Ijigblanb# Maconian
Price
6 cents
VOL. uav? no. so
FRANKLIN, N. C? THURSDAY, JULY 28, 1949
TEN FAGES
I
Calendar
Of The Week's
EVENTS
THURSDAY, JULY 28
8:30 p. m.? Square dane (ben
efit Franklin Athletic Associa
tion 1 at Slagle Memorial build
ing.
FRIDAY
7: SO p. m.? Softball League
game* at Franklin Athletic field.
SATURDAY
7:30? Teen Age club at Hotel
Hearn.
? p. m? Square dance (Amer
ican Legion benefit) at Memor
ial building.
MONDAY
10 a. m? Board of county
commissioners at courthouse.
10 a. m.? County board of ed
ucation at courthouse.
10:30 a. m. ? Baptist Pastors'
conference at First Baptist
church.
7 p. m. ? Franklin Troop No.
1, Boy Scouts, at Memorial
building.
7J80 p. m. ? Franklin board
of aldermen at town office.
7:30 p. m.? Softball league
games at athletic field. '
TUESDAY
7:30 p. m.? Junaluskee Lodge
No. 145, A. F. and A. M., at
Masonic hall.
8 p. m.? Co-Ed club at Me
morial building.
WEDNESDAY
7 p. m.? Franklin Rotary club
at Memorial building.
8 p. m.? Signal Tel. and Tel.
(army reserve) Operations Com
pany No. 3547 at Agricultural
building.
il Children Are
Taking Red Cross
1 Swim Instruction
With approximately 60 child
ren enrolled (or the Red Cross
beginners' swimming class, which
got under way at Arrowood
Olade Monday, it was necessary
to break the class up into two
sections, It was learned yester
day from Mrs. Alice Rimmer,
Red Cross executive secretaiy.
One section is taught Mon
day, Wednesday, and Friday
afternoons, and the other Tues
day, Thursday, and Saturday
afternoons.
Miss Ann Lyle Is instructor,
and Miss Ruth (Baye) Angel is
assistant.
Do You
Remember . . . ?
(Looking backward through
the files of The Press)
M TEARS AGO THIS WEEK
There will be a private ex
amination held In the court
house on the 27th Inst, for the
benefit of all the teachers who
have not yet obtained certifi
cates to teach in our public
schools this fall. Each appli
cant will be charged a fee of
one dollar.? J. R. Pendergrass,
Co. Supt.
Dr. J. H. Fouts was driving
in ills buggy with an umbereila
over him a few days ago when
the lightning paid its respects
to the umbrella and the Dr's
arm. Not much Injury resulted,
but the Dr. folded his umbrella
and quietly took the rain.
Mr. C. C. Daniels, of Wilson,
N. C., came in Saturday to see
his family.
25 YEARS AGO
Lower Tesenta News:: There
was music at Mr. Henry Cabe's
last Friday night. Those present
??re Mr. and Mrs. Mark Led
better, Messrs. General and
Henebei Rhodes, Messrs. Glen
Mow. Vinson Ledbetter, Dewey
Rhodes, Willie Keener, James
Rhodes, and Robert Ledbetter,
Misses Hester Ammons, Jessie
Moss, and Grace Ledbetter. Mr.
?Cabe and Miss Grace Ledbet
ter made the music.
1* YEARS AGO
The annual flower show,
which is sponsored by the'
Franklin Garden Club, will be
held July 29 In the McCoy store
room on Main street.
______ ? ?
Officers elected for the Ma
con County post of the Amer
ican Legion for the ensuing
yew are: C. Tom Bryson, com
mander; W. R. Waldroop, vlce
eommander; A. R. Hlgdon, ad
jutant; Ha r ley Dunbar, chap
lain; and John E. McPherson,
jerge?nt-at-arms.
Here's Story Of One Veteran's '
Farm Success--And His Future
The story of Clarence Van
hook, young Macon County farm
veteran of the Hickory Knoll
section, Is the story of a young
man's future here in progres
sive farming, aided by the farm
training program, it also is the
story of a veteran who decided
to stay at home instead of be
ing drawn to the city by the
lure of quick money, who was
willing to mix school-book ad
vice with experience, and to
plant a new kind of seed on
land that most people thought
was too poor to grow anything.
Clarence Vanhook was dis
charged from the armed forces
In 1945.
He had served three years in
the army air force.
He came home wondering
what he would do? thought
perhaps he would see home
folks and friends and then
"light out" somewhere to find
a job. However, he did have 30
acres .of farm land with no
buildings on It? but It was pret
ty hard to make a living on 10
acres of land, and that was
about all that he thought was
suitable for farming. The rest
was mountain land, too steep
to farm.
Here was a farm boy who by
heritage and training was in
clined toward the farm. He had
always done it, he knew the
work, and he liked It. But his
farm was run down from lying
idle while he was In service
and it would take time and
capital to build it up. He was
willing to work, If only he had
the money necessary to make
the needed Improvements.
Through reading the papers
and talking to other veterans,
i he learned of the farm train
' ing program for veterans.
[ Under it he could receive $97.50
per month to build his farm,
| but he would have to go to
.school at night.
He thought about It. A lot of
| young men were making good
money in Detroit, Cleveland,
I and other northern cities. But
he was married, wanted a
home, and he liked to live In
Macon County where he was
born and reared. Still, he
doubted it "a little fellow would
have a chance at this O. I.
business. Those government
things were for the big shots."
Some of the boys, however, in
sisted that this program was
really meant to help folk like
him. I
He decided to try the farm
training program. That was
three years ago. His assets
totaled 30 acres of land and
$1,600 he had saved while in
service.
Clarence Vanhook now has a
nice seven-room house and a
well planned farm, and he
doesn't owe any money. More
than that, he has a firm toe
hold and a future In Macon
County.
His house is a frame dwelling
with asbestos siding. While econ
omy and thrift were the key
building in which modern con
veniences have not been over
looked. Mrs. Vanhook has elec
tricity and water In the home,
with an electric refrigerator in
the kitchen. Besides the kitchen,
there Is a living room and two
bedrooms. In the concrete base
ment there Is a shower, plus an
enclosed preserve closet. This
house was built at a cost of
$3,000, and Mr. Vanhook had
enough lumber left to build his
bam.
A trip over young Vanhook's
farm shows what the combina
tion of a willing worker, with
some capital to help, who Is
willing to study and try new
improvements In farming can
accomplish.
Two acres of the land that
this young man, born and rais
ed In Macon County, thought
was too steep to farm have
been converted into pasture.
In February, 1948, Mr. Van
nook took those two acres of
land, that was covered with
scalds and across which he had
I skidded the logs necessary to
produce the lumber for three
dwellings, and "bull-tongued It
with a mule." Six months be
fore, he had spread two tons
of lime to the acre over it. In
April he applied 1,000 pounds
cf phosphate and 200 pounds,
of 6-8-6 fertilizer. The fertilizer
was to "give it a little extra
hooch".
He then sowed the land with
15 pounds of orchard grass and
two pounds of ladino clover. He
kept stock off the land until
the grass and clover were well
established and for the rest of
that summer he grazed only
two head of stock there. This
year, since April, he has been
grazing six head of stock, and
the clover has completely cov
ered every scald, and stands
from four to six inches high.
The veteran has made three
acres more of level land into a
hog pasture, using the same
seed mixture as for the slope
land. On thesfc three acres he
has grazed four shoats and two
brcod sows, plus cutting two
stacks of hay.
To supplement his pasture, he
has two acres in lespedeza, one
acre of oats, and one acre of
corn.
For a cash income, he has
two-tenths of an acre in to
bacco.
He gets most of his fcod from
a three-quarter acre garden.
This veteran was assisted by
the farm training program and
by being able to purchase his
seed and fertilizer through AAA.
For example, the seed and ferti
lizer for his upland pasture
cost him less than half the
$30.40 that these supplies would
have cost had he purchased
them retail.
What about this young man's
future? Let him speak for him
self:
"If they * will get me a road
in here that I can get over in
all weather, I'll have a Grade
A dairy barn before I'm off the
(veterans farm training) pro
gram. Then I'll ask no help
from anybody."
And, adjudging from what he
has done in the past, he won't
need any.
Will Erect New
Athletic Field
Fence Next Week
Erection of a new, all
metal fence around the ath
letic field at the Frank'in
school will get under way
Monday, it was learned yes
terday.
R. R. (Bob) Gaines, chair
man of a group of business
men who have backed the
project, has been advised by
the Cyclone Fence company,
Charlotte, from whom the
fence was purchased, that the
materials have been shipped,
.and that representatives of
the company will be here next
week to start putting it up.
The fence, which cost about
$2,700, will be six feet high,
of heavy woven wine, with
three strainds of barb wire
above. It will be attached to
metal posts, to be sunk in 30
inches of concrete.
The fence was financed by
advertising, to be placed on
the south (left field) end,
facing the field.
Jeff Patton
Funeral Services Held
Tuesday
Funeral services for Jeff Pat
ton, 45, who died at his home
about four miles west of Frank
lin at 2 o'clock Monday morn
ing, were held at 2:30 o'clock
Tuesday afternoon at the Pat
ton Chapel Methodist church,
with the Rev. William L. Sor
rells and the Rev. Clint Sawyer
officiating. Burial was in the
church cemetery.
Elmer Roten, David Carpen
ter, Bill Pressley, Lee Ray Stan
ley, Homer Cogglns, and James
Stanley were pallbearers.
A brick mason and carpenter,
Mr. Patton had spent his entire
klife in Macon County. He was a
member of Mount Hope Baptist
church.
Surviving are his widow, the
former Miss Stella Passmore;
a son, Eugene Patton, who
made his home with his par
ents; a brother, Claude, of
Franklin; a sister, Mrs. Paul.
Ledford, of Franklin; and a |
halfbrother, Tom Patton, of
Franklin, Route 4.
Funeral arrangements were ,
directed by Potta funeral home. ,
Silers' 98th
Annual Reunion Is Set
For Thursday
The annual Slier family re
union will be held Thursday of
next week with Mr. and Mrs.
Allen Slier, at their home on
West Main street.
This year's meeting will be
the 98th without a break.
The reunion, usually attended
by 150 to 200 persons, draws
relatives back to Franklin from
a wide area. Even at last year's
meeting, held during the 1948
polio epidemic, persons were
present from eight states and
the District of Columbia.
Carl 3. Slagle is president and
James M. Gray, of Washington,
D. C., is secretary of the re
union.
Attend WNCAC Meet
Frank B. Duncan, R. 8. Jones,
E. W. Renshaw, Miss Lassie
Kelly, John M. Archer, Jr., Ted
Reber, and W. T. Latham, of
Buck Creek Ranch, attended the
meeting of Western North Caro
lina Associated Communities in
Murphy Monday.
This N. C. Regicn
Given Publicity
In N. Y. Newspaper
Franklin, Highlands, and
this region received publicity
of a value it wpuld be hard
to estimate when The New
York Herald Tribune publish
ed a 700-word article about
the area in its issue of Sun
day, July 3.
The feature story, issued by
the State News Bureap, ap
peared on the newspaper's
travel page, under a two
column heading, "Waterfalls
and Flowers Adorn North
Carolina's Sapphire Area".
After a description of the
beauties of the Sapphire coun
try, it refered to Bridal Veil
and Dry Falls, Whiteside,
Devil's Courthouse, High
Hampton, Highlands, Cashiers,
Franklin, Highlands' Museum
and Biological Laboratory.
Tonight's scheduled meeting
of the local Moose lodge has
been canceled, in order to make
the Slagle Memorial building
available for the Franklin Ath
letic association's benefit square
dance.
CHECK REVEALS
GUEST BUSINESS
HERE JSPOTIT
Non - Transient Hotels,
However, Report
They Are Full
The tourist business In
Franklin Is "spotty", neither ex
cellent nor poor, a check made
by the chamber of commerce
yesterday revealed.
In most cases, the survey
showed, those establishments
which cater to visitors who
come for stays ranging from
several days to several weeks
are doing well, while those that
cater to transients are not.
Trimont inn, Kelly's inn, and
the Franklin lodge, which fall
Into the first general group, re
ported they are full, with many
reservations for the remainder
of the summer. Some hotels
which do not serve meals, how
ever, have few guests.
Reports from the auto courts
were "spotty" also. One reported
it was half full, and some of
the others were less than half
full.
Some cabin camps were filled
and booked for the rest of the
season, while others are either
empty or only partially filled.
While no exact figure was
available, rough estimates plac
ed the total number of tourists
now in and near Franklin at be
tween 200 and 300.
Square Dance
Tonight Ball
Field Benefit
A benefit square dance, to
raise funds for the Franklin
Athletic association, will be held
,at the Slagle Memorial- build
ling tonight (Thursday) at 8:30
o'clock.
The money raised will go to
the fund sought bo add 1,200
stadium seats to the approxi
mately 600 built about a year
ago. A minimum of $2,000, it is
' estimated, is needed for the
! purpose.
Several local musicians have
| volunteered to provide string
band music for the dancing
j without charge, and the services
of some of the most experienced
callers in the county have been
obtained, it was said.
R. R. (Bob) Gaines, chairman
of the athletic association com
; mittee sponsoring the event,
pointed out that a secondary
[purpose of the dance is to pro
! vide entertainment for visitors
here. He suggested persons who
I never have seen square dancing
j will be interested in attending
j to watch the event, and empha
sized that visitors also are in
vited to participate.
The Macon County Baptist
Pastors' conference will be held
at the First Baptist church here
i Monday morning at 10:30 o'clock.
The Rev. W. N. Cook will be the
speaker, and the Rev. W. C.
Pipes will conduct the devotion
al. The Rev. C. E. Parker is
moderator of the group, the
Rev. Edgar Willix, secretary,
and the Rev. Arvil Swafford,
program chairman.
oLJJYIc. 1X\ i C.KJ1S1 1I\U I-Atis tUftUK.M.NU
Early History Of Smithbridge T ownship
SECOND PRIZE WINNER IN HISTORICAL CONTEST
(EDITOR'8 NOTE: The fol- 1
lowing paper won the second j
prize in the Macon County
Historical Society's contest for
articles on Macon County his- !
tory. A prefatory note explains
that "this story Is built around
the statements given by word of
mouth to us by Interested citiz
ens. We owe a vote of thanks
to Mrs. Matt Liner, Mrs. Ada
Hyatt, Mrs. Arie Moseley, Mr. <
Bill Ledford, and Mr. Jim ; 1
Cabe.")
By FIFTH GRADE
Otto School
(Mrs. Joyce Cagle, Teacher)
The present village of Otto
was not given a name until
1882. However, In 1835 forty peo
ple Inhabited the valley. Mr.
William Cabe was the first
White man to settle here. He
g hi the i
Mi Is now
ll
The wilderness of the terri
tory can be imagined from the
stories of the large rattle
snakes, which were numerous. |
The next settler, John How- '
ard, came to Horse Shoe Bend,
south of the present site of
Otto. By 1840, eighty-five people
had settled in this region.
Wm. Allen, Tate Howard, J. S.
Moore and a Mr. Penland help
ed to build the first Asbury
Church, and the first service
was said to have been held by
i Rev. Asbury, accounting for
Its name. Charles Dryman was
the first man to be buried in
the Asbury Church cemetery
ninety-seven years ago.
Zachariah Cabe was the first
man to settle on Middle Creek,
Dver one hundred years ago. He
also found the section Inhabit- ,
ed by Indians.
Several years before moving
to Otto, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew j
Bradley, grandparents of Mrs. I
Mat Liner, were encamped, for'
protection, at a stockade near
Hayesville. This was during the
period of time marked by the
uprising of the Cherokees. The
Indians were camped so close
to the stockade they could be
seen and heard clearly. Cover
ing themselves with war paint,
they were engaged In their war
dance, preparing for battle,
when the army arrived to de
liver the whites and capture the
Indians.
During this period of con
flict, the frightened Indians in ;
the Smlthbridge section hid in
the cane brakes at Horse Shoe
Bend on the present Jim Cabe
property. The army of white ?
soldiers advanced upon them
during a rainy season. The In
dians, being well hidden, had
th? advantage at the beginning
of battle, dealing numerous
fatal blows. Several white men
were killed and their teUow
? Continued on h(i Five
School Bus Routes
To Get First 'Mud
Road' State Money
Macon Needs
Discussed At
Road Mest
Macnn Countv road needs
bobbed up repeatedly in the dis
cussion at Tuesday's highway
district wee tint? of officials and
citizens in Brvson Citv. and
Commissioner L. Dale Thrash
showed that he was familiar
with some of them.
He himself, for example, rais
ed thft question of improvement
of the highway between Frank
lin and Dillsboro, and at an
other point in the discussion
suggested that a road for Nan
tahala township is about the
"hottest" need of Macon Coun
ty.
As a long-range proposition,
the Franklin-Dillsboro road
road should be relocated, espe
cially that section crossing n
wee mountain, he said. He add
ed however. that that would
cost itl.000.000, and Is out of the
question now.
State hlghwav betterment
funds, however, may be avail
able. and he indicated that be
would favor widening the
curves, perhaps widening the
whole 16-foot road to 18 feet,
and possibly resurfacing the
highway. He did not commit
himself, however, as to when
this could be done. The need
for Improvements on this high
way was brought out by Frank
B Duncan and R. S. Jones, rep
resenting the Franklin chamber
of commerce.
When Johnny Burnet', of
Scaly, suggested the need for
a road between Scalv and Otto,
so that Flats township residents
would not have to go around by
Highlands. Mr. Thrash indicated
?hat need ? since there is an
outlet road-is much less urgent
than the need in Nantahala
township.
The latter township's case was
presented by Clint May and
Weimer Cochran.
! Also brought before the com
missioner was the need of a
road into the Mountain Grove
section, so that a school bus can
get into that community.
In case of highway emergency
in this county, Mr. Thrash ask
ed Macon county citizens to
get in touch with George Byrd
or R L. Porter.
Macon County persons who
attended the meeting included
Chairman W E. (Gene) Bald
win and W. W. Edwards, of the
board of county commissioners;
H W. Cabe, mayor of Franklin;
Court Clerk J Clinton Brook
shire: Regis' er of Deeds Lake
V. Shope; President Frank B.
Duncan. H L. Bryant, and R. S.
Jones of the Franklin chamber
of commerce: Joe Setser, high
way district maintenance super
visor- W. N. Sloan. Fred Fox,
Weaver Fox, John Taylor, J. A
(Jim i Raby, C. A. Cabe. Wiley
Brown, Harley. Ramsey. Jim
Ramsey. Carr Bryson. Harley
Stewart, J. D. Burnett, T. M.
<Tom> Rickman, Grady Bradley.
Weaver Cochran, Furman Welch,
Clint May, Weimer Cochran. Joe
Webb, Ed Parrish, Harley Thom
as, C. A. Shields. Fred Corbin,
Tom McDowell, Miss Stella Mc
Coy, Conley Wiggins. Capt E. A.
Niblack, and Weimar Jones.
Feed Mill
Is New Enterprise In
F rar.klin
The Franklin Feed mill is a
new local enterprise.
The mill, now in operation,
is situated in the Peek building,
near the railway station.
Headed by Bob Houston, Ma
con County farmer, and Bruce
Palmer, native of Clay county
who formerly was employed as
a feed salesman, the mill not
only will manufacture a variety
of livestock feeds, but is pre
pared to do custom work, the
owners pointed out.
The plant, which at present
employs five people, is said to
be the only feed mill west of
Ashevllle, and is expected to
provide a market for grain for
this and adjoining counties.
Thrash TeU. Meeting
State Will Listen
To Local Boards
attend b? r0"tes wil1 set first
attention in the spending of
bnnrti Carolina's $200,000,000
of "J,T f0I the imPr3vement
of mud roads", and boards of
county commissioners and coun
ty school officials will have a
major voice in determining on
rafcj ?h? ,each co?nty's pro
rata share of the money is to
be spent, according to L. Dale
Thrash, of Ashevllle, state high
tenyth?dlvis?onner ** tWs (the
Mr. Thrash outlined the gen
at a^!L^S 3f the
at a highway district meeting
Bryson City Tuesday Approx
tmately citizens "fra^Th"
six southwestern counties
U"fthis district attend"
Pd the conference, held in the
Fn7wfity SCh3cl aud'torium
Fol owing are some of the
1"!porjant points brought
out in the discussion:
nnrf??ds are most traveled
and on which the most people
schon?nh th?Se are apt t0 **
those roads that have never
been rocked.
Which of these roads are most
important will be "left largely
ties" th fP.e?Ple ?f the coun"
s,^at ls. with the peo Die's
of th ?ca' 0?icials. members
of the boards of county com
Uf and county boards
| f education, who know the
local situation best, in this con
board>?1'tn'r Th/ash urSed school
work wlth road au
thorities so that road plans c*n
be ma oped hi coniform ity with
routes that are sure to result
llhi? Kcon:s?lidaU?ns made pos
ble by the schoolhouse build -
nn Pr?gram ne f^al decis
n on each road, however, will
be made by the state highway
commission. K ay
m^ere. Isn t going 10 be enough
stateeyin? HUtt CV?ry road ln the
"a lot 3 irSt, class c?ndition;
| a lot of people are going to be
OOOM^h'^^b6" a" thlS $200'
UI) 0,000 has been spent"
sion116 il? th3t 'act' the commls
somp ft considering building
feet widp t P r?adS 0nly 12
? = w'de? too narrow to pass
r ? J doln?. a longer stretch
" ** blacktopped for
tne same money.
month"hpfbe at Ieast another
month before the first of the
road bond money is available
Meanwhile, some highway com
mission trucks are standing idle
with m?ney t0 operate
The commission will seek to
make sure a road is properly
ft andd,hbeI0re puttin* rockon
it, and that a road is in proDer
shape before it is blacktopj^d
The commission will do Dre
paratory road work ' ? ' P?"
own forces, and let the raking
taractblaCkt?PPing job8 [? con
For its share of the work thp
commission will buy $5 So 000
OOtf'fn ?'r,?ad equiPmentl645,
000 for this division.
0MnmU? ofViSl?n there are I61."
most that !. mUK roads' and ^e
most that can be hoped for is
?^Fa?s'?i 2
it numbers are not eligible.
only T "?
vote I fapproved by unanimous
te of the 10 commissioners
Those communities where the
highway commission gets th*
Cooperatlon are likely
to be the first to get roads.
The Weather
High Low Prec.
Wednesday 81 59 .01
Thursday 84 63 .14
Friday 87 59 .00
Saturday 88 59 .08
Sunday 88 58 1.00
Monday 88 55 .00
Tuesday 90 57 .00
Wednesday .... 67 ,00