closing program for the session included a short program from the children of the day school and a play by the night school students.

Prof. W.L. Carmicheal reportedly taught moonlight school classes at the Rosman School in 1919.

In the 1920s several women’s clubs worked together to expand educational opportunities by supporting a community night school for adult education classes at Brevard High.  During the Fall 1926 session, Miss Mary L. Butler, Blantyre School Principal, was the head teacher at the Brevard moonlight school.  Mrs. Kathron White and Mrs. Nancy Neel were assistant teachers.  Classes were held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings for six weeks.

Rosenwald School Principal J.M. Harris organized a night school for members of the African American community in 1931.  Harris and Mrs. Ethel K. Mills taught reading, writing and the fundamentals of arithmetic, history and geography.  The school operated two nights a week and was very successful.  State Inspector of High Schools, J. Henry Highsmith commended the Rosenwald Night School for its work.

Although illiteracy rates across North Carolina had dropped to 11.5 percent of those over 15 years of age by 1930 it was still well above the national rate of 4.8 percent.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. For more information, comments, or suggestions contact Marcy at marcy.thompson@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-1820.

The Blue Ridge Parkway Was Planned To Help Put Americans Back To Work

The Blue Ridge Parkway, originally called the Appalachian Scenic Highway, was planned as part of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal program to help put Americans back to work during the Great Depression.  Construction began in the fall of 1935 near the Cumberland Gap in Alleghany County, NC. 

Initially the work was carried out by private contractors, as well as several public works agencies, including the WPA (Works Progress Administration), ERA (Emergency Relief Administration) and CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps), under the guidance of the federal public work administration.

In May 1937 the exact route of the southern section of the Parkway from Asheville to the Great Smoky Mountains Park was still being discussed.  Alternate routes were being considered to reduce construction costs and to work with the Cherokee Indian Tribal Council regarding the route through their lands.

One proposal took the Parkway south from Mount Pisgah through the French Broad Valley to Brevard before heading west to Sylva and Bryson City.  Some in Transylvania County thought this would be beneficial by bringing more people and tourism dollars through the heart of the county.

However, because that route was much longer and therefore less likely to be selected, local officials advocated for the original route along the crest of the mountains.  The Wilderness Society opposed this mountain top route as it would cross through an area that should be protected.

In August 1937 officials announced they would stick with the original route, providing the best scenic views.  There was a brief discussion about re-routing the Parkway closer to Mount Toxaway but again it was decided to stay with the original route.

The section from Wagon Road Gap to Balsam Gap was selected as the first part of the Parkway south of Asheville to be constructed because it would link two existing roads in Transylvania and Haywood counties.  This ensured there would be no dead end links on the Parkway before all of its sections were completed.

At the same time Highway 284, (today Hwy. 276) through the Pisgah National Forest was being constructed.  It was open to the public in late 1938 and paved the following spring.  Funding for the expansion and upgrading of the Rosman-Sunburst Rd. (today Hwy. 215) was approved in July 1938, with work beginning soon after.

Although members of the Civilian Public Service program continued work on the Blue Ridge Parkway during World War II the project was much delayed.  At the start of the war the Transylvania-Haywood section consisted of about five miles of paved road and a few stone walls.  

An article in the March 1954 Ecusta Echo states that, “The stretch of the Parkway from Wagon Road Gap to Beech Gap, connecting with Sunburst Road, will be finished this year.”

Work began in 1940 on the 660-foot long Devil's Courthouse
tunnel,seen here from the north side.

From the Little Pisgah Tunnel at mile marker 406.9 to Beech Gap at mile marker 423.3 the Parkway runs basically along the Haywood and Transylvania county line, crossing back and forth occasionally.  There are three additional tunnels along that stretch of the road—Buck Springs Tunnel, Frying Pan Tunnel and Devil’s Courthouse Tunnel.

The Parkway stretches 469 miles from Rockfish Gap, Virginia to the intersection with Highway 441 just north of Cherokee, North Carolina.  With the exception of 7.7 miles near Grandfather Mountain the scenic road with completed in 1966.  The final stretch, which includes the Linn Cove Viaduct, was finished in 1987.

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.