AUGUST, 1957
StHWi
PAGE 5
GOING PLACES.. . SEEING THINGS
Oconaluftee Reproduces Early Cherokee Life
Would you like to visit a living reproduction
of the oldest culture on the American continent?
For members of Firestone employee families
who would like to see what life was like before
the white man tamed the wilderness, all roads
lead to Cherokee and the village of Oconaluftee.
This Indian village about 50 miles west of
Asheville and a half-day auto trip from Gastonia,
is the redman’s Williamsburg. Here history of
an ancient culture comes alive in the repro
ductions of primitive life scenes and environment
of America’s earlest-known inhabitants.
This backward step into the past has been
made possible by the non-profit Cherokee His
torical Association for the purpose of perpetua
ting the history and traditions of the Cherokee
Indians. Oconaluftee Village was reproduced by
the Tsali Institute for Cherokee Indian Research,
an association-sponsored technical organization,
members of which are drawn from the univer
sities of North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia.
MEMBERS of the Tsali Institute collectively
represent the fount of all known life, customs
and architecture of the Cherokees. And here at
Oconaluftee they have brought forth a repro
duction of primitive culture that is authentic
and unusual.
At the village, Indians today are garbed in the
traditional feathers and buckskins of their fore
bears, and daily perform tribal rites and practice
craftsmaking that have been revived from the
early days of their history.
In a log and mud cabin at Oconaluftee, Chero
kee women prepare traditional 'ndian foods,
some of which are pickled beans, dried corn,
bean bread and yellowjacket soup. Others in the
village are at work fashioning bows and arrows,
weaving baskets and preparing dyes from native
roots and barks.
THE VILLAGE is surrounded by a fence of
locust poles on a tract of approximately 30 acres,
most of which is in forest.
At Oconaluftee are reproductions of an au
thentic design of 200 years ago. These include
types of homes in which the Cherokee lived, and
the earliest type dwelling of the white man
when he first made friends with the Indian and
traded with him in the early 1700s.
The museum at Cherokee is a focal point of
reminders of Cherokee history and tribal tradi
tion.
Oconaluftee Indian village is open to visitors
every day through October.
A VISIT to Oconaluftee would be incomplete
without attending a performance of Unto These
Hills. This, America’s most-attended outdoor
drama, is in its eighth season at Mountainside
Theatre on U. S. 441 near the North Carolina
entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National
Park. Unto These Hills tells the story of the
Cherokees’ efforts to keep their homes and be
come a part of the American Government, and
the martyrdom of the Cherokee Tsali to permit
a remnant of his people to remain in the Great
Smokies rather than be driven west over the
infamous “Trail of Tears.” The cast includes
descendants of the Cherokee leaders portrayed
in the drama.
Unto These Hills is presented nightly except
Monday through September 1.
THE LIST of suggested places to go and
things to do in August is a long one at the
plant Travel Information Service. From it, here
is a random sampling of North Carolina events
to take place within a short driving distance
from Gastonia.
The summer series of street dances, an en
tertainment feature at Hendersonville for more
than 30 years, will continue through Labor Day.
The dances, sponsored by the Chamber of Com
merce, are held each Monday at 8 p.m., in Boyd
Park.
At Highlands, highest elevation of any in
corporated town east of the Mississippi, the
annual “Hillbilly” Day is set for August 7. Resi
dents and travelers dress in “hillbilly” costumes
and enjoy square dancing, mountain music, con
tests and a parade.
THE BREVARD Music Festival at Brevard
will be held August 9-11; 16-18; 23-25. Staged
each year since 1945, the festival concert series
features visiting artists and the Brevard Festival
Orchestra. It is sponsored by the Brevard Music
Foundation, a non-profit educational organiza
tion.
The Western North Carolina Fair, first of
the season in the state, is August 12-17, at
Hendersonville. Here also is the North Carolina
Apple Festival, August 28-September 2. On the
program: Parades, displays of apples, pageantry,
dances, coronation of the Apple Festival Queen.
August 18 will bring the skirl of bagpipes,
lively Scottish dancing and traditional Scottish
sports contests to Grandfather Mountain. The
Second annual Grandfather Mountain Highland
Games and Gathering of Scottish Clans will be
held in McRae Meadow on the mountainside
near Linville on U. S. Highway 221.
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Employees whose ancestry
goes back to Scoiland will be
among Ihose to congregate at
Macrae Meadows on Grandfa
ther Mountain for the second
annual gathering of Scottish
clans, August 18. The program
will open with a worship serv
ice led by a native-born Scots
minister and the singing of
ancient Scottish psalms by the
choir of Appalachian Stale
Teachers College.
Kilt-wearing bandsmen will
parade, heralding the playing of
Highland games. Dancing, bag-
piping, and track and field
events are included on the pro
gram.
The picture: Rugged Grand
father from the north side.
THE HILLS BEYOND
Funeral services were held
July 15 at St. Andrew’s Episco
pal Church, Bessemer City, for
Mrs. Fannie Payseur Harmon,
68, mother of Mrs. Ethel Cole of
SYC Weaving.
Mrs. Harmon was buried in
Bessemer City Memorial Park.
She was married in 1904 to
David W. Harmon, who sur
vives. Besides the daughter em
ployed here, there survive Mrs.
Hood Canipe, Mrs. D. B. Burle
son and Mrs. Parks Benfield.
Also remaining are two sons,
Roy of Rockingham and Bill of
Bessemer City; three sisters,
Mrs. Ida Haney of Gastonia,
Mrs. Cone Carpenter of Besse
mer City and Mrs. John Jenkins
of Kings Mountain; one brother,
Cecil Payseur of Kings Moun
tain; and 19 grandchildren and
12 great-grandchildren. A son,
Norman, was killed in Korea in
October of 1952.
Last rites were conducted
from Stanley Methodist Church
and burial was in Hillcrest
Cemetery on the Stanley-Mount
Holly highway for Calvin Cool-
idge Sadler, who drowned in
the Catawba river July 4.
While on a summer vacation, Leon Dawkins, section man,
Mrs. Dawkins (Edna), frame tender, and other members of the
family visited Sgt. and Mrs. George Carr. Mr. and Mrs. Dawkins
are the parents of Mrs. Carr.
Barber and Blair Westmoreland, sons of Roscoe Westmoreland,
card tender, spent a week end at Myrtle Beach, S. C., a few days
ago. Accompanying them were Glen and Charles Walker, sons
of Fred Walker, frame tender.
Bobbie Jean Ballew, daughter of James Ballew, carding fixer,
and Mrs. Ballew (Grace), spooler tender, was a recent patient at
Gaston Memorial Hospital.
Carding fixer Alfred Caskey and Mrs. Caskey visited their
son-in-law and daughter, S/2C Bobby Gillespie and Mrs. Gillespie
at Parris Island, S. C., on a recent week end.
Mr. and Mrs. Frontus Lyles, Jr., and their son have returned
to Indianapolis, Ind., after a one-week stay with Mr. Lyles’ parents,
Frontus Lyles, intermediate tender; and Mrs. Lyles, spooler tender.
A tour of the mountain country of Western North Carolina
highlighted the recent vacation of Mr. and Mrs. Furman Mason.
Miss Katherine Edwards. Accounting, spent some vacation
time at Myrtle Beach, S. C., in July. Others from Main Office who
have passed time at Myrtle Beach in recent weeks include: Betty
Holbrook, with a party of friends; Misses Sue Shepard. Shipping,
Janet Woolley. Payroll and Sylvia Gardner.
Misses Doris McCready and Jerrie Barton. Payroll; Mr. and
Mrs. J. E. McCready and Mr. and Mrs. E. H. Moser made a trip
to East Texas in early July. Included in the trip schedule were
visits with relatives of the McCreadys in Tyler and Kilgore. On
the return route to Gastonia, the party stopped off for a day at
Hot Springs, Ark.
Miss Peggy Dalton. 819 Gibbons street, Gastonia, is a new
employee in Main Office.
Homer Hall. Plant Sales, went with his family for a visit with
relatives in Salisbury, N. C., in early July.
Visiting relatives recently in Savannah, Ga., were Mrs. Pansy
Falls. Payroll, and her daughter, Hollis.
Included in the recent vacation travels of Mrs. Eula Wilson,
Payroll supervisor, and Mr. Wilson were tours of the Firestone
Company home plants in Akron, Ohio, and the Curlee Clothing
Manufacturing Company of Louisville, Ky.
Miss Barbara Abernathy spent a mid-July vacation visiting
places of interest in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Mrs. Flora Pence was at Myrtle Beach, S. C., July 13 and 14.
She was accompanied by Phyllis Jane Honeycutt, daughter of Sam
Honeycutt, of the Firestone General Offices, Akron; and Mrs.
Ralph Johnson.
Mr. and Mrs. Mesmore King and their son, Timothy, along
with Mrs. King’s mother, Mrs. Jack W. Willis of High Point,
visited Mr. and Mrs. Claude Callaway in July. Mr. King is
minister of Rural Hall Christian Church near Winston-Salem,
Also visiting the Callaways in July were Mr. and Mrs. D. S.
Townsend of Winter Haven, Fla.
Spininmi
The deceased was a brother
of Thomas Sadler, loom fixer in
SYC Weaving.
Calvin Sadler is survived by
Mrs. Sadler and three young
daughters, Susan, Sallie, and
Rebecca; and his parents George
L. Sadler and Bessie A. Sadler.
Besides Thomas who works at
Firestone, also surviving are
brothers Frank of Morganton,
and James Sadler of Alexis.
Sadler was a veteran of
World War II and a member of
the American Legion, in which
he was very active.
Mary Laughridge, roller picker, had a family reunion at her
home in late June. Her eight brothers and one sister, and 51 rela
tives and friends were on hand for the occasion. Among those
present were the Rev. Guy Walker and Mrs. Walker.
Second Hand O. M. Taylor has been released from Garrison
General Hospital. His condition is listed as “improving.”
Mrs. A. G. Bolick, spinner, shows considerable progress in her
return to normal health. She was recently discharged from Garri
son General Hospital.
During July Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Woody and son of Norfolk,
Va., visited in the home of Mrs. Virgie Taylor, spinner.
Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Reagan and family from Ocala, Fla.,
visited Mr. and Mrs. Coy Brewer in July.
A tour which included stops at several places of interest in
Florida was made by Mr. and Mrs. G. K. Robinson a few days ago.
While in the Sunshine State they visited their son, Jerry Robinson,
who is stationed with the navy at Key West.
Beam Hauler Jim Neal is recovering, after having suffered
a broken leg while playing baseball in early July.
Marie Bolding, respooler tender, and Mr. (Claude) Bolding of
Carding spent June 28 at Camp Firestone, Bridgewater, N. C.
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