Rearing White-Tailed Deer In Pisgah Forest

The Cherokee lived in harmony with wildlife and nature in the mountains and foothills for centuries.  However, as European traders and settlers came into the area overhunting for meat, fur and hides led to a decrease in the number of game animals.

By the early 1900s the white-tail deer population had declined to the point of concern.  George Vanderbilt undertook efforts to re-stock deer on his vast estate.  Then, following the creation of the Pisgah National Forest, a game preserve was established leading to a rebound in the number of deer in this relatively safe environment.

During the 1930s the herds were large enough that hunting was allowed in some years.  Deer were also captured and transported to others areas of North Carolina and surrounding states where white-tail deer had nearly disappeared. 

Two small fawns at the Fawn
Rearing Station.

A fawn rearing station was operated in the Pink Beds area of the Pisgah National Forest.  The Forest Service paid four dollars for each fawn, which was then hand-raised at the fawn farm. The fawns were cared for by Forest Service employees and CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) members.  They bottle fed the young deer every six hours around the clock.  Initially cow’s or goat’s milk was used but in 1937 they began using diluted canned evaporated milk which was richer and had a higher fat content.  The fawns also received doses of castor oil and vitamins as needed. 

Blankets were used to keep the youngest fawns warm on chilly nights.  Precautions were also taken not to frighten them with loud noises, such as automobiles.  As the fawns grew they were fed just twice a day, then taught to eat a grain mixture.  Finally they were placed in larger fenced areas to graze on their own.

In addition to the fawns, rangers would care for injured adult deer.  Both fawns and adult deer were shipped throughout the southeast to increase herds elsewhere. 

Albert Lyday, who was in charge of the Pisgah Forest Fawn
Rearing Station for several years, fills nursing bottles for
over 100 fawns four times a day.  Wayne Mathis with the CCC
places nipples on the bottles.

Data was also collected to study the habits of the white-tail deer and the diseases that affected them.  Fredrick J. Ruff’s 1937 study, “The Whitetail Deer of the Pisgah National Game Preserve” remains valuable in deer management today.

Newspaper and magazine articles, as well as news reels shared the story of the Pisgah Fawn Rearing Station across the country making it popular for tourists.  Hundreds of visitors received special permission to tour the fawn farm each year.

Budget cuts and the success of repopulating white-tail deer led to the program being phased out in the early 1940s. 

Fawns eagerly gather at feeding time.

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 NCRoom staff at ncroom@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-1820.

The Arrival Of The Paper Mill At Davidson River Site

On May 5, 1938 the front page of the Transylvania Times proclaimed, “Paper Plant To Locate On Davidson River Site.”  That plant was, of course, the Ecusta Corporation which provided employment for thousands of workers in the manufacture of cigarette and other fine papers over the next sixty plus years.

Before selecting the approximately 225 acre site along the Davidson River the company explored numerous locations throughout North Carolina and a few in Georgia and Virginia. 

R.J. Reynolds and other tobacco companies in North Carolina were strongly pushing Straus to locate the paper mill in the state.  Other considerations for Straus included an adequate supply of clean water in a protected watershed, location on a waterway large enough to insure against lawsuits from downstream property owners due to the discharge of untreated industrial waste, no objections to the odor produced by the manufacturing process and location on or near a rail line for delivery of raw materials.

Three locations in Transylvania County were looked at by J.E. Sirrine & Company of Greenville, SC who was hired to investigate sites for the paper mill.

Property on the West Fork of the French Broad River above its confluence with the North Fork was investigated.  This site, which would have required a dam on the North Fork to impound a sufficient amount of water and either piping waste to a point beyond the Rosman Tannery and providing clean water to the tannery, was deemed unsatisfactory.

A more appealing site was located in the valley downstream from Cascade Dam and Power Plant on the Little River.  It required building a spur from the main rail line and a piping water to the plant.  The plan was to purchase the power plant as well as property for the new paper mill.  At the time Duke Power Company purchased all of the power produced at Cascade and was willing to terminate their contract, which had 10-12 years remaining.  Mr. Picklesimer, owner of the dam and power plant, was also willing to sell or negotiate a long-term lease.  However, the condition of the plant necessitating costly repairs and updates along with other complications resulted in it being eliminated.

A site on the Davidson River downstream from the Pisgah National Forest was looked at and although it was included on a list of eight recommended sites dated July 7, 1937 this list seemed to change frequently.  The Davidson River site was not on an August 25, 1937 list of active sites that did include the Little River site.  By September 10, 1937 neither Transylvania County site made a list of four preferred sites.

This aerial view of Ecusta shows the fresh channel diversion
of the Davidson River north of the plant.  It also shows
Highway 64 along present day Deavor Rd. to the east of it 
current route.

In his book, Ecusta and the Legacy of Harry H. Straus, Brian Du Toit states, “Harry Straus had earlier passed by the Davidson River site without giving it much attention, but on a second visit on November 23, 1937 he was struck by the large flat open space, the proximity of the railroad, good paved roads giving access to Asheville, Hendersonville, Greenville and other large towns.  The presence of a college and good schools and a ready, eager workforce were also attractive.”

Once it was confirmed in early January 1938 that Hendersonville got its water from the South Fork Mills River and not from the Davidson River watershed Straus was ready to move forward quickly acquiring property along the Davidson River.  Less than two years later the Ecusta paper mill was operational.

Documents from J.E. Sirrine & Company summarizing the site investigations are available in the Local History Collection at the Transylvania County Library. 

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 NCRoom staff at ncroom@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-1820.

A Year Without Football At BHS? It's Happened Before

Football, from midget league to the NFL, is a Fall tradition all across America.  Fans gather at stadiums, parks, clubs, sports bars, restaurants and in their homes to cheer on “their” team. 

This year, 2020, is different though.  Restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic have led to cancelations, changes in schedules and limits on attendance.  The North Carolina High School Athletic Association announced in August that football would be played in the Spring, beginning in February. 

For Brevard High School this is just the second year there has not been Fall football since the first squad was organized in 1925.  According to the 1944 Brevard High yearbook, “One of the highlights at Brevard High School this year (1943-44) was the return of football to the gridiron.  For the past two years the pigskin has been put aside, chiefly because the Blue Devils could not find a coach.”

Despite this claim, the Transylvania Times reported on games played during the Fall of 1941.  Head Coach Cox and Assistant Coach Middleton led an inexperienced team to a 5-5 record, finishing the season with a 39-0 defeat of Franklin in the Thanksgiving Day match-up at home. 

In 1942 the “Brevard High School News” column in the Transylvania Times announced that there would not be an athletic program that year.  It stated, “Mr. Middleton would have been coach, but Uncle Sam seemed to have more to say about that than Mr. Kimzey, so he is now in the army.”

1943 Brevard High football team. 
Photo from the 1944 Brevardier.

Then Slim Bullock, an Ecusta employee, volunteered to coach the Blue Devils in 1943.  The team was winless in six games during Bullock’s first year but improved to a 5-4 record in 1944.  During his final season, they won eight games and lost just four, finishing with a 6-2 victory over Brevard College on Thanksgiving Day. 

During Bullock’s tenure as head coach the Brevard Athletic and Recreation Association was established.  Their goal was to improve the athletic fields at Brevard High and Brevard College.  One of their first accomplishments was to install lights for night games at Brevard High School.  

The team played their first home, night game on October 5, 1945.  Approximately 500 people attended and cheered the Blue Devils to a victory despite a cold and rainy night.  Three weeks later, over 2000 fans came out for the second game under the lights.  Brevard lost that match against Hendersonville High by a score of 20-12. 

Raymond “Slim” Bullock came to Brevard in 1939 with the original construction of the Ecusta Plant. Following his stint as coach, Bullock continued to support the Blue Devils through the Athletic Association.

Rosman High School has fielded a football team every Fall since its first season in 1959. Bill Cathey was the Tigers’ first head coach.  He led the team to a 52-39-7 record over the course of ten years. 

Although the local high school football season will look different this year local fans are sure to cheer on “their” team whenever they play. 

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 NCRoom staff at ncroom@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-1820.

Davidson River Day; Held At Walnut Grove Preaching Point

For several decades the first Sunday in October was designated as Davidson River Day—a day of remembrance of the heritage of Davidson River Presbyterian Church and Davidson River Academy, as well as the daughter churches in Mills River (established in 1859) and Brevard (established in 1891), and a day to celebrate the future.

On October 7, 1923 the Honorable Robert L. Gash gave an address proclaiming the significance and history of Davidson River Day to those in attendance.  According to Gash, “In the late seventeen-nineties, this grove was known as Walnut Grove Preaching Point.” Located along the Davidson River not far from the home of Benjamin Davidson, the first permanent settlers in the area following the Revolutionary War gathered for services led by traveling preachers of various denominations.

In 1826 Benjamin Davidson deeded the grove to trustees appointed to build a “free meeting house” used by Presbyterians, Methodists and Baptists.  From this beginning, the Davidson River Presbyterian Church with twenty-eight original members was constructed in 1828. 

The 1891 Davidson River Presbyterian church in the 
walnut grove.

By 1855 there was a need for a larger building to serve as a church and school.  The school, Davidson River Academy, offered a mid-level education in the areas of classics and elementary reading, writing and algebra.  It had already been in existence for three decades and would operate for an additional 40 years.            

This new building, the second to serve the Davidson River community, burned in 1891. Gash states, “At that time the trustees of the church conveyed to the school committee the site of the present school house; and in rebuilding, they built only a church, although they permit the school to use the grove as a playground. 

The 1924 Sanborn map shows the school and church located on the east side of Davidson River Road, north of the rail line into Pisgah Forest.

This circa 1915 photo shows the "present school house" at
Davidson River that Gash referred to in his 1923 address.

After Davidson River Presbyterian and Brevard Presbyterian merged during the Great Depression, services were moved to the Brevard church, located on Probart Street.  Throughout the 1930s and early 1940s the congregation continued to celebrate Davidson River Day at the old Davidson River Presbyterian grounds each October.  It was attended by hundreds from near and far. 

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 NCRoom staff at ncroom@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-1820.