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Historic Webster Vol. 1 No. 3
No full textHistoric Webster is a newsletter of the Webster Historical Society, Inc., created at the Society’s founding in 1974. The publication helped to serve the Society's mission of collecting and preserving the history of Webster, North Carolina. Webster, established in 1851, was the original county seat for Jackson County.'VOLUME I NUMBER 3
Cook6ook Will Be
Ready 9n o lie :Jall
A cookbook containing mouthwatering local recipes,
pen and ink drawings of Webster, and "Growing Up
in Webster" sketches will be on sale in the fall.
Tho rocipe book1 which is being compiled by Florence
and Joe Parker Rhinehart , will have a hard
cover with a color picture of Webster as the dust
jacket. Joe Parker estimates that it will have approximately
200 pages, The book will be printed
in brown ink on off white paper, and will have a brown
cloth cover with a sketch of the former Jackson County
courthouse,
Original sketches of people and places in Webster
will be featured at the beginning of each of the II
divisions of the book, as well a throughout the 250
odd recipes.
A short history of the town accompanied by a
sketch of the courthouse will begin the book, Then,
in addition to the delicious recipes, the cookbook will
feature character sketches of some of the donating
cooks and several "growing Up in Webster" stories
written by Webster women of different generations,
Mildred Cowan, Mary Morris and other women who
grew up in Webster will be contributing their accounts ~
The book will conclude with a feature menu for
Christmas dinner with recipes, accompanied by a
story about Old Webster at Christmastime,
The recipes in the book were collected from cooks
in the area by Joe's mother, Kate Rhinehart, Florence
Rhinehart will draw the pen and ink sketches.
The price of the book has not yet been determined,
but it is estimated at 5 or be placed in a makeshift
"jail" on the school grounds, .
other harpenings at the July event will include
board splitt'ng lessons, booths of all sorts, sales of
cookies and cakes, old fashioned bonnets, a varied
display of mountain cr afts, and of course entertainment.
If you have suggestions for additional activities at
the Independence Day fest, contact Paul and Linda
Cowan, co-chairmen of the Special Events. and Projects
Comm ;:tee,
Webster, North Carolina
EDD DOUGLAS DAVIS
olie :Jirst Sheriff
of ~ackson County
Edd Doug Davis, known as Doog Davis, became in
1853 the first sheriff of Jackson County, With the
exce~ti.on of the period he lived, while sheriff, in
the Jail at Webster, he spent his adult life on his
large farm located between Webster and Cullowhee
Today this area is called Rolling Green, '
Sher iff ~Alvi s and his wife Nancy Allen, daughter
of Nathan Allen of Webster, were the parents of
seve~ sons and two daughters" Mro Davis, who died
at h~s home August 25, 1911, is buried in the family
P!ot m Webster Cemetery along with his sife, two of
his sons, Nathan A, and Joe W, and other members
of later generations of llivises,
The copy of the JACKSON COUNTY JOURNAL
from which the article is reprinted, and the tin-type
picture of Mr , ~Alvis reproduced here ar e are owned
by Cather ine ~Alvis of Big Ridge, Catherine is a
granddaughter of Sheriff Doug ~Alvis,
The following article was taken from THE JACKSON
COUNTY JOURNAL dated January 29 1906 - Webster
N,C, - Mr, E, D, ~Alvis ' '
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
The author of this article was born in Buncombe
County <now Transylvania) Sept, 4, 1827, My father
lived where the late George C, Neil lived to the time
of his death, on what was then known as Lamb's Cr rek
which was a tributary of Fr ench Broad river, It~
head waters were near where llividson's river has
its source, with which it ran parallel, but being much
smaller, It was then known as Ben llividson's river
but of late years the "Ben" has been dropped,
Ther e has been a postoffice at this place for more
than seventy years" Davidson's River postmaster,
Ben .lli vidson, was my great-grandfather.
When I attended school the course embraced
reading, writing, and arithmetic, My teachers were
Turn to page four , , , •
~ ·'We6ster 9s ~ackson County's Hometown"
April 1974
A fetter
:Jrom the President
Dear Friends,
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with one
step" and that step in compiling and collecting the
history of Jackson County has resulted in 5,000 copies
each of three newsletters of the Webster Historic
Society; nearly 300 members and ll3,500 to the Jackson County Board of Education
for the old Webster Elementary School because an
an idea whose time has come can't help but succeed.
The school will become the Jackson County Museum
of Living History. The fund-raising committee needs
your help with the Webster idea. If you know wher e
money is a·.11ilable - from individuals, corporations
foundations, etc. - tell us - we'll contact theU.:'
Many grants have already been applied for from foundations
and other sour ces such as the Bicentennial
Commission in N.C. and the America the Beautiful
Fund,
We are hopeful that the County budget for the
1974-75 fiscal year will include a generous donation
toward the effort to preserve Jackson County's History,
But for many of these potential grants we need
non-federal matching funds, '
Th.e next newsletter will be sent only to the membership
of the Webster Historical Society, If you
have not joined but are "infected by the contagious
~n?'usiasm" as the honorable Hamilton Hayes wrote,
JOm. no:v, Send 5.00 yearly
Associate (outside Western N.C.): 10.00 yearly
Supporting: 30.00 yearly
Life: 1.00 a day to begin with) for her little family,
During the thirty-four years that mother was postmaster
the Post Office was in three locations: first,
in a little building where Mr. Baker's shop and apartment
are now located; next in the old Masonic build·
ing between our place and the home of Mrs, Nancy
Ensley Potts; then back to the Baker Upholstery Shop
location; and last to the little building in the corner
of her yard across the lane from the Monteith home.
Because of the necessity of having the office convieniently
close to our home, the location changed as we
moved, The family moved from our old home (built
by Dr. C.Z. Candler's father at about the time of
the civil war) to Uncle Andy's house , then to the
Aunt Hicks Wilson house <now owned by the Potts)
later to the old jail <Mrs, Margie Penland's place)
which was the principal's home when my sister ,
Mrs. Ruth Allison Morris, was principal of Webster
High School, and finally to mother 's new home, built
after the old Candler house was torn down , on the
same lot which she had owned since my father's
dea.th,
When my mother was postmaster she loved her
work (though it did get aggravating at times she said)
and it enable her to make a living in her own yard
for the most part. She could keep an eye on Ruth,
Uln and me as we grew up, and grandpa too when
he was sick, while she looked after the post office
which was the social, as well as news center for the
community. Sometimes when we all gathered to watch
little Oscar Coward buck dance in the post office
vestibule things would get too noisy and we would
all be sent outside so my mother could do her work,
She wrote and read letters and orders for a few of
the patrons who could neither r ead nor write, and in
emergencies would open up the post offic e at night
and on holidays to better ser ve the community, Service,
honesty, integrity and independence wer e virtues of
great value to her, as they had been to her Godfearing
pioneering ancestors,
During the thirty-four years that my mother
was postmaster she was assisted to some extent
by the following : George Self, grandpa Moor e, my
sister Ruth, Mrs, Margie Penland, Mrs, Evelyn McKee,
Mr. Dan Cowan. When I became old enough I was
officially made assistant, or r eplacement, so I could
substitute occasionally when she was sick or away,
Dear to all of our hearts was the mail carrier, Arthur
Allman, who was always kind, cheerful, accomodating
and generous with rides to and fr om Sylva in his
truck for all of us.
HISTORIC WEJ~STER April 1974 Page 3
The Webster "Mail Box"
Some people have called the Webster Post Office
the "Mail Box" and frequently someone laughingly
remarks that it is surely the smallest post office
in the United States, They seem disappointed when we
tell them there are other smaller. We enjoy our
rather unique building, However, the size of the
building does not designate the size of the Post Office
housed therein.
The Webster Post Office is the oldest office in Jackson
County, It was established as Scott's Creek
(Haywood County) April 5, 1828. Jackson County
had not been established at that time, The Haywood
County and Macon County line was at that time the
Tuckaseigee River at Webster, The first postmaster
was Ulniel Brisson, appointed April 5, 1828, He
was succeeded by Samuel B, -Bragg December 17,
1828, The office was later discontinued for a brief
time and reestablished May 24, 1832 as Scott's Creek.
At that time William Thomas was installed as
postmaster serving till January 27, 1843, Thomas
was succeded by Allan Fisher.
When Mr. Fisher took the office he had a store
in Lovesfield, said to have been located near the
intersection of what is now highway 107 and ll6,
Presumable the post office was operated in his store,
The name of the post office was changed to Webster
on November 28, 1857 while Mr, Fisher was still
postmaster, He ser ved the office for 22 years which
was the longest time any postmaster served until
Mr s, Eugenia M. Allison was the postmaster in later
years. The second court held in Jackson County
was held also in this store. A great-grandson of his,
Mr. Allen Bergin Fisher, Sr .. , now lives in Addie
Community, Route I, Sylva, N, C.
On September 21, 1865 a Mr. George w. Stake
became postmaster and served until April 15, 1873,
Postmaster Cannon was the father of the late Lewis
Cannon of Webster . He was the grandfather of James
~ann?n of Cannon Brothers Gas and Oil Company
m Dillsboro and other descendents of Dillsboro and
the state of Washington,
Succeeding Mr, Cannon was Martin H. Lovelady
who ser ved thre
Historic Webster Vol. 1 No. 1
No full textHistoric Webster is a newsletter of the Webster Historical Society, Inc., created at the Society’s founding in 1974. The publication helped to serve the Society's mission of collecting and preserving the history of Webster, North Carolina. Webster, established in 1851, was the original county seat for Jackson County.VOLUME I· NUMBER I
History of t6e
Historical Society
Webster is changing, not so much in appearance but
in attitudes toward toe small town. People who remember
or have learned about Webster's rich heritage are putting
its great potential all together - people, history, education,
recreation, preservation. Webster might have
became a plush new development, a commercial campground,
or nearly anything which would have changed the
character of its environment. Instead, Webster is to be
preserved as it is, with only adaptive restoration changes
that will maintain the present atmosphere and preserve
the spirit and quality of a charming historic village.
These changes began last year on February 15 when a
few interested townspeople met with Webster Town Coun.
cil members at Mayor Ray Baker's house. Betty Price
suggested appointing an Historic Sites Commission to study
the possibility of having Webster designated a State Historic
Site. The Town Council members - Roy Baker, Margie
Penland, Claude Cowan, Goldman Monteith, Louise Davis,
and Joe Rhinehart - approved the idea and appointed
Mildred Cowan chairman of the new Commission. Others
named were Louise Davis, Mary Morris, Kate Rhinehart,
Jack Morris, Jim Allman, Claude Cowan, and Betty
Price. Due to the efforts of this Commission Webster
is now on a list of proposed historic sites in North Carolina.
On March 5, six persons representing the Webster Town
Council and the Historic Sites Commission met with the
Jackson County Board of Education to ask for the Webster
Elementary School (which was vacated in December 1973'
as a result of consolidation of schools) to use as a community
center and town office building. They were told
they would be kept informed of progress toward that possibility.
The Webster Historical Society, Inc. was chartered
April lith as a fund-raising and promotional organization
for the preservation and restoration of Webster.
The first public interest meeting was held on Friday·
the thirteenth of April at the Webster Elementary School
sponsored by Southwestern Technical Institute and the
Webster Historic Sites Commission. Nearly 200 persons
attended the meeting to discuss the possibility of a preservation
- restoration project in the Town of Webster.
The Webster Elementary School cloggers opened the
evening with an exhibition of buck dancing. Exhibits
included an old-fashioned kitchen scene, Jack Hoyle splitting
boards, and pottery-making with Brant Barnes.
Sugar cookies and pound cakes from Historic Webster
recipes and lemonade were refreshments. At the churn,
homemade bread and Hattie Cowan's butter were available.
After a media presentation by Dorris Beck and Arlene
Stewart, the decision was made to undertake a preservation
project in Webster.
When the society organized in the tall, Betty Price
was elected president; Marilyn Jody, vice president;
Mary Morris, secretary; and Jim Simpson, treasurer.
Joe Rhinehart, Spencer Clark, !tichard Iobst, and John
Parris were elected to the Board of Directors. Members
of the Webster Town Council and of the Historical Society
met with representatives of Wachovia and First Union
National Banks of Sylva: Bruce Wike; chairman of the
Jackson County Board of Commissioners; and Jim Allman
·, Board of Education member for a buffet luncheon
at Canterbury Inn on December 10. The purpose of the
luncheon was to inform the county commissioners and
the Sylva banks of the fund raising plans of the society.
On December 3 and January 7, representatives of the
Historical Society and Town Council met with the Jackson
County School Board about purchasing the Webster school.
The School Board accepted an offer of 1,500 option will
be paid at the Board's February 4th meeting, the remainder
to be paid on or before July 10.
~
"If only we are faithful to our past, we shall not have to
fear our future." -John Foster Dulles
Webster, North Carolina
THE JACKSON COUNTY Courthouse in Webster
was the center of all county business until 1913.
This picture, taken in 1932, shows Ann Cowan in
the doorway.
Origins of ~ackson County
The history of Webster is the history of Jackson County,
for Webster served as the county seat from 1853 to 1913.
During that 60 year period, all official Jackson County
functions occured in Webster.
Jackson County came into being on January 29, 1851.
It was formed from parts of Haywood and Macon Counties,
which, before that date, were divided by the Tuckaseigee
River. Two Haywood County men, Michael Francis,
who served in the State Senate, and R.G.A. Love, who
served in the House, were largely responsible for the birth
of the county.
In 1850, the population of Haywood and Macon was
divided between Whig and Democrat factions. In order
to please both groups the county was named Jackson after
the popular Democrat . hero Andrew Jackson, and the
county seat was called Webster after the famous Whig
orator, Daniel Webster.
As Edgar H. Stillwell writes in "The Conquest of the
Carolina Frontier ,t' "the name of the new county was
to keep alive the memory of 'Old Hickory,' father and
founder of our Jacksonian Democracy; while the seat of
government for the new county was to honor that great
champion- of the Union of States - Daniel Webster."
On the third Monday in March, 1953, the final step
in the creation of Jackson County took place in a log
cabin built by the piontier Daniel Bryson in what is now
the Beta community. Here the first court ever held in
Jackson County convened with Judge John W. Ellis, later
Governor of North Carolina, presiding. At this meeting
the wheels of the new county were set in motion.
The commissioners who were appointed to select a
suitable place for the county buildings at first considered
locating the county seat where the second county court
was held, on the old Love farm near the County Home.
However, the hill just west of this place, on the right
bank of the Tuckaseigee River, was chosen to be the site
of the county seat.
A brick courthouse was built on this site in Webster
in 1854. Later a larger brick building was erected on
the site of the first one. This latter building, which
was made of bricks formed from Webster clay, wa"
used until 1913 when the county seat was moved to Sylva.
The building stood until the 1930's when it was torn down.
February 197 4
A fetter
3rom t6e President
Dear Preservationist Friends,
It was once the county seat. Nothing put on - a real,
living, breathing, working town that is simply making
history its industry. Historic Webster is the result of
a giant effort by the people of Jackson County who visualize
its ootential. The reclaimers are as heterogeneous
as a group of people you would ever hope to
meet- old and young, members of pioneer families who
have a strong heritage to share and newcomers attracted
by the quiet and gentle life of t~?e m?untains. . .
The Webster Historical SoCiety IS a non-prof1t orgamzation
supported principally by contributions and memberships.
Besides sponsoring preservation and adaptive
restoration, the Society is planning an oral history
collection. Think of it - tape-recordings of interviews
with senior citizens in Jackson County recalling the day
when Thon.as Edison and Henry Ford ·visited here; reminiscences
of the debate about moving the public buildings
from Webster to Sylva; tape-recordings of long-time
residents talking about the changes over the years;
school teachers discussing the changes in education.
One day-maybe soon-it will be possible to walk through
Historic Webster and see a fire in the blacksmith shop,
to see herb gardens and orchards; to visit the Museum
and Archives where you can push a button and see and
hear instant history.
All of this is possible because you are taking up
the challenge now. We've got to hurry and capture the
oral history we have left. Join today! Send your contribution
to Historic Webster for its 1-year, tax deductible
campaign to raise 5.00 yearly
Associate (outside Western N.C.): 10.00 yearly
Supporting: 30.00 yearly
Life: $100.00
All contributions are income tax deductible.
Page 2 HISTORIC WEBSTER February 1974
A Guide To The Map Of Webster
This drawing of Webster at the turn of the century
has been compiled by Betty Price, Through records,
ne·wspaper articles, and with the help of Claude Cowan,
Lily (Nanniehart) Rhinehart, Arthur Allman and Mildred
Cowarr,-the-JI'ap-has beefnlrawn up to simula:te Webster
around 1900.
The town well across from the Court House is the one
depicted in the HISTORIC WEBSTER banner. The well,
according to Nanniehart, was a gathering place for thirsty
travelers and their horses. Though the well has been
filled in, its cornerstones can still be seen next to the
Webster Post Office. ·
'!be Court House was built with red bricks from the
clay mine and brick plant across the river. The Webster
clay mine also supplied clay for dolls' heads and fine
china made in New Jersey,
The Wilde store, the two mills, and the homes on the
river were washed away in the flood of 1940, and the road
was rebuilt closer to the river, on the site of these
buildings.
Prize Given For Design
The Historic Webster bannerhead was designed and
drawn by Karen Moscowitz, a sophomore art student
at Western Carolina University, Prof. Ray Menze's
two-dimensional drawing classes took the newsletter bannerhead
as a class project, and the work of each student
was submitted to the Historical Society for review, Members
of the Historical Society Executive Committee chose
Moscowitz's work out of approximately 30 entries.
Moscowitz, who comes from Leona, New Jersey, will
be awarded five dollars by the Historical Society for her
efforts,
The Mountain View Hotel, ~athan Coward Hotel, drug
store, Tuckaseigee Bank, and Allison home were destroyed
in the fire of 1910. The Allison home has since been rebuilt
in its original style,
The map was drawn by Julie Blankenship, a student
at Southwestern Technical Institute.
If you have any additions or corrections to the map,
or if you can narrow down the date to a more specific
year, please write Betty Price, Drawer w, Webster, N.C.
28788. Any information about specific homes or buildings
will be welcomed.
In "Jackson County: Its Climate :and Natural Resources,"
a column in THE TUCKASEIGE DEMOCRAT, this siatement
appeared each week:
... "The water is pure, cool and sweet, and for household
purposes is taken from springs with which the county
abounds."
olie 'Oown of We6ster
around 1900
OJokbook
<.oll'hw...,
(_()\l)o."\
L...woH:
Will Provide
- Good Reading
A forthcoming Webster recipe book promises to provide
not only a cpllection of Webster's oldest and most
delicious dishes but also interesting reading and browsing
material.
The cookbook, which is currently being compiled by
Flossie and Joe Parker Rhinehart, will feature original
pen and ink drawings of people and places in Webster.
Character sketches of the donating cooks will accompany
some of the mouth-watering recipes, and Joe Parker is
compiling a series of "Growing Up In Webster" stories
written by Webster women of several generations. Mildred
Cowan, Mary Morris and other women who grew up in
Webster have been asked to contribute their accounts.
The recipes in the book were collected from cooks
in the area by Joe's mother, Kate Rhinehart. Flossie
Rhinehart will draw the pen and ink sketches.
The Rhineharts hope to have the cookbook completed
and on sale by mid-April. The recipe book is a fund
raising project of the Webster Historical Society, Inc,
Joe Parker Rhinehart, who grew up in Webster, and his
wife Flossie, who comes from Georgetown, Kentucky,
now live and teach school in Bethesda, Maryland, They
have worked with the historic preservation and restoration
of Murfreesboro, N.C., where they are restoring a home,
HISTORIC WEBSTER February 1974 Page 3
Nanniehart Recounts
Her Memories Of Webster
NANNIEHART in her earlier years. This photograph
was taken when she was about eighteen or
twenty years old.
Arthur Allman
Nanniehart was born Lily Cagle on August.
13, 1881. She and her husband, J. W. Rhinehart,
used to run the Mountam View Hotel
until it burned down in 1910. After that,
the Rhineharts managed hotels in Sylva and
Bryson City before they came home to Webster
and opened up the country store across
from the Court House.
Nanniehart got her nickname 34 years ago
when her grandson, Joe Parker Rhinehart,
was a baby whose ver sion of " Granny Rhinehart,
came out "Nanniehart/' Now there's
not a person in Webster who calls her
anything else.
As the oldest resident of Webster, Nanniehart
tells some colorful stories of the town
in its younger days. Of her school days,
she says, "I was raised out on a farm about
two miles from here, When I first went
to school I didn't come in to town. I went
to a country school. That was four months'
school. Later on they changed us to the
Baptist Church at the top of the river hill,
we'd go .ill_ven monthLout of the year.
in the summer, thy'd have what they
subscription school and I went to that.
That was when a teacher would come wantin'
to work in the summer and he'd char ge either
50¢ a week or 50¢amonth,Ican't remember .
But I went to school every chance I could
get up until I was 18. I would have kept
on then but my mother go~ sick and I had to
stay home."
Is Prize Storyteller
Arthur Allman has a story to tell about
practically every person or event he can
remember throughout his 89 years in Webster.
And he's even got some tales about
times he can't remember - like being born
on March 17, 1884.
His parents, Polk and Betty Allman lived
on the George Penland place at that time.
Dr. Candler was the doctor then, and he
was going to come deliver the baby, but,
as Arthur relates. "there come the awfullest
snow storm you ever saw. We had
a picket fence then, and the snow was banked
up all around it. I was born, my mother
said, at 5:00 in the morning, and of course
nobody could get there so the girl that was
staying with us and my father were the only
ones there when I was borno
"Now old llln Boone (no kin to lllniel
Boone) lived up in the house right above
us, When they shoveled out a trail, his
mother came lookin' around, and she saw
me and said, 'why, this baby's about froze
to death. ' Now her son llln wasn't much
older than I was, so she took me home and
nursed both of us until my mother could
take care of me. And it took three weeks
for my mother to get strong enough to take
me home.
"So, I had it rough from the time I come
into the world; I've had it rough and I'm
still having it rough."
Arthur describes Webster during his childhood
as ''a nice clean country town with
lots of nice people. The (Tuckaseigee)
River was a beautiful river then, clear as
a crystal, just as pure as any spring water
you could find. You could drink out of it
then, and now it's not even clean enough to
take a bath in. It was bigger in those days,
about four times as big as it is now. And
fish--that river was just loaded with fish."
The covered bridge in Webster was a
gather ing spot during rainstorms until sometime
in the nineteen-teens when it was torn
down. It, too, sparks a story by Arthur.
"That old bridge was covered and had
two windows on either side. It sheltered
many a person on a rainy day. Hunters would
go there to kill ducks. Back then there were
no lakes on the river, so there were lots
of ducks. Well, one bad rainy day when
Bill Henson was sheriff, old Henry Norman
and I wer e going to go hun tin ' and we were
standing under there because of the rain.
Henry had a new double-barrel gun and he
was mighty proud of that gun. Now they
were strict about taxes then; it's not like
it is now; if you didn't pay your taxes
they'd just come and take something you
owned until you did pay.
"Now the sheriff walked in and saw Henry
there with that gun, and asked him, 'Henry,
is that a good gun?' Of course, Henry was
proud of it and told him it was, and the
sheriff said, 'well, Henry,Inoticeyouhaven't
paid your taxes, so I'll just take the gun
until you pay it. • Poor Henry had to give
him the gun, and he didn't get to go huntin'
that day,"
~oin tfie Historical Society 'Godayl . "e The mailing list has been compiled from the Webster
township tax listings, the Sylva Herald out-of-county subscription
list, a list of Jackson County public school
teachers, the Western North Carolina Historical Society
membership list, WCU faculty and staff directory; the
Appalachian Consortium Board of Directors list and personal
lists from members of the Webster Historical
Society.
0
D
I want to be a Charter Member ~
If you know of anyone who would like to receive the
newsletter , please send the name and address to Drawer W,
Webster, North Carolina, 28788·.
The first three issues of HISTORIC WEBSTER will
be sent free to anyone interested in receiving them.
Further issues of the newsletter will be sent to all
members of the Webster Historical Society at no cost
other than membership dues.
D
My dues are enclosed
10
30
ll5,000
Plans call for the building to house the Webster Town payable on or before July 10. The Jackson County Board
Council offices, Historical Society Offices, a museum and of Education on January 9 agreed to accept the offer made
archives, a restaurant, a community theater, an
Historic Webster Vol. 12 No. 1
No full textHistoric Webster is a newsletter of the Webster Historical Society, Inc., created at the Society’s founding in 1974. The publication helped to serve the Society's mission of collecting and preserving the history of Webster, North Carolina. Webster, established in 1851, was the original county seat for Jackson County.HIS TORI
HISTORIC
WEBSTER
Vol. 12 Issue 1 Spring 1987
Features
3
Designer's New Spring
Hats Reflect Influence
of 1930's
A review in the Richmond TimesDispatch
writes about Sara Sue's
new spring hat collection shown in
the famous Miller and Rhoads
department store.
by Anita Black
4
Designed for You by
Sara Sue
The world's most famous hat
designer, Sara Sue Sherrill, was a
Webster native. Her hats, now in
the Valentine Collection in
Richmond reflect the world.
by Ann Melton
8
Reflections
Janice Monteith Blanton continues
her quarterly column with a portrait
of one of Webster's favorite
neighbors -- Byrd Allison.
The Cover: The program cover for Sara Sue
Sherrill's annual spring show
featured "Colorful California."
SPEAKING EDITORIALLY
A New Face For Historic Webster
HISTORIC
WEBSTER
President
Midred Cowan
Box 186
Webster, NC 28788
Vice President
Dale Coward
Norton Road
Cashiers, NC 28717
Secretary-Treasurer
Margaret and Jim Simpson
Box 126
Webster, NC 28788
Membership Chairman
Kate M. Rhinehart
Box 145
Webster, NC 28788
Editor
Joe P. Rhinehart
Box 356
Webster, NC 28788
The Webster Historical Society, Incorporated,
is a non-profit organization founded
in 1984 to study and preserve the history
and culture of the area. The annual
membeship fee is 8.50.
Plan to attend the society's annual Fourth of July celebration, "Miss Lucy's Picnic." The Karchers, who now own the Hedden House,
Miss Lucy's home, will host the event. Local newspaper will carry information on the picnic and the summer programs.
2 Historic Webster Spring 1987
...
Designer's New Spring Hats
Reflect Influence of 1930's
The look of the 1930's is influencing
couturiers and hat designerincluding
Richmond's Sara Sue.
There are several creations in
her spring collection-which will
be presented in a fashion show at
3:30 p.m. Tuesday in Miller &
Rhoads tea room-which probably
have delighted Jean Harlow or
Carole Lombard.
The are off the face on one side
are worn asymmetrically, so that
the face shows-on one side. And
lucky is the lady whose good profile
is the one that shows.
The show this year is called
"Colorful California and the
Wonders of the West."
Spring hats this year are
characterized by their light airy
look and one of Sara Sue's innovations
is the lightest, airiest imaginable.
It's a snood of coarse
veiling, designed to be worn with
by Anita Black
or without a calot to which it attaches
with snaps. There are
flowers on the veiled snood, but not
enough to keep a lady's crowning
glory from showing through.
Sara Sue is known for her "convertible
hats" and the one she has
named Coronado is in three parts
of matching silk print. There is a
ca:p. A scarf to protect the hair
pulls through the cap. This arrangement
is topped by a matching
Mexican sombrero.
Customarily her spring-tosummer
show is geared to hats inspired
by place names and this collection
includes not only California,
but all of the far western part
of the country. For example, there
is "Reno" for a second wedding.
There is a great variety in
silhouettes ranging form oversize
cartwheels to the traditional
spring floral confections.
However, the flowers are not
California flowers. Sara Sue uses
imported flowers and fabrics
almost exclusively.
"Sunset Strip," a turban, is folded
away from the face to the back
of the head, in an orange-pinkyellow-
white print.
"Farmer's Market" is a widebrimmed
straw with a detachable
wreath of field flowers at the
crown.
"Champagne Music" is straw
with glitter and maline. "Palm
Springs" is a big-brimmed multicolor
straw to wear with a good
linen dress of almost any shade.
"Young Star" is shaped almost
like a baby bonnet, but with
sophistication. And "Carmel,"
(Carmel is known for its artists'
colony) is a hand-blocked linen artists'
colony) is a hand-blocked
linen artist's tam.
Historic Webster Spring 1987 3
Let Sara Sue's
hats lift your
spirits. Drop by
the Amethyst
Room, try on the
hats, and you will
find yourself a
prettier, smarter
person in a hat
DESIGNED FOR
YOU BY
SARA SUE.
HISTORIC
WEBSTER
SPRING 1987
DESIGN FOR YOU
BY SARA SUE
Sara Sue
Sherrill and
some of her
models from
shows that she
presented annually
in Miller
and Rhodes
department
store in Richmond
where she
was the milliner
for many years.
by Ann Melton
Sara Susannah Sherrill (Sara Sue) was born
September 16, 1908, in Webster, the daughter
of William Robert Sherrill and Mary Mabel
Cowan, grand-daughter of Joseph Cowan and
Sara Allman Cowan.
Sara Sue lived in Webster until she was 10
when the family moved to Sylva. Her father,
Will Sherrill, was a lawyer, and when the court
house moved from Webster to Sylva, he bought
property there to be closer to his work.
Sara attended and graduated the Sylva Collegiate
Institute, a private Baptist school. The
following year she attended the North Carolina
College for Women in Greensboro.
Home in Sylva for summer vacation, she
worked in a store in Sylva called The Paris
Store, which was owned by Mr. Simons. She
worked with a lady named Inez Sullivan. Ms.
Sullivan realized her creativity and encouraged
her to go to Atlanta and study fashion.
Sara Sue's mother, Mary Cowan Sherrill, had
worked for some time for Mattie McKee (Mrs.
Lyndon McKee) making hats in a millinery
shop which Mrs. McKee had in her home. This
inspiration, plus the encouragement of Ms.
Sullivan took Sara Sue to Atlanta where she
trained as a milliner. Her first job was in Toccoa,
Georgia. From there she moved to
Asheville where she worked for Denton's.
Leaving Asheville, she moved to West Palm
Beach, Florida, and then to Richmond,
Virginia, where she became the chief designer
for Miller and Rhodes, Richmond's premier
department store. Shortly after moving to
Richmond, she met Gorden Francis (Bud)
Hamon, Jr., and they were married November
26, 1930. Eight years later they had a daughter,
Francis Sherrill Hamon, born November 6,
1938. Sherrill married Charles DuVal Aiken II
in 1959, and they had a son Charles DuVal Aiken
III. Sherrill died in 1966.
Sara Sue Retired from Miller and Rhodes in
October 1973 after 38 years.
During those 38 years she gave two shows a
year, one in September, the fall and winter
show, and one in February, the spring and summer
show. The s)lows were candlelight teas
given in the Tea Room at Miller and Rhodes.
The models at times wore native costumes
which Sara Sue had bought in a particular
country, and the stage and runway were
decorated with art objects also bought in that
country.
To gather inspiration and materials for these
shows, her summers were spent traveling. She
traveled to, and did shows on such places as
the Orient, the near East, India, the European
cuntries, the British Isles, the Mediterranean
world, Mexico, and Canada. She also designed
hats depicting geographic areas in the
United States such as New Orleans and the
Mardi Gras, the West and Hawaii. Her plans
for hats began on the trip with both mental and
written notes, and included shopping trips for
fabrics and appropriate ornaments.
An excert from one of her travel logs gives
and idea of her work :
"The Far East will be the inspiration for our
Fall and Winter collection to be shown at a
fashio tea, in early Fall in the Tea Room,
Richmond.
"Japan, Hong King, and Thailand are the
most colorful countries I have ever visited -each
one so different, each so beautiful in its
own way.
"I worked through our Far East buying office,
William E. Conner Ltd., Far East Buying
Service. in Tokyo I worked with Mr. Ando of
that organization, buying exquisite silk
brocades. A pleasant experience here was a
visit to the factories where I watched the weaving
of materials. It was so interesting to see the
Historic Webster Spring 1987 5
beautiful patterns to come to life as a shuttle
was passed back and forth by skillful hands.
The weaver sits on a low cushion with his legs
crossed under him while working.
Invitations for our Fall Show will be printed
on wood block prints. I saw the artist carve the
design in a block of wood. Each color is put on
separately and rubbed with a buffer pad, -
sometimes a print will be handled eight or ten
times depending on the number of colors used.
My first stop was Tokyo, a big, busy city,
with much construction going on due to the
Olympics being held there. I learned in Tokyo
that most of the things I was looking for would
be found in Kyoto the old capital of Japan.
I drove from Tokyo to Hakone. Enroute stopped
at Kamakura for a look at the second
largest Buddha in the world, and the most
beautiful. I stayed at the Fijiyama Hotel. Next
day drove by Hakone Lake with Mt. Fuji rising
above it in the background. Luckily for me,
the clouds parted long enough for me to see Fuji
in all of its snow-capped glory.
Took the train to Kyoto where I found what
I had always pictured Japan to be .. . beauty
everywhere ... temples, gardens, flowers, all
so picturesque and colorful. Here I bought
beautiful silks, ornaments for the hair, and
handwoven obis (the wide sash worn with
kimonos) to be made into gorgeous hats. Worked
with Mr Ken Yamamoto of Conners, Ltd.
After a successful three-day stay in Kyoto
and Osaka, drove to Osaka airport for flight to
Hong Kong. Our flight was delayed by typhoon
"Viola" and we spent most of the night in the
airport. Arriving in Hong Kong at sunrise next
morning, thankful that it was Sunday and a day
of rest.
Hong Kong is a British Crown Colony -
much too colorful to be true. Modern Hong
Kong is an Asian "West Berlin," bordered by
Red China. Its harbor is as beautiful as Rio de
Janeiro. The seeker of true Asia can find only
small bits of ancient China. It is a melting pot
of every nationality because of its free port.
There were 700 custom tailors within a radius
of six blocks of our hotel. In Hong Kong I was
assisted by Mr. Andrew Xavior of the Far East
office. Bought gorgeous silks, brocades, satins,
bead work and motifs, all handmade. The
Chinese, like the Japanese, are so very artistic
. .. everything is a work of art. My husband
said you could go broke in Hong Kong saving
money ... there were so many bargains. Saw
two beautiful fashion shows. One on the roof
garden of the Hong Kong Hilton, where the
peaks and beautiful harbor formed the
background. The audience, as well as models,
was beautifully dressed and bejewelled. The
other was a showing of Thai fashions designed
in all Thai silks. This show, held in the Nine
Dragon Room of the New President Hotel in
Kowloon, included a performance of the Thai
classic dance.
6 Historic Webster Spring 1987
VIRGINIA'S FINEST DEPARTMENT STORES
I K E B A N A I s~ra Sue's showing of her spring ond Summer het '
ploce this coming Tuesdoy, Februory 9th, ol 3:30P.M., in the M&R Teo Room, Fii
Using the beautiful ond delicole moteriols which she personally collected in Jopo•
endeavored to lronslote into her new designs the exquisite style end spirit of
the or! ond life of Jopon.
We show Sera Sue~s design entitled "Ikebana," only one of this collection "made for you by Se;
Reservations for the showing this coming Tuesday may be mode et the M&R Customer Service [
Stroot Floor. J oa, l r.
Sara Sue, M&R's Own
Cuatom Millinery Designer
Glistening world of inspiration for Sara Sue's new millinery collection,
at a Candlelight Tea Showing in M&R Tea Room,
Wednesday, September 7th, 3:30 p. m.
All the dozzle of sun·glint on silver gl ocier . . . reflected in Soro Sue's
newest, most f~scin~ting millinery collection-inspired by her recent vis it to the
Sco ndinavian countries. Come to the Premier Showing for your own inspiration.
Rediscover the delights of high fo shion in breothtolingly beautiful military
creations that con be .. designed for you by Soro Sue'' from the finest of furs ond fobrics.
A fe stive l(lpplond hot of red end blue cob- rec reates the ·.•1\l<"'med mt1j~ly of the .REINDEER HERO. SONG OF
NORWAY echoed in e sumptuous swi.4 of natural rt~nch mint STOCKHOLM remembf!r~ o mysterious movie queen
ir. a slouch-y hat of beige end ten.
M11ht your Tee Showin<'l r~~~tv<"linn~ 111 M.tR Tir~#ll . B.,nth, D(lwnt{)wn. Tell , $1
The city of Bankok is like a jewel, all the
temples are so colorful and graceful, many of
them bordered by canals filled with pink lotus
blossoms. The temples are encrusted in floral
and other designs made in porcelain and gold
leaf ... the roof tops all pointing to the sky in
graceful design. I bought beautiful Thai Silk
and quaint farmer hats.
I went to the factory where the famous Thai
silk is made and saw it being hand loomed. The
beautiful colors are indescribable. I was told
that the silks are rinsed in the dirty river water
and that is the secret to their beauty. With the
assistance of Mr. Lert Sirimonkol of
Metropolitan Trading Co.
I visited some of the places of interest ...
the Royal Palace, walked through the gardens
and public buildings including the golden
throne room where the Royal receptions are
held, saw the emerald Buddha which was
draped in stoles of precious stones.
Left Bangkok, for home, Tuesday, June 9 at
11 :00 A.M. and arrived in Honolulu Tuesday the
9th at 10:45 A.M., having crossed the International
date line. We were very interested when
the pilot announced, "your are now flying over
South VietNam," ... but were thankful we did
not have to land there.
There is much more to tell but time and
space do not permit. This was the most interesting
of all my trips. Materials have arrived
now, and many of them have been worked
into hat designs for the Fall and Winter season.
Occasionally the hat collection ideas were
gleaned from books, such as mythology, the
fairy tails of Hans Christian Andersen, or the
Romantic period from artist Gainsborough to
Charles Dana Gibson and the century-old
Gody's Lady's Book.
A customer would come into her shop, "The
·Amethyst Room" for a hat to be custom designed
for her. The materials were selected, many
times chosen to match a particular suit or
dress, pinned together, and fitted in the
presence of the customer. The hat was then
sent to the workroom where 13 women did all
the sewing and two men did all the blocking.
Each hat bore a label which read "Designed
for you by Sara Sue" and refleted artistry,
symmetry, and individuality. They were made
of the finest furs and fabrics bought while in
a particular country. She endeavored to
translate into her design the exquisite style and
spirit of the art and life of each country, region,
or period. Each hat was given a name which
reflected a mood of the country.
After retiring, her personal collection and
scrapebooks were given to the Valentive
Museum in Richmond to become part of its permanent
costume collection, the third largest in
America, and which dates from 1668.
After retiring Sara Sue spent her time in
traveling (doing a six month cruise around the
world), painting, cooking, reading, and club
and church work.
Historic Webster Spring 1987 7
REFLECTIONS
BYRD ALLISON by Janice Monteith Blanton
As I grew up in Webster, "There goes
Byrd," would be repeated several times a
day as Byrd Allison was seen going up and
down the street, gathering and sharing information
as she went.
And if you listened carefully you could
usually hear Byrd humming.
Byrd could always be relied on to know
what was going on with each Webster
neighbor and to freely communicate happenings
appropriate with other neighbors.
Some neighborhoods had a local newspaper,
we had Byrd, and we all loved her!
Byrd's routine presence on the streets of
Webster is missed now by her neighbors and
friends because she now lives in a Haywood
County nursing home. Her friendliness and
jolly chuckle during her brief visits served
in inform and cheer folks.
Thinking about Byrd, I'm remined of
HISTORIC
Box 145
Webster, NC 28788
many things. First, she is the mother of
Jack, my special friend. Byrd raised Jack
single-handedly during a time when the going
was tough. Byrd was tough too, and she
always kept going, doing whatever she
could to best take care of herself and "her
boy." She loved Jack dearly and constantly
kept his needs upmost in her mind. Byrd
welcomed us Webster kids into her home
and talked with interest with us about our
various endeavors. I've spent many hours
in her various Webster homes sitting, talking,
and philosophizing with her and Jack.
Byrd is very special to me and my family
because after my mother's car accident
and while she was in the hospital so long,
as well as after she was convalesing, Byrd
was Billie and my interim mother. She
stayed with us during the day doing housework
taking care of Mama, and "mother-ing"
Billie and me. I don't know what we
would have done during this time when our
mother was away or an invalid without
Byrd.
It was Byrd who taught me the beginnings
of cooking and who listened to my various
childhood catastrophies for a long time.
Byrd was always welcome in our home for
she felt like one of our family. Even after
Mama was better and did not need constant
help, and Byrd was on another job, Byrd
never ceased to routinely check on our
welfare.
Byrd was from Savannah community. I
don't know what brought her to Webster--I
never thought to ask. But I'm glad she came
because she is a good Webster "daughter"
and contributed a fine Webster "son" in
Jack. They will go down in Webster's
history as fine Webster residents and good
friends to all
Historic Webster Vol. 2 No. 2
No full textHistoric Webster is a newsletter of the Webster Historical Society, Inc., created at the Society’s founding in 1974. The publication helped to serve the Society's mission of collecting and preserving the history of Webster, North Carolina. Webster, established in 1851, was the original county seat for Jackson County.IICII!IHIIL IIIli
Dear Webster Historical Society Members:
Beginning now, Jackson County will be alive with
American Revolution Bicentennial activities which are
part of those being planned nationwide to "strengthen
the approaching third century of American
independence." The Bicentennial commemoration will
preserve the past and promote the future through the
action areas of HERITAGE, HORIZONS and
FESTIVALS. Jackson County, Webster, Sylva and
Western Carolina University are eligible to official
designation as Bicentennial communities. This means
that each of these communities will be planning special
projects and programs within the areas of
HERITAGE, HORIZONS and FESTIVALS.
The master plan for the North Carolina American
Revolution Bicentennial celebration is divided into
four phases:
Phase I --Overture, 1972-1976
Phase 11--Year of Declarations, 1976
Phase III --Competition 200, 1976-1989
Phase IV-··Finale, 1989
The Jackson County American Revolution
Bicentennial Celebration will be planned by a steering
committee and a community council composed of
representatives from all organizations in the county.
The committee and council, appointed by the county
commissioners, will be announced soon. The Webster
Historical Society's past efforts have been a
meaningful beginning to J ackson County's celebration
of the Bicentennial and will be a significant part of the
exciting years to come. The Webster J uly 4th
celebration of 1975 will include the county's
designation ceremony and will be the first event in a
series of bicentennial celebrations county-wide.
"BE A PART OF SOMETHING GREAT."
Betty Price, Chairperson,
Jackson County American Revolution
Bicentennial Commission
President, Webster Historical Society
:;:;:::::::::::::;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;::;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:
Webster Cookbook Is Selling Well
Requests for copies of lhe Webster Cookbook are far
exceeding expectations. Thanks go to the many Webster
Historical Society members and cooperative businesses who are
participating in these sales. In truth , the cookbook is selling
itself as fr iends of friends and even strangers catch sight of it.
The publishers, Edw.ards and Broughton of Raleigh , North
Carolina have placed full page advertisements in State
Magazine, the Tar Heel Ba nker. and North Carolina Education.
These have already brought favorable response. WMSJ of
:::: generously adding the cause. Great credit goes lo the local sales ::::
:::: chairman, Joe and Kate Rhinehart of Webster who house the :;::
:::: cookbooks, do the bookkeeping, and sell, deliver, package, and ::::
::;: mail copies on request. ::;:
:::: In addition to the Rhineharts, copies of the Webster Cookbook ::::
:::: may be obtained from any of the following individuals or places ::::
::::of business: Betty Price and Marilyn Jody, Webster; Mildred ::::
·:::: Cowan, Webster; Archie and Ruth Crawford, Webster ; and ::::
::::: Mary Morris, Library WCU, Cullowhee; Mrs. Vernon Stroupe, ::::
::::: Sr., Asheville; Joe Parker and Florence Rhinehart, Bethesda, ::;:
::::: Maryland; Anne-Margaret Cloth Shop, Highlands Road, ::::
::::: Franklin, North Carolina; Cheddar Box Cheese and Gourmet ::::
::::: Shop, Dillsboro, North Carolina, Scotties Discount Store, ::::
::::: Simpson Chevrolet, Continental Beauty Shop, all of Sylva, North ::::
:~1:~:;:~:~~:;::::~::;::~;::~:;:::~;~::;:::~:~:::~;:~::;:~;:::~;::~:;::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::~~~~
WEilSTEH. :\OHTH CAROLINA
First Jackson County
Court Formed In 1853
Asheville Citizen
May 22, 1932
The first court was organized
by Judge John W. Ellis, afterwards
governor of the State, at
the residence of Daniel Bryson,
Sr. on Scott's Creek, Monday,
March 3, 1853.
J. Newton Bryson was appointed
clerk of the court, and Allen
Fisher, c lerk and master in
equity . •
The sureties of these officials
were such men as W. H. Bryson,
John B. Allison, R. V. Welch,
John W. Dav is, Thaddeus D.
Bryson, and E. D. Brendle.
The second Superior Court was
opened Monday, September 19,
1953, at Allen Fisher's store
house, with Judge Dav id F.
Caldwell presiding. (Judge Caldwell
was the grandfather of Fred
C. Fisher, of Swain county, and
Miss Frances Fisher, author of
"The Land of the Sky"). E. D.
Davis was sheriff and J. Newton
Bryson, clerk of the court.
First Jury System
The first grand and petit juries
were composed of such familiar
pioneer names as Keener, Con·
' ley , Queen, Bryson, Brown,
Hooper, Dills , Alley, Allison,
Gibson, Wilson, Smith, Wood ,
Zachary, Hall, Norton, Shelton,
Hedden, Monteith, Sutton, Sherrill
, Henson, Allen, Buchanan,
Farley, Watson , Wike, Enloe,
Owne, Ensley, Ashe, Long, Dillard,
Davis , Parker, Parris,
Painter, Coward, Rogers, Hyatt,
Henderson, Moss , Middleton,
Potts, Parks, Shular, and Gunter.
The first case was placed on
docket for trial in the Superior
Court was State versus Adam
Mathis. The second was John B.
Allison and Woodford Zachary
versus Elisha Holden. The nature
of neither case is stated in the
record.
David Rogers, among the
youngest of these first county
officials, 40 years younger than
some of them was the last to pass
away. He died in the late Twenties
at his home in Cullowhee. At
the age of 94 he was as young and
sprightly in spirit as he was on
that autumnal morning in 1855
when he moved into the new
courthouse at Webster, as the
county's first clerk of the court.
The first State cOurts were six in
number and the judges and
lawyers proceeded from one to
another on horseback. For several
years prior to 1778 there
were no courts in North Carolina
unles they were single magistra·
cies which had jurisdiction of
petty offense and civil actions.
In 1868 these time-honored
though somewhat antiquated
courts were abolished and a
different procedure was adopted
by the state. Jackson county now
has the Superior court, and the
courts of the justices of the peace.
SPRING, 1975
Ottis Self ,
A Distinguished Citizen
By Mildred Cowan
Rubert Ottis Self, eldest child of Dr. William and Octavie Cowan
Self, was a distinguished citizen of Webster, of Jackson County, and
the entire stale of North Carolina. He was born at Franklin, North
Carolina in 1884. His parents returned to live at Webster where Ottis
attended public school. He was later a student at Cullowhee Normal
School, now Western Carolina University, and finished in the class of
1904.
He taught in the public schools of Jackson County in 1005; was
principal of Wakelon High School, Zebulon, North Carolina, in 1906;
and taught at Calvert in Transylvania County in 1907. He was
superintendent of public schools in Jackson County in 1908 and 1909.
During 1910 he was southern representative for the American Book
Company.
In 1911 Mr. Self became Clerk of the North Carolina Senate in
which office he served u,ntil19l9. During this period and until1940, he
held a number of Important positions in civil life and state
governments. He was active in the Kiwanis Club 'the Masonic
Knights of Pythias, and Odd Fellows Orders. Mr. Self's life and
career are further reviewed in a letter written by his daughter, Mrs.
Lura Self Tally, to me, her father's cousin.
Mrs. Tally is presently serving in the North Carolina Legislature
as 20th District Representative from Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Her letter follows:
North Carolina General Assembly
House of Representatives
State Legislative Building
Raleigh, 77611
Lura S. Tally March 18, 1975
20th District
Home Address: 3100 Tallywood Drive, Fayetteville, N. C. 28303
Miss Mildred Cowan
PO Box 116
Webster, North Carolina 28788
Dear Mildred:
Thank you very much for writing to me about my precious father.
shall try to write down a list of information for you.
Continued on Page 3
Historic Webster, Spring 1975, Page 2
Probable Date, the late Eighties
By Eliza beth Keys
Miss Margaret Anne Hunter,
our good neighbor on Caney Fork
Creek, is indeed an extraordinary
lady of 94 years <come May 3) ;
much kin d ness and a lov ing
heart. Also, Miss Mag twinkles
with bright wit in recounti ng
marvelous stories which are fond
a nd wonderful memories to her .
For ma ny, many yea rs, Miss
Mag has been a Special Person to
this writ er , but last week was our
firs t li te r a ry e ncount er in a
formal interview, for the "Webster
Hi s toric a l Soc ie ty News·
letter. "
Miss Mag emanates s trength ,
integrity, and in telligence. Her
delightful sophis ticat ion did not
spring from a ttending the Wo·
mens' College of Greensboro. Her
own nat ura l intellectua l curiosity
has kept her current and cognizant
with day to day events
local a nd world wide. Also, she
was an aware and observing li tt le
girl. Her brown eyes da nced as
she said that she and her younger
brother . Ra lph. were not greatly
im pressed with Sylva upon their
a r r iva l from Texas. 80 plus yea rs
ago. Texas. even in those days.
was known as " Big Country". so
the Smoky Mounta in hollows may
The hot el. a t this time. was the home and to right a re the servants Major Wells and Aunt have seemed cramped at first
business of Felix and Annie Ca rt er Leatherwood. Zelia Wells. The next three men are unknown . arrival. " The old g ray ho rse
The latticed banni ste rs and supp.crt-!!'!g cc!~mns.-cf-- Sca-:iX! neao. tli·c--c-o-:umu ·~ .1r-s-:-f' :·i :.: ::.ea ih-er --h~:ch cd :an pas: :ocn; by. n;od r;-o:
the porches were typical. at that time. of a number wood. with daughter Ethel and Ellen on each s ide . many houses in Sy lva then---!"
of houses in the Webster area. Standing as a group are her three older daughters. sti ll last in ~e r me.mo r~.
This picture was published in an early edition of May. Lee. and Belle. Leaning aga inst a column is The beauuful white . f1 ve ga ~l e
llis to1·ic \\'c bs tt·,·. but we th ought it wor th daught er Annie.Seatedwithpropped up fee tis Dr. Hunter H ~ m es t ea d,. where M1ss
1·epubli s hing beca use of the information furn ished Will Tompkins. The ot her people on the porch Mag has lived dunng her years
about the occupants of the porches b~· Mrs. Vernon cannot be identified. here. sta rted as a one room
Strou pe, Sr. , grandd a ughter of the F . H. In close proximity. about twenty fee t away, and cabin. bu ilt before her Daddy
Leatherwood's. Mrs. St roupe says. from what her back of the picket fence on the r ight ca n be seen a went West. That one-hundred-mother
Mrs . Lee Potts told her. most of the people portion of the Coward Hotel. home of Nathan year old cabin , pegged door and
can be identifi ed. Coward and hi s family . Both hotels were a ll. is st ill intact to see as pa rt of
To the left on the ups ta irs porch are Mr. and destroyed in the 19 10 disastrous fire which the Big House w ~ ich was .later
Mrs. Schreiber. On horseback. ha lf hidden by the originated in the Mount a in View. added by the builder , En cson
fence. is Joe Sher rill. On the lower porch from left Lovedahl from Sweden . Some of
:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:::::::;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::=:::::=::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::=::::::::;:;:;:
Robert lee Madison
Education in Western
North Carolina,
Nineteenth Century
By .Joe Parker Rhin eha rt
Educa tion 101 A
December t2. 1 !)5~
At Sylva, a Mr. Page from
Ma ine ta ught the first part of the
t887-1888 year and Mr. Madison
took over at the mid-term . A
sudden and serious illness prevented
hs fini s hi ng the year.
After a recovery trip to Alabama
a nd Tennessee, he returned to
SUi f
Editors :
Mrs. Louise Davis
Ms. Alice Harrill
Dr. Marilyn Jody
Circulation
Mana ger :
Mrs. J ennie Lou Hunter
Typists:
Mrs. Sar ah Barrell
Mrs. Jennie Lou Hunter
Contr ibutors:
Mrs. Elizabeth Keys
Mr. Claude Cowan
Dr . Richard W. Jobst
Miss Mildred Cowan
Mrs. Vernon Stroupe , Sr.
Ms. Belly Price
Sylva in time to teach the
t888-t889 term.
The public money of the distr ict
had been spent on patent desks,
(the first in Jackson county), so
the school operated as a subscri
ption school.
Here Professor Madison had
forty pupils, ages 6 to 23, in
classes ranging from ABC's to
F'rench.
The grading system was different
from present day methods.
A one merit card was issued to
each student for being present, on
time, good behavior, good lessons,
and abstention from dis·
turbing others. Five one-merit
cards were exchanged for a
five-merit card ; five five-merit
cards were swapped for a twenty
five-merit card; a nd four twenty
five-marit cards were traded for
a hundred merit certifica te. A
student could acquire a hundr edmer
it cer tificate every month if
his record was excellent every
day of the four school weeks.
After Mr. Madison assumed
duties as editorr of the Tucka·
seigee D emocrat~. in January 9,
1889, he divided his day between
classroom and newspaper duties .
All nights except Friday were
spent in school work . Friday
nights were given to the literary
society at the public hall.
Al the beginning of the fa ll of
1888, Madison had subscribed to
several leading educational jour·
nals. including Sc hool Journa l
and the Teac her's Inst it ute. and
had several leading educa tor 's
writings. Before the fa ll term was
over he had organized a group of
practice teachers. " As fa r as I
know th is was the first attempt
ever made to practice teaching in
this county." It was on a sma ll
scale and participa tion was voluntary
.
Madison stayed at Sylva, but
with an intention of starting a
public school. Here he became
impressed with the needs of a
perm a ne nt in s t it ution for this
mountainous section. The inst i tu~
tion would not only give the young
people better pre pa r at ion or
foundation for their future voca·
tions , but would a nswer the acute
need for preparing teachers for
the county and village schools.
"Fortunately fo r me and for
the educationa l future of th is
region , the genera l assem bl y of
t889 had abo lished the then
existing eight normal schools and
had provided in their stead the
money previously set apar t for
them should be expended for
teacher's ins titutes to be held
annua lly for the duration of a
week or more in each county in
the state.
The teacher 's insti tute lead to
the turning point in Professor
Madison's li fe.
the sta tely trees. as well as the
immense silo, were vict ims of
high wi nds in the past. There is
litt le need now for the ca ttle
fee ding s tation as Miss Mag no
longer continues Ra lph Hunter 's
registered Hereford herds since
his demise two yea rs ago. Ra lph
Hunter was the greatest a uthori
ty on Hereford cattl e and blood
lines in th is region. His da ta and
papers would be a prime acquisition
for the Western Carolina
University Archi ves.
Miss Mag knows so ma ny
things; such as, it is a fact tha t
Caney Fork Creek was so named
because the Master-Cra ftsman
Basket Weavers of the Cherokee
preferred the Caney r vi'k canes
above a ll others for their art
work. The superio rity of these
canes lies in the clim ate of the
Ca ney Fork Valley which is a
therma l pocket tha t protects the
canes from becoming brittle with
heavy freezes. Th us the ca nes
respond in flex ibili ty in working
into the exquis ite des igns and
techniques of basketry of the
Cherokee.
Miss Mag's Daddy, Mr . J ohn
Hunter , was the fi r st Caney Fork
resident to pay for posta l delivery
to his home. Then, the mai l came
by way of the new ra ilroad to
Sylva , was waggoned to Cull owhee
and East LaPorte , and
forwa rded by horseback up Caney
Fork, John 's Creek, and the
Rich Mounta in Section.
Earlier , John Hunte r had removed
to Texas a fter four year s '
active duty with the Confederate
Army . With his young wife ,
Minerva Brown Hunter , he esta·
blished his home is Sage, Texas,
where their three children were
born. The cat tle bus iness prospered
and all was well until Miss
Minerva came down with " Deser
t Feve r ". So, her hu s ba nd
brought her home, with their
little ones, to the beautiful Blue
Ridge to recover. For Minerva , it
was too late , but her three
children flouri shed - . the two
daughters pa ssed 90 years each,
a nd the son, Ra lph, atta ined 86.
Miss Mag reca lls her Grandmother
Brown's food preserving
from those ea r ly years. Little
gray, glazed ceramic jars were
the con ta iners. Hot cooked food
was poured into the hot. scalded
jars . and sea led with tissue pa per
soa ked in hot bees wax . This was
snugged down ta ut ov er the
mouth of the ja r with a str ing
winding a round the wa xed paper
overha nd at the top of each jar .
Sounds delicious. doesn't it ?
Miss Mag has greeted me so
oft en a t he r ever- hos pit ab le
home. I ca nnot count the times. It
is mostly the summer season
though. when I ride horseback up
that \Vav a nd vis it with my
wonderflil fri end. But. never unt il
our recent int erview. had Miss
I\ lag shown me the anc ient. hand
appliqued quilt. a fam ily heirloom.
It so im pressed me tha t I
inq uired about it at the Tryon
Pa lace Sympos ium which I re-
•ti a-ii cnded i11 '~c ' Be .
Nor tli Ca rolina . The discussions
of the Sympos ium we re con cerned
with Eighteenth Cent ury
deco r a ti ve Art s in the Early
Ame ri can Homes . T he Celebrated
a utho rity on Eight eenth
and Nineteenth Century Text iles.
Miss Mil dred B. Lan.icr of the
\Vill iamsburg Hcst orat ion Staff.
gave marvelous lec tures on Textiles
in the Southern Homes in the
sevent eenth and eighteen th centuries.
As I descr ibed as fully as
possi ble 1\liss Mag's qui lt. Miss
La nier and the class were very
much interested . Miss La nier .
without hav ing seen it. could give
only an educat ed guess rega rding
the. qui lt. However. it seems to be
one of the priceless sur vivors of
the age when glazed cott on chintz
was sti ll being imported from
Engla nd . The Rose Madder. and
brown India P rints were pre-cut
for quilting and a lso expor ted to
Ame ri ca f rom England. Miss
Mag's quil t is enha nced in value
on account of the hand woven
linen back ing. the " Mint Condition"
(a ter m meaning extremely
va luable J and " Made in Amer ica"
. A conservat ive guess would
place the quilt as t20 to t30 yea rs
old. Perhaps Webster Histo rica l
Society can help us to further
identify this ma rvelous treasure.
a nd oth ers which a re tucked
away in brides ' chests from long
ago. We need photographs in
detai l to submit for appraisa l.
We are certa in ly indebted to
MisS Mag for the interview---.
maybe there will be more.
Hlsloric Webster, Spring 1975, P age 3
The North Carolina Senate Is Pictured In Session in 1917. The inset is Robert OHis Self.
The Felix H. Leatherwood Family at Webster, North Carolina
September, 1891
Left to right and standing: Mrs. F. H.
Leatherwood, who before her ma rriage was Annie
Lavenia Cartsr ; da ughter Laura Belle, (Mrs.
Marcellus Buchana n, Sr. ), daughter F lorence
May (Mr s . J . E. Divelbiss, Sr .), daughter Lillian
Lee <Mrs. R. P . Potts. Sr. ), seated : daughter
Ellen Elvira (Mrs. G. C. Picklesimer), daughter
Ethel La vinia <Mrs . Coleman Cowan ), daughter
Anna Carter <Mrs . M. Donaldson Cowan ). In
front : only son, Roy F . Leatherwood.
Absent from the picture is the husband and
father, Felix Ha rrison Leatherwood, who was a
tra veling salesman for Sanford, Chambers, and
Alber s, drug wholesalers of Knoxville, Tennessee.
This family group picture, evidently made by a
traveling photographer (quite common in that
era) was taken just below the Mountain View
Hotel, home of Felix and Annie Carter Leatherwood.
In the background and enclosed with a fence
is the rose garden of Mrs. Leatherwood. On the
opposite side of the street is the home of Dr. W. C.
Tompkins, and above it is the Spake house, later
occupied by Garey and Ellen Picklesimer. and
still later by the Andy Allisons.
Picture and information furnished by Mrs.
Vernon Stroup, Sr. of Asheville, North Carolina.
Mrs. Stroup is a granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. F.
H. Leatherwood.
Ottis Self, cont.
-Continued irom page I
As you probably know, after his father died, my father taught in
the one-room school house there in Webster. - He received his
education from Western Carolina, during which lime he often ta ught
since a school master was needed; and he, evidently. was a most
alert and intelligent young man.
He later worked with the Wachovia Bank in Wilmington, often
commuting on weekends back to his beloved mountains and to his
widowed mother. A little later, he served with Wachovia Bank in
Statesville, North Carolina where he mel my mother , Sarah Cowles,
who was the local teacher of music. They were ma rried on the
Cowles family farm in the summer of 1918. During this lime, my
father was also serving in the Nor th Carolina Stale Senate as chief
clerk.(! have his gold cane). I am now having a picture copied which
included him in the legislative body of 1917. He was chairman for the
entire Stale for the sale of Liberty Bonds from 1917 through the end of
the war. Aboull920, he and my mother came to Raleigh. He, to begin
his career with the old North Carolina Corpora tion Commission
Oa ter, the North C~"oli na Utili ties Commission) with which he
stayed 30 years.
He and my mother had five children, of which four a re living. My
older brother, Bobby, died in infa ncy. My s ister s a r e Eleanor Self
McCall (Mrs. J. A. McCall) of Stone Mountain, Geor gi a and Mrs.
Nancy Self Stanley (Mrs. Lester Stanley) of Smithfi eld , North
Carolina, my brother is Capt. USN William Cowles Self, of Panama
Canal Zone and, of course, me, Lura Self Ta lly, from Fayetteville,
North Carolina. There are 14 grandchildren a
Historic Webster Vol. 10 No. 2
No full textHistoric Webster is a newsletter of the Webster Historical Society, Inc., created at the Society’s founding in 1974. The publication helped to serve the Society's mission of collecting and preserving the history of Webster, North Carolina. Webster, established in 1851, was the original county seat for Jackson County.HISTORIC~
•••••••••••••••~--"-e_w..:,s_:le.;.tt.:...er of the Webster Historical Society, Inc.
VOLUME X, NUMBER 2 WEBSTER, NORTH CAROLINA SUMMER 1984
Page 2, HISTORIC WEBSTER, SUMMER, 1984
I Bumgarners help settle Jackso1
By Tracey Jeanne Whitaker
Most of the Bumga rners in Jackson County are descended from
Charles Bumgarner who was born in 1799. Family tradition tells
that Charles and his brothers came to this country from Germany
and that he had come "over the mountain" to settle in Jackson
County.
The first census in 1790 lists several Bumgarners already down
east living in Lincoln County North Carolina. Charles also lived
in Lincoln County. He married Rebecca Odum there on August 29,
1821, and his first three children, at least were born there. This
places the family in Lincoln County until at least 1826. Sometime
before 1836, he did come "over the mountain" because he bought
fifty-seven acres of what was formerly Cherokee lands at an auction
at J. B. Love's store near Webster. The auction was held in
December, 1836, and the entire tract was bought for 4.37 and forty acres on Locust Creek for 5.00. Upon his death in 1865, Charles left 296 acres of
land to his children, who then sold the entire lot to George
Bumgarner for $551.
Rebecca Odum Bumgarner lived until the age of 81, dying in 1886.
The following is a list of Charles and her children: I
Rebecca Odum and her husband Charles Bumgarner
bought land in the Webster area in 1836.
Alexander -M. 1821-1905, married Matilda Fisher, 7 children;
George W. 1823-1910, married Eliza Tatham, 4 children; Hosea
1826-1880, married Lucinda Bryson, 9 children; Logan 1829-1903,
married Sarah Bumgarner, 12 children; Adolphus 1831-1897, married
Lucinda Harrell, 3 children ; Louisa 1835-1905, married Coleman
Bryson, 8 children; John 1836-1845; William 1839-1902, married
Polly Allen, 10 children; James 1843-1867; Rebecca 1844-1844;
Mahala 1846-1918, married James T. Painter, 10 children.
The Bumgarners were Methodists and founding members of
Love's Meeting House in 1840. The meeting house was named for
John B. Love, who gave an acre of land for the building site. The
name was later changed to Love's Chapel Methodist Church. The
meeting house was used as a community house, a place of community
gatherings and a school as well as a church.
When the Civil War broke out in 1861, the first four of Charles
and Rebecca Bumgarner's seven surviving sons served the Confederacy.
George and Logan were captured at the Battle of
Cumberland Gap in Tennessee on September 9, 1863, and were held
in a federal prison, Camp Doublas, Illinois, until March 1865.
George Bumgarner, son of Rebecca and Charles married
Eliza Tatham. This portrait is done in charcoal.
Charles Bumgarner died at 67 in 1866 and Rebecca lived on until
1886, dying at age 91. Both are buried in the old Methodist
Cemetery in Fairview. Their original markers are still there, along
with a newer one placed there by the family in the 1950's. According
to the late Bud Parker, Rebecca never learned English. The
fact that she spoke her native German is almost sure evidence that
she immigrated to the United States as a young girl.
George Bumgarner married Eliza Tatham, daughter of another
couple that pioneered Western North Carolina, W. C. and Isabell
Tatham. George and Eliza had four children, Nathan Wilber (called
Wib), Carrie A., William H. and John Wesley Bumgarner. While
Grandpa George was off in the Civil War, Grandma Eliza was
afraid that the Union soldiers would take all their valuables and
steal their cow, so she sold the cow and buried the money. After
his parole at Camp Douglas, Grandpa George was involved in a
prisoner exchange in City Point, Virginia, in March 1865. After
Lee's surrender in April, George walked home. He and Eliza dug
up the money, but since it was Confederate, it was worthless.
My great, great grandfather was John Wesley Bumgarner. Like
his father, he bought some of the family land from his brothers
and sisters when his father, George, passed away. In 1880, Grandpa
John married Mary Long, daughter of Andrew Jackson Long
and Jemima Cathey. Andrew Jackson Long was descended from
·a well-to-do colonial family that began as Quakers in Pennsylvania
and settled in North Carolina about the time of the Revolution. His
great grandfather was a Revolutionary War Colonel who had 86
slaves in 1790. Jemima Cathey descended from William Cathey,
an early settler of Haywood County.
John and Mary Bumgarner built the white frame house that still
stands out on the Fairview Road, in the same area where Charles
and George had built their log cabins. There is a picture of them
and their large family in front of the family house in the Spring,
1978, issue of Historic Webster.
The children of John and Mary Bumgarner were; Iva, July 14,
1884-September 9, 1979, married John Hoxit, 4 children; Rufus
Oscar, January 21, 1882-May 31, 1951, married Minnie Nunn, 2
children; Edgar, January 1893-June 10, 1970, married Lucille
Painter; Carrie, October 1887-May 3, 1964, married twice to Wil
Link and Henry Bryson, 4 children; James Gerald, August 7, 1895
to September 1, 1954, married Grace, 2 children; Lewis Wilburn,
June 15, 1898-September 10, 1975, married Mabel Edwards, 2
children; Lucy Ellen, June 15, 1898-Aprilll, 1972.
My great grandfather was Oscar Bumgarner. Oscar Bumgarner
and Minnie Hester Nunn met while Oscar was working in the coal
mines of West Virginia and boarding with Minnie's sister. They
were married on April22, 1903 in Henry County, Virginia, at Minnie's
parents' home. They returned to the coal fields near Bluefield,
West Virginia where their first daughter, Ila, was born in 1904.
Returning to Jackson County, they lived with Grandpa George
Bumgarner in his log cabin. My grandmother, Love Bumgarner,
was born in that log cabin. The family moved around a good bit
while Ila and Love were young, but they finally came back to Fairview
to build and stay. The house burned a few years ago, but it
had a lot of " character" and housed five generations over the
years. Ila finished high school in Sylva and married Grady Henson.
They have one daughter, Jeanne, who married Clyde
Bumgarner, who is a descendent of Logan Bumgarner. Love married
J. Floyd Owens of Webster. They had three children. Love
Louise (Snooky) married Vaughn Lemmond and raised three
children in Daytona Beach, Florida. James Floyd Owens has
retired from the Navy and he and his wife Linda are two of Jackson
county local rural route postpeople. They have three children and
live in Fairview. Uncle Jim has two children by a previous mar-
Oscar Bumg
Virginia. They
in her mother':
riage. My mothE
After dad retire•
Carolina and als•
four children. Fl
Grover Kilpatric
Tennessee.
(Anyone wishi
scant family hist•
3, Box 146, Sylv1
Cover Story:
color by the .
reproduction \
historical socie:
series.
Society
Will
Celebrat1
Miss
Lucy's
Picnic
One of the g1
of Miss Lucy l
mer was the I
and her picni
never plannec
was just "Brin
and come up f•
The Webst•
Society would
Miss Lucy's pi
vites meml
families , and t
come up to thE
1 County I
arner met his wife Minnie Nunn in West
had two daughters, Ila, standing, and Love,
; arms.
·r, Nancy Ann, married William Ray Whitaker.
I from the Air Force they came home to North
>built on the family land in Fairview. They have
Jyd Owens died in 1944 and Love Owens married
k. They now make their home in Andersonville,
ng more information or to add to or correct the
>ry that I have presented, can write to me at Route
'• North Carolina 28779. )
"Summer Evening in Webster" is a waterJackson
County artist, Jeff Ginn. Color
1ill be given to the participants of the
:y's "Summer Evening in Webster" concert
eat pleasures
Iedden's sum'
ourth of July
:. Miss·Lucy
a picnic. It
g your supper
~r the picnic."
•r Historical
like to revive
cnic and it in>
ers , their
1eir friends to
"Big Lot" at
4:30 Wednesday evening, July
4. Mr. and Mrs. John
Fobes, who now own the Hedden
House, have offered their
yard, the "Big Lot," for the
gathering.
Bring your supper, a chair,
a cardtable, a blanket. We
will spread our supper, visit,
talk and celebrate our country's
birthday at Miss Lucy's
Picnic.
SUMMER, 1984, HISTORIC WEBSTER, Page 3
Mary Morris, 1937·1984, founded
Webster's Historical Society
By Joe P. Rhinehart
On Saturday mornings
about eleven o'clock, we
stood in front of Rhinehart's
Store and waited for the Blue
Goose. That was the name
we had given the old school,
bus that Venoy Reed had
painted blue and that he ran
between Webster and Sylva
in the 1940's.
The trip to town was the
beginning of our favorite
day-Saturday- and Mary
Morris and I were on our way
to the movies. Twenty cents
for the bus ride, 12 cents for
the movie, five cents for the
popcorn. That was the day's
expense, and what a day!
We would spend the afternoon
at the picture show-a
western staring Roy Rogers,
our favorite, or Gene Autry
or Hopalog Cassiday; a double
feature with Francis, the
talking mule, Pa and Ma Kettle,
Abbott and Costello; the
continued show-Batman,
Superman; the cartoons; the
previews; the newsreels;
and the local ads.
After seeing all these
features, we would cross the
street to Stovall's ten cent
store for a visit with Callie
McConnell, who ran the toy
department, and maybe we
would make a purchase. By
five thirty it was time to go
up to Mary's father 's office
and get our ride home to
Webster.
This past summer Mary
and I had a chance to visit
everyday, and we often talked
about growing up and how
often our paths crossed. She
was my first friend, for a
long time my best friend ,
then just my friend, and for
the past years my best friend
again.
We were children together,
we were classmates at
Webster School, we saw each
other at Woman's College
when I went up to dances.
Then when she moved back
to Webster, and Flossie and
I were there in the summer,
we visited, went to plays
together, ate out, talked
about Webster , and
remembered, from Mary's
porch that overlooks the
village, all those wonderful
childhood times.
Flossie surely got bored as
we talked. We again dug blue
clay from the creek bank
near the Owen house to make
pottery, baked in Florencie's
stove in the Morris kitchen.
We sang "Praise the Lord
and Pass the Ammunition"
as we had when we had
wanted to be part of the war.
We remembered the barber
shop we had had when we actually
shaved each other with
razors taken from the
Rhinehart bathroom. We
retold the ghost stories that
we had heard the big
children-Jack, Ralphine,
and others-tell and then felt
the shivers as we walked that
long walk across the street in
the dim light of Webster's
lone street lamp.
What a day it was for us
when the blacks of Webster
came home in the summer to
open their church for their
annual " Feast in the
Wilderness! " The Morris
children, under Florencie's
direction, and Jim and I, in
the hand~ of Annie Bell and
Clyde Fisher, walked down
the Cemetery Road and up
the hill to the Webster Baptist
Church. We celebrated.
We ate. We sang. We visited.
We walked home, tired but
full of joy.
Webster's streets, in the
forties, were dirt. That was a
delight, because when it rained,
we could play in the mud,
damming up the ditches. Our
standard answer to "Get in
out of the rain and mud! "
was "We're washable, aren't
we?"
On Christmas Day, 1983,
Flossie and I went up to
Mary's. " I've been waiting.
I knew you would be here today."
She wanted to know
about Mildred Cowan's
Christmas Eve concert, the
concert · played on the
Methodist church's restored
organ. We talked about the
"Summer Evenings in
Webster" for 1984, about
Cadbury chocolate, about
cats ...
That day was the kind of
day Mary and I loved. It was
cold, bright, and hazy blue,
and Webster sparkled in the
valley .. .
Mary Morris, the secretary of the Webster Historical Society, was one year old when this
photograph was made. After leaving Webster she attended Woman's College of the University
of North Carolina in Greensboro. When she became a librarian at Western Carolina UniHrsity
she moved home to Webster.
Page 4, HISTORIC WEBSTER, SUMMER, 1984
Reflections by Janice Monteith e c.nat 8 1 40.)
Ia rlv ·
I ' ~·~'·'
Webster School, Part 2
le pd.
Transition from elementary to high school at
Webster was a relatively easy process because
grades one through twelve were in the same building.
Although we knew all the high school teachers, our
major adjustment came from changing class and
having a number of different teachers during the
same day. No longer in our self-eontained "cocoons"
of one room and one teacher, we had to spend time
studying and figuring out the various teachers' styles
and standards as well as learning a variety of subjects,
not all of which were appealing.
Ernest Penland was principal during all my school
years at Webster. Although at times, he taught
classes, I don't recall him teaching me. I have mentioned
an experience or two relating to Mr. Penland
in prior articles, but the thing I most appreciate him
for is the tremendous support and backing he gave
me when I drove a school bus. I'm not sure, but I may
have been the first female driver for the school; at
any rate, I can recall occasions when he was involved
in assuring people I was a good driver and backing
me in various ways. I could particularly depend
on him to support me in school bus discipline.
Mrs. Elizabeth Reed was, of course, our home
economics teacher. Now home ec was not at the top
of the list of my favorite subjects, but, being female,
I had to take it. I really didn't learn much, through
no fault of hers, but rather because cooking and sewing
didn't have much priority in my life at that time
(they still don't! ). I remember I made a red blouse
one time, and against Mama's wishes, spent quite a
bit on some pretty red buttons for it. A few years ago,
when I was home and pilfering around upstairs, I
found the blouse - right where I had hid it before
to keep from wearing it! To this day, I still can't hem
anything and the hem stay in. While I was, in
general, a lost cause in this class, Mrs. Reed was a
good teacher; she certainly knew her field. One project
I did thoroughly enjoy was a research project
on careers. I chose interior decoration and, although
I dropped the idea upon learning that, for this profession,
chemistry was required in college. I had fun
with it, improved my own room decoration at home,
and have used information learned from the research
throughout my life.
Mrs. Bunn (whose first name I don't recalll was
a science teacher at Webster for I think only one
year. I was in her biology class and I loved it. She
was an excellent teacher and knew her subject. She
made biology very exciting for me. In spite of
Webster's limited science facilities, she was able to
relate information and have us do minor kinds of experiments
to inform and increase our knowledge.
We kids were really hard on Mrs. Lillian Campbell.
She, unlike many of the other teachers, came
to Webster just before I got to high school. Her subject
area was the social sciences. There's no doubt
in my mind that she was intelligent and knew her
subject backward and forward. Unfortunately, she
was a very low-key and kind woman who felt
everyone was basically good, and her classes took
advantage of this and could generally be classified
as undisciplined. I know now, of course, that this was
our loss. I respected Mrs. Campbell's intelligence
and was, as a young girl, especially impressed with
her beautiful clothes. She was always immaculately
dressed in lovely, and I thought expensive, suits
and dresses and a very pretty lady to look at in class.
Joe Pressley spent at least a year at Webster. He
was there primarily to coach, and had to teach some
math. Being on the dumb side in math anyway, I, unfortunately,
had him for Algebra I. We had a ball in
class and easily talked him into singing or going out
to play ball. When the tests came, we all failed. As
a result, he graded "on the curve" and my grades
were notA's but A+'s for the year! Needless to say,
I'm still dumb in math and particulary algebra. I liked
Joe anyway and still do. He was jolly and funloving
and a good coach.
Kate Deitz Welch was a super "human" teacher.
Often, we tend to think of teachers (or bosses, or
... ) as unapproachable or set apart, and Mrs. Welch,
on the surface, gave this appearance. But, she, aside
from being an excellent business teacher, was a
regular person as well. I appreciate her most of all
because we shared a "secret" regarding a purchase
at the town store which, she, by asking me to do it,
made me feel like she recognized me as a young lady,
and most of all, showed she was confident that I could
"keep my mouth" shut about something. Her quick
sense of humor often helped divert my attention from
some boring aspects of accounting and she was very
encouraging in my learning typing skills. Although,
I've rarely needed typing in my career, I've found
the skill invaluable for other purposes.
Mrs. Kate Rhinehart and Mrs. Louise Davis were
two more of my high school teachers. I've written
articles previously on each of them which give indication
of how very special and important each was
to me. They also influenced me in the church and
community, so I got a "triple dose" from each of
them. Very different in personality, Mrs. Rhinehart
teaching history, Latin, and math and Mrs. Davis,
English, they were excellent teachers in their own
way. Perhaps more important than the subjects they
taught, were the influence and expectations they had
for us kids to apply ourselves and do our best at
whatever we attempted. Mrs. Davis, in her stern
matter-of-fact way, got the best out of us in English
class, in annual work, in the RIDGERUNNER production,
and in school plays by simply, silently expecting
us to do a good job and not hesitating to verbally
chide us if we didn't come up to her expectations.
Mrs. Rhinehart, in her loving and supportive
way, encouraged us to stretch for beyond what we
might think ourselves capable and made us feel good
and special when we achieved. She rarely took " no"
for an answer and she literally pushed us into activities
and experiences which she knew were good
for us but which we, at the time, weren't so sure
about.
Yes, a mixture of personalities and learning
resulted from each Webster teacher during my
twelve years there and all of them good. Affectionate
support from Mrs. Moseman, development of study
and learning skills by Mrs. Roper, Mrs. Sutton, Mrs.
Ensley, and Mrs. Allison, appreciation and Jove for
nature and the applicability of learning from Mrs.
Mary Cowan, love for reading from Mrs. Pauline
Cowan, development and enjoyment of art and music
by Mrs. Madison, administrative and personal support
from Mr. Penland, patience and perseverence
from Mrs. Reed, intelligence and beauty from Mrs.
Campbell, awareness of and appreciation for science
from Mrs. Bunn, an ability to relax and have fun
from Mr. Pressley, typing and the importance of " being
human" or able to relate to those with whom one
works, no matter the profession from Mrs. Welch,
and self-pride and a determination to achieve from
Mrs. Rhinehart and Mrs. Davis are the accumulated
gifts these individuals gave me during my years at
the Webster School. The school was small and the
teachers few in number, but personal interest and
desire to help each student develop to his/her fullest
was like no where else. For this, I'm glad and
thankful to each teacher for his/her unique and important
contribution to my development.
SUMMER'S RICHES
When katydids begin to sing
And blinking fireflies stir,
Then evening breathes with restlessness
And new life everywhere.
The meadows then are bountiful,
For summer's in her prime,
When fruit trees in the orchards stand
Awaiting harvest time.
The dew clings to the window sill,
And mist is on the pane,
As raindrops patter from the roof
When day is on the wane.
The jay bird near the back window,
Attuned with flaunting note,
Defies the cardinal and thrush
As sons of the sparrow float.
-William Bird
"Summer Evenings"
Begin in June
Summer, 1984, will be an
exciting time to be in
Webster.
The Webster Historical
Society is planning its second
series of "Summer Evenings
in Webster" for June and July,
and it invites natives and
visitors to attend the events.
Scheduled for Sunday
evening at 5:30, the programs
will feature society
members in concerts and
reading at the Webster
United Methodist Church.
Mary Clark, a Webster
resident since 1971, a doctor's
receptionist and the pianist
Mary Clark
with the Spencer Clark Trio,
will open the series on June
24 with a piano concert of
popular and classical music.
William E. Paulk, Jr., of
Cullowhee, a professor of
English at Western Carolina
University, and a published
poet, will read the poetic
works of Dr. Robert Lee
Madison, founder of the
University, and for years, a
Webster resident. The Summer
Eve~ings in Webster are
William E. Paulk
presented in honor of Mr.
Madison and his wife Ella
Richards. The historical
society has a book of
Madison's poem in publication.
Mr. Paulk will be joined
in his presentation by
B
Historic Webster Vol. 8 No. 2
No full textHistoric Webster is a newsletter of the Webster Historical Society, Inc., created at the Society’s founding in 1974. The publication helped to serve the Society's mission of collecting and preserving the history of Webster, North Carolina. Webster, established in 1851, was the original county seat for Jackson County.newsletter of the Webster Historical Society, Inc.
VOLUME VIII, NUMBER 2 WEBSTER, NORTH CAROLINA SUMMER, 1982
W. N. Cook Served Town's Needs
By Joe P. Rhinehart
For years, a familiar
figure on the roads and hills
of Webster was the
Reverend W. N. Cook, the
minister of the town's Baptist
Church. Not only did he
minister to his own flock at
the church by the river, but
he was a minister to the entire
village. Not a person.
was ill, not a person died,
not a disaster struck that
Mr. Cook was not called in.
He was a partner to the joys
and sorrows of the village
for sixteen years.
William Newton Cook was
born June 28, 1878, in
Caldwell County, North
Carolina. His parents ,
farmers in the county's
Globe Township, were
Margaret Hartley and
WilliamS. Cook. W. N. Cook
was one of eight children,
six brothers, Mack, Todd,
Dan, Charles, Gaither, and
Jacob, and one sister Cora
Ann.
The Cook family lived the
life of the mountain farm
family, working the hillsides
for food to eat, sell, or
barter, raising cattle, providing
for most of their
physical needs through their
own hard work. For their
spiritual needs, as with most
of their neighbors, they attended
the Wilson Creek
Baptist Church. The father
was a deacon of Wilson
Creek and W. N., as the rest
of the family before him,
was baptized by the Minister
J. M. Payne into the faith on
a cold winter afternoon,
December 15, 1893, when he
was fifteen years old.
The Reverend W. N. Cook began his service in Webster as
leader of the Baptist Church in 1917.
Within years W. N. Cook
was licensed to preach by
Wilson Creek, made a
member of the Caldwell
Baptist Association, and on
December 20, 1903, at
twenty-five, just ten years
after he joined the church,
he was ordained a minister
of the Southern Baptist Convention.
During these ten years the
young Cook had spent four
years attending the Lenoir
Baptist College and
Dear Frie nd :
Your sympathy and co-opera
ti o n durin g our soj o urn amo n g
you has been hi gHy a?pre ciated
for which y o u have o ur thanks.
May b!euin gs r e s t upon you
t his e ntire year .
Let us know your j oys, your
sorr ow s, y our n e e d s that w e
may b e able t.o h ~ lp y o u at any
time. Yo ur humble pas t o r,
W. N. COOK.
Business Institute and had
on October 13, 1898, married
Mary Lezinka Bean, the
daughter of E. C. and
Emeline Bush Bean of
Burke County.
The Cooks were soon immersed,
not just in their
church work, but into the job
of raising a family, and
within the years that followed
they became the parents
of nine children. They were
the twins, Dan and Margaret
(Applewhite), three other
sons, John Earl, William
Lee, and James Judson, and
three four more girls, Mary
Ann (Briggs J, Minnie
Elizabeth (Nipper), Grace
Pauline (Mathis), and Eula
Beatrice.
The early churches that
the Reverend and Mrs. Cook
served , and it was a
cooperative effort, with
Mrs. Cook serving as
organist, Sunday School
teacher, and missionary
society leader, were rural.
In those days, in the mountain
area, a minister did not
pastor just a church, but he
traveled to several ,
preaching several Sunday
sermons and leading
numerous church and community
events.
The early Cook churches
were Mountain Grove,
Blanes, Fork, and Sardis in
Carta. By 1911 they were
working with the Hickory
and West Hickory, the
Penelope, and the Brushford
Baptist Churches, all in
Caldwell and Catawba counties.
In 1916, the Cooks moved
to Jackson county and they
took over the leadership of
the Scotts Creek Church.
During this first tour of the
county, the Reverend Cook
not only served the Scotts
Creek Church, but from
September 1917 to December
1918 he ministered to the
Baptists of Webster.
The Webster Baptist
Church had been founded in
December 30, 1854, only
three years after the county
and its county seat,
(
Webster, had been established.
The years 1917-1918
would be Mr. Cook's first
(Continued on Page 4)
Mrs. Cook Helped
Minister Husband
By Mildred Cowan
"Miss Lillian" Stillwell
Coo was born March 28,
1874. She was one of two
daughters born to Richard
Siler and Martha Allman
Stillwell of Webster. She
died May 8, 1948.
Miss Lillian was educated
at Cullowhee Normal
School , now Western
Carolina . University. She
taught for many years in the
Jackson County public
schools system. Most of
those years, and possibly all
of them, were in the Webster
Elementary School. According
to records in the Jackson
Cuonty Board of Education
she retired in 1922. "Miss
Lillian" was a strict
disciplinarian, but she did it
in such a manner that her
students respected and loved
her.
"Miss Lillian's" first love
was her church. She taught
the adult ladies Sunday
School class for years ; they
would have no one else for
their teacher . She also
organized one of the first
Women's Missionary Society
at Webster and was president
of that organization until
she could no longer carry
on the work. After she
became too ill to attend any
church services she would
sit in the living room of her
home and watch, and even
count, the people coming to
church.
After " Miss Lillian's"
teaching experience she
married the Reverend W. N.
Cook, who came to pastor
the Webster Baptist Church
and had become a widow
some two years before. She
was his faithful wife and a
good mother to his young
children, James and the
twins, Dan and Margarget.
The older Cook children
were able to care for
themselves by that time.
The Reverend Cook was
pastor of the church sixteen
years and they lived next
door to the church until her
death.
Mrs. Cook had four
brothers . They were
Ephrim, a lawyer ; Edgar,
who taught in the history
and English departments at
Western Carolina University
; and Charles and Iverson
who were farmers . Her
sister was Hattie Stillwell
Bryson who moved with her
husband to Alabama.
Page 2, HISTORIC WEBSTER, Summer, 1982
Mr. Cook's Hymns
IN HIS NAME
THE PREFACE TO
IN HIS NAME,
BY REV. W. N. COOK
Published By
The Teachers Music
Publishing Company
Hudson, North Carolina
strong in the Lord, and in
the power of His might,
and that all who sing
these songs may be stirred
to a pure devotion to
the glorious gospel of the
Son of God.
This little song book,
"In His Name," is respectfully
dedicated to
all workers in the spiritual
harvest.
It is hoped that whereever
it may go and into
whose hands it may fall,
that it will be "In His
Name."
The chief desire of the
author is that it may be
the means of leading a
part of the teeming millions,
to the foot of the
Cross, and of helping any
who are weak to be
This little work is sent
forth In His Name, may
the Lord accompany it
with His divine blessings,
and God shall have all the
praise.
Hickory, NC 1916
FOLLOW JESUS
Follow Jesus at His word
Oft His mandates you have heard
With an humble heart fill the truth today
In life's pathway walk anew
As it is revealed to you
Be baptized since all your sins
He's washed away.
Chorus: Follow Jesus, follow Jesus, let His wondrous
Mercy, be no more disguised
Follow Jesus, follow Jesus
In the presence of the world
Oh be baptized!
Follow Jesus and obey
Ne'er from His example stray
If you're grateful for His mercy
Make it known
Wondrous blessing you will lose
If His bidding you refuse
Be baptized. Your gracious Savior
Gladly own.
Follow Jesus pardoned one.
Sacred duty never shun
If you love Him as you should
No longer pause
Felling 'til a solemn rite
With a spirit now contrite
Strong in faith go be baptized
As Jesus was.
THEY ARE WAITING FOR ME
They are waiting for me, o'er the shadowy sea
In the home on the deathless shore
There I'll meet them again, free from trials and pain
When my journey 'mid earthly scenes is o'er.
Chorus : They are waiting for me over there
Cherished friends who have gone from my side
They are waiting for me over there
Where the ransomed with Jesus abide.
They are waiting in light, on which falleth no night
In the beautiful land of God
And with them I shall sing praise to Jesus
Our King, who to save us a path of sorrow trod.
We shall speak no farewell by and by when we dwell
Where no parting is ever known
And there be no alloy in our infinite joy
When united we stand before the throne.
Pages from th
The Reverend W. N. Cook married Mary Lizinka Bean in 1898. They
came 1o Webster in 1917 for one year and returned in 1929. Mrs. Cook was
the daughter of E. C. and Emeline Bush Bean.
Mr. and Mrs. W. N. Cook were the parents of nine children. The family is shown with four of them (
right) Mary Ann, Minnie, John, and William Lee.
Summer, 1982, HISTORIC WEBSTER, Page 3
reCooks' Family Scrapbook
left to
Mr. Cook's second wife was Miss Lillian Stillwell, the
daughter of Martha Allman and Richard Siler Stillwell of
Webster.
You Are Co rdially Invited
To The Service•
:11 the
HAMBURG BAPTIST CHURCH
Preachi n-g Ench lsi and 3 rd Sunday Morcing
Sur.day Sobool Each Sundaoy , 10 A.M.
W . N . COOK. PASTOR
Elinor Cleveland West was the Reverend W. N. Cook's third
wife. Miss Nellie was the daughter of W. B. and Estelle Bailey
Cleveland. She was a teacher, banker, and Highlands
postmaster. In 1960 Mrs. Cook was the Macon County
representative to the North Carolina General Assembly.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
LOWELL BAPTIST CHURCH
Sunday School
Men's Bible Class
(Redmen's Hall)
10:00 a. m.
9:45a. m.
Worship Every Sunday 11:00 a. m.
Evening Worship 7:30p.m.
Prayer Meeting Wednesday 7:30 p. m.
W. M. S. Thursday 7:30 p. m.
(Before the Fourth Sunday)
Other Services Announced From The Pulpit
AIM-- Three Hundred in Sunday School
Page 4, HISTORIC WEBSTER, Summer, 1982
Reflections
by Janice Monteith Blanton
Mrs. Pearl Madison
Neatness and pretty
clothes, a beautiful smile,
piano playing, and a prim
walk are among the characteristics
that come to mind
when I think of Mrs. Pearl
Madison, my former neighbor,
teacher, friend, and
supporter.
My first recollection of
Mrs. Madison is that every
time Nell (Ensley Bryson)
and I saw her come out of
her house to walk up the
street to the post office or
store, we made every effort
to fall in behind her, at a
reasonable distance , of
course, to mimic her walk.
We were just kids - preschool
and early elementary
- and we thought she had
the most fascinating walk of
anyone around and that if we
could just learn to walk a little
like her, we'd have it
made. We thought she never
knew why we were shadows
in the distance as she went
up and down Webster's main
street; I wonder now if she
really did.
Aside from Mrs .
Aside from teaching, and
she did an excellent job, she
also played the role of
"social and music chairman"
for both elementary
and high school activities.
Any time the weather was
too bad to go outside, Mrs.
Madison always vivaciously
found " inside fun" for us.
She was a fantastically energetic
pianist and we could
always depend on her to
play lively songs for us to
sing. The nicest thing about
her was that she always
seemed to have as much fun
as we did. With bubbling enthusiasm,
she always sang
along and could be easily
persuaded to "sing another
one." We'd even dance once
in a while ; however, that activity
was apt to be quickly
followed by a visit from one
of the local preachers who
would promptly point out the
error of our ways and
there'd be no dancing for a
few months.
beauties of algebra with us.
But there was just no way
she convince me ; to me,
"pie are round, cornbread
are square."
Over the years, in various
psychology courses, I've
studied "Modeling" - that
is, that young people tend to
model themselves after certain
adults whom they admire.
Obviously, Mrs. Madison,
as did many others of
my Webster acquaintances
about whom I've written,
had a significant positive influence
on my life as I grew
up in Webster. Truly, she, no
doubt, served as a motivator
in my interest in art, music,
pretty clothes and many
other things. She was a good
role model for me and many
other Webster young people.
As I was growing up,
Webster was full of excellent
role models after whom we
could pattern our lives. We
were very lucky to have
around us adults who believed
in us and encouraged us
in every possible way. I hope
the present generation of
Webster youngsters are
equally fortunate .
Minister Guided
By Mr. W. N. Cook
By Ernest A. Fitzgerald
Nearly forty years ago I
arrived in the lovely
Webster Community as the
new Methodist minister.
Still in college and i!.l my
teens, I knew so little about
my task. Down the hill from
our parsonage lived a
remarkable man , the
Reverend W. N. Cook. Mr.
Cook was the Baptist
minister but was known and
loved across the mountain
country as one of God's
great souls. I sensed in him
a friend who would guide a
boy preacher on his way. We
spent many hours together.
Somehow we never knew
that we were separated by
denominations. We worked
side by side, and I profited
by this man's great wisdom.
To Mr. Cook I am a debtor.
An Old Testament write
once said, "And a man shall
be as a hiding place from the
wind, a shelter in the
tempest, a covert in the
storm, and as a rock in a
weary land." I once knew a
man like that. His name was
W. N. Cook.
Dr. Fitzgerald is now the
senior minister of West
Market Street United
Methodist Church ,
Greensboro.
Be Thou My Guide
By W. N. Cook
Be Thou my guide, 0 Jesus
mine,
The waves of sin, are
whirling fast.
And threaten to o'er power
me.
Be Thou my guide, til strife
is past.
T'is all that I ask be Thou
my guide,
0 keep in paths, where
Thou hast trod.
And bear me safely, o'er
death 's cold tide
Grant this, 0 Thou,
eternally God.
Madison's interesting gait,
we thought she had to be
about the prettiest lady
around ; she was always
very neat and had lovely
clothes. I don't think I ever
saw her, even in the early
hours of the morning, when
she wasn't dressed like
she'd come out of a mind
box, immaculate from head
to toe. Her hair always looked
as if she'd just come from
the hair dresser, and her
dresses, or skirts, were always
meticulously clean
and pressed. She represented
my and Nell 's idea of a
model whom we'd like to
look like when we grew up.
The Webster school
chorus functioned under the
leadership of Mrs. Madison.
She was both director and
pianist, which, to anyone but
her, would have been an impossible
task. Those in the
chorus never observed any
frustration on her part about
the dual role. With a bright
smile and a gleam in her
eyes, she could encourage us
to do about anything. I know
she was a master of persuasion
because one year she
talked me into singing the
high soprano of the "Lord's
Prayer" in a duet for a baccalaureate
service - all of
you who know me personally
know that my voice is so low
and deep I should have been
singing bass instead!
Cook Served Webster
In later years, when we
were students at Webster
School, Mrs. Madison continued
to play an important
role in our lives. She was the
eighth grade teacher there
as long as I can remember.
When the Sylva-Webster
High School was built she
taught there until she retired.
At school, no doubt,
she influenced many young
girls to take pride in their
dress and appearance, as
she did Nell and me.
There was one thing
though that Mrs. Madison
never did manage to persuade
me to believe. and
that was 71' r ... In the eighth
grade I had my first introduction
to algebra, and
I'm afraid I was a source of
woe to Mrs. Madison. I
argued a lot over the logic
(or lack of logic as I saw it)
of algebra . Mrs. Madison
even asked Mr. Ernest
Penland, our principal, to
come in and discuss the
(Continued from Page 1)
term in Webster but he
would return for two other
tours with the Webster Baptists
and fix himself almost
permanently in the town's
life.
During the years 1916-1921
Mr. Cook became the first
missionary of the
Tuckasegee Baptist
Association. A missionary
for a local association is, in
effect, the director of the
complete activities of the
association. As part of his
work with the churches he
founded The Tuckasegee
Baptist, the association's
newspaper, to keep the far
flung and hard-to-get-to
church's information.
During the same years the
Reverend Cook did not limit
his missionary work to
Jackson county, but he served
Western North Carolina
as a member of the State
Mission Board. The Cooks
also founded the area's first
Baptist Training Union.
Mrs. Cook passed away in
1921. Mr. Cook moved to
Murphy for a year and in
1922 he married Miss Lillian
Stillwell of Webster, the
daughter of Richard S. and
Martha Allman Stillwell.
Together the Cooks moved
east to Lowell. Again Mr.
Cook had found a perfect
partner for his profession
and his life. "Miss Lillian"
managed his home, reared
his children, and assisted his
ministry. In pamphlets and
church notices her picture
appeared beside his as his
equal in the operation of
their churches. Mter three
years in Lowell and four
years in Kings Mountain,
the Cooks returned to
Webster, familiar ground
for Mr. Cook and home to
Mrs. Cook. The Cook would
not leave the mountains
again. From 1929 until 1943
they led the congregation of
the Webster Baptist Church
and ministered to the
physical and spiritual needs
of the village. The Reverend
Cook gave up the Webster
Church after fourteen years,
in 1943, but the Cooks did not
leave Webster. For the next
five years they served churches
across Jackson and
Haywood counties, including
Webster, 1945.
In May of 1948 Mrs. Cook
died and in December Mr.
Cook married Macon county
businesswoman Nellie West.
Mr. Cook closed his Webster
home soon after that and
moved to Mrs. Cook's home
in Franklin. He no longer
held a pulpit but he continued
with his lifelong profession
of the ministry. He
led revivals, taught classes,
performed ceremonies,
always involved in the life of
his church and community.
He passed away in Franklin
in 1958.
/'Y'\. HISTORIC~
WEBSTER
Summer , 1982 Webster, North Carolina 28788
Editor : Joe P. Rhinehart
Contributors : Janice Monteith Blanton, Mildred Cowan,
Ernest A. Fitzgerald, Jenny Hunter, Minnie Cook Nipper ,
Florence S. Rhinehart, Joe W. Rhinehart.
Published quarterly by the Webster Historical Society and
printed by the Her ald Publishing Company, Sylva, North
Carolina
Historic Webster Vol. 7 No. 4
No full textHistoric Webster is a newsletter of the Webster Historical Society, Inc., created at the Society’s founding in 1974. The publication helped to serve the Society's mission of collecting and preserving the history of Webster, North Carolina. Webster, established in 1851, was the original county seat for Jackson County.newsletter of the Webster Historical Society, Inc.
VOLUME VII, NUMBER 4 WEBSTER, NORTH CAROLINA WINTER, 1981
National Leaders Come From Jackson County
From The Asheville Citizen, J anua ry I, 1932
Cullowhee, Dec. 31. (Special)-Jackson county has contributed some of Western
North Carolina ·s most distinguished native sons. These sons have gone out into
several sections of the nation and are now blessing their fellow men in several fields of
work.
The Rev. Dr. Fred Brown, for many years pastor of the First Baptist church,
Knoxville, Tenn., and at present president of the Southern Baptist convention, was
born at Glenville, in the heart of Jackson county's famous cabbage country. Dr.
Brown is the son of Horace A. and Laura Woodard Brown and is descended from fine
old mountain stock. Both his grandparents were pioneer Baptist preachers.
Dr. Brown received his early education in a semi-private school conducted at
Tuckaseegee, near here, by A. M. Dawson, a graduate of Western Reserve
University. His later education was received at Mars Hill college, Wake Forest
college, the Southern Baptist Theological seminary, and other institutions of higher
learning.
Dr. John Brinkley, of Milford, Kan., twice candidate for the governorship of the
Sunflower State, was born and reared near East La Porte, Jackson county. A
movement is now under way to change the name of his adopted home town in Kansas
from Milford to Brinkley in his honor.
Others have gone out from Jackson county to make distinguished names for
themselves. They include Wood Middleton, president of Draughton's Business
college, Winston-Salem. Holmes Bryson, form er head of the Ashe ville Chamber of
Commerce, Dr. Ed Bryson, mayor of Liberty, S. C., and Felix E. Alley, or
Waynesville, prominent lawyer and Democratic orator. Sara Whitesides Norton, the
mother of Felix Alley, was the first white child born within a radius of 40 miles of
Cashiers Valley, in Jackson county's beautiful Sapphire country.
Many of the natives of the county who still live within its borders are known far and
wide for their distinguished public services. Mrs. E. L. McKee, of Sylva, is North
Carolina 's first woman state senator and is former president of the North Carolina
United Daughters of the Confederacy, former president of the State Federation of
Women's clubs, and former head of the Southeastern Council of Federated Women 's
clubs. Mrs. McKee was a delegate this year to the national Democratic convention.
Judge Walter E. Moore, of Sylva, a member of the North Carolina superior court
bench and former grand master of North Carolina Masons, is not a native of Jackson
county, but has lived here for many years. Other distinguished adopted sons are Col.
Charles J . Harris, of Dillsboro, president of the Jackson County bank, owner of
extensive mining interests, and former candidate for governor of North Carolina on
the Republican ticket; Robert Lee Madison, of Cullowhee, founder of Western
Carolina Teachers college here; and Dr. H. T. Hunter. for ten years president of
Western Carolina Teachers college and prominent leader in the Western North
Carolina Live-a t-Home movement.
W. E. Bird, dean of Western Carolina Teachers college, and E. H. Stillwell, head of
the history department and author of a history of Western North Carolina, are both
natives of Jackson county. Dean Bird \\'as born at Qualls and Professor Stillwell was
born near Webster, the old county seat.
FRED BROWN JOHN BRINKLEY WOOD MIDDLETON HOLMES BRYSON ED BRYSON FELIX ALLEY MRS. E. L. McKEE
WALTER MOORE HARRIS MADISON H. T. HUNTER W. E. BIRD E . II. STILLWELL
Photogra ph s from
Rachel Brown Phillips,
The Asheville-CitizenTimes,
Woodrow Midd
le ton , Marshall R .
Bryson, Hannah Moore,
We bster Histori ca l
Society, C. J. Harris
Community Hospita l,
and the Special Collec·
tions of Hunter Library .
Western Carolin a
University.
Page 2, HISTORIC WEBSTER, Winter, 1981
Buchanan Loop Opens New Vistas
Spring. summer , and fall th r loo)l
is lined with the wildflowr•·s of
Western North Carolina .
The sort and rolling mountains of the Blue Ridge surround th e village and provide a constantly chan ging and inS)liring
panorama to the Webster residents .
Barns. old and no longer used. stand in meadows Filled
with b.-iars th a t de light th e sum me •· ben.y picker.
By AnneS. and John W.
McFadden, Jr.
Kate, George, Frank, Roythe
neighbors of the Webster
loop, and the loop itself, have
been an integral part of our
lives for the past nine years.
When it was narrower and
ditt carpeted we pushed little
Anmarie around it in her
stroller. It was a time of
evening marvel. We saw and
. tasted wild fruits-blackberries,
blueberries, crabapples,
plums, and s.trawberries. Bird
varieties abounded and wild
flowers entertained us with
ever changing and vibrant
colors.
About five years ago the
road was widened and paved
and the activities on it increased.
Websterites took to it
Webster Promenade
in numbers and joyously embraced
its potential. Joggers,
strollers, fast walkers, bike
and horseback riders , and
skate hoarders siezed the
opportunities the newly paved
road provided.
The wider cut opened a larger
panorama of natural
beauty. In the summer we
pass through the morning mist
grateful for its coolness.
Flowery shows are extrava·
gent and tasty wild fruits
tempt us to gather them. The
box turtles, snakes, cattle,
horses, cats, and dogs observe
our passing. Oftentimes, as
many as eight dogs will join
our jog ; glad to see each
other, rolling and playing all
the while like kids playing tag.
The fall brings cooler, crisper
more invirgorating air; a
peaceful stillness, and a burst
of color carpeting to cover the
hills. Sunsets are spectacular.
Wooly worms cross the road in
determined numbers and the
dogs still happily greet us.
In winter the loop has the
sparkle and color of crystal
coldness. It offers a time for
solitude and escape from over
heated houses. The dog escort
is smaller, the flowers are
resting and the birds are
quiet. It's time for the winter
star of the show, the skyline,
to captivate us .
Spring knows we are ready
for her, and the loop, like
nature, bursts once again into
activity. Leaves shyly begin to
cover bare trees. The pave·
ment and air mellow. Seasonal
friends return, newcom·
ers build, and gardens are
planted. Woodpeckers, hummingbirds,
and bluebirds join
the crows, jays and redbirds.
Little Ryan calls from his
The Don llens ley home in Kin~ ·s Mounta in
shadow. one of many new houses along
Bucha na n Loop. has •·eplaced the Nathan
Coward house.
play, " Hi, where are you
going?",and neighbors ex·
change smiles, waves, and
breathless greetings as they
pass.
The centerstone in the loop's
glitterin g_ .ring is the cemetery
on the knoll. Throughout all
the Seasons it reminds us of
the ·natural order of life. This
well kept hillside cradles residents
from ahtiquity to those
newly missed. We like to think
they are watching the loop's
promenade from their special
place.
The loop is a wonderous
slice of life. A turn around it
refreshes one both ))hysica lly
and emotionally and gives
nourishment to the roots of his
life.
Anne and .John McFadden .
as a vid We bs tt> •· joggers. know
th(' loop intim a t e ly .
\
\
WEB
CEME
!
KING'S MOUNTAII\.l
OL.O
~\J C.H.ANAN:
HOvS!l
FAANK.
Buc.I-\/INAN 'S
GARDEN
HISTORIC WEBSTER, Winter. 1981, Pa ge:~
Dirt roads and drives go off the loop in a ll directions and ofrer
the wa lker new pa ths to explore .
Along the village ma in street a re houses new and old . showing hi stor y and change. The
McKee l-louse. now owned by Lona McKee and R. L. ll askett . r eflects the Webster of the
nineteenth century.
Near the top of the loop is the Webs ter Cemetery where r est many town citi zens.
leader s of loca l. st ate. and na tiona l events.
Ml11 Lucy .. . without a doubt, no generation of Webster's
young people "escaped" the opportu:lity to break in their knees
on her hardwood floors!
None of us was immune to being approached by Miss Lucy
with the proposition to help clean her beautiful large two-story
house. It's important to understand this was not just any
ordinary cleaning job; it was an education in housekeeping as
there was ·a defiDlte way to clean everything, especially her
hardwood floors. These· floors had to be mopped across the
woodgrain-to minimize pulling up splinters.
Naturally, hovering close by on all the various jobs was Miss
Lucy herself, seeing that we did a meticulous job in every
respect ; if we didn't, we didn't lack for proper instruction for
improvement. But then, what better way for us to get an inside
look into the dozen or so rooms of the big historical home on the
corner which housed only one little white headed lady? And,
after all-the pay was good: a cookie (or two-GOOD
HOMEMADE ONES)-and a glas8 of Kool-aid. In those days.
that was not bad; at lea st we didn 't compla in . If we did a good
job, we might even be rehired at a later date, usua ll .v the next
summer for as I was growing up, Miss Lucy generally was only
in Webster during the summers. She spent the rest of the year at
the Crossnore School working daily with young people from all
over the country, and out of the . country as well.
Sometimes· Miss Lucy brought one of the Crossnore students
with her to Webster in the summer. I remember in particular a
German girl named Marion Ufinger, with whom I became good
friends. She was a very large girl and since I was large for my
age too, I concluded I must be of German " stock" as well.
"Miss Lucy's back," was a familiar comment among the
Webster folks in the spring as she returned to open and air her
house for summer living .. Soon a lawnmower could be heard
getting the yard in shape and the familiar vase of Queen Ann's
lace would appear on the front porch. Miss Lucy loved flowers
and would quickly be seen in her yard giving her flowers and
shrubs loving attention. For years, she had a beautiful mixture
of tame and wild flowers across the road from her house by the
road up the hill to Ha lls ' . Her peonies and roses wer e always
healthy and lovely as well. Many of the flowers are still there for
neighbors to enjoy and remember Miss Lucy by.
One of Webster's loviest southern ladies, Miss Lucy had
absolutely beautiful white hair which was always soft and clean
and neatly styled on top of her head. Generally dressed in a
clean pressed cotton dress, she spent the summer working in her
yard, walking up and down the street chatting with her neighbors,
and visiting both the Methodist and Baptist churches; by
the time she became a familiar sight in the village, she was gone
again for the winter.
Even though Miss Lucy never married or had children of her
own, upon reflection, I realize that young people really played a
major part in her life. At Crossnore or in Webster, she seemed to
relate to youngsters. I can recall my sister, Joyce, telling how as
she was growing up, Miss Lucy was their scout leader. She tOOk
them on camping, swimming, and hiking excursions and apparently
enjoyed working with them. As I was growing up, she 'was
older, and I'm not so sure my generation was such a joy to her! I
recall once Nell (Enslh Bryson) and I were lucky enough to
persuade her to let us play in the little "house" attached to her
garage. We had a ball that morning because the place was like a
real kitchen, with cooking utensils, flour , and everything. Well,
neediess to say, when Miss Lucy checked on us only to find both
us and the whole room snow white with flour from the cake we
we re in the process or ba king. She wasn 't very happy! For some
reason, she never did let up play there again; we just had to be
content trying to P"!!P through the window to see the room that
for one day had allowed us to be "ladies of the house."
To me, the Grove and "Big Lot" are synonymous with Miss
Lucy. She was the proprietor of both, and each of them offered
very special childhood environments for us youngsters. The
Grove was a wonderland all its own : cool, private, and intriguing.
We could play in the tall deep pines, and sit on the cool green
moss, with our childish imaginations taking care of the rest, unbeknown
to anyone, and no one (not even Miss Lucy) seemed to
object. Now, the Big Lot was another matter. It was a perfect
place (in fact, the only place other than the school playground)
for Webster youth to gather and play hall. Our chances of using
the Big Lot undisturbed for our ball games obviously were much
better when Miss Lucy was away! Being a partic.ular yard lady,
she didn't exactly appreciate her nice green grass being
s tomped out by dozens of active running and sliding feet.
Miss Lucy doesn't return to Webster anymore now, even in the
summers, and I'm sure her familiar presence is missed by the
rema ining neighbors who knew her so we ll. The beautiful old
house is still there, tall and distinguished from recent renovation
by its new owner, but the present generation of young folks
will miss the opportunity to wander through the house with
imaginations of yesteryear and to scrub the hardwood floors
with a little white headed lady as their overseer. Too bad, for
while they might have been a little awed by Miss Lucy, they
would have liked and admired her as alt other generations of
Webster youth did.
Page 4, HISTORIC WEBSTER, Winter, 1981
Making the Mountains of North Carolina Home
Webster Becomes Home
By Arnold R. Denker!
It all began while reading an
advertisement in our local
Florida newspaper describing
a vacation lodge in the mountains
of Western North Carolina.
The lodge was owned by
Mr. Ward of Wards' Cabins
located on the Tuckasegee
River near Dillsboro.
A telephone call to Mr. Ward
secrued the lodge for the first
week of August 1970 and we
could now show our five
grandchildren, who had never
been outside Florida, and who
had never seen a hill, much
less a mountain, the Great
Smoky Mountains!
The five grandchildren,
three boys and two girls, at
that time ranging in ages from
seven to fifteen years, were
greatly excited and their
minds were filled with
thoughts and dreams of expectation,
as their parents
gave their consents for the trip
and all proceeded to make
preparations for the motor
trip to the far away state of
North Carolina.
The trip was estimated as
about eight hundred miles,
and would involve two days of
travel time.
Our daughter, Jane joined
the party at Atlanta and soon
we entered the Great Smoky
Mountain State. A beautiful
sign at the border, just beyond
Clayton, · Georgia, bids us
"Welcome" . . and from there
a detailed hand drawn map by
Mr. Ward directed us to our
lodge.
Then followed a busy week
of sight seeing, picnicing, wading
the Tuckasegee, trying
out Sliding Rock, exploring
the Blue Ridge Parkway and
Water Rock Knob, and hiking.
This then was our introduction
to North Carolina and
having fallen in love with our
surroundings, we returned the
following year for the entire
month of August, and again
the third and the fourth year.
We decided that we should
spend the entire summer in
North Carolina and we purchased
a lot and built our
home across the street from
the old elementary school.
Thus was our second home
established in the quiet and
picturesque setting of historic
Webster, Jackson County.
Since this time we have
acquired some acreage nearby,
where we are presently
growing several thousand pine
trees, some of which are no~
five years old, and which we
shall market this fall for landscaping
purposes and for
Christmas trees.
Our garden plot is also
flourishing and helps to keep
our freezer and our pantry
filled with all sorts of vegetables,
both fresh and canned;
we also have strawberries,
grapes and blackberries
which we convert into jams
and jellies for our sweet teeth.
We have but one peach tree
and last year it was loaded
with the most delicious large
Maxine and Arnold Denkert show their daughter J ane Fohl
<center ) of Gaither sburg. Mar yland, the beapty of their new
homeland .
fruit that we were able to
supply the entire neighborhood.
Besides a house and garden
plot on our lot, we have two
other houses-actually they
are small apartments, consisting
of twelve compartments
each. And who do you think
occupies them? Why- Purple
Martins, of course! They keep
us entertained from March
until August each year, as well
as keep our yard and garden
free of flys, mosquitos, and
other flying insects.
Now this August 198 1 is the
eleventh anniversary of our
first visit to this s ta te. We love
our home and We bst er and the
many friendly, neighborly,
and helpful people. We shall
forgo naming them for fear of
overlooking someone, and besides
the list would be too long
for this column. Suffice to say,
we love them all and wish all
much joy, health, prosperity
and happiness.
In conclusion, may we add
the words of a church choir
anthem:
"Purge, from our hearts all
bitter thoughts of hatred.
Clense, Thou our minds
from every stain of sin.
That we may live ·in brotherly
affection, worthy to
have Thy Spirit dwell within."
Webster Historical Society
officers for 1981-1982 are:
MOdred Cowan, President
Box 186
Webster, NC 28788
Dale Coward, Vice President
Norton Road
Cashiers. NC 28717
Mary Morris, Secretary
Box 3
Webster, NC 28788
Jim Simpson, Treasurer
Box 126
Webster, NC 28788
Kate Rhinehart, Membership
Court House Square
Webster, NC 28788
Joe P . RhiDehart, Editor
1325 13th Street, NW No. 60Z
Washington, DC 20005
The officers would be glad to
hear from the society members
and the editor of Historic
Webster would be pleased to
receive manuscripts, photographs,
and story suggestions
for future editions of the
newspaper. When correspOnding
with the society, it would
be helpful if members would
identify themselves with their
relationship to Webster.
~/'. HISTORIC~
WEB8TE:R
Winter . 1981
Editor:
••• , }.. .. , ., ..• , 'I "' · ...
We bs ter. North Ca rolina 28788
Joe P . Rhinehart
Co n~ributor s: J anice Monteith Blanton . Arnold Denkert. J en·
ny Hunter. Anne McFadden. J ohn McFadden. J r .. Florencf'
S. Rhinehart
Published qua rterly by the Webster Historical Society and
printed by the Herald Publishing Company, Sylva, North
Carolina
Historic Webster Vol. 11 No. 1
No full textHistoric Webster is a newsletter of the Webster Historical Society, Inc., created at the Society’s founding in 1974. The publication helped to serve the Society's mission of collecting and preserving the history of Webster, North Carolina. Webster, established in 1851, was the original county seat for Jackson County.Dickson Sl ater
Box 164
Davi dson, NC 280J6
---~
~ •' .'
, ll~ -
l
i
J
281~
HISTORIC~
••••••••••••••••••---"_;e_w_;s:.:,le::.t.:te:.:..r of the Webster Historical Society, Inc.
VOLUME XI, NUMBER 1 WEBSTER, NORTH CAROLINA SPRING, 1985
The Cowan_s, Webster __ C_itizens
On a late spring afternoon in
1927, Mary BridgerS, a first
year teacher at Balsam Elementary
School in Jackson
county, spotted a dapper
young man on the Rolling
Green Golf Course near Webster.
He was wearing knickers,
fashionable at the time,
and an English-style cap
typical of the "roaring '20's."
She was impressed. Louise
Parker, a fellow teacher and
roommate at Balsam, soon introduced
Mary to the young
man who was Claude Cowan of
Webster. After a short courtship,
Claude Cowan and Mary
Bridgers were married at the
Bridgers' home in Macclesfield,
North Carolina, on
Christmas Day, 1928. They
soon returned to Webster
where they have made their
home for the past fifty-five
years. Claude and Mary have
two sons: Claude Jacob
Cowan, Jr., of Fairview Road,
Sylva, and William Joseph
Cowan of Tucker, Georgia. Claude and Mary Cowan's lives have been spent in and for Webster.
Madison poems will bEf published in
Summer by Society
The Poems of Robert Lee
Madison, a compilation of
poems, some known and many
being published for the first
time, will be released by the
Webster Historical Society in
the summer.
Professor Madison, a Webster
resident, founder of Western
Carolina University, and
a classical scholar, wrote hundreds
of poems in numerous
styles. He often shared these
verses with his friends through
little printed cards that he
distributed, through greeting
cards, or through his lectures.
It has long been a goal of the
historical society to preserve
these literary pieces. With the
permission of Mr. Madison's
family, the professor's poetic
works have been edited by Joe
P. Rhinehart ami a beautifully
printed volume is in
publication.
Larkspur Press, an art press
in Monterey, Kentucky, is
printing the book. Gray Zeitz,
the owner, is a master printer
and a former student of the
world famous Victor Hammar.
Zeitz and Hammar's
work have been exhibited in
many galleries, including the
Golier Club in New York.
Then, by hand, he will stitch
the books in soft covers in the
chapbook style. The chapbook
was developed in western
Europe in the nineteenth century
and, at that time, was a
cheap method of making books
available. Zeitz has revived
the style and has made it an
art form.
The Poems of Robert Lee
Madison, printed in a limited
edition, will appeal to Madison's
friends and students, collectors
of art, historians, and
readers of all sorts.
Professor Robert Lee madison wrote poems on many
subjects and in many styles.
They also have two granddaughters,
four grandsons,
two great grandsons, and a
great granddaughter.
CLAUDE JACOB COWAN,
SR. was born on September 9,
1902, on the Cowan farm bordering
the banks of the Tuckasegee
River near Webster.
He was the fourth of eight
children born to William Lee
and Luthena Wild Cowan.
After high school he held a
number of jobs related to his
interest in the field of electricity.
This was during the era
when electrical power was
first being introduced to residents
of Jackson county. After
a short time as an electrician's
apprentice, Claude Cowan
became an electrician and installed
the electrical wiring for
many of the old landmark
buildings and houses in Sylva,
Webster and throughout Jackson
county. He briefly worked
for the Dillsboro Power and
Light Company before opening
his own electrical shop in
Sylva.
As the Great Depression decreased
the demand for electrical
services and appliances,
Mr. Cowan closed his shop and
took a job with the Mead Corporation
where he worked for
several years as an electrician
and turbine operator. Then,
desiring to establish his own
business, he left the Mead Corporation
and built the Webster
Grocery Store which he managed
until 1951. During this
time he also served as Jackson
county's electrical inspector.
In 1951, Claude Cowan sold
his business to accept an appointment
with the North Carolina
Department of Agriculture
as a state regional inspector,
an appointment not alt()gether
unexpected since, in
addition to his qualifications,
he had successfully managed
the gubernatorial campaign of
Governor Kerr Scott in
Jackson county in 1950.
Before concluding his adult
working career, Cowan accepted
an appointment by the
Jackson County Board of Edu-
Continued on page 2
Page 2, HISTORIC WEBSTER, SPRING 1985
Mary and Claude Cowan have shared 55 yt
Continued from page 1
cation as the county's attendance
counselor, a position he
held until his retirement in
1967. Although he enjoyed a
variety of work experiences
throughout his adult life, his
first love was politics, as
evidenced by his successful
management of numerous
political campaigns for state,
regional, and local candidates.
He is most proud of the campaign
he managed for his
brother, Roy, who was elected
clerk of the Jacksdh County
Superior Court in 1938. Roy
was re-elected without opposition
each term until his death
in 1946.
In 1962, Claude Cowan was
elected to the Webster Board
of Aldermen, a position he
presently holds at age eightytwo.
As alderman, he takes
great pride in the many improvements
made on the
water system which was little
more than a small spring-fed
reservoir a few years ago. Of
equal pride to him is the fact
that Webster boasts a zero
crime rate, a fact that he attributes
to good neighbors
watching out for good
neighbors.
In addition to Claude
Cowan's many years of service
as an alderman, he was
an active member of The
Woodmen of the World, a
fraternal organization dedicated
to community service. He
is also a member of the
Fraternal Order of Masons
and was elected Master of the
Dillsboro Masonic Lodge by
his brother Masons in 1948.
Claude is a member of the
Webster Baptist Church where
he was active in promoting
building improvements and
acquiring a new parsonage.
During his retirement, he
enjoys keeping abreast of
local, state, and national
political events, serving on the
Webster Board of Aldermen,
and keeping his yard well
groomed. In the past, he spent
much time transporting elderly
friends and neighbors to
church, doctor's appointments,
the supermarket, the
drug store, and, as he says,
"just about anywhere else
they need to go."
When asked how he feels,
one is likely to get the standard
answer, "Well, I'm still kicking,
just not quite as high!" He
continues to maintain that
great sense of humor which
has characterized his personality
for eighty-two years.
Some would say that the one
thing Claude enjoys more than
hearing a good joke is telling
one. But most of all he is
known to his neighbors as an
accommodating friend, always
willing to help those in
need of his assistance.
MARY BRIDGERS
COW AN was born on April 1,
1905, in Macclesfield, North
Carolina. She was the sixth of
twelve children born to Joseph
Caswell and Nancy Owens
Bridgers. She was graduated
from high school in Edgecombe
county and attended
Farmville Women's College in
Farmville, Virginia for one
year before transferring to
Cullowhee Normal and Industrial
School (now Western Carolina
University) in Cullowhee,
North Carolina, where
she studied to become a
teacher. Upon graduation
from college she accepted a
teaching position at Balsam
Elementary School in Jackson
county. The following year
Mary Cowan accepted a teaching
position at Webster School
where she continued to teach
until her retirement in 1965.
Much of Mary Cowan's adult
life was centered around the
classroom and the children
she taught. As a teacher she
was best known for her ability
to "teach the unteachable."
Her fellow teachers have described
her as a master teacher
who was applying unique
methods of motivating children
to learn as well as techniques
of behavior modification
long before these methods
and techniques were written
about in the textbooks. And
yes, if this didn't work, she
was not above bribing a child
with food, money, extra privileges,
or just about anything
else that worked if that was
what was required to teach the
vowel sounds or the multiplication
tables.
Although the 3 R's came
first, Mrs. Cowan's appreciation
and love for music, art,
science, and social studies
were what made her classroom
a fun place to be. Her
students produced more musical
programs (operettas)
than any class in the school.
Her love of music was contagious
and her students responded
enthusiastically by
singing, dancing, acting, and
playing in the rhythm band.
Mary Cowan's personal enjoyment
and participation in
these activities with the
children kept her young short
Cowan and Rhinehart were
always on call for town
By Joe W. Rhinehart
Claude Cowan and I grew up together in Webster, but
because Claude was my senior we did not become close
friends until we were older. As boys we attended Webster
School, but Claude was ahead of me.
Our relationship has been close since we married and
Claude moved over the river. Claude was indeed a friend
in need for any time I needed help Claude answered the
call.
We are both interested in our town's welfare and to be
of service we both became aldermen. Our biggest job as
aldermen has been taking care of Webster's water works.
If the water "went off," a neighbor would call either
Claude or me to ask what the trouble was. We would get
together and search for the problem. Many times it would
mean digging up a pipe line or cleaning out the springs
on Kings Mountain. The springs, for many years, were the
source of Webster's water. When a major problem came
up we met with the other alderman and the mayor to
discuss the problem.
Now in our mature years and since we are among the
few native Websterites left, we enjoy sitting on the porch
in the sun talking about the "Good Old Days."
Joe Rhinehart and Claude
Cowan visit at the post office.
of her years.
In the spring of each year it
was not unusual to see Mary
Cowan and her entire third
grade assembled in the Cowan
garden or on the lawn catching
everything from butterflies to
the praying mantis. At other
times of the year they might
be seen collecting rocks,
leaves, flowers, or just about
anything of interest which
could form the basis for a
scientific nature study. These
activities, she believed, provided
welcomed relief to the
children from the rigors of
mastering the 3 R's and also
motivated them to develop a
sense of inquiry about their
environment.
It was mastery of the basics
plus the many enjoyable
educational experiences which
endeared Mrs. Cowan as a teacher
and as a person to four
generations of students. Her
service spanned thirty-six
years.
In addition to the three-plus
decades as a teacher in the
Jackson County Public
Schools, Mary Cowan was also
active in various church and
community activities. Prior to
her retirement, she was an active
member of the Webster
Baptist Church where she
served for many years as a
Sunday School teacher and a
member of the choir. She was
active in the Women's Missionary
Society and participated
in numerous other church
activities and charitable
causes.
No review of Mary Cowan's
accomplishments would be
complete without some mention
of her more subtle attributes
which are no less important
than her impressive
career as a teacher. As a wife,
mother, and individual, her
life has exemplified a love and
concern for others, especially
those less fortunate than she.
Her many acts of kindness to
those who found themselves in
a state of misfortune will long
be remembered by the many
whose lives she touched. Their
need of food, clothing, medical
attention, or sometimes just a
word of encouragement, never
went unattended if Mary
Cowan was aware of the
circumstances.
There is yet another side to
Mary Cowan's personality.
She must believe that
"laughter is the hand of God
on the shoulder of a troubled
world." Even today, her sense
of humor is equalled perhaps
only by that of her husband,
Claude.
CLAUDE AND MARY
COWAN have shared fifty-five
years together in Webster.
Summer, 1985, Claude
Spencer Clark Trio "Su
concert.
Among their most treasured
memories are the many good
neighbors and friends whose
lives have touched them over
the years.
Among their most 1
the many good neigh
lives touched them ov
Together they have shared
the good times and the bad
times . They endured the
poverty and deprivation of the
Great Depression. They
shared the grief and sadness
associated with the many
relatives, friends, and
neighbors who were wounded
or killed in World War II,
Korea, and Vietnam. They
EdUCI
By Joe P .
In 1956 I had earned the ho1
address at the Webster Sci
what I wanted to say to the c
it would be good to recall hi!
Webster was a stable com
thirty-nine seniors grown up
years together, but so had m
unusual for the whole famil
studied under the same tea,
In my memories of those d
ly more like family than im
not only qualified to instruc
highlighted the highlights.
What I wanted to say abou
said about a dozen more wl
lives. But there were things 1
our third grade teacher diff
obvious. After years of heari
into Mrs. Cowan's room and
made an impression- soft,
to do what she wanted?
Educators, in more recer
the "whole child." In 1946 t
Cowan. She had us performi
SPRING, 1985, HISTORIC WEBSTER, Page 3
~ars with Webster Claude Cowan has
always been interested in
politics. He helped with the
rechartering of Webster
and has served on the town
board for thirty years. He
has managed many a prospective
office holder's campaign
- always successfully.
When Roy Taylor of
Asheville became a candidate
for the United States
Congress, Cowan took over
his Jackson county campaign
and from his Webster
home helped elect Taylor to
Congress for several
terms.
and Mary Cowan attend the
mmer Evening in Webster"
have sympathized with and
assisted their many friends
who fell victim to the
devastating flood of 1940 as it
ravaged homes and other pro-
;reasured memories are
bors and friends whose
er the years.
perty along the banks of the
Tuckasegee River where the
Cowans lived at the time.
But all in all, they agree on
one thing as they share their
memories with frequent intervals
of laughter and good
humor: that is, they have been
richly blessed and have seen
more good times than bad.
Claude Cowan (center) helped Roy Taylor (left)
plan, with Gerald Hardy, his 1960 congressional
campaign.
"Claude Cowan is more like a brother"
By Mildred Cowan
Claude J. Cowan is a cousin of mine, though he is more
like a brother. He is a son of the late William Cowan, my
father's brother, who lived next door to my family.
In this day and time my mother would be called a
workaholic, and she sometimes would call on Claude to
babysit me. He was a good entertainer. He taught me
games such as jacks tones, hop scotch and jump rope. He
even tried to teach me to make tatting lace, but all I could
do was tie knots that would not slip to make a loop. He read
stories to me and taught me children's songs.
At school he was several grades ahead of me, but he
would still look after me. Then I went to boarding school
and after that moved to Asheville where I lived for four
years. In the meantime Claude married Mary Bridgers
of Macclesfield and they began to raise a family. Those
years we were not as close as we had been.
After my father's death, my mother and I sold the old
home place and bought a lot in Webster from Claude's son,
Billy Joe. When we became next door neighbors again we
took up where we had left off and again resumed our
brother-sister relationship. He is my adviser, my handy
man, and my confidante. I feel wonderfully blessed to have
someone like Claude for a friend.
Claude Cowan operated a service station on
Sylva's Main Street in 1951.
ate the whole child Mary-Cowan's philosophy:
Rhinehart
10r to deliver the salutatorian
tool graduation. In deciding
:lass and its guests I thought
:blights of our days together.
munity, and not only had we
together and spent our school
any of our parents. It was not
y, parents included, to have
cher.
ays, teachers, who were realtructors,
teachers who were
t but also knew how to love,
tone teacher could have been
to passed through our young
hat made Mrs. Mary Cowan,
erent, and the first was very
ng our mountain twang, to go
hear her soft down east drawl
gentle- who would not want
t days, talk about educating
his was nothing new to Mrs.
ng in a rhythm band. She had
Mary Cowan's third graders dance in Webster School's
annual May Day Celebration, 1958.
us keeping poetry notebooks. We did molding clay
sculpture.
Mrs. Cowan was a great believer in good manners, including
eating habits. Once she had the home economics
students appear during our lunch period, and, for several
weeks, they taught us the correct eating form: napkins and
one hand in the lap and of course, a clean plate alwaysthe
clean plate was sometimes hard to come by, but we
were graded, and so we ate correctly.
Mrs. Cowan was a thorough teacher in the academics.
Every activity tied into another. In a social studies class
we made a list of community helpers- teacher, police,
minister. These words became a spelling list. Then one
leader became the theme for a composition. Then the subject
became a clay sculpture for art class.
I knew twenty-eight years ago the value of good
teaching, and I wanted to let my commencement listeners
know the value of a good teacher, and so I recounted these
same events and those of other teachers to the audience.
Now, after twenty-four of my own years spent in a
classroom, I know even more the value of education, and
though forty years have passed since those third grade
days of being forced to each cafeteria spinach, I still eat
with one hand and I still clean my plate.
Generations of Webster citizens owe much to Mrs. Mary
Cowan.
Page 4, HISTORIC WEBSTER, SPRING 1985
From The Cowan Scrapbook ...
Claude Cowan in Webster, 1918. The
photographs were taken in the Madison yard
and the R. L. Haskett house is in the
background.
Mary Bridgers Cowan, summer, 1928. A photograph by
Donahue Studios in Sylva.
Mary Cowan and her son C.
Mary Bridgers was a native
of Macclesfield, North Carolina.
She was about nine or ten
when she and her friend Rev a
Phillips took a buggy ride. J., about 1933.
Mary Bridgers and her
friends at Western Carolina
University. Louise Parker is
left center and Mary Bridgers
is beside her.
"Summer Evenings . . . "
Summer, 1985, will be an
exciting time to be in Webster.
The Webster Historical Society
is planning its third
season of "Summer Evenings
in Webster" for July and it invites
natives and visitors to
attend the events.
Scheduled for Sunday evenings
at 5:30 in the Webster
United Methodist Olurch, the
program this year celebrates
the theme of "Anniversaries."
Stephen Hamilton, the artist-
in-residence at So'lthwestern
Technical College,
will open the season on July 7
with a concert of vocal and instrumental
music by Johann
Sebastian Bach and George
Frederick Handel, both of
whom celebrate their 300th
birthdays this year.
Harry Cagle, the leader of
"Harry Cagle and the Country
Cousins," will present a
concert on his violin on July
14. Cagle, who is known
across the South for his traditional
playing, will be
presented in a solo performance
which will include
dance music, hymns, and traditional
mountain music.
John Parris, author, editor,
and columnist, will read his
" Webster Stories ;" stories
set in Webster or about Webster
people on July 21. This
year marks the 35th anniversary
of the publication of Parris'
first volume of collected
pieces, Roaming the Mountains.
The series will end July 28,
with the third appearance of
the Spencer Clark Trio.
Clark, his wife Mary, and
drummer Hoyle Roberson,
will feature the music of
Jerome Kearn, whose centennial
is celebrated this year,
and his friends . This
popular program will be presented,
as usual, on the lawn
of Hilda and Huck Hoffman
on North Main Street and
Buchanan Loop.
A reception follows each
program to honor the performing
artists.
Madison Poems In Sunset Program
A long planned e~ent of fhe
Webster Historical Society
will be realized on July 5,
when the Society releases it's
latest publication, The Poems
of Robert Lee Madison.
Webster Mayor James
Simpson will preside over the
outdoor program set for the
back yard of Court House
Square at sunset, eight
o'clock.
Chancellor Myron L. Coulter,
Western Carolina University,
Kate Moore Rhinehart,
and Louise Madison Bedford
will speak on the professor as
educator, community leader,
and family man. Society president
Mildred Cowan will
present the Madison family
with the first numbered copy
of the book. Jim Gray, editor
of The Sylva Herald, will read
selected Madison poems. The
program will open with guitar
music and end with Dr. Alexander
A. Lesueuer on the
flute.
Sunset was Professor Madison's
favorite time and the
village was often entertained
by his front porch guitar and
flute concerts.
All are invited to attend this
special event to celebrate the
hundredth anniversary of Mr.
Madison's arrival in Jackson
County.
Miss Lucy's Picnic
Planned For July 4th
The second annual "Miss
Lucy's Picnic" will be held on
Thursday afternoon, July 4, at
4:30 on the lawn of Castalia,
the former home of Miss Lucy
Hedden, now the home of
Hazel and John Fobes.
Last summer the Webster
Historical Society revived the
picnic which Miss Lucy originated
years ago as a community
celebration of the nation's
birthday.
Only once, just after the end
of Worl
Daniel Webster and the Modernization of American Law
No full textBook review of Alfred S. Konefsky & Andrew J. King\u27s The Papers of Daniel Webster: Legal Paper
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