26,121 research outputs found
Richard Webster Student Recital, August 17, 1956
No full textConcert program for Richard Webster Student Recital, August 17,
195
Richard Dorson (interview)
No full textThis interview is included in the American Folklore Society Oral History Project held at the Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. In this item, Richard M. Dorson is interviewed by Richard Reuss at the American Folklore Society annual meeting in Nashville, Tennessee for the American Folklore Society Oral History Project. Biography/History note: Richard M. Dorson, folklorist, author, and educator, was born in New York City in 1916 and died in 1981. He earned his B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. at Harvard University and taught at Harvard and Michigan State University before becoming professor of history and folklore at Indiana University where he founded its Folklore Institute in 1963 and became the first director and first chair of the Folklore Department at Indiana University in 1978. This collection consists of 1 sound tape reel (40 min.) : analog, 7 1/2 ips, 2 track, mono. ; 7 in. It was originally recorded on November 2, 1973 at the American Folklore Society annual meeting in Nashville, Tennessee by Richard Reuss on a Sony audiocassette. This is a first-generation copy
Folder 9: Schwiderski, Richard Craig v. State of Texas 2, 1979-1984
No full textPhotocopy of a section of an article written by New York author Richard Reeves and titled 'Too Late to Kill the Messenger' and dated 1979, and argues for the role of media during violent situations
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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. 1 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.Volume 1 Number 4 a newsleffer of 16e we6sfer 6isforical sociel!: Summer 1914
Historic Webster Days
Celebration
Historic Webster Days will Swan, and Bill McinTyre will
provide a truly old fashioned gtve us a night of good listening
Fourth of July celebration for and square dancing. Music
Jackson County dur ing the four begins at 8: 00 on Thursday
days of festivities at the old night, 9:00 on Friday and SaturWebster
Elementary School. day nights.
~~~s~~~n~i~~oik~fSo~~e~: ~~~ Mr. & Mrs. Webster
the Sylva Jaycees, as a benefit
~or the ~ebst~r Historical Soc- The two oldest residents of
tety. It ts hoped that the e~en~ Webster' Arthur Allman and
c"!-n be ~n an!lual <:elebrati?n, Lilly (Nanniehart) Rhinehart,
wtth an espectally bi_g occast?n will be honored at the Opening
planned for the Bicentenmal Ceremonies of the first annual
year of 1976· . . . " Historic Webster Days Fourth
;<\mong,the many acttvtltes at of July Celebration." They will
th.ts year s. July 4th at Web~ter be named "Mr . and Mrs . Hiswtll
be dtsplays of old . tJ!lle toric Webster" in an official
crafts such _as. blacksmithmg proclamation presented by the
and boardsphttmg, manned by Mayor of Webster, Mr. Roy
Jack. Hoy!~ ~nd Gene Thorn- Baker. The proclamation will
burg! a spmnmg ~bee~ demon- be inscribed on a hand decorstrat!
On b~ Sophie. ~t.shop ; a ated scroll made by Elizabeth
broommakmg exhtbitlon ar.td Keys. Mr. and Mrs. Historic
broo!"" sale as wei~ as a qu!It Webster will then reign over the
~~M~"~~~~~~Jtr:;~~~ean~~~~l! four days of festivities.
~ ~~~~i~~~it i~~ffiu~.ut~~~~W~~ Opening Ceremony
Eldredge and Margo Crawford
are in charge of the STI exhibit. The Mayor of Webster, Roy
Handmade crafts such as bon· Baker , will ride into town in a
nets and wood carvings, signs horse drawn buggy provided by
burned in wood, and other items Dr. Ralph Morgan, to open the
will be sold at var ious booths to first annual Historic Webster
be set up on the school grounds. Fourth of July Celebration . A
Gracia Slater, Susan Morgan, dinner catered by the Canter·
and Judy Coyle are setting up a bury Inn and served by the
Country Store where they will women of Webster will begin at
sell locally prepared foods such 5:00p.m. on Thursday, July 4th,
as homebaked bread and followed by the flag raising
chcrned butter , honey, canned ceremony, courtesy of the Webfruits
and vegetables, and fresh ster Boy Scout Troop No. 903. A
produce. The Store will be cons- Readers Theatre production ditructed
inside the school house. reeled by Kathy Carr will be
On the grounds for the Fourth presented during the dinner.
will be baked goods and sand- Mayor Baker and Bruce Wike,
wiches sold .by the East Sylva C~ai~man of .the County ComBaptist
Church Dorcas Sunday !lllSStoners, wtll make the openSchool
Class; a lemonade stand mg remarks.
Horse Show set up by the Webster Home·
makers, who will also be selling
handmade bonnets; and a booth
selling watermelon slices. The first annual Webster
Some of the old fashioned Horse Show will be held on
games and contests planned Saturday, July 6, on the grounds
include a greased pig chase, a o~ the old Webster School begingreased
pole climb, a tug~f- nmg at 1:00 p.m. Show Secrewar,
and gunny sack races for tary. Diana Nicholson and Show
all ages. James Roper is in Chairmen Dean Allman and
charge of games, which begin at Johnny Watson have been larg-
2:00 p.m. on Friday and Satur- ely responsible for planning the
day. Also at 2:00 on Satur- show. The Judge for the show is
day is the tubing iace, under the Tommy Lucas of Franklin.
super vision of Jerry and Laura Woody Hampton, Sylva, will be
Coffey. While the games and Ringmaster, and Jon Danencontests
ar e in progress, David bower of Dillsboro is Master of
Purser will be offering buck- Ceremonies. Duggan Ledford
board rides around Webster, from Franklin will serve as
and the Jaycees will have all Farrier .
their tra ditional entertainmeQt Entry fees for the twenty·four
booths open. Paul Cowan, J r ., different events planned will
Buddy Lane, and Richard Tay- range from 2.50,
half the regular yearly dues.
The new membership year will
begin in January, 1975, when we
hope that all old members will
renew their memberships and
continue to be active in the work
or the Society.
School Grounds Are
Shaping Up For Fourth
Spencer Clark and his Build- and for l<.. .o urth of July decor·
ing and Grounds Committee ations.
have been getting the Webster The Bwldmg and Grounds
School in shape for the big Committee has also had the
Fourth of July festivities. Under help of eight young people
Spenc~r 's supe~vision and the working under the auspices of
direction of thetr Scout Master the Neighborhood Youth Corps.
Al Byers, the Webster Boy They are Davis Wood, John
Scou~ Troop No. 903 has been Houston, Dale Stiles, Billy Friz·
mee~mg at the school and zell, Joyce Hammerly, Pamela
helpmg to clean up. Bobby Ray Bradley, Kathy Powell, and ,
and Gail. Wtl~on , Paul Cowan Geneva Donaldson . Joyce
Jr. a~d Jtm Stmpson have been Hammet;Jy is answering the
workmg on the grounds, land· telephone at the Historical Sociscaping
and getting. the grass ety Offic~ and keeping the office
mowed. ~e School ~s surroun- open ft:om 8:00 to 3:00 daily,
ded by mne ~aubful acres. Monday through Friday. The
Buddy and Margaret Clark other ~YC workers ha.ve ~n
have donated plants for the scrubbmg floors_, washmg winbeautification
of the _gr'!unds ~~~~it~~~ cleanmg away trash
Attention, Artists!
Artists, please come for the artists who wish to commence a
hanging on July 3 and 4 at lively career in the Art World to
Webster, N.C., to be held in the enter their work. We will man
gray stone building on the hill the Art Gallery for the full four
(at one time, the School !) We days of the Webster Historical
expect to exhibit works of Society Festival July 4, 5, 6, 7.
celebrated artists who live or Any volunteers for duties in·
visit in our beautiful world of valved in conducting an art
the Smokies. gallery are welcome. Please
advise us by phone or come by
Any work to be sold will pay to the Webster School. Telephone
the Webster Historical Society Elizabeth Keys, 586·5988, Chairfifteen
per cent of the sale price. man of The Webster Art Lea-
There will be a Grand March History. DeSoto's people in- We also invite all aspiring gue.
and Judging of costumes, eluded the Gentleman of Elvas,
beards, and moustaches at the DeSoto's Portugese Scribe, as
Webster School Building Sun- well as men of the clergy,
day evening, July 7, '74, at 7: 00 scouts, and probably cooks and
p.m. (Men who arrive with dish washers, too. Later on,
Society Business Meeting
clean shaven faces may be fined there were British Red-Coats, The members of the Webster
or sent to the local jail"!) French Voyageurs from the Historical Society will meet at
and to make plans for the
future. Come and exchange
ideas .. You can have a large
share m determining the future
of Webster.
Whatever century, era, or Mississippi in quest of Furs, 7:30p.m. on Monday, July 15, at
occasion for the costume you then the proud military families the Webster School. The main
wear , try for authenticity first. who migrated after the Battle business of the meeting will be
For example, if you portray a of the Boyne, and the Revolt of to hear a report on and to
Croquet Buff of the Summer of the Irish Earls. There were the discuss the current status of
Music and square dancmg D · Th 1910, remember not to wear plantation aristocracy from effor ts to buy the old Webster This Fourth of July edition of
will be provided mght1y at Inner ealre nylons! The Spanish Conquista- South Carolina and Georgia; Elementary School. Officers of Historic Webster is being sent to
Historic Webster Days 4th of . . dares at the other end of our the American frontier settlers; the Society and members of the al~ m~mbers Of the Webster
J~y celebration. On Thursday t As /jart ~~ th~ ~tsto~:c "teb: tim~ ~ spec.trum did n~t sport loggers; miners; mail carriers Town Council will be meeting Htst?n~al Societ¥. We will be
mght the Webster Cloggers,ser ays e mverst¥ urn cham mail. OK? Durmg the on fast horses; doctors on withtheSchooi Boardon J uly 10 pubhshmg four J.SSues a year
directed by Ken Cabe, will ~;~ ~he~r~ Cpr~ct;ctdo; . ~~ time lapse between these two horseback or in buggies--depen- and will report the results to the from now on-Fall, Winter,
perform, fo11owed by music and .
11 ~ or 0t d a~ th a~ ~r[ extremes, there are possibili- ding on terrain to be covered. membership at the July 15 Spring, and a special Summer
square dancing for everybody WI presen e a e e s er ties for a wide range of fancy meeting. Members will also issue for the Fourth of J uly.
provided by Wallace Swan. On Schr l on J uly .1~ tnd. 6· ~~~ dress, as Webster History in· Also, there were the elegant begin planning the 1975 Fourth Starting with this issue, the
Friday nigh.t "Train" will sup· ~r ormanc.e WI egm . eludes it all. Huguenots who may have at- of J uly and looking ahead to the Summer edition will be sold to
ply the mustc; and on Saturday n!g~ts. at ?1i3~ p.m. c;:: :r~day We will have highly compe- tended church in Parisian bon- Bicentennial in 1976. non-members during Historic
night Ralph Lewis and the mg t It w~ e ~rec e Y a tent J udges, also prizes. nets, with lace parasols. There This will be a good oppor- Webster Days at fifty cents per
Piney Mounta in Boys from ca~ered dmner 10 the school Surplfise us all and wear were brides, and judges and tunity to get acquainted with copy. Members will continue to
Asheville, Earl Cowart and the something colorful, original, or blacksmiths. What else? Plenty other members of the Historical receive all four issues as a
Blue Grass Four, W~llace Tul'n To Page Two beautiful, all Authentic Webster more. Surpr ise us? ! Soci~ty, to join a committee, me.mbership privilege.
Page Z
r~-~- .. ·- ~ -· .• .. . ·~
=••~::: ~~~~~: .~~ ~:~~· . ~ :0;e::: ::::k I ~~= Tickets for the dinner and play ment of Speech and Theatre fashioned hog barbeque, Web- · t
are available in advance at the Arts at Western Carolina Uni- ster is the place to' see one on . . t
Little Theatre Box Office on the versity is the director. July 6. . . The Webster Cookbook is and mk drawmg of Webs_ter 's ~
WCU campus at the Webster planned for publi ca tion landma rks--the covered bndge,
Post Office, o~ at Cowan Insur- Novef!lber I. The book features ~h~ old Webster school , the
ance Agency in Sylva. Tickets Gospel Sing fa voni('S of famous Webster J<u l. _lh_C' l'hurchcs, homes.
will be sold at the school on the Art Show cooks I rom over one hundred _It IS JUSt a good boo~--on_e you t
days of the performance. Cost year s. \\:Ill want to keep not JUSt m the t
for dinner and theatre is 3.50 for children Under the chairmanship of is invited to attend old fashioned _F~J a large dmner try _Mr~ . l{(~ llH'Ill?(' r Chnst rna ~ IS t
under 12. Theatre tickets alone Elizabeth Keys and with the church services in Jackson f~ 1 ~ 1 e , . C ow~ rd En J:?: lJ ~h s e~Hmng : 1 here. a re weddmgs, i for Friday or Saturday night help of Francois Cla~tier, the County and then to bring a .1 l<i nl .t t J,on Supper··a. n ~ h , birthdays. all kmds of reasons
are 3.50 for adults, $1.50 way. For Historic Webster Days School grounds and join in on a c ot n. meat · and noodles. ht•s Jdcs thoS(' you want for t
for children. Reservations may there will be an exhibition and " eatin' and singin' on the yours('lf. t
be made by calling the Depart· sale of paintings at the Webster grounds". Gospel music will be l\1 r s . Ed ith Moore Hal I 's t
ment of Speech and Theatre School, with 15 per cent of the provided by Mike Clayton, Bill (;arlic Grits will li ven a meal. ORDER t
Arts at WCU, telephone 293· sale price going to the Webster Deitz, and the Redeemed' Quar- any meal. It is just grits with t
This play, compiled and a- the show will begin on July 3. garlic. Sprinkled with YOUR
dapted by Norman Corwin, Ham Dinner .:ornflakes, it can be served for
covers the works of Carl Sand· Barlieque supp<·r at night and easily
burg from the cradle to the On Sunday night, July 7, the \\·arm<'d for the next morning's COOKBOOK
grave. It is a compilation of women of the First United hJTakfast.
song, prose, and poetry display· Monroe Lindsey will begin Methodist Church of Sylva will
ing Mr. Sandburg's sense of earlySaturdaymorning,July6, sponsor a ham dinner to be There arc cakes Mrs. Sally AT THE
MOTOR
COURT
Color
Television
Air
Conditioning
Your Bo•ll
Mr. 6 Mrl. A. T. Marroy
Tel. 586-2123
7491. Historical Society. Hanging of tet from Statesville, N.C. th(' lash' of cheese, and a hint of I
humor, sense of beauty and preparing a gigantic open pit served at the Webster School. 1\ ld 'onn('II'S old ' fa shioned
sense of tragedy. , barbeque on tht; Webster ~hool Afte_r the din!ler there will be a pound cak<·, known all over
. The players are Nancy Ham- grounds. He will be roastmg a closmg bonfire and a . vesper town . A hig spice cake has been FOURTH OF JULY + SYLVA, N- C. +
f!1111 of Brevard.' James E1ch· pig ~nd ftfty chickens all day for servtce conducted by the Rev. deH•Iop(>d by Mrs. An nit• Louise t , i hog of Pumpkm Town, and a dmner to be served at 6:00 Gene McCants of Webster. ~ t adi son Heed called War Cake- CELEBRATION + Ma•• St.
-it is (•nough for an army. t Get Involved In Helping ·············'
'
S<ilads, Mrs . Stella Broyles ••••••••••••••••••••-.
llall's Twt•nty Jo'our Hour Salad
Preserve And Restore Webster 1nadl' with (•ggs; brt·ads,
1\kxinlll Cnrnbr('ad , rolls: a
\\onderfu llv ril'h Coffp(• Punch··
Are you looking for a way to
get involved in the Webster
Project? Good! Join the more
than eighty people who are
already sel_'ving on committees.
Call any of the committee
chairmen, officers or directors.
Special Events··Fourth of Ju.
ly: Paul and Lynda Cowan
te~und Raising:Judy Carpen-mon
· and 'mo re··2:~7 recipes in
Tell them you want to help. Board of Directors: Roy Ba·
There's plenty for everyone to ker, Spencer Clark, Dick Iobst, all -- in a 1xlok that a cook who
do, fun in the work, and fine John Parris and Joe Rhinehart. has s<'<'n it ca lls "a readable
people to ~et ac9uainted with. Officers: Betty Pric~, Presi· i n t e r t' s t i n g , p r a ct i c a i
The followmg officers and com- dent ; Manlyn Jody, VIce Pres- cnokhnok." Pradical seems to
mittee chairmen are waiting to ident; Jim Simpson , Treasurer; be a good word for th('S(' times.
hear from you . and Mary Morris, Secretary.
Committees
Museum and Archives: Dick
lobs!
\lusic and Community
But lhNe is more than
rl'l"i pl's: l\ lrs. Lilly Hhinehart ,
1\liss Dorothy l\1ourc, Miss
1\lildrl'd Cowan, Mrs. Louise
Restaurant: Jerry Ewen and i\ lad_ison !~edford , _Mrs. Pat
Edna Beck l\ll'Kee 11lle-y. l\1 1ss Mary
1\Jnrris, and 1\Irs. Janice
i\lontipth Ulanton. all Webst<'r
Country Store: Gracia Slater girl s. talk ~1hout . food as they
and Helen Cowan ).!. l'l' \\" up m \rV(•bstl'l'. Mrs.
House Tours and Hospitality Tht'atcr: J .C. Alexander
Margaret Simpson
Louise B. Da vis has written
Wehs!('r's hi story.
ReCreation: James Roper The Webster Cookbook is
illustrated with d('licate pen
Newsletter: Alice HarriH and
Building and Grounds: Spen· Louise Davis
cer Clark
Scrapbook and Bulletin
Board: Mildred Cowan
Cookbook: Joe and Flossie
Rhinehart
Membership and Correspon-dence:
Kate Rhinehart Finance: BiH Fisher Town Planning: Roy Baker
Youmt Historians: Lucille
Bryson and Marilyn Jody
THE
NORTHWESTERN
BANK
Member Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Contributors:
Editors :
Louise Davis
Alice Harrill
Marilyn Jody
Mrs. Maurice Carlton
Mrs. Jennie Lou Hunter
Mrs. Elizabeth Keys
Ms. Mary Morris
Mr. John Parris
Mr. Joe Parker Rhinehart
Mr. Jim Wells
Western Carolina
Universi9'
Typeset and Printing by Herald
Printing Co., Sylva
HOOPER'S
DRUG STORE
Bob Kelley
KRISMART
FASHIONS
Wishes the best of luck to the
Webster Historical Society, Inc.
in its efforts to preserve and restore Webster
-.
Mountain Folks Are A Musical Lot
\
by John Parris
AFAMILYREUNtON
1905
Last Monday, J une 12, was
the anniversary of the birth of
Mountain folks are a musical Mr. Nathan Coward and the
loi. regular day of the Annual
Even the poorest cabin away Reunion of the Coward Family
off back of beyond will boast a including all of Mr. Coward's
banjo or a fiddle hanging on a children, grandchildren and
nail. grea t-g r a ndc hildren . It has
Neither the phonograph, ra- been a custom for several years
dio or television has caused the now for the Cowards and their
hillsman to part with his banjo rela tives to meet on their
or fiddle, albeit many a cabin ancestor's birthday every year
has one or all three. at the horne of himself and his
And when it comes to mountair.·- children taken in rotation
music--well , it 's right there at meeting first a t the father's,
the top in popularity. ·next the oldest child's and so on
Tunes that never knew any . around . This year the
instrument but a fiddle , broom- celebrat ion took place at his
straws, and a banjo have won own home. Mr. Coward was on
popularity with big orchestras · thC' occasion eighty-seven years
as program spicers. old being born just a bout six
Hillbilly bands are in demand years a ft er the War of 1812. <He
and mountain folk song sym- was born in 1818 l. We hope to
phonies have received acclaim give the story of his life in the
in recent years. journal soon .
ThEl mountain songs boast a There was not as large a
proud lineage for the most part. proport ion of the family present
Many of the ·tunes and words ,as usual, the families of Mr. Kit
can be traced to Elizabeth Z<t<:harv and Mr. Oscar Coward
England. tx•ing barely represented and
For this reason, students and that of Mr. Hobert Coward , who
collectors have been interested li vt•s in Piedmont being ent irely
in them for years. But it's only absPnt. Mr . Coward was also
comparatively recently that the vt'ry sick but in spite of a ll , the
sometimes lilting, sometimes Fiddle made by the tate Rogers Coward of Webster. Don.ated to the Webster Historical Society n·umon was very successful
~~~~~ulof~~!i~e~!~af~~t~Jc.the Museum and Archives by Elda Coward of Norton Commumty. ~~~~~'~1~~·~:·gf~!~~:~f~e:i~~~;
Even Broadway has it 's hill - Tht• di nnPr was served picnic
billy singer. So does Park fa shion : the eatables, whi~h
Avenue, the street .of milk and Several years ago an old-ttme Usually, they are folks who " I could sell ten times as W<'I'P many and good, being
millions. fiddle-player was discussmg fmd pleasure m domg a btg of many,"shesatd, " tf ihad them. spn·ad on two ta bles while the
But for the pure, unadulter- fiddles with a city feller and fidd1ing themselves. Sometimes BesJt:les bemg fme mstruments, gu<'sts all helped themselves
ated stuff, you've got to get off the city feller mentioned that they'll make two or three they are beautifully made and standi ng.
the main roads and plunge into the finest fiddles in the world fiddles a year and hide them would be something just to look Afl <•r di nner they all occupied
the out-of-the-way places back were those . made by a man around the house. And then at even if they never were th<'ll iS{'I\"PS with conversation
in the hills. named Stradivar ius. · they'll go a year or so without played." nnd otlwr amusements . All the
It 's ther
Historic Webster Vol. 7 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.newsletter of the Webster Historical Society, Inc.
VOLUME VII, NUMBER 3 WEBSTER, :\OHTII Ct\H.OL!l\A FALL, 1981
Webster High's 1941 Class Molded By Events
By Lloyd Cowan
The Webster High School
class of 1941 is a symbol of
students of the mid-thirties
and forties. Time and conditions
caused it to be the last
class before a new era, was
brought on by World War II
and the consolidation of Sylva
and Webster high schools.
As one of the last eleven
year graduation classes, this
class survived the "great
depression" of the thirties and
became the first class to comple.
te four years in the new
rock, WPA-constructed, high
school building.
... from the covers and
creeks of Jackson County
The Webster High class of
1937-1941 had its humble
beginning at the old oneteacher
schools which were
found throughout the many
coves and creeks of the
Webster-Savannah school
district. The studeQts came
from the headwaters of Pumpkintown,
Gay, East Fork,
Green's Creek, Old Savannah,
Grasshopper, Little Savannah,
Hogrock, the Ashe Settlement,
Locust Creek, and Fair~
view. Lovesfield, Dillsboro,
and Webster communities
greatly complimented the student
body of young, robust,
mountain-bred aspirants as
they came together for "one
common cause" at this consolidated
institution of higher
learning.
Traveling by bus from the
communities of one-teacher
schools, the "joy ride" of ten
to fifteen miles was a treat.
Most had walked half that
distance to their grammar
schools.
I shall never forget the
Savannah bus, "old number
19". The daily origin of this
1934 Ford bus, trimmed with
the traditional North Carolina
system colors of yellow and
black, began in the Pumpkintown
vicinity. Its next to last
stop was at' the Wilson home at
the Cabe Hill junction. Thirteen
Wilson children, all from
one iamily, occupied the last
vacant seats. The last stop,
just before the Little Savannah
intersection, found the
three Rhinehart children having
to stand until the bus arrived
at school. I shall never
forget the synchronized and
coughing sound of this loaded
bus as. it wound up the steep
grade from the Tuckasegee
River, over the graveled,
wash-board, rutted road and
into the school yard. Each
time victory was evident.
Bus number 19 was, indeed.
a legend in its time. The bus
arivers, Glenn Turpin, Gudger
Buchanan, and John R.
Shepherd, were patie~t men
who understood students and
old buses well, even to the
"'nth degree".
Bus number 19 was an
educational institution
herself, and its riders learned
one another in friendship.
Romance blossomed as she
rambled along, and songs
were sung, even in harmony
to , "Beautiful Brown Eyes"
and "Maple On The Hill". The
pain of a rough trip was
somewhat eased when Glenn
and Gudger would stop at the
old Green's Creek Post Office,
to check our mail and purchase
a penny sucker or a B-B
bat.
Robert Paul Buchanan,
Continued on page 4 THE WEBSTER HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 1941
Miss Lucy Was Leader
Of WNC Crafts Movement
Miss Lucy Morgan, the
founder of the Penland School
of Handicrafts in Mitchell
County, North Carolina, and a
Webster resident since her
retirement 20 years ago died
July 3, at her Riverwood
home.
In 1915 Miss Lucy became
principal of her brother Rufus'
Appalachian School in Penland
and by 1929, working with
the area residents , she
established the craft school
which has become one of the
world's renowned handicraft
centers.
Her and her workers and
her students fame grew and
she was asked to direct, in
1956, the weaving of the green
baize, the cover for the tables
of Independence Hall, Philadelphia,
the hall where on July
4, 1776, the Nation's Declaration
of Indenpence from Britain
had been signed.
In !962, after 42 years
devoted to the Native Carolina
Crafts, Miss Lucy built her
retirement home near her
nephew, Dr. Ralph S. Morgan
Gov. Terry Sanford appointed
her to direct the Collection of
Webster, North Carolina photographs
for the State 's
Raleigh Archives. She became
a familiar Webster figure as
she covered the countryside,
collecting and identifying early
mountain photos.
The daughter of Alfred and
Fannie Siler Morgan, she was,
born in the Macon County
Community of Cartoogechaye.
Miss Lucy graduated from
Central Michigan College and
her alma mater and the
University of North Carolina
later recognized her contributions
to the crafts of the
southern Highlands by conferring
on her doctors' degrees of
humanities.
Miss Lucy's life ws the example,
according to Legette
Beythe, in her biography, Gift
From the Hills , of "what one
woman who loves and trusts
people and believe in the
creative spirit has accomplished."
Page 2, HISTORIC WEBSTER, Fall, 1981
Summer In Webster Means
Gardens And Good Cooking
Editor's Note: The recipes for the corn, beets, okra, cabbage, and green
beans dishes are taken with permission , from Rubye Allen Bumgarner's
cookbook, Sunset Farms: Spring Fryers Caused It All. Janice Monteith Blan·
ton's essay on "Webster Gardens" and the other recipes are from the historical
society's Webster Cookbook.
SAUTEED FRESH CORN
2 medium-sized ears for 1l2 c. corn. Husk and clean corn, removing
the silks carefully. Cut or scrape the kernels from the cob
(be sure to•get the milk or juice). Place in a skillet with
margarine. Cover and cook slowly until the corn is no longer
starchy-tasting. Stir frequently. Season with salt and pepper,
and if there is any left over after you finish tasting as you go
along, serve it hot. Sometimes I add about 2 T. cream for each
cup of corn as I saute it. Allow at least 112 c. of corn per personit's
better to allow a whole cup.
SKILLET CABBAGE
1 cup celery, chopped 1 tablespoon sugar
4 cups cabbage, chopped Salt
1 onion, chopped Pepper
1 green pepper, chopped 1 tablespoon water
2 tomatoes, chopped 2 tablespoons bacon grease
Mix and cook for about 12 or 15 minutes in a heavy skillet that
has had 2 tablespoons of bacon grease melted in it. Keep skillet
covered.
2 T. vinegar
2 T. butter
Salt and pepper
1 T. water
113 c. sour cream
CREAMED BEETS
12 small beets cooked, sliced or whole
Louise Barker Davis
Method: Heat vinegar, butter, salt, pepper, and water. When
nearly boiling, add cream and beets. Continue to heat slowly
until beets are hot. Serve at once.
Frank Buchanan's garden on Buchanan Loop is typical of a Webster backyard, hillside
garden. The Webster red clay never fails to produce.
Early Gardens
Gardens provided most of Webster's food in the late 1940's
and 1950's. As is still true, lots in the village of Webster were
generally long and narrow with the houses located at the front
near the main street. Generally, the backs of the property were
used for gardens. By and large, Webster's soil is red clay which
on a damp day makes you taller with each step. Amazingly, this
red clay grows delicious vegetables. Webster's gardens and the
individuals who so carefully tended them quickly come to mind
when remembering the food eaten as I grew up.
One fine Webster gentleman, Mr. Ernest Penland, Sr., te1_1ded
gardens in Webster other than the one on his own property. I
was five years old when my family moved to ~ebster, and one
of my earliest memories includes that of "helping" Mr.
Penland plant and care for the garden he had on Mrs. Eugenia
Allison's property next to ours. I would help him and his sons,
George and Ernest, drop potatoes, sow corn, plant carrots, and
then, unknown to them (I thought), later help myself to the carrots
long before they were matured.
My mother was the gardener at our house. In those days my
father was much more noted for his fishing and hunting than his
gardening, and, Mr. Penland, being the tease that he was, used
to tell me that my daddy was so sorry for not tending a garden
that we would have to "eat the plaster off our walls" for food.
Naturally, I quickly went to the defense of my dad.
When we first moved to Webster the Post Office was located
between Mrs. Allison's property and ours. The majority of
Webster's inhabitants gathered there during the day to talk and
get their mail. Like most youngsters, I was always around
somewhere too, listening to adult discussions of weather, planting
conditions, and the "signs." I particularly recall another
outstanding Webster gentleman, Mr. James Oliver, who was
always at the Post Office at these times. I really had to "guard"
Mama's garden as Mr. Oliver was always threatening to
"steal" something from it. Childlike, I thought he would.
Some of Webster's best gardeners were ladies of the town.
Mr. Oliver's wife, a petite, agile woman, was an excellent
gardener. She and her daughter, Irene Queen, were among the
first in Webster to prepare their garden and they always had a
beautiful crop. Mrs. Lilye (Nanniehart) Rhinehart, Mrs. Irene
Coward, Mrs. Wiley Nicholson, Mrs. Ernest Penland, Sr., and
Mrs. Archie Elliott were diligent and competent gardeners as
well as my mother.
In those days, many Webster gardens were plowed with
horses or mules, not with tractors. Some of the older folks felt
that it would ruin the soil for a tractor to be in their gardens. As
years went by, it became increasingly harder to find anyone
with animals to plow the gardens. Once, Nanniehart, aggravated
that someone had not shown up to plow their garden,
threatened to get out the "old 'tillhopper' " (rotary tiller) and
plow the garden herself if he didn't come to plow soon. (She was
in her 80's at that time! )
To those who grew up and lived there, Webster is unique and
special in many ways. It offers the closeness of houses and
neighbors while at the same time having soil available for
gardening. Snuggled under King's Mountain and nestled in the
Western Carolina hills, Webster's growing season is short, but
productive. The feel of cool, damp soil in the spring, the smell of
gardens being " burned off" for spring planting, the sound of
horses panting as they struggle to plow the soil , the sight of
straight, clean rows of healthy plants awaiting their harvest,
and finally , the taste of well prepared fresh vegetables are
among my fond memories of Webster.
Janice Monteith Blanton
HISTORIC WEBSTER, Fall, 1981, Page 3
Frank Buchanan's garden, like all Webster gardens, includes all the mountain
favorites : corn, tomatoes, beans, onions, and potatoes.
At one time Webster was the county's market center. This
summer Ray Ledford, son of Dr. and Mrs. Ray Ledford,
operated a successful one man business on Main Street.
MARRYIN' SQUASH
2 pounds squash
1 medium onion
1 egg
1 tablespoon butter
'12 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Salt
Pepper
Slice onion and squash. Cook together in salted water to
cover. Drain and add egg, sugar, butter, and 3f4 cup of grated
cheese. Put in buttered casserole and top with bread crumbs
and remainder of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes in a 350° oven.
GOOD CABBAGE
1 large head of cabhage
4 T. flour
4 T. margarine
2 c. milk, scalded
1 egg yolk, well beaten
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
Pepper and paprika
1 c. cracker crumbs
Gracia Walker Slater
Method: Cook cabbage; drain. Cook butter, flour, and milk
slowly. Add egg yolk, stirring constantly. Season to taste. Add
cheese; grease a baking pan. Add cabbage, cheese sauce dot
with butter. Repeat and cover with cracker crumbs' and
paprika. Brown crumbs and cut in, brown again. Bake in 350°
oven. Serve hot.
OKRA CASSEROLE
We always try to serve this with venison. It is nice and juicy
while the venison has a tendency to be dry.
8 slices bacon
4 sliced medium onions
2 qts. sliced okra (fresh or frozen)
3 sliced green peppers
6 medium peeled tomatoes, quartered
Fry bacon until crisply done. Take bacon out and dry on
paper towels. Then fry onion and pepper rings until limp. Alternate
layers of okra and the other vegetables in a casserole.
Crumble bacon and sliced olives on top. Brown lightly in oven
for 30 minutes at 350°. Serves 10.
GREEN PEPPER CASSEROLE
2 medium peppers 2 tablespoons butter
112 cup saltines , crushed 1/z cup cheese, grated
Salt 1 cup milk
Pepper
Sliver peppers and soak in salted water about 1'12 hours. In a
buttered casserole layer broken crackers and slivered peppers.
Add salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon of butter pieces. Repeat
twice more. Cover with grated cheese. Add milk and bake at
350° for 40 minutes. Serves 4.
Emma Johnson Allison
SWEET POTATO SOUFFLE
3 cups sweet potatoes, cooked 2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup sugar 113 stick margarine, softened
112 teaspoon salt 1/z cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Pour into greased baking dish
and cover with topping.
TOPPING
1 cup light brown sugar 1 cup nuts, chopped
'13 cup self-rising flour 3f4 stick margarine, softened
Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Crumble over potato mixture.
Bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Serve as a vegetable or as a
delightful dessert, topped with whipped cream.
Beverly Willis Williams
GREEN BEANS AU GRATIN
4 T. butter
1 t. salt
4 T. flour
1/8 t. dry mustard
1'12 c. milk
1l2 c. processed cheese, diced or grated
3 c. cooked fresh beans, slivered
Parmesan Cheese
Paprika
Method: MeLt the butter, add salt, flour , and mustard. Cook
over low heat until bubbly. Add milk and cook until thick and
smooth. Add cheese and stir until completely melted. Add
beans, which have been cooked in boiling water (salted) until
just underdone. Pour into a buttered casserole, sprinkle with
Parmesan cheese and paprika. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes, until
bubbly. Add slivered almonds.
Page 4, HISTORIC WEBSTER, Fall, 1981
Events Molded Class Of 1941
Conference Champions (1930) Webster
FIRST ROW: Major Allison, Jesse Bryson, Roy
"Slick" Allison, Alvin "Sol" Fullbright. and
Dwight Hardin.
SECOND ROW: Mark Watson, Coach, Frank
"Bean" Cowan, Richard Ashe, Zeb Ashe, Paul
Sutton, Dee Ashe, and Paul Cagle, Manager.
Continued from page 1
principal of the newly consolidated
Webster High
School, greet the class of
1937- 41 students with
friendliness and firmness.
This trait he did not relinquish
for the next four years . Under
his leadership, not only
students, but the teachers
found guidance. The "faithful
four" were Louise .Davis,
whom most freshmen despised
and seniors dearly loved ;
Adams Moses; Jonathan
Brown ; and Genella Allison.
The specialist teachers were
Edna Allen (Ginn), Mrs. Simmons
and Mrs. Deaver.
Entering Webster High was
a trying experience for most
of this class. I knew one country
lad who had never ridden
anything but a horse or
wagon-team, and just the
sound of number 19, the
newness of faces from other
communities, and the long
distance from home were an
awesome blow to his mental
stability. The atmosphere of a
new and larger school, more
teachers and students, more
complex text-books, and the
demands of study resulted in
many weeks of sleepless
nights.
Mr. Buchanan and the high
school teachers made the easthalf
of the school building exciting
and relaxing as they occupied
our minds with math,
science, grammar, literature,
home economics, and history .
Mrs. Allison created joy and
interest in many hearts as she
directed our Glee Club between
acts of Mrs. Davis'
Dramatics Club. "Mrs. Tubbs
of Shanty Town" and "Oh,
Aunt Gerusha" , the junior and
senior plays, ably directed by
Mrs. Davis, were two events
that the Class of '41 will
always remember. JuniorSenior
trips in the back of a
wood truck to Copperhill, and
Norris Dam, Tennessee, were
thrillers.
Basketball was " King" at two old 39-Chevys and walk
old Webster High. "Bean" two or three miles on home
(Frank) Cowan, who was was a common practice as the
every bit an All Star during his early hours of the morning
day , with Harry and Major were at hand.
Allison, will maintain that As someone from the class
basketball was actually born of '41 recently stated: "Them
on the red clay hill of Webster. wuz the goode ole daze". Then
Harry and Marshal Mason, we were "aspiring and seek-
Clifton Thomas, Carl Vance, ing"; today weare "maintain-and
Jess Buchanan were ing and preserving"!
outstanding in their years at
Webster. Later coming on the
scene, and coached by the rugged.
persistence of " Sol"
(Alvin) Fullbright, were
Richard and J.D. Morgan,
Robert Lominac, Leo and
Lloyd Cowan, Harry Vance,
Lewis Bradley, John and
Morgan Buchanan, Hayes
Deitz, and Howard Buchanan.
When Webster played at home
the place was packed and they
were " hanging from the
rafters" of the old wooden
gym.
Basketball was king
at old Webster High.
They were hanging
from the rafters of the
old wooden gym.
Game or practice, it was not
uncommon for players to stay
over from school, thriving,
until arriving home late that
night, on a five-cent honey-bun
and a nickel R.C. A dime could
buy much at the uptown stores
of Uncle Coley Allison and
Uncle and "Granny" Rhinehart.
The smell and sparkling
sights of these two old-timey
stores added much flavor to
the educational ambitions of
rural youth of that day. They,
too, have "departed the
scene" and shall never he
forgotten. It was a special
effort for Mr. Buchanan and
Coach Fullbright to deliver
the players to their homes
after a game, often in other
counties. To emerge from the
There was a closeness unparalled
among this class of
thirty-seven scholars, and in a
school of small proportions,
150 students with the same
aspirations, the desire was to
explore and excel.
The Webster High School of
1941, did not have as its goal to
attain riches. Its basic aim
was tO get an education in
order to get a job, in order to
make money, in order to buy
many things,---just anything,
which they had never known.
It could have been all the
cheese Or peanut butter or
lightbread or pork and beans
or salmon one could eat. Or all
the Cokes (then called dopes l
one could drink, even a 22-
rifle, a bicycle or basketball,
or sporty clothes, and ultimately
an automobile, which
even their parents did not
own, with which they could
travel outside the perimeter
of Jackson County.
That day did come to pass.
This day, 1981, and this class
of 1941, will also pass from the
time scene, just as the old rock
school building did pass from
its original use.
Lloyd Cowan, class president
of the 1941 group and who
recently organized a reunion
for the class, is the manager of
Belk Department Store in
~ylva. His article is written in
memory of a favorite teacher
Mrs. Louise Davis, who edited
this historic journal.
Pictures
from a Webster Scrapbook
Callie Marsh, a Webster school teacher about 1910-1911,
is feeding a baby jack in the Alley yard. The Methodist
Church is in the background.
Lawrence Cordell Frizzell, later an Army Colonel, was a student at
Fruitland Institute in Hendersonville in 1912.
Editor's Note : For the collectors of Historic Webster, the recent
issues have been misnumbered. The issue listed as Volume VI,
Number 1, should be Volume VII, Number I. Volume VII, Number
2, should be numbered Volume VII, Number 3. The Society does
have, for those members who need them, some extra copies of certain
issues. If a large stamped, addressed, manila envelope is sent
to the society in Webster, if the copies needed are available, they
will be sent free of charge. Postage averages thirty cents per issue.
Fall1981
Editor :
~" HISTORIC~ WEBST.E:R ne wslener c ! H>e Wet>ster H•~torrc~ t Socoe! ~ 111c
Webster, North Carolina 28788
Joe P . Rhinehart
Contributors: Rubye Allen Bumgarner, Lloyd Cowan,
Mildred Cowan, Lawrence Frizzell, Jenny Hunter.
Published quarterly by the Webster Historical Society and
printed by the Herald Publishing Company, Sylva, North
Carolina
Historic 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
- …
