?ROMANTICALLY SITUATED'?
How Franklin Looked
To Visitor In 1848
(EDITOR'S NOTE: How did
the little mountain village of
Franklin impress an outsider,
back in 1M??
The answer it to be found
to the following excerpts from
a letter written by John Lan
man, dated at Franklin In May,
1848. This was one of a series
of letters written by 1 An man
as he traveled through the
mountain country.)
The little village of Franklin
is romantically situated on the
Little Tennessee. It is surrounded
with mountains, and as quiet and
pretty a hamlet as I have yet
seen among the Alleghanies.
On the morning after entering,
this place, 1 went to the post
office, for the purpose of obtain
ing a peep at the last number of
the National Intelligencer, where
upon the officiating gentleman
informed me that I should find
it at the office of a young law
yer whom he named. I balled up
on the legal gentleman, and found
him, like all the intelligent people
of the country, very polite and
well informed.
In speaking of the surrounding
pictorial associations he alluded
to a certain waterfall and added
that the gentleman who referred
me to him owned a plantation
near the falls, on a famous trout
stream, and was an angler. On
this hint I sent a couple of hand
some flies, as a present, to my
post-office friend, and in less than i
twenty minutes thereafter he j
made his appearance at my lodg
ings, and insisted that we should .
go upon a fishing excursion, and I
that the lawyer should accompany
us. Horses were immediately pro- -
cured, and having rode a distance
of ten miles along a very beauti
ful stream called Kul-la-sa-jah,
or the Sugar Water, we came to
the chasm leading to the falls.
Here we tied our horses, and while
my companions commenced throw
ing the fly, I proceeded to the
more profitable employment of
taking sketches.
? * ?
Leaving the intellectual out of
view, the most interesting char
acter whom I have seen about
Franklin is an old Cherokee In
dian. His name is Sa-taw-ha, or
Hog-Bite, and he is upwards of
one hundred years of age. He ,
lives in a small log hut among
the mountains, the door of which 1
is so very low that you have to
crawl into it upon your hands
and knees. At the time the great
er par( of his nation were re
moved to the Far West, the "off
icers of Justice" called to obtain
his company. He saw them as
they approached, and, taking his
loaded rifle in hand, he warned
them not to attempt to lay their
hands upon him, for he would
certainly kill them. He was found
to be so resolute and so very old,
that it was finally concluded by
those in power that the old man
should be left alone.
He lives the life of a hermit,
and chiefly supported by the char
ity of one or two Indian neigh
bors, though it is said he even
now occasionally manages to kill
a deer or turkey. His history is
entirely unknown, and he says
he can remember the time when
the Cherokee nation lived upon
the shores of a grpdt ocean, (the
Atlantic.) and the color of a white
man's face was unknown.
Tells Of Mound
Tn the immediate vicinity of
this place may be seen another
of those myterious Indian mounds
which we find beautifying nearly
all the valleys of this land. And
here it may not be out of place
.lor me to introduce the opinions
Franklin people farmed right in town, some 60 years ago ? as this picture
shows. This wheat harvesting scene, about 1898, is in West Franklin. The pic- !
ture tvas made facing north, the cameraman's back to "Summer Hill". In the!
foreground is what was then known as "the Big Branch"; center the George A. I
Jones home (now occupied by his widow and son, R. S., and family); left the
Frank I. Murray home; right the present home of Mr. and Mrs. F. C. Cooper.
Between the Jones and Cooper homes is the old Jones barn. Virtually all the
land shown in this picture was then Judge Jones' farm. Note there was no Bid
well Street then, nor had Palmer Street ? if there was such a .street at that time
? got this far west. Porter Street, too, was yet to be opened. The wheat shocks
at right are about where Frank B. Duncan's The Franklin motel now stands.
(Photo loaned by Gilmer A. Jones.)
~ ?
The Franklin Story
Told In 32 Ptgei
Of Text, Pictures
Tor 32 additional pates of
the story of Franklin, in text
and pictures, see sections B and
C of this edition.
concerning their origin which pre
vail ai.iong the Indian tribes of
the South. By some they are said
to have been bull* by a race of
people who have become extinct,
and rere formerly used by the
Cherokees merely as convenient
places to have their dances and
their games. A superstition also
prevails, that In the ancient days
every Indian brought to a certain
place a small bark full of the
soil which he cultivated, as a tri
bute to the Great Spirit, who in
return sent them a plenteous har
vest. Some allege that they were
the burial places of great warriors
and hunters; some that they were
crected as trophies of remarkable
victories; others that they were
built as fortresses; and others
still that upon them were per
formed the more sacred of relig
ious rites.
'There is also a tradition exist
ing among the Cl\erokees that
these mounds formerly contained
a species of sacred fire; and it
is well known that an Indian
has never been known to deface
one of them, and to see them de
faced by the white man always
seems to make them unhappy.
The only light <in the way of
opinion) that I can throw upon
. these mounds is, that they owe.
| their origin to some aboriginal
tcustom similar to that which hfts
! brought together the huge piles
| of stones which the traveler meets
with in various portions of the
! southern country. But all this in
formation is traditionary, the
builders of these mounds are un
known, and all that even the wise
of the present feneration can do
is to look upon them in silence
and wonder.
The gentleman upon whose
property the above mentioned
Tells About Religious Life
In Franklin Back In 1845
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Below arc
excerpt* from the autobiography
of the Rev. Roberteon Ganna
way. who came here as a Metho
dist circuit rider in 1M5 ? 110
year* ago. The printed volume
b the property of Mrs. Horace
Hurst, who loaned it to The
Press.)
I left Newbern circuit and went
home, as stated above, and thence
to Athens, (Georgia) to confer
ence, in the fall of 1845, when I
and where I was appointed to
Franklin circuit, Macon county, j
N. C. Some circumstances in my
appointment this year were a
little remarkable. The Franklin
circuit was a little over two hun
dred miles from my residence;
and I suppose the appointing pow
er thought I might have some
objections to being sent so far
from home. As such, I was con
sulted on Friday evening on that
subject, by brother E. F. Sevier,
who X learned afterwards, was the
mover in the matter of my being
sent to that circuit. He asked
me if I was willing to go so far.
I told him I belonged to the Con
lerence, and whatever they said
I must do. I intended to try to do
it; but I thought they might find
work nearer home for such old
folks. He left me. at that, and I
was not prepared to say what
they would do with me. On Mon
day, brother D. Fleming consulted
me again: he told me I was on
the Franklin circuit; but that the
Bishop would remove me, if he
found out that I had any objec
tion to going there. I told him
that I did not intend to dictate
to the Conference; that I would
go wherever they sent me; though
I thought they could find work
enough for us 'me and my wife)
nearer home. He also left me at
that; and I did think it was prob
able they would remove me. I
asked no questions about it; but
mound is situated is the nabob
of the place, an intelligent man,
and an old resident. I am now
his guest and he lives in com
fortable style, his dwelling being
surrounded with a score or two
of out-houses. He carries on an
extensive .farming business, and is
the owner of a goodly number
of tidy, respectful, and industrious
slaves. Though situated almost
within rifle-shot of an impassable
mountain, his residence is asso
ciated with clover-fields, a well
managed garden filled with flow
ers and vines, ancient trees where
sing the katydids in the evening
hours, and above which swoop the
joyous and noisy martin and the
beautiful dove; and also with mea
dow-fields, where herses and cat
tle graze during the long summer
day.
Perpetual Chorus
But there is one association
connected with this farmhouse
which is still ringing in my ears:
I aliude to a perpetual chorus of
an ever-lasting quantity of jack
asses, peacocks, and guinea-hens.
My host seems to have a pass
ion for these apparently accident
al or unfinished specimens of nat
ural history; and I must say that
I have never before been prvii
leged to enjoy such unearthly
music as I have on his plantation.
The painful braying of a jackass
awakens his household from their
slumbers, and the same braying,
accompanied by the screams of
the peacock find guinea-hen. con
tinues without ceasing until the
twilight houf, when the whippoor
will takes up her evening l$y. and
ibe world lapses into, its nightly
repose.
Waited to hear the result at the
reading, out the appointments.
And. behold, almost the last call
was "Franklin circuit ? R. Gan
naway " Well the matter was set
tled. This is what I thought re
markable. ? my being consulted
twice; and I believe the first and
only time I was ever consulted;
and I gave intimations that I
would rather be removed. It seem
ed to be fixed that I was to go
there; and. if ever I have had
clear evidence of the hand of the
Great Appointing Power being in
any appointment I ever had it
-Was that; which I think you will
see before I get through with the
Franklin circuit.
The greatest difficulty in my
going so far. consisted chiefly in
the transportation of our clothes
to the circuit. We were usually
sent somewhere not very far from
the great thoroughfare, leading
through the entire Conference:
but this, the Franklin circuit, is
above a hundred miles from that
road; so that, whereas we usually
could have things taken by wag
ons, passing through the country,
I now was reduced to the necess
ity of buying a vehicle, of some
kind, to move in. As such, my
presiding elder took one of the
preachers from the Asheville cir
cuit, or somewhere in the District.
<Bro. Chanceaulme.) and sent
him to occupy, till I could get
there. He went on, and labored
till Christmas eve; at which time
I met him. At old brother Jesse
Siler's, and on Christmas-day, I
commenced my work, at a meet
ing house near Bro. Jacob Siler's.
I will here gijje a sketch of the
state of the Church, as given me
by Bro. Chanceaulme. in transfer
ring my charge to me. In the
three hundred members of society,
he said there were not more than
one hundred professors of relig
ion. He appealed to brother Siler,
who appeared to have the same
opinion. I am happy, however, to
say that I think two hundred
had professed; but. as he stated
that they were cold, I found that
true, to the letter.
| My first, quarterly meeting com
menced at Union meeting house,
i the Saturday after the meeting
| mentioned above, which was the
first Saturday in March. I told
all I could see through that week,
to prepare for a week's tour. -I
i was certain that I saw the bud
| dings of a revival. The peoplp
thought I was ignorant of the
kind of folks I had to work wi'h.
And that I was crazy, or an en
j thusiast on that subject. Old bro
ther Jacob Siler. who marked mv
course as closely as any other
man, laughed at my positive man
ner of speaking of the revival.
Well. Saturday came, and it was
I a very rainy day. Sunday was
I also a very rainy day. Brother
j J. S. did not come to meeting on
Saturday nor Sunday, as he lived
some distance from the meeting
house. I think he came on Mon
> day. and said he had been think
ing about my revival, and won
dered what I would think, when
we were defeated, by rain, of my
good meeting. I told him I was
glad to see it, particularly on
Bunday; that it was the very life
of meeting, and would prove one
of the grand causes of a good
meeting, and revival. "How will
you make that appear?" I said.
"Our meeting house is very small,
and if it had not rained on Sun
j day. we should have had as many
again as the house would hold.
! or more, and those out of doors
would have attracted the atten
tion of those in the house, and
, there would not have been half
the good done: but as it rained,
we had just an even house full
of attentive hearers. The seed
that was sown took root, and in
the course of the week, it sprang
up, aft I will endeavor to show
before I get through with the
Franklin circuit.
We will now notice our pro
tracted meeting in Franklin, that
commenced Just four weeks from
the first, at Union. I remember
that Brother Jacob Siler asked
what I thought we should do at
Franklin. I told him we should
have the greatest meeting he ever
saw. He was very much tickled
at my poor judgment of the |,
people In that region. I made my
calculations on those that were
crippled at the other meetings. 1
I knew that we should have
mourners in the very commence
ment; and I have never seen it
fall to be a good meeting, when
we could have mourners in the ,
beginning. In view of that, 1 1
have uniformly had two or three I
days' meetings, and generally ad- ]
ministered the sacrament before 1
my camp-meetings, all around my i
circuit, to start my camp-meetings i
with mourners. Well, our meeting I
began on Saturday, and we had
mourners in the commencement; ,
and by the middle of the week,
we had so many young converts
at the place, and those from other
meetings, praising God. and ex
horting sinners, that the excite
ment became so general, that
there was but little use for preacn
Ing, by the regularly authorized
minister. ,
? * ?
Our protracted meeting at
Franklin continued all the week,
of nights, with increasing inter
est. We seldom came together and
broke up without several being
happily adopted into Christ's
spiritual family or kingdom. The
number that professed-white and
colored ? during the meeting
?were fifty-one. Many were set at
liberty on their way home, that
left the church with heavy hearts
several nights; between ten ar.d
twelve o'clock, the woods were
made to resound with the high
praises of God, falling from the
lips of young converts, on their
j way home, in every direction; and
in the day time, the fields re
verberated with loud doxqlogies
and hallelujahs to God and the
Lamb. Brother Jacob Siler said
the woods and the fields, the hills
and the valleys, were rendered
vocal with hymns of praise, by
all sexes, colors and ai^es.
I will now give an amusin? re
count of the manner I reprovec
what I thought was improper con
duct in professors of religion
which took place sometime in the
course, of the two years that i
'traveled Franklin circuit . Es
ther Jesse Siler had a son f.
j Emory & Henry College, and a
j daughter in the Asheville Insti
; tute ? it was not Asheville Cc'
j lege then. They came home f.o.n
! school about the same time
and their good old mother. \vl:c
doted on her children, jnade a
I great supper for rhem and in
vited about twenty of the yount
people of the neighborhood, chief
ly relations: and all but two cf
i the guests were professors of
religion . . and a large majority .
of them were young converts of
our revival, which was then in
tolerably brisk motion. After sup
| per, my wife and I went up into
her room < for Brother Siler's !
was her home, at that time > . Her j
room was over the parlor. The
young people commenced amus- |
ing themselves, I suppose in dit ;
ferent ways. At length, they en
gaged in a sport that caused them
to laugh a great deal, and pretty
loudly, and the play caused some
romping; and I thought in all
honesty of my heart, that it was
wrong for professors of religion1
to be so wild; for let the play
be as innocent as it could be.
in itself, it would tend, to make
Remembered
When Asheville Had No
Railroad
(EDITOR'S NOTE: The fol
lowing art It lr about the late
Mrs. Rafm ("nnntn|h?iii and
her memories appeared in The
Asheville Citizen under a Frank
lin dateline, in 1932. The clip
pint *? loaned by John Cunn
ingham.)
Who remembers when enthusi
astic orators, speaking for the
cause of the Southland, urged the
sons and daughters of Dixie to
Stand loyal at home and on the
field of battle?
When linsey was a popular fab
ric for milady's new outfit and
usually was dyed with dye made
from boiled walnut shells and
bark for black and brown, and
boiled maple bark for purple?
When Asheville had no rail
road or banks?
"Aunt Sallie" Cunningham, of
near Franklin, does, and much
more. Ninety years old, but alert
and active, she has lived through
three wars and in watching al
most a century of time go by,
has learned and seen may inter
esting things.
Her full name is Mrs. Rufus
Cunningham, but in Franklin she
is known as "Aunt Sallie". When
she was a small girl she attended
school at the old Asheville Normal.
Then there were no banks and
the railroad had not come. Her
father was the "station" minister
in Asheville for the Methodist
church and while the 'church)
building was being erected, he
held services in the courthouse.
| She has spun many yards of
the linsey cloth, made her own
dye and dyed it, afterwards cut
ting the fabric and sewing it
into clothes.
"Aunt Sallie" recalls when ora
tors upheld the cause of the South
in Franklin and urged the men
and of this section to remain
loyal. She has lived through three
wars and recalls many details
of them all.
She married after the war. Her
husband, a soldier, captured a
color bearer at the battle cf Get
tysburg and sent the flas into
Raleigh after peace came
the very least of it to rii":->-'e
the mind, af.d turn it-frotr i)""er
?hir.ss. They could no*. in the
smallest "ense be in ? '..ayin?
? rme cf mine. Well. I ?i'.'uaht
it to be my duty to s'r.-? if I
com''! . I ?ot up. ar.d commen
ced walking the floor, ar.d slaving
this chorus, which seemec to came
:r.to rr.y mind at 'hat moment.
"Shout ?lorg. and prey alone.
? . heaven-born soldiers.
Shout alonsr. and pray along.
?r.r! pray bv the way.
p-'v on. Christian:- c'oa't cet
weary.
Never ce' vred of of
th*. Lore;."
I think I had r.ot more than
sung jthe whole tune, till 't-.p of
tW youn? converts, a yoitni dv.
came running upstairs, an'7 -one
tc me. saying. I had no limd in
it. uncle Gannaway. I v- i no
hand in it. I said to her I have
not charged you with anything. X
then commenced singing
"How happy are they whe their
Savior obey.
And have laid up their treasures
above", &c
By this time we had perfect
silence below . . and it was but
a very short time till the bell
was rung for family prayers.
BEG VOIR PARDON
Elsewhere in this issue "Dixie
Hall", the old home on Main
Street, is referred to as the prop
erty of Miss Hope Daniels. It
is owned jointly , by Miss Daniels
and her brother, James R. Daniels.
This sketch of Franklin streets, as they were three-quarters of a century ago, was drawn for The
Press by Ernest Rankin, aged 90. Mr. Rankin's memory was vivid on the subject , because it was 1879 ?
76 years ago ? that his family moved here. He was an impressionable boy of 14 at the time.
- ? ? y ????? ?>
The first train in history rolls into Franklin ? in the summer of 1907. Tech
nically. this tram didn't get quite into Franklin, because then then depot ? tar
paper shack in right background ? was outside the citv limits of that day. At
extreme left is Phillips Bridge.
It was a long, hard fight to get thj railroad really to Franklin. It first
stopped at Prentiss, then at the"Y". th n at Phillips Bridge, and finally came
to the present depot, just off East Main Street. The present depot site than
was a sea of mud, in rainy weather, on the very outskirts of the town.
Arrival of the twice-daily passenger train usually drew crowds of people,
especially on Sundays. (Photo loaned by Mrs. \\ . M. Bryson).