The Davis Family Line in Transylvania County

 

Lewis Summey’s mill at the top of Connestee Falls built just after the Civil War

The Davis family line in Transylvania County began with David Davis, a Welsh immigrant who invested heavily in land and settled in Mecklenburg County. Shortly after only child Samuel was born in 1755, the Davis family moved to Transylvania County on farmland near the conjunction of the Davidson and French Broad Rivers. Samuel grew to become one of the earliest Presbyterian ministers in the area after attending seminary at what is now Princeton College and served the Davidson River Presbyterian Church until he reached 70 and retired. 

His son Ethan Allen Davis (1798-1876) settled in the Dunn’s Rock area and raised a family there with his wife Elizabeth. Ethan later went on to own a mill and serve as postmaster for Dunn’s Rock. One story tells of how Ethan kept a “pet” black snake in the mill for pest control, which was even trained to perform tricks for the amusement of his patrons until a disgruntled neighbor shot and killed it. The mill was sold when he and Elizabeth reached advanced years. 

Framed portrait of Lewis Patton Summey and Maria Carolina Davis

They lived for a time with daughter Maria Carolina Davis (1844-1927), pictured here with her husband Lewis Patton Summey. Mill ownership appealed to Lewis as well, and he built a mill at the top of Connestee Falls in an unusual configuration which included an undershot wheel. Maria, Lewis, and all six of their children (Laura Lee, Virginia Belle, Sarah Marie Anna, Otto Vance, Bessie Mae, and Lula Maude) are laid to rest in the Oak Grove Cemetery in Brevard, NC. Many of their descendants live in Transylvania County today.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. This article was written by Local History Librarian Laura Gardner. For more information, comments, or suggestions, contact NC Room staff at ncroom@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-1820.

Ostrich Races in Downtown Brevard

The ostrich races were advertised beforehand

In July of 1935, the streets of downtown Brevard became the site for ostrich races by the Katharine Reid Ostrich Troupe. Six ostriches were on display the day before and the day of the race for curious spectators, many of whom had never seen an ostrich before. Riders were both men and women sporting bright orange jockey uniforms. Brevard merchants sponsored the event, including B & B Feed and Seed Store, which supplied food for the ostriches and was the starting locale for the races, which ended at the Fire Station on Main Street.

A large crowd came out to witness the races

They were observed to be very fast and powerful birds, reported as being capable of running up to 35 miles per hour. When the races started, one ostrich careened into a Ford Model T coupe, denting it badly. The bird was injured and unable to race anymore that day. The rider was unharmed. The event boosted attention for the downtown businesses and was an unusual and welcome diversion for residents.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. This article was written by Local History Librarian Laura Gardner. For more information, comments, or suggestions, contact NC Room staff at ncroom @transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-1820.

The John Duckworth House

 

The John Duckworth House

South Caldwell Street in Brevard is the site for the most prominent example of Queen Anne style architecture in Transylvania County. The John Duckworth House, built in 1905 by a prominent businessman and local real estate agent, highlights many distinctive features of the architectural style popular from 1880-1910. Asymmetry, a (near) wrap-around porch, numerous gables, and a turret all show elements of the Queen Anne style. Ornate details were also characteristic of this style, which can be seen in the wood trim that ends in finials on the corners of the porch. The variety of textures and materials used on the façade, such as the German siding covering the first two floors and the decorative scallop and diamond-shaped wood shingles that cover the attic and front tower, are also a hallmark of the Queen Anne style.

The John Duckworth House's Center Hall and Stairs

This special style, which was popularized by Queen Victoria, harkens back to English architecture of the early 1700s. Inside, the John Duckworth House has plaster walls with vertical panel wainscoting and molded plate-rail, chair-rail, and baseboards. On the fireplaces are fancy stock mantels with beveled glass mirrors and carved overmantels with glazed tile facings. The door and window surrounds are molded, with bullseye corner blocks, and the stairs are embellished with an ornate turned-spindle balustrade and carved newel. All these picturesque interior and exterior features give Queen Anne homes that classic storybook quality.

A note about the John Duckworth House in the Transylvania Times, Sept. 23, 1904

John Duckworth, a native of Brevard and one time owner of Duckworth Drug Co. at the location of what is O.P. Taylor’s today (formerly Long’s Drug), supervised the building of this house for himself. He later lost it through a mortgage foreclosure, and the house went on to be owned by the Franklin family, who made several changes, including the addition of a north room and opening the center hall behind the front stairs. Mary Sue Thorne, who at times kept boarders, owned the home from 1946 until 1995. Over one hundred years later, this large, lovely Victorian frame house is still unquestionably one of the finest in Brevard.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. This article was co-written by Anne-Monique Ransdell and Laura Gardner. 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 NC Room staff at ncroom@transylvaniacounty.org or call (828) 884-1820.

Will Chappell of the "Auger Hole"

Will Chappell, Mountain Fiddler

Born on December 25, 1849 in Pickens, SC, William Martin Chappell was a longtime resident of the “Auger Hole” area of Transylvania county near the upper portion of what is now Lake Jocassee. Will married Evelyn Patterson and had nine children. Will owned property in Oconee, Pickens, and Transylvania counties, but chose to live and raise a family in Transylvania County. He was a farmer, growing corn, beans, squash, and pumpkins in the rich bottomland along the Horsepasture and Toxaway rivers that spans the North Carolina and South Carolina border.

Like many families at the time, the Chappells found multiple ways to sustain themselves and create income, such as maintaining bee gums for honey, milling molasses, raising hogs, and producing corn liquor. Eking out a living was already hard enough when the 1916 flood that broke the Toxaway dam hit the Chappell family land, causing severe damage to their crops, fields, and fishing access. Will Chappell successfully sued the Toxaway Company for damages and received $500, which would be equivalent to over $12,000 today.

Known to friends as “Fiddler Bill”, Will was an accomplished fiddle player and often won competitions. He was in great demand to play dances and, according to sources, could play all night without ever repeating a song. He started out playing a gourd fiddle, but eventually bought himself a Stradivarius.

As the Chappell children grew, they moved away to live on farms of their own. Much of what was once their land was put under water with the creation of Lake Jocassee or has become part of Gorges State Park. Will Chappell died shortly after reaching 99 years of age on January 23, 1949 and is buried in the Old Toxaway Baptist Church Cemetery.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. This article was written by Local History Librarian Laura Gardner. For more information, comments, or suggestions, contact NC Room staff at ncroom@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-1820.

The First Baby Contest of 1972

Ad from the December 20, 1971 Transylvania Times describing prizes for the first baby born in 1972.

In 1972 a partnership of local businesses including the Transylvania Times sponsored a “First Baby Contest”. An ad ran in late December 1971 describing an array of prizes for the first baby born in the new year. 

Photo from the January 6, 1972 Transylvania Times featuring the first baby of the year,
Walter Kimsey with his mother and doctor.

A subsequent issue shows the winner of the “contest” – Walter Franklin Kimsey – along with his mother and the attending physician. The contest gives us a glimpse of which businesses were operating in 1972, the cost of things, and perceived notions of what was useful to new parents, in addition to being a charming piece of nostalgia.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. This article was written by Local History Librarian Laura Gardner. For more information, comments, or suggestions, contact NC Room staff at ncroom@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-1820.