NEWS RECORD
SERVING THE PEOPLE OF I* * " TE 1901
NO'46 WEDNESu~ . . ?4*gtr HTI984
MADISON
COUNTY LIBRARY
GENERAL DELIVERY
MARSHALL NC 2t?/ 53
it'a
25c
Walnut Boosters Plan Sale
The Walnut Boosters Club will sponsor a flea market on
Nov. 17 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Proceeds from the sales
will be used to purchase drapes for the school. Everyone is
welcome to attend.
Turkey Shoot In Spring Creek
The Spring Creek Volunteer Fire Department will spon
sor a turkey shoot on Nov. 17 at 2 p.m.
Laurel VFD Turkey Shoot
The Laurel Volunteer Fire Department will sponsor a
turkey shoot on Nov. 17 at 11 a.m. at the fire station.
Greater Ivy Thanksgiving Feast
The Greater Ivy Community Club is sponsoring a com
munity Thanksgiving Dinner for all residents of Greater Ivy
on Nov. 18 at 1 p.m . at the Community Center. A gospel sing
ing will follow the luncheon. All Greater Ivy residents are
invited to bring along a covered dish and join in the old
fashionpd Pilgrim-style dinner.
Folk Art Demonstrations
The Folk Art Center of the Southern Highlands Handicraft
Guild will present demonstrations throughout the month of
November. Call 298-0792 for more information.
Burley Sales Begin Monday
The 1984 hurley tobacco sales will
get underway next Monday in North
Carolina and Tennessee. Markets
began receiving tobacco for auction
last Friday in Asheville and
Greeneville, Tenn
The sales wil begin Monday morn
ing and continue through Nov. 21. All
markets will be closed for Thanksgiv
ing Day. Sales will continue on Nov
26 and will be held Mondays through
Thursdays until Dec. 13.
Following the Christmas recess,
sales will resume on January 7, 1965
andcontinue four days each week un
til the crop is sold.
Madison County Was
Once A Part Of ' The
State Of Buncombe'
By MITZ1 TESSIER
Behind the barrier of the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains lay the
highlands of Madison County, before 1776, uncharted and virtualy inknown to
anyone but the Cherokee Indians. It was the thrust of the new country in the
1780's, with land grants for Revoutionary War heroes and treaties with the In
dians that brought settlers to the wilderness in search of homesites and
privacy.
They were a rugged people, these first settlers, a people loyal to family,
religion and the land. They came because they felt crowded by fpowing set
tlements in the east. They were not to escape the political system, however,
for in 1792, the House of Commons of the newly formed state of North Carolina
recognized a mountain constituency and created a new county to be known as
Buncombe for the Revolutionary War hero, Edward Buncombe
Buncombe County would encompass all the land west of the Blue Ridge, an
area ao Urge that it was dubbed "the state of Buncombe."
Buncombe County included what is known today as Madison County. In
17M, the state of Tennessee was formed, and the commmssion which
established the boundary between the two states drew Madison County's nor
thwestern border.
In the journal kept by the commissioners, they recounted pleasant baths in
hot waters at Warm Springs, now Hot Springs, to "get clear of the fatigue of
the tour,"
The popularity of Warm Springs and the increase in travel between the
western settlements and the south along the French Broad River caused talk
of a new road by 1825. With funds from the House of Commmons, the Bun
combe Turnpike was opened in 1827, making profitable a stagecoach route
from Paint Rock to Saluda, through Asheville.
A host of inns and road stands emerged along the route, operated by the
Alexanders, the Barnetts, the Barnard*, the Farns worths and David Vanmce,
the father of Civil War Gov. Zebulon Baird Vance. The names of these road
standi still linger as names of communities in Madison County.
In addition to the fine, brightly- colored stagecoaches, it was not unusual in
the fall for the turnpike to be crowded with stockmen, drovers from Tennessee
and Kentucky, driving herds of bogs and fowl to markets further south.
When nightfall came, these men would seek shelter in a road stand and their
hogs and turkeys would be penned up and fed great quantities of grain to keep
" ? ' ? u 'ng too lean on the king trip. Growing grain to feed I"
1 100,000 head at a time, became a i
of Commons ordered that there should be created
to be ?rvedLt of the SSJrestern pert of Bux -omb? and 6
Fire Destroys Warehouse
Marshall, Mars Hill VFD Battle Blaze
By JAMES STORY a>d ROB EH
KOENIG
A Friday night fire of unknot
origin completely destroyed the Bat
Street warehouse owned by tt
Bowman Hardware Co. in Marshal
F irefighters from both the Marsha
and Mars Hill Volunteer Fire Dept
were unable to prevent the fire froi
destroying te wooden building
Although complete estimates wer
still unavailable, damages wer
believed to exceed >100,000. Th
building was not insured.
The fire was discovered shortl
after 9 p.m. Friday night and th
Marshall VFD arrived withi
minutes of the alarm to find th
building completely engulfed ii
flames. A call for assistance was sen
on to Mars Hill and the M.H. VFD ar
rived shortly after #:30 p.m.
Electric power to Main Street wai
shut off when flames from th<
warehouse ignited a power pole adja
cent to the railroad tracks. Powei
was restored on Saturday morning.
The fire threatened to spread ti
nearby buildings, including the coun
ty jail. Prisoners watched the fir*
from their cells, but were noti
evacuated. The firefighters were able
to contain the blaze to the warehouse
saving a small storage building nexi
door.
Acting fire chiefs Bobby Allen ami
Frank Davis led the Marshall
voluteers in the first serious action
the company has faced since fore
chief Jackie Davis began a six-month
leave of absence. The former chief
assisted by re-routing traffic on Main
Street. vs ^ ^ . ..
The bine lit up theVught sny fir
miles and smoke from the fire block
ed out the full moon. Within minutes
of the alarm, hundreds of Marshall
residents gathered to watch the
blaze. No injuries were reported.
Among the items destroyed by the
blaze were two pick-up trucks and a
forklift truck which were stored in the
warehouse. Alto lost were an
undetermined amount of lumber and
building supplies.
An employee of Bowman's Hard
ware asked that customers who have
made purchases on credit make an
effort to pay their bills as soon as
possible.
The fire continued to smolder
throughout the weekend. Firefighters
were able to bring the fire under con
trol after about two hours. Hie Mars
Hill VFD brought a water cannon to
help douse the flames.
The fire was hot enough to melt
plastic trash cans across the street
from the warehouse. Storm windows
in the rear of The News Record office
were melted by the heat from the
blaze.
The firefighters were also assisted
by the Marshall Police Dept. and
Mayor Betty Wild. The mayor stop
ped traffic on the south end of Main
Street while the firemen battled the
Ire.
MARSHALL FIREMEN BATTLE BACK STREET BLAZE FRIDAY NIGHT FIRE DESTROYED WAREHOUSE
OWNED BY BOWMAN'S HARDWARE
County
Magazine
Available
Mitzi Tessier's article on the early
history of Madison County is excerp
ted from "Madison County", a
magazine commissioned by the
Madison County Board of Commis
sioners to promote the county.
The magazine, containing pretties
of the county's people and resources,
will be distributed by the county
Planning Board as part of a recruit
ment affbrt. Area residents may ob
tain a copy of the magasine by con
tacting David Caldwell, the Hot Spr
ings Town Hall or The News Record
office The four color magazine
should be ran* by the end of the
month, according to Chuck Euen,
SMOLDERING RUBBLE IS ALL THAT REMAINS FOLLOWING FRIDAY NIGHT BLAZE
Baptists Open Convention
By DIANE WINSTON
The News and Observer
No major battles are on the agenda
as North Carolina Baptists convene in
Asheville this week, but some Bap
tists foresee sparks from activities
that aren't on the schedule.
Several delegates, or
"messengers," to the N.C. Baptist
State Convention said they expected
Norman A. Wiggins to be re-elected
president and the Rev. Roy J. Smith
to be elected executive general
secretary -treasurer with virtually no
opposition. And few expected divisive
discussion on resolutions before the
convention.
But two non-agenda items may
disturb the expected calm.
Orte is a precanvention meeting, the
Pastors Conference, that will
showcase several conservative
leaders of the denomination. The
other involves a recent political con
troversy surrounding the Christian
Action League and its executive
hat by all accounts been a
moderating presence.
Conservatives say they are pleased
with the selection of speakers, but
moderates say they are wary.
"I think you've got to hand it to old
B.J. Morris,'' Privettesaid. "That's a
good slate and its going to bring in at
tendance."
Morris said the conference tradi
tionally was held in a church at no
cost. But, anticipating a larghe tur
nout for the speakers, he rented a
downtown auditorium that seats 3,300
people
"It's very unusual to have two men
like Charles Stanley and Adrian
Rogers available at the same time,"
Morris said in a telephone interview.
'I didn't think I could get them both."
But some Baptists say they are
re pr went only one facet of denomina
tional Hie.
"I'm eoncerned that the paipie
speaking at the Pastors' Conference
are slanted toward one perspective
the independent fundamentalist
group of the eonvent.on," said the
Rev. WUIiam H. Puckett, Jr. of the
being president is trying tp be a
moderating person."
Discussion of teh Christian Action
League is not on the convention agen
da, but some Baptists say they
wonder if it will be brought up under
miscellaneous business.
"The only fly in the ointment has
been the move to defund the Christian
Action League," said the Rev. Robert
M. Tenery of Morganton, a conser
vative leader and supporter of the
league. "1 think that would be Mly
But the friends and trustees of the
league are ready."
In August, a letter signed by four
Baptist ministers- including Morris of
Lincotnton- was sent to people on the
convention's mailing list asking them
to support Sen. Jesse Helms, R.-N.C..
in his re-election bid. Privette .
_ the list from the <
and selling it to Helms'
off the