3,033 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
Music USA, Ben Webster in Copenhagen, 1965
No full textAn unedited program for the second hour (jazz hour) of Music USA, featuring performances by Ben Webster in Copenhagen, Denmark, in September of 1965. A program number and date have not been located; the recording includes technical difficulties encountered on the first selection
Ben M. Arvidson farm, south of Campbell, Nebr. Webster County.
No full textBen M. Arvidson farm, south of Campbell, Nebr. Webster County
Ben Arnidson farm south of Campbell, Webster County.
No full textBen Arnidson farm south of Campbell, Webster County
Ben Webster Blindfold Test
No full textRecording identified as most likely Ben Webster participating in one of Leonard Feather's blindfold tests. Ben Webster was an American saxophonist
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
George Oliver Webster Correspondence
No full textEntries include brief biographical information, a typed letter introducing Webster to the Maine Author collection, and a typed letter from the Maine State Library on receipt of his historical novel Pentagoet for the Maine Author Collection with notice that a description of the book would appear in the Maine Library Association Bulletin
Teamroom Caverns: Looking at Learning in a Whole Language First/Second Multi-age Classroom
No full textHistoric Webster Vol. 1 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.a newsletter of t~e we6ster ~istorical societr
VOLUME I NUMBER 2 Webster, North Carolina
THE MOUNTAIN VIEW HOTEL IN WEBSTER
1885 Hotel Register 9s 9nteresting 9tem
A remnant of the Webster Hotel in 1885 still
exists in Jim Simpson's home in Webster. Here
the hotel register for the years 1885 and 1886 is
housed.
The Webster Hotel was one of two hotels in the
town at that time. The proprietor was F .A. Luck,
who also owned the Penland House hotel in what is
now Cantono
The Webster Hotel stood in the lot between Courthouse
Square and the Methodist Church. It was later
known as the Mountain View Hotel and the Leatherwood
Hotel, and was run at different times by Virge
Brown, the Leatherwoods and Joe and Lily Rhinehart
until the fire of 1910 destroyed it. '
Jim Simpson obtained the hotel register from Tally
Jones of Atlanta, a nephew of the late Miss Sadie
Luck whose home stands in Sylva.
The first date listed in the register, January 4,
1885, shows that two persons stayed in the hotel.
These guests were O.B. Coward, Webster, and Lee
Hooper, county. A total of 13 registered during January,
1885, hailing from Charleston, N.C • (later
B:yson City), Baltimore, Md., Atlanta, Knoxville,
Rtchmond, Colorado, New York, Asheville, Marion
and Franklin.
These people came by rail and by horse, The
railroad from Asheville to Murphy had been completed
one year earlier, and though the railroad bypassed
Webster, there was horse and buggy transportation
from Sylva to Webster, Court was held in Webster
twice a ye;u-, and most likely the majority of guests
were in town torthis purpose.
The Webster Hotel had a barn for keeping horses,
and served three meals a day, I.n the "remarks"
column of the register, there are numerous entries
marked "horse." Another column.has entries marked
''D," ''S," and ''B," denoting which m~ls, dinner,
supper or breakfast, the guests wanted. For instance,
a Mr, Fowler of New York who registered June 10
1885, requested "B at 5 1/2 sharp." '
The guest list included persons from East LaPort
Cullowhee, Caney Fork, Cashiers Valley, Hamburg:
Sylva, Quallatown, Moses Creek, and many from
Webster.
Many of them were in the county seat on busi':'
ess, and. travel on horseback or wagon made staymg
overnight at a hotel a necessity, When court
was in session, it was common for the jury to stay
overnight in the same hotel, so they would not discuss
the cases with anyone. At the turn of the century
the jury stayed regularly at the Nathan Coward House
next door to the Webster (then Mt. View) Hotel, according
to Jane Coward. Perhaps in 1885the jury stayed
at the Webster Hotel.
l.n some of the latter entries of the register,
notations of charges are listed. At that time it apparently
cost not more than 75¢ to stay overnight.
There are many listings of 25¢ and 75¢, but the
register does not show whether the figures denote
meals or room or both. An Asheville man "and
four" with driver and horse was charged 200,000; to bring you the HISTORIC
WEBSTER newsletter; to plan for the July 4th events; ·
to publish a cookbook. in the spring; to plan house tours
of restored homes m Jackson County; to organize a
th.eatr~ group; open a country store; to involve Young
H1stor.ans all over Jackson County in gathering the
County's history; and to keep you informed through
th~ local news services, Some of the various committees
are long and others short on volunteers
This project is alive and growing. Curious? Inter:
ested? Concerned? Join!
MARCH 1974
'Jirst Qeneral Meeting
Attracts farge Crowd
Ov.:er 300 persons attended the !irst general meeting
of the Webster Historical Society on February 15.
Held at the Webster School, the meeting included the
election of officers, adoption of the by-laws, setting
of the goals for fund-raising, and the approval of
plans for the July 4 celebration.
Preceding the meeting was a membership and
fund raising dr_ive, in which 75 new charter members
joined, donating a total of almost ll3,500 . by July 10 and ll3 500
will be used to pay for the Webster School and the
additional 5 or be placed in "jail" for
not wearing a mustache or turn-of-the-century costume
to the July 4th event.
The society's by-laws, previously approved by the
Board of Directors, were approved and accepted by
the general meeting.
Honorary memberships were voted for Alice
Harrill, editor of the HISTORIC WEBSTER news·
letter and Mack Sarvis, director of a video tape
documentary and a slide -sound narration of Webster
Following the business session, the meeting ad:
journed to old fashioned refreshments and a showing
oi the video tape show on Webster made by students
at Camp Laboratory School. An oral history slide
show of western North Carolina by Bill Weaver was
shown, and bluegrass music was presented by Eric
Olsen and Bill Mcintyre,
Audiovisual Shows
To Be Available
A slide-sound narrative of Webster's history
will soon be available to schools, clubs and organizations
for viewing, Compiled by Mack Sarvis, a grad•
uate student at WCU, the show will feature old and
ne~ slides o~ Webster and Jackson County with nar•
ratiOn by residents who recall its history,
Under. Sarvis' direction, students at Camp Laboratory
High School have made a video tape documen•
~ry of ~ebster, including a tour of homes, and inter•
views With three of the oldest residents • Arthur
Allman, Lily Rhinehart, and Lucy Morgan. ·
Those involved in the high school television production
include Barbie Arney, Dawn Davis Larry
Arney, Manda Litchiord,KathyPeterson, DanF~xworth,
Meg Stuart, Robert Brown, Jeff Wilson D:>n.na Kiser
and stephanie Robinson. '
The video tape program has been shown to classes
at the school, the Camp Lab PTA the Kiwanis Club
and the Historical Society general m'eeting on February
15, .
. The sli~e show and the video tape documentary
!"ill be. available for showings to clubs and schools
m April. Those wishing to borrow either of these
programs should write Dr. Marilyn Jody, Drawer
W, Webster, N,C.~
Page 2 lllSTORIC WEBSTER March 1974
R. L. Madison: A Pedagogue Comes To The Highlands
When the subject of the growth of education in
western North Carolina arises, invariably comes with
it the name Robert L. Madison. The founder of what
is now Western Ca;·olina University and a resident
of Webster, Madison probably did more toward educating
the mountain people than did any other one
person in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Robert Lee Madison was born in Lexington, Virginia,
in 1867, and spent his childhood days on the
campuses of Washington and Lee University and Virginia
Military Institution. As a small boy, he was
bounced upon the knee of General Robert E. Lee.
His father, Colonel R. L. Madison, was General Lee's
personal physician and school surgeon for VMI.
· Madison first came to North Carolina at the urging
of his older brother, who had become captivated by
the N.C. mountains and people. Referring to western
North Carolina as the "Land of Promise," Monro
Madison prevailed uoon his younger brother to come
and assume his position at QuallaSchoolwithProfessor
William A, LOng.
So Robert Madison arrived in Quallatown in 1885,
just after completing a three month teaching apprenticeship
in Tennessee. Fifty years later, when he was
writing his biography, "EXPeriences of a Pedagogue
in the Carolina Highlands," he referred to his coming
to Qualla on "temporary assignment" as an excellent
example of one of those "seeming accidents"
producing "determinative effects."
Madison spent two years at Quallatown, teaching
an average of forty students everything from basic
writing and reading skills to algebra, grammar and
Latin.
At that time, most schools were only open for
two or three months a year. Professor Madison
saw that these schools would never be able to attract
and keep teachers. The pay, 20 to $25 for men, was certainly not appealing
to young teachers, most of whom left to go to long ,
Charlotte Young
Speaks of Webster
Miss Charlotte Young, a long time teacher in
western North Carolina, was principal of the Webster
School and tau~ht there for three years beginning in the
fall of 1914. 'There's nothing I'd prefer to talk about
more than Webster," she says. "Of all my long
years of experience as a teacher, my three years
spent there were the happiest teaching years of my
life.,''
"Webster was the most delightful town that I
ever lived in. The people were a little sad and dis•
appointed over the loss of Webster as the county
seat. The railroad had come through, and by some
strange circumstance it was routed over to Sylva
and then it was easy to get Sylva as the county seat.
Well, there stood the courthouse and the people bewa!
led the fact that they were no more the county seat,
which they had been from time immemorial, almost.
"One person who worked_so hard to keep_ Webster
as the county seat was Professor Robert L, Madison.
He came home on vaction from a government job
in Washington be had at the time so he could fight the
movement to make Sylva the county seat. With all
his wonderful characteristics, he was a scholar, a
gentleman and a Christian Q - time would slip up
on him sometimes, and he was so interested in working
for Webster that he overstayed his vacation and lost
his job in Washington. And so there was a short
while there that he was out of a job.
"Anyway, the second year I was there, Baxter
Jones, the other high school teacher, ran for state
legislature and was elected, so when they met in
January, Mr. Jones had to go and we were lucky
enough to get Professor Madison for a little while
as substitute, So I had the marvelously beautiful
eXPerience of teaching with Professor Madison that
spring until Mr. Jones came back. He was a marvelous
teacher, a Christian gentleman and it was a delight
to work with him.
"His wife, Ella Richards Madison, also taught
there, which made six teachers for the entire school.
She taught music and art rather on her own, but we
considered her a member of the faculty. Largely
due to her efforts, Webster High School won second
prize in a contest of all the high schools in western
North Carolina, because the booklets and drawings
that were exhibited had been made beautiful by her
students.
"The real matriarch of the . town was Aunt Hattie
Allison. She and her husband Uncle Andy lived in
the cottage next to the Tomkins home,
"She had her own peculiarities. I first met her
as I was walking along the street and someone said,
term schools out of western North Carolina. The
need for a long term school in the area which would
be supported by more than just public taxes seemed
to Madison to be not only logical but urgent.
Madison's crusade for better schools began in
the spring of 1886 in the Qualla community but progress
was slow and Madison left in early 1888 to go to Sylva.
In Sylva, Madison worked as a teacher in the
village school and as editor of the county paper, the
TUCKASEIGEE DEMOCRAT. Hedividedhisdaybetween
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.
At the beginning of the fall of 1888, Madison had
subscribed to several leading educational journals,
and before the fall term was over he had organized
a group of practice teachers. "As far as I know this
was the first attempt ever made to do practice teaching
in this country," he wrote. It was on a small
scale and participation was voluntary.
Madison stayed at Sylva, with but one intention -
that of starting a public school. Here he became
impressed with the need for a permanent institution
in this mountainous section, an institution which would
not only give · the young people a better foundation
for their future vocations, but would also answer the
acute need for preparing teachers for county and
village schools.
The N.C. General Assembly of 1889 had abolished
the then existing eight normal schools and had provided
instead for teacher's institutes to be held annually
in each county. The teacher's institute in Webster
in 1889 led to the turning point in Professor Madison's
lifeo
Under the direction of Coleman Cowan of Webster,
thirty teachers considered practical matters of
methods, organization and discipline. While attending
the institute, Madison won the close friendship and
admiration of Professor Edward P, Moses, superintendent
of the Raleigh schools. At the close of the
workshop Madison was invited to teach with him as
an assistant in Raleigh.
Madison wished to remain in the mountains and
start a permanent school in Webster or Cullowhee,
but since there were no immediate openings at the
time, he decided to go to Raleigh.
He was writing his acceptance letter, to be put
on the east bound train in a matter of minutes, when
Lewis J. Smith of Cullowhee entered his office and
asked him to come to Cullowhee, meet the people
and decide on opening a school there.
At Cullowhee, arrangements were made at once
for him to begin teaching the following week.
"Accordingly, in an unfinished, unpainted frame
building, unfurnished except for some rude benches
and a blackboard, I began what is now Western Carolina
Teacher's College, with eighteen students," he
wrote in 1938. In October, 1889, his sister was called
to instruct the primary children. By the end of the
first term the enrollment had risen to one hundred
students.
In July, 1890, in response to Madison's call,
teachers of western North Carolina met in Waynesville
and formed the Western North Carolina Teacher's
Association.
The 1890-1891 school term opened with a staff
of tl\ree - Madison as priiiC!pai, Miss Ella v. Richards
as instructor in music and art, and Miss May Bell
Cooper as primary teacher. Miss Richards, of Galveston,
Texas, and Madison were married in November,
1891.
In 1891 the state chartered the school as Cullowhee
High School and in 1893 the bill was amended.
Thus the normal department was put under state care.
After Cullowhee became state supported, it prospered
as had not been possible with only local support.
It advanced from a high school to a junior college,
to a four-year teacher's college, to Western Carolina
College, and now is a university - all because
of the initial efforts of Robert L. Madison.
THE WEBSTER SCHOOL AROUND 1905
'I want to meet you Miss Young,' And after I spoke
to her she said, 'You'll have to excuse me, Miss
Young, I can't come out to the sidewalk because
I'm afraid of worms. • At a certain season of the year,
caterpillars were all around the place searching for
a place to weave a cocoon, and she was allergic to
these 'worms.' That made her more interesting to
me.
"She. was one of the best backers I ever had for
school, Whatever Aunt Hattie said, went for all her
nieces and nephews and great nieces and great nephews
and all the other young people in town. Aunt Hattie's
word was a bond, and it was a command though she
said it so gently. She backed me up and advertised me
to the schoolchildren. And discipline was no problem
whatever in that school.
''I never used corporal punishment but one time
and that was just a pretense. One little boy said,
'Miss Young I'd like to get off this Friday afternoon,
You know I live with my grandfather and he wants me
to come pul: fodder.' I wonder if anyone who reads
this will ren.ember pulling fodder, Old schools used
to stop while they pulled fodder, that is, pulled the
leaves off the corn stalks before the frost to feed
to the cattle and horses in the winter. I said, 'I'll
tell you, Kimsey, one thing, are you telling me the
truth?'
'Yes 1IDo1
I said, 'One thing's sure, I promise you a little
switching if you're telling me a story, and I'll find
out.'
'No m'am, Miss Young, it's so; he wants me/
"Well, sure enough I found out from his grandpa,
who said, 'No , he ran away. I never told him.'
Well, he came back Monday, and he looked at me, I
looked at him, and when I got a chance of quiet time,
I said, 'Kinsey, do you remember what I told you,
that I promised you a whipping?' I said, 'I haven't
had to whip anyone here; I haven'thadto punish anyone,
but I am going to have to do it because you told me
a story..' He said, 'Yes'rn, I told you a story/
"I got a little switch about 2 feet long, and went
through the motion of touching his coat with it a little
bit but that was the only corporal punishment or
really severe punishment.
"I didn't have to discipline those people. They
did what I said. And I said it kindly and friendly,
If there ever was a school that gave the teacher heaven
on earth it was there, Webster High School.
"As the old mountain saying goes: them was
the days. Now I don't bemoan the good old days that
have passed, but I do believe in honoring what was
good then, and I would put up Webster School and
(TURN TO PAGE FOUR)
A Jack of All Trades
Amos Jack Hoyle, blacksmith, logger, board splitter
and yarn-spinner grew up on Blanton Branch, in the
Ochre Hill section of Jackson County, Going strong
since 1892, Mr. Hoyle is one of the most entertaining
story-tellers around. At the Webster Historical Society
meeting on February 15, Mr. Hoyle was asked to tell
his story about the Missouri cabbages. To the delight
of those attending, Mr. Hoyle .told the following tall
tale:
"A drummer from Missouri came through the
Willets section once and stopped his team under the
shade of a tree and saw John Sanford hoeing his cabbages.
The drummer told him it didn't look like his
cabbages would make anything--that back in Missouri
they grew cabbages so big you could drive a
team under a leaf to get out of a storm. Uncle John
Sanford told him it was just a hobby--that he spent
most of his life in a foundry. He got the drummer's
mind off the cabbages and told him that in the foundry
they poured a pot that when they put the handles on
it you couldn't hear them hammer from one side
to the other. The drummer said, 'What on earth did
they build a pot that big for?' John Sanford told him
it was to cook those Missouri cabbages in."
"They had a trial at morning recess, to try to
find out who did it, you see. There was two grown
women there-there's one of them living yet, Bill
Sutton's mother, Ethyl Snyder at that time-and Etta
Robinson. They was grown women and they said it
lay between . me and Ransom Blanton, They was
telling the truth, but how they knowed it I don't know.
"But they had no evidence you know. Uncle Ben
said it couldn't have possibly been. He said he whupped
us out of the creek right off from the school house
and brought us to school. But he said if he found out
who done it, he'd lick them if it was the last day of
school.
"And they had a little entertainment the last night
of the school and I hollered and told him. I got in
the door where I could run, you know, and I told
him who done it. I knew he wouldn't be back the
next year. And then I went home and my daddy
beat the dickens out of me!" It was Mr. Hoyle's
tales of Jackson County--its countryside and its people-
and the building of their log cabin that led Betty
and Marilyn to start thinking about ways to preserve
the history they had learned, especially the skills
that had helped to build Jackson County. And now
that the project Is underway, one dream is already
coming true. Mr. Hoyle is teaching his skills to
another member of- the younger-generation~ Gene
Thornburg is apprenticing in blacksmithing and will
soon start helping Mr. Hoyle split boards with the
froe he had made, the mall Mr. Hoyle gave him, and
the anvil his Daddy, Lacy, got for him down the
country. The board-break and blacksmith shop will
be set up on the school grounds at Webster.
HISTORIC WEBSTER March 1974 Page 3
JACK HOYLE WITH BOARD BOLT AND FROE
Mr. Hoyle and his stories and jokes have been an
important part of the lives of two newcomers to Jackson
County--Betty Price and Mar ilyn Jody, When these
two "good old girls," as Mr. Hoyle fondly calls them,
decided to move the 130-year old Bill Tom Deitz
log cabin from up East Fork to a hillside up
Historic Webster Vol. 12 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
WEBSTER
Vol. 12, Issue 2 Summer 1987
Features
3
From Blue Horses to
Spencer Clark
In December 1986, the Webster
Historical Society honored the
Spencer Clark Trio for its production
of the cassette, "Summer
Evening in Webster." The author
remembers his early days with a
radio.
by Gary Carden
4
A Special Trio
The "Summer Evening in Webster"
cassette continues the village's
affair with the arts. The story
is told in a Sylva Herald story.
by Angela Griffin
6
Freedom is a Dream
Webster celebrated an old-fashioned
Fourth at "Miss Lucy's.
A speech makes us proud.
by John E. Fobes
8
A Tribute to Woodford
Davis
A friend remembers his childhood
days with Wood Davis
by Dale Coward
The Cover:
The Spencer Clark Trio, Spencer and Mary
Clark and Hoyte Roberson, Jr. have issued
a cassette of their summer performances
for the society.
SPEAKING EDITORIALLY
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 1974 to study and preserve the history
and culture of the area. The annual
membership fee is 5.00 paid to the membership
chairman, Box 145, Webster, NC 28788.
The society publishes Historic Webster
quarterly, and it is mailed to the members.
The editor welcomes material for publication
and will give consideration to any submitted
articles.
It's Summer Time In Webster And The Town Is Celebrating -The W ebeter ru.t.orical Society
Pre.stntJ
111111111 DDIIID WDiftl
~._t:
Ella Richardt and Robert Lee Maddon
JWy , , l2, 19,U
~o'dodl
ThoW ...... U.u.iM.doodiMCh• ldl
W.t.m-,Nonhc..n.un..
It's summer in Webster, and it couldn't be a more exciting time to be here.
We are in the middle of our fifth season of "Summer Evening in Webster." We have been royally entertained
by tenor Patrick McGuire and his son Logan with a beautiful varied concert of his favorite music;
actress Sue Monroe who performed professionally in her husband, Ben Glawsons play "Bunny Tracks; "
and Mary Clark, pianist, returned for her second solo show as she honored George Gershwin. And we still
have the final concert to look forward to. It will, as always, be done by our own Spencer Clark Trio. Spencer
has picked a program that presents George Gershwin and his friends. The church has been packed every
week, and the July 26 concert will, as usual, be standing room only.
Jeff Ginn has done his second painting for the society, "Summer Evening in Webster, II." His first print,
given by the society to its summer performers, has been exhausted . The print can be had only by perform-
~--~-· ing for the society and its guests. The painting hangs in some of the area's final artists' homes.
f~~~~;:g A good crowd joined Carol and Gerald Karcher on the lawn of the Hedden House for the society's annual
--:::.:::::::•- . .::....,___ "Miss Lucy's Picnic." It was Webster's usual Fourth of July tribute, and we were pleased to hear Jack Fobes.
NMMM¥M!!!I'!W'Iil!~ He and his wife, Hazel, are former owners of Hedden House. Jack is a former director of the United Nations
Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization 8.50. It features the best of the past four Clark concerts. It will
bring back those wonderful summer memories. You can also get copies of the society's prize winning publication, The Poems of Robert
Lee Madison. The book was named North Carolina's best 1986 book of poetry. The cost is 14.00. The tape and the book may be ordered
from Box 145, Webster, NC 28788- both prices include postage and handling.
2 Historical Webster Summer 1987 ~-
From Blue Horses
to Spencer Clark
"For a moment, it all comes rushing back ... the movies, the dances, the songs,
and the glowing light of my pink radio
When I was eight years old, I bought a Blue
Horse notebook. For those of you who are not
familiar with this school accessory of the 40's,
the company that manufactured Blue Horse
notebooks and tablets gave away marvelous
prizes. All you had to do was save the Blue
Horses ... cut them out and save them I did! I
begged them from school mates, bought them,
swapped for them and went through garbage
cans searching for them. You couldn't stick
them in a book like Green Stamps, so I packet
them, 50 to a stack in shoe boxes until I had
enough to send in. What came back changed
my life.
It was a radio ... or to be more specific, it was
a pink " table-model" cheap radio, and I had
dubious motives for wanting it. The situation
was like this: At the age of six, two years before
I started hoarding Blue Horses, I had become
a radio junkie. Beginning at 3:30 each afternoon,
I would camp in front of the big Silvertone
radio in the living room and launch a nonstop
listen-in that would last through dinner (or
supper, as we called it) and well into the night.
I listened to Jack Armstrong, Captain Midnight,
Sargent Preston of the Royal Mounties,
Dick Tracy and The Lone Ranger. Things went
well until I decided to initate my own story hour
at school. Each day at recess, I would recount
all of the stories from the previous afternoon
for my classmates, complete with cliff-hanger
endings. When my second-grade teacher heard
about my little recitals, she asked me a lot of
strange questions .. .like, "Is it true you act out
all the people in the story?" Oh, yes indeed, I
did that. "You do realize that these are radio
programs ... just a lot of people talking over
microphones?" No, I did not realize that and
did not want to realize it. So, my second-grade
teacher came for a visit, and told my grandparents
that they should not allow me to listen
to the radio since the line between the real
world and make-believe had become somewhat
blurred for me. My second-grade teacher told
my horrified grandparents that I could become
unable to tell the difference between the real
and the unreal. She was wrong there, of course.
by Gary Carden
I knew the difference very well. It was just a
matter of preference. In addition to curtailing
my radio listening, my teacher also suggested
something should be done about my addiction
to Saturday westerns and comic books ... two
other factors that contributed to disorienting
my youthful mind.
So, I lost a goodly part of my radio listening
privileges. No more long sessions in front of the
old Silvertone. That is why I went after the Blue
Horses. And I acquired a pink radio. And that
is how I become a secret, nocturnal radio
junkie. Alone in my bedroom after my grandparents
were asleep, I would turn on my pink
radio which lit up the whole room like a
surprise-pink night light, and I would listen. Of
course, this was a different kind of radio. No
Lone Ranger. No Jack Armstrong. Indeed it
was late-night music. I heard things like,
'' ... And now, for your listening enjoyment, Jack
Teagarden from the Roosevelt Ballroom in
downtown New Orleans." I heard Lanny Ross
singing "Moonlight and Roses," and Rose Murphy
the "Chee-Chee" girl singing "Mean to
Me." I heard Lionel Hampton and Fred Waring.
Sil Austin and Carmen McRae. Margaret
Whiting and Oscar La vent. By the time I was
twelve, I could recognize hundreds of songs and
composers. I knew the lyrics to Gershwin, Gus
Kahn, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and Hogie
Carmichael. I never knew why I did this, and
I don't know to this day. It was as though I
thought that somebody ... God, the President or
my English teacher would give me a test. They
would say, "Who wrote 'Old Buttermilk Sky'?"
and I would say, ''Hogie Carmichael.' ' Or they
would say, "What was Buddy Hackett's theme
song?" and I would say, "Embracable You."
I memorized song lyrics as though they were
sacred writ; as though I could ward off sickness
or evil by quoting them like charms. To this
day, when people quote philosophers or
Shakespeare, I have a tendency to answer with
lyrics by Jerome Kern or Hammerstein. "That
government is best that governs least," they
(Continued on page 7) Historic Webster Summer 1987 3
HISTORIC
WEBSTER
SUMMER 1987
LOVELY SOUNDS FROM
A SPECIAL
TRIO
Spencer and Mary Clark
The Clarks have spent 38
years sharing music
together. Music actually
brought them together in
1948 and they have been
perfectly compatible since.
4 Historic Webster Summer 1987
1 ,
The historical society
is trying to recapture
the leisurely fellowship
of friends and neighbors
coming together
by Angela Griffin
Combining the mellow, easy listening music of the Spencer
Clark Trio with the cool and quiet summer evenings of Webster
was a brilliant, and successful, idea of the Webster Historical
Society. Not everyone has had the opportunity to attend one of
the Summer Evening in Webster series where the Trio, for the
last four years, has given the finale performance of a series of
performing arts featuring local artists with ties to the area.
Summer Evenings in Webster are evenings in July set aside
to enjoy the arts. The events are held outside unless it rains (then
things are moved inside the Methodist Church). A crowd of as
many as 200 have been known to gather in a local meadow for
one of these events. The Spencer Clark Trio - a trio made up of
well-known musician Spencer Clark on the tenor saxophone, Mary
Clark on piano and Hoyte Roberson, Jr., on drums- play, with
very little electronic assistance, a wide-range of musical selections.
These multi-talented musicians play for the love of it and
as they play, their sounds are recorded on tape.
When people began to request recordings from the group,
Webster Historical Society member Joe Parker Rhinehart
asked Spencer to edit some of the music recorded on site over the
last four years into one full cassette tape. It took Spencer two full
weeks to go through all the old tapes and select the pieces with
the best sound.
Mary Clark said the whole idea of producing a Spencer Clark
Trio tape came from requests from the people attending the Summer
Evening in Webster series.
"Every year, people would ask for tapes," said Mary.
"Everyone seems to like what we play. We were too busy playing
to worry with the tapes, so out of four years, we got enough
to fill one tape."
The result is a very pleasing selection of 35 of some of the world's
favorite songs. The tape has been presented in the limited edition
of 250 copies which sell for 8 each. Some of the selections
come from a solo performance done by Mary.
The tape begins with the theme song for A Summer Evening
in Webster with lyrics written by well-known local writer Sue Ellen
Bridgers, music by Spencer Clark and sung by Boyd Sossamon,
Jr.
Spencer said the theme song was derived from a request by
Rhinehart. But Spencer is not a lyricist so he engaged the
assistance of Sue Ellen who came up with "lovely lyrics" which
Spencer says "captures the whole meaning of this thing."
"Once I heard the lyrics," said Spencer, who plays almost any
instrument entirely by ear, "I could hear the music coming and
I sat down and wrote the music."
The lyrics convey what the Historical Society is trying to recapture
and that is the leisurely fellowship of friends and neighbors
coming together to share their heritage. Such evenings were once
shared by the beloved Professor Robert Lee Madison who frequently
entertained the village of Webster with his front porch
concerts on his flute. Mrs. Madison was the town music teacher.
And although it is one small town's attempts to preserve their
heritage, the series has drawn attention from counties all around.
The Clarks have spent 38 years sharing music together. Music
actually brought them together in 1948 and they have been perfectly
compatible since. Spencer may be best known for his abilities
on the bass saxophone, a standard instrument of bands of the
1920's and 30's better known as the "Jazz Age."
As a member of the Lud Gluskin Orchestra for two years,
Spencer Clark did a lot of recording. He later recorded some solo
jazz albums such as "Spencer Clark - Master of the Bass Saxophone,"
and "Spencer Clark and His Bass Sax Play Sweet and
Hot." He says he has probably appeared on some 20 jazz recorders
since his retirement in 1971 when he moved to Webster.
Area folks picked up right away on the talents of Spencer and
Mary. Forming a trio, they began to play dinner music at such
places as the Courthill Inn and the Maggie Valley Country Club.
Their first trio drummer was Tom Jenkins, a talented local who
was majoring in music at Western Carolina University. When Tom
moved on, the Clarks used various talented drummers from the
area until they met up with Hoyt. Hoyt shared the Clarks' love
of music and the three hit it off right away and have been together
for several years now playing at wedding receptions and private
parties on a part-time basis.
The Clarks do not wish to book the Trio too heavily. But they
have a love for music and enjoy sharing that love with others
through a broad selection of songs.
"We like a lot of types of music and that is probably why
people like us so much," said Mary. "We play selections a lot of
people like to hear and we aim our selections to the age of the
audience. We're fortunate in liking so many types of music."
Spencer noted that on the newly released tape, a variety of selections
can be heard. Each year the Evening in Webster series is
given a specific theme and the music is geared toward that theme.
In 1987, the theme will be based on music by George Gershwin.
The Clarks have enjoyed music since their childhood. Mary had
formal training in piano since age 10. But Spencer, although he
had no formal trining except some music in high school, has just
picked the music up "naturally." But he also taught himself to
read music.
"He reads very well, but his ear is so good, he doesn't bother,"
said mary, only a tiny bit enviously.
Spencer explains his ability as being based on mathematics.
He says he can hear the music and find the relationship of notes
mathematically, in intervals. It is like using a type of singing
called "solfeggio."
Mary can understand exactly how Spencer does this.
Every scale is do-re-me or 1-2-3, no matter what the key," she
says. "Most musicians use numbers so it doesn't matter what key
the music is in."
A program to announce the issue of "A Summer Evening in
Webster," a cassette recording by the Spencer Clark Trio, was
held recently at Western Carolina University. Jim Simpson,
"Hoyt shared
the Clark's
love of music
and the three
hit it off right
away and have
been together
for several
years now. ''
Hoyte Roberson, Jr.
mayor of Webster, made the opening remarks. Julian Hirt
commended the Trio on the sound, which they accomplis with
almost no electronic equipment. Spencer says the Trio does not
need electronics to get the sound they desire. It is pure music flowing
out to the ears of an audience seated in a green meadow in
a lovely mountain town. It is music which does not call for
loudness. It is sweet and mellow and soothing to the ears.
It is the music of the Trio that people wish to capture on tape
to listen to while relaxing at home. It is the coziness of the music
that brings to mind the lyrics written by Sue Ellen - It's Summetime
in Webster, and we are home again.
Tapes can be purchased at Riverwood Craft Shop in Dillsboro
or at Jim Simpson's The Christian Shop.
Historic Webster Summer 1987 5
Our Declaration of Independence started a vast movement on
this planet. American independence became the sign, the symbol,
the standard, a dream which has spread around the world.
I have been fortunate to work
and travel in other countries and
to spend time with, listen to and
learn from thoughtful persons in
all parts of the world- persons
who are sensitive to problems, to
feelings, to commonalities of life
on this planet. They are individuals
who are seeking meaning
to life, who actively search
for solutions to the world's
predicament.
From these experiences, I
have tried to distill thoughts appropriate
to our coming together
on this Independence Day. I have
put them in the form of an old
fashioned Fourth of July oration
which can make us feel proud,
yet humble; local, yet part of all
humankind; strong, but not complacent;
ready to accept and
meet challenges of the future.
Please try to imagine that I am
speaking from a village bandstand
bedecked with red and blue
banners.
We are celebrating Independence
Day of 1987 with friends and
neighbors. It is well to record
that our Declaration of Independence
of 21 years ago
started a vast movement on this
planet. "American independence"
became the sign, the symbol,
the standard, a dream which
has spread around the world.
Only 42 years ago, at the end
of a terrible war, that dream was
re-invigorated and reflected in
the United Nations Charter, signed
at San Francisco. That document
took its inspiration .from
the Four Freedoms of Franklin
D. Roosevelt, from the Atlantic
Charter of Roosevelt and
Winston Churchill, from a 1943
Declaration of the nations
fighting fascism. I've just been
reading the unpublished letters
of one of my professors, written
while he served at the San Francisco
Conference which adopted
the UN Charter. On the spot, he
recorded the inspired spirit of
that gathering of 50 nations.
Reading his letters was a
valuable reminder of recent
history. They brought to mind
the statement of a young aviator
who died in the war. He wrote:
"Civilization does not rest on the
6 Historic Webster Summer 1987
enjoyment of its inventions but
solely upon the fervor which goes
into the winning of them." There
was inspration and fervor at San
Francisco.
Since 1945, more than 100
peoples have declared themselves
to be nations and have
claimed their independence. The
message that I bring here today
is that they are still striving to be
free of dependence in its many
forms. In fact, we are all thus
striving, looking for more selfreliance
in what has become an
interdependent world. It is well
to recall that we, the industrialized,
developed, privileged countries
of the North and West gave
the world the flame of independence.
But we also helped to
create the interdependent world
through our inventions - expecially
the electronic ones of the
computer, the satellite and
television.
In fact, of course, the planet
and all the peoples on it have
always been one. We only made
it more so. We created new
forms of dependence by projecting
a particular image of that
oneness - full of ideas of liberty,
yes - but also colored with impossible
picture of affluence and
waste.
We are in a global mess. What
should we do? The answers are
in Webster and in every local
community. The answers are in
America. The answers are
everywhere and they are many
and diverse. That is what my
friends around the world are telling
me. Let me explain.
The image and dream which
America evoked are in our
history. -The Declaration of In-
Freedom
is a Dream
by John E. Fobes
dependence is part of that story.
Our Constitution - 200 years old
this year - has been used as a
model by many. But the true
greatness of America came from
a combination of factors which it
is well to remember on this day
of celebration. Those factors
include:
• The natural resources of a continent
for which we should be
grateful and more respectful;
• The challenge of the frontier of
the 18th and 19th centuries, accepted
in the spirit of that young
aviator- " the fervor which goes
into the winning of inventions";
• The vigor of small communities
based on trust;
• The diversity and richness of
the peoples who came to our
shores; never before nor since
has the world seen a greater
diversity of talents in one nation.
Conscious of these strengths,
what shall we do now? I think
that we need a new frontier. Not
the frontier of more ease and
more products on the shelves of
the supermarkets and the discount
stores. Perhaps our very
un-ease, and that of the whole
world, points to a new I old frontier.
The frontier is the search for
human dignity and human rights
for all on this planet. It demands
that all men and women can
walk upright and free. How can
they do so in an increasingly
crowded world? How can they do
so without basic human needs of
food, water, housing, health,
education? I believe that it is by
working together, by mutual
assistance, by allowing for a
great diversity in this striving
and by helping to build local
self-reliance.
You may have heard the
phrase, "Thinking globally, acting
locally.' This slogan may
have greater meaning than is
generally realized. Thinking
holistically, of all, globally, is
what America has tried to do.
Acting locally is a hallmark of
the American tradition.
Here I must recall the words of
a philosopher-poet-religious
thinker: "Home should be the
center but not the circumference
of the affections." Have we not
America has a great responsiblity as a leader and a servant of
humanity. It would re-dedicate itself on this Fourth of July to the
frontier, the challenge of the 21st century.
ofter seen the outpouring of those
affections toward others by an
America which treasured the importance
of home and wanted to
help others to preserve or re
Julian Adkins, Helen Webb, Ben Morris, Joe Webster, Al Good, at the Skirvin Tower Studio.
No full textPhotograph of L to R - Julian Adkins, Unidentified, Helen Webb, Ben Morris, Joe Webster, Al Good, Unidentified at the Skirvin Tower Studio
- …
