Long History of Biking in the Mountains

 

Eugene C. Sawyer (2nd from left) and friends, July 4, 1895

There has been a long history of biking in the mountains of Transylvania County that goes well beyond that of the mountain biking that we think of today. Looking back, we can see examples of groups getting together for a social ride as early as the 1890s, such as this scene that is part of the NC Room collection depicting Eugene C. Sawyer and friends. The inscription on the back of the photo gives some information. The photo was taken on July 4^th, 1893 at Carrier Track (presumably in Asheville, as Eugene was a resident of Buncombe County). Sawyer’s half mile time is listed as 1:19 and stamped information indicates that A.B. Pope was the photographer for this staged, professional photo.

Although this image is more closely related to Buncombe County history, there is a connection to Transylvania County. Eugene Sawyer (2^nd from left) is a young man in his early twenties in the photo who went on to pioneer the introduction of automobiles in Asheville. Sawyer started out as a bicycle merchant with his shop, Asheville Cycle Co., located on Church Street. He was a mover and shaker in the popular bicycling scene and staged a bicycle parade with his bike in the lead sporting eighteen paper lanterns.

An innovative engineer, Sawyer designed a gasoline-powered car in 1900 and sold it to the son of President Rutherford B. Hayes. The success of this sale led him to abandon bicycles and convert his shop into an automobile showroom in 1907. The building still exists today on Coxe Avenue in Asheville as condominiums. Other well-known clientele included Tench C. Coxe of the Coxe family that later purchased land in what is now the Dupont State Forest area in Transylvania County.

Bikers outside Pisgah Tavern, 1942

The tradition of bike racing in the mountains lives on with events like the Assault on the Carolinas, a fundraiser for the Pisgah Forest Rotary Club now in its 21^st year. Riders flock from all over the world to this area, drawn by the ideal conditions for both trail and road riding.

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. This article was written by Laura Gardner, Local History Librarian. For more information, comments, or suggestions contact Laura at laura.gardner@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-1820.

How Many Stories Can One Picture Tell?

Hume Hotel ruins with James "Perry" Cantrell,
Hettie M. Raxter Cantrell, and Walter Cantrell

One of the greatest parts about looking into history is seeing old photographs and discovering the stories behind these images of the past. Within each picture, there are numerous pieces of history that one could discover, using these clues to embark on a journey of discovery. The image included in this week’s Picturing the Past led to three distinct stories of Transylvania history. 

The first story is of the Hume Hotel, also known by the names Rock Hotel, Dunn’s Rock Hotel, Stone Hotel, and Connestee Hotel. It was built on the land of Robert W. Hume, just off the Greenville Highway near where Mud Dabbers Pottery is currently located. It is said that it was burned by bushwhackers during the Civil War, and the stone remains were a backdrop for the picture seen here. 

Morrow House

The second story is of the Royal and Louise Morrow House. After the Hume Hotel sat in ruins for decades, Royal Morrow procured stones from the site to utilize in the construction of his home on East Main Street in 1915. The Hume Hotel was the earliest known stone building in Transylvania County, and it is interesting to note that the Morrow House is now the oldest surviving stone house in the county. The Wright brothers, the stonemasons who constructed many notable stone structures in the county such as the St. Philip’s Episcopal Church and the stone gates at Brevard College, are said to have also constructed the Morrow House, though some debate that fact. The house itself is notable in that it was built according to a design created by world-renowned Craftsman-style architect Gustav Stickley, which was published in The Craftsman magazine of June 1909. The Morrow House is one of the most prominent in the historic East Main Street district. 

Walter Cantrell's store for Canter Woodworks

The third story is of the Cantrell family. Seated before the ruins of the Hume Hotel is a family tableau featuring Perry Cantrell with wife Hettie Raxter Cantrell and son Walter Cantrell. Based on the fact that Walter is an infant in this picture, it was likely taken in 1912 or 1913, just a couple of years before the ruins were dismantled to be used in the Morrow House construction. Young Walter grew to have his own notoriety in the county as a woodworker. He learned woodworking through an apprenticeship in Tryon from the age of 15, in a style of learning that was common in Europe. He created Canter Woodworks in 1947, which was located on Highway 276 for many years and appeared in numerous newspaper and magazine articles during his career. 

Each story leads to another and another, the details becoming mysteries in themselves. The layers of meaning that each archival item contains are immeasurable. What other stories are hidden in the archives, awaiting discovery? 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. This article was written by Laura Gardner, Local History Librarian. For more information, comments, or suggestions contact Laura at laura.gardner@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-1820.

Large Brevard Home Lost to Fire

On August 5, 1914, Mr. J.A. Miller’s property on North Country Club Road
and home to Mr. E.F. Moffitt and 36 boarders, went up in flames.

On August 5, 1914, one of Brevard’s largest and finest homes went up in flames. The house was located on what is today North Country Club Road, somewhere between Gillespie Circle and Gallimore Road. The house belonged to Mr. J.A. Miller and was occupied by Mr. E.F. Moffitt and 36 boarders. Reportedly, the fire started early in the morning and originated in the third floor attic, which was located over the kitchen. The cause of the fire is unknown and was a matter of speculation at the time. Some thought it could have been caused by a defect in the electrical wiring in the attic; others pointed to the kitchen chimney flue that went through the attic. 

According to the Sylvan Valley News from August 7, 1914, “Faithful work was done by the men handling the hose and by others, but without success. A great part of Mr. Moffett’s [sic] household furniture was saved, but much on the third floor was lost. This loss he estimated at $500 [equivalent in purchasing power to about $13,650.15 in 2021], but he could not speak with certainty. Mr. Miller’s loss is considerable [sic] greater. The house was a fine brick building, perhaps the roomiest private dwelling house in Brevard. Making allowances [sic] for insurance, the loss probably [sic] was not less than $3000 [equivalent in purchasing power to about $81,900.90 in 2021].”

Ad from the Sylvan Valley News, 1914

Both Mr. J.A. Miller and Mr. E.F. Moffitt were well-known businessmen in Brevard. Miller owned a supply company that sold hardware, building material, farming implements, paints, furniture and general house furnishings. A carpenter by trade, Moffitt was also a contractor and builder, and owned a construction company that bore his name. Moffitt was also involved in the auction business of the time. In the 1900s and 1910s, Miller and Moffitt were frequently encountered names in the newspaper, as the two men heavily advertised their businesses in the newspaper, and were often mentioned in lot and land transactions and real estate dealings. 

In the photograph above, one may notice that there are some 150 people, many of them women and children, observing the efforts of a crew of men to put out the fire. Much of the salvaged furniture is assembled in the yard, on the foreground, on the left. Several men are helping to hoist and direct the water hose up the roof of the house. The house to the left, which at the time was owned by Mr. J.A. Miller, was later occupied by the Tom Shipman family, and after that by the Joe Pickelsimer family.

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. This article was written by Anne-Monique Ransdell. For more information, comments, or suggestions contact NC Room staff at ncroom@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-1820.

Operation Ouch: Transylvanians Get Vaccinated for Polio, Part II

Last week’s “Picturing the Past”, Transylvanians Organize in the Fight Against Polio, Part I, recounted the fight against polio and the fundraising efforts and search for a vaccine. 

Advertisement for polio vaccine by
The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis

It is little wonder that the world celebrated when Dr. Jonas Salk announced in 1953 that he had developed a vaccine to prevent polio.  In 1954, clinical trials of the Salk vaccine were carried out on over 2 million children throughout the United States.  It wasn’t until April 12, 1955 that it was announced the vaccine was effective.  Shipments began immediately across the country. 

Transylvania County did not waste any time and made plans to vaccinate 1st and 2nd graders.  County health officers Dr. Charles Gunn and Martha Choate were in charge of the complex planning.  Mrs. J.F. Leete and Mrs. Paul Lollis spearheaded the recruiting of the dozens of volunteers needed to facilitate the process.The vaccine was free of charge and voluntary.  Teachers spent the weeks preceding the vaccination instructing the children on the purpose of the vaccine and what to expect. 

A series of three shots were required.  The second dose was four weeks after the first, followed by a third shot seven months later.  Private physicians and pharmacies were also provided with the vaccine. A Transylvania Times editorial encouraged parents to take any of their children not in 1st and 2nd grade to a physician for the shots, gently reminding them that the smallpox vaccine was once looked upon with distrust and fear by a prior generation.

It was determined that the first doses of the vaccine would be administered at Transylvania Community hospital on Thursday, April 28th.  The Times called this historic undertaking “Operation Ouch”. 700 children were bused to the hospital with four doctors giving the first shots at 9:15 a.m.  Mothers who could attend the event met their children when they arrived.  Activities, including majorettes from the high schools, were provided for the children as they waited. Volunteers’, doctors’, and nurses’ “faces shown with happiness and joy for the occasion”, according to the Times.  Many young girls arrived wearing their “Sunday frocks.” One mother said she “felt like crying from sheer happiness.”  725 students received their shot in three hours.

Photo of Operation Ouch patient from The Transylvania Times, April 28, 1955

The second inoculation took place on May 5 and went smoothly.  51 children who did not receive the first vaccine in April due to absence from school or whose parents were originally fearful of the shots, received their first dose at this time.  In November, the health department announced that parents should bring any children between the ages of 1-18 to the clinic to receive the first and second shots free of charge since enough serum stockpiles remained to offer it.

Two years after the introduction of the Salk vaccine, polio cases dropped 85-90 percent.  More good news arrived wh

en a second vaccine, developed by Dr. Albert Sabin, was approved in 1962.  The Salk vaccine required injections while the Sabin vaccine was administered in a sugar cube, a much simpler delivery system that became favored for years. 

While the polio vaccine was originally voluntary, North Carolina ordered that all children in the state receive the vaccine in 1959.  Today, polio remains endemic in only three countries.  There is still no cure, only prevention.

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

Transylvanians Organize in the Fight Against Polio, Part I

This article is the first in a two-part “Picturing the Past” series on Transylvania County’s fight against polio in the first half of the 20^th century.  

During the mid-twentieth century, March of Dimes fundraisers were a regular occurrence in every community, large and small, throughout the United States.  This charity’s strategy was to collect small change to fund research to prevent or cure the dreaded polio virus.  In Transylvania County, local businesses joined together with schools, clubs, and social organizations to support these fundraising efforts. 

 

Mother's March on Polio ad from The Transylvania Times, February 1, 1951

One creative fundraiser held every year was the Mother’s March on Polio.  Women from all over the county would go door to door in the early evening collecting donations.  Various churches and organizations participated including the Dunn’s Rock Club.  Churches and summer camps rang their bells to signal the beginning of the march.  All residents were encouraged to light up their homes to indicate they wanted to make a donation.   

Dunn’s Rock Mother’s March on Polio Committee, January 28, 1955

These fundraisers were important in a world desperate to find a cure for polio, a disease whose primary target is children. Sporadic polio outbreaks were frequent throughout the first half of the twentieth century.  Images of afflicted children using crutches, in wheelchairs, and inside iron lung machines were common in the media.   

Polio, the common name for the poliomyelitis virus, affects the central nervous system.  It spreads through contact with fecal matter or droplets emitted during talking, coughing, and sneezing. Similar to Covid-19, most individuals who contract polio are asymptomatic and can infect others. A small number have symptoms that include fever, headaches, and muscle stiffness, while a tragic few are permanently paralyzed or even die.    

 

The virus thrived during the summer, known as polio season.  Health officials recommended parents quarantine their children at home or to practice a form of social distancing we know so well today.   Swimming pools and beaches were often closed.  Summer camps, picnics, bowling alleys, movie theaters, restaurants, and church, any place people gathered in crowds, were all to be avoided by children. Fall and winter was not as dangerous, but rare winter outbreaks could occur. 

 

North Carolina experienced devastating polio pandemics between 1930 and 1955.  The closest treatment center for people in the western mountain counties was Charlotte Memorial Hospital’s polio ward. Due to the need for more facilities, the city of Hickory actually constructed a polio center in three days in 1944 by remodeling a summer camp, a feat that caused Life Magazine to do a photo story.   

 

In Transylvania County, polio was often on people’s minds.  Summer camps lost business whenever there was a polio scare.  In 1939, visitors from polio-affected areas in Georgia and South Carolina were forced to quarantine for two weeks if they entered the county.  Schools closed during some outbreaks.  Polio cases in the community caused Ecusta to cancel its Christmas children’s party in 1946, some baseball games, and its annual Sapphire picnic in 1948.  The personal columns in the Transylvania Times often listed children who were sick or recovering from polio.  One local mentioned how strange it was to sit in church without any children.  

 

Next week's “Picturing the Past” will recount how Transylvania’s health officials carried out the first mass vaccination of our county’s first and second grade children. 

 

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