Robey Shull Records Saga Of
is, J &
The HilM Near Ancestral Home
By NANCY ALEXANDER
Robey 9huH Is U ruffed and
timeless as the granite cliffs
that tower atpwe his valley.
. From a wayside store at Shull's
Mills he astutely records the
saga ef the hill covntry. His
feet are anchored to a wheel
chair; but his memory soar*
wide and free, delving deep into
the reaches of the past.
Mr. Stall's blue eyes mirrored
l>is recollections as he stared
across a swift cold stream into
the wide green valley: "My
grandfather Simeon Shall came
into this country from Germany.
He settled here and gave it his
name. His mill was the first one
built over these waters.
"My father J. C. Shull ran the
first store ever opened in this
place. The old building stands
down the road a-ways.
Tm 82 years old. When I was
11 or 12, I went to the first
school taught in ShuUs Mills.
Professor Bland Dougherty, one
Of the two Doughertys who
started Appalachian college,
taught it. My father was on the
committee that got him to come
here. Uten a Professor Fran
cum taught it. Later I went to
Boone and Cove Creek to school.
"I used to hunt all over these
mounat ina. There were plenty of
bears aad deer in the Grand
father and there's still plenty at
them there.
. "I used to fish a lot, too. We
had nothing but speckled trout
in these streams and plenty of
them. Now we have rainbow and
brown. There's also a trout they
cell speckled, but it's not the
.kind we had then.
"I used to bunt down Boone's
Fork. It was named for DanieL
You can see the place he camp
ed. His little hut was there
until a few years ago. People
kept messing with it til they
tore It down. You can still see
the smoke on the rock there
from his eampfltes.
"The rock is at the dam that
Mr. W. 8. Whiting built when
he constructed a band mill here.
It was a double-cut mill. He used
to cut thousands of feet of tim
ber bare about 20 years ago.
"When I was a boy there was
nothing buT forests here. They
held all the rain that fell. Now
when we have heavy rahis, they
all nai off into the valleys and
sometimes flood them from hill
to hi*
"Tweetsie, the little train,
used to run through here, going
from Boooe to Jali neon City.
Two freight engines hauled the
timber out of here.
"A lot of people traveled on
Tweetsie. We didn't have any
good roads in here then."
Not far from Mr. Shuirs store
a modern, .wide highway leads
thousands of tourists monthly
through the hill country.
A large collection of antique
clocks, in excellent working con
dition, han? 3D the walls of the
little atore. None is for sale. 1
"I've got 60 or more clocks,
and I dont know how many
watches.
"I used to be in the watch
repair business in Boone and in
Eliiabethton, Tennessee. I'm
been i/itere*tsd i? dock* ever
sine* I can remember."
his son N. d' ShuJl. *n engineer
visiting from Maryland, was ex
pertly repairing watches in a
inni)i cubicle of tft little store.
"I've been ruwatog this store
about 17 years," explained Mr.
Skull.
In the old-fashioned glass
counter was a tray of maple
sugar candy.
"I used to make maple sugar
candy," he explained. "Today
I buy It from someone else.
"I'd tap the sugar maples
about January. You bore a hole
in th# maple, cut out a trough
and put in an elder ' stick ? with
the pith taken out? in it. Then
let the sap ran out into a bucket
Put it in an evaporator. Build a
fire and boil the sap down.
"It first becomes maple syrup.
Then you keep boiling it until
it becomes grainy. Then pour
it while still hot into a greased
pan or mold of any ahape you
want and let it set until K
hardens. It take* ton gallons of
sap to make a pound of sugar.
"Maple sugar trees are the
ones that tarn red hi the f?H.
"After I was grown I went
West tor a while; but there
were too many twister* and cy
clone*. I was ia Kansas. If you
saw a cloud In the sky, you'd
batter watch pot. Something w??
going to happen.
"I've done a lot of black
smithing is m tiw?- I '*bodi
"My wi fe, Mamie Graybeal
Shuil, grew op in Ashe County
and then moved to Cove Creek.
"We've mm a tot of change*
in oar time," be ended reflect
ively. - ?mE'-K
Attend Legion
Auxiliary Meet
Officer* of the American
Legion Auxiliary who attended
the 8th area meeting held at the
Legion Hot in West Aaheville
May 2 were Mr*. Lionel Ward.
17th district president, Mr*. J.
W. Norris, unit president, Mrs.
Boy Rufty, vice president and
Mrs. Cleve Gross, secretary.
Ninety members were present.
Mrs. T. L. Noe of Wilson. N.
C. and Mrs. A. M. Scarborough
of Greensboro, candidates for
department president, were pre
sented. One will be elected at
the State convention in Char
lotte JttnefO-n.
Legionnaire Brown, who is
helping build schools in the
rural area of the Dominican
Republic, told of Us work and
ask those present tor a contri
SMITH HARMON of Beech Mountain ia Avery county ra
the first student to eater Appalachian Training School after
it became a state-supported school is 1903. Smith ia seen
here in a recent pose. ? Photo by Dr.. Janes Stone.
button for this worthy nun.
After an address by the State
Department President, Mrs.
Sam J. Welborn, a luncheon
vu served by the women of the
west "AafcevUle Hemoriil Post.
I. .) ? - . ,i .>?>
Those who drive under the
influence often have influence
in court.
Stevenson says U. S. preetlge
w high abroad.
CARD OF THANKS
We wish to thank our friends,
relatives and Reins-Sturdivant
Funeral home for their sym
pathy and kindness shown fol
lowing the death of Mrs. Pern
Rainey? F. W. Hainey, Linda
and Johnny. ,..B ?t
Driveways ? Parking Areas ? Walkways
Retaining Walls - ? Swimming Pools
Basements ~ Patios ? Porches
264-8694
Watauga Ready-Mix, Inc.
Boone, N. C.
1110 Wood Circle
?????? ?ri
etvs Items
Mr. and Mr*. Hack Brown and
IVhbic of AUxiiMAr 'V^f^riKi
spending thli week her* with
hgrihiliMA* m fi B , . , , f *1 *i >?
* *<l 'i ' ?;. > f '
MSu Becky WHson and Utn
Carolyn Wallace attended a
weak end conference at the C.
9. M. Camp it HUabethton.
Turn.
Mr*. Maggie Norri* spent Sat
urday with Mr. and Mrs. W. K.
Wilson at Boone.
Mr*. Im Wilson spent laat
week in Cleveland, Ohio, viait
ing her siatars and brothers and
Mr*. Burl Isaacs and children
Gary and Carolyn of fit. ?,
Boone, visited Sunday with Mr.
and Mr. Henry Millar.
Mrs. Lillie South UvhutinT1
this week in Lenoir with her
children who live there.
FEET ACHE, ITCH?
of all youi bones are in the i
watch
healthy skin ret
Boone Drug Co.
Watch
~I *"$]
Jewelry
Repair
WALKER'S
Jewelry Store *
Boone, N. C.
62 COVAJR 4 DOOR SEDAN
Radio, heater, standard transmission
'61 VALIANT 4 DOOR
Standard transmission, radio, heater
'61 PLYMOUTH 4 DOOR
3elvedere, V8, automatic transmis
sion, radio, heater
'61 CHEVROLET IMPALA
2 door, automatic, V8, radio, heater,
power steeriag, power brakes
'61 CHEVROLET 4 DOOR
Belair, VS, automatic transmission,
radio, heater
'61 VOLKSWAGEN
'61 FORD 2 DR. HARD TOP
Radio, heater, automatic transmission,
V?
?61 CHEVROLET BELAIR
2 door, 6 cylinder, automatic trans
mission, heater, radio
'60 CHEVROLET
Station wagon, 9 cylinder, standard
transmission
'60 FORD 2 DOOR V8
Automatic transmission, radio, heater
'68 PLYMOUTH 2 DOOR
V8, automatic transmission
'57 CHEVROLET V8 4 DOOR
4 door, automatic transmission
'57 PLYMOUTH
Station wagon, VS, automatic trans
mission
'57 DODGE 4 DOOR
V8, automatic transmission
-TRUCKS
'61 CHEVY l/t TON
6 cylinder
'60 CHEVY ]/2 TON
? cylinder
'59 DODGE V? TON
cylinder
'55 CHEVROLET y2 TON
8 cylinder
'54 CHEVROLET % TON
6 cylinder, cuctom cab
'58 DODGE 1 TON
Dual wheels, 4 speed transmission
'53 GMC 3-4 TON
4 speed transmission
'59 INTERNATIONAL 3-4
4 speed, 4, jrtieel drive
'56 INTERNATIONAL 3-4
4 speed, 4 wheel drive
'57 DODGE 2 TON
Tandem axle, S speed transmission,
2 speed axle
OTHER TRUCKS AND CARS
BROWN & GRAHAM
MOTOR COMPANY
815 E. King St. Boone, N. C.
m Ridge Electric
r? -!p??Ja*iMiration