New Building consolidated Times' Operations

Transylvania Times modern facility on North Broad St., 1966.

In 1966 The Transylvania Times renovated the former McCrary Auto on N. Broad St. for their new facility.  The large marquee on the front of McCrary Auto was removed.   The new façade had double plate glass windows and a glass door surrounded by black porcelain panels with aluminum trim giving it a sleek modern appearance.  A new sign with time and temperature greeted motorists coming into and leaving the downtown area on North Broad Street. 

Henry Henderson (seated) enters characters on the linotype machine 
while Joe Freeman, who was also a linotype operator, looks on.

The facility allowed the newspaper to have their offices and printing operation in one location.  Transylvania Times owner, Ed Anderson had purchased the old McCrary Auto building in the 1950s.  In 1962 printing operations were updated and relocated to the lower level of the McCrary building.

The new Goss Comet press could print four, six or eight-pages at a rate of over 3000 per hour.  It also folded the newspapers.  The improved the quality of the Goss Comet allowed for more news stories, more pictures, and improved advertisements.  The previous press had been a hand fed four-page flatbed.

Up until this time the newspaper, which Anderson purchased in 1941, was located in the Times Arcade alley.  Anderson was the publisher until his death in 1958.  At that time, Mrs. Anderson took over as publisher.  Ed Anderson’s brother, John, served as editor from 1941 until he passed away in 1974. 

In 1975 Stella Anderson Trapp, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ed Anderson, joined the family business.  In 1977 Don and Stella Trapp took over as co-editors of The Transylvania Times. Today Sean and Leigh Trapp are the third generation of the family run business.

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.