PUBLISHED WEEKLY INTHE COUNTY SEAT AT MARSHALL, N.C.
WEDNESDAY, October 13, 1982
15c P..' Copy
SERVING THE PEOPLE OF MADISON COUNTY
8Ht Year No. 40
HAD1*?oN
COUNTY L^?l1VEKY
OfcNEKAL- OE.L1V ^
NC
(iAHSHALL
Madison High
Receives Committee
Approval
When dog bites man, it's not
news. When a man bites a dog,
that's news. Likewise, when a
school gives a report card, it's
not news When a school
receives a report card,
however, that's news.
Madison High School receiv
ed a report card last week and
the news is all good. A visiting
committee from the Southern
Association of Colleges and
Schools visited the school
recently to inspect the facility
and its operations.
The committee of 13
educators inspected Madison
High because the school had
applied for accreditation from
the association. The commit
tee met with the school's
teachers and students to
determine if accreditation
was warranted.
Madison High School prin
cipal David Wyatt announced
the committee's findings at
last week's meeting of the
Board of Education. Wyatt
told the board the committee
has recommended Madison
High School for accreditation
without conditions.
Accreditation by the
Southern Association is ex
pected to make it easier for
Madison High School
graduates to gain admittance
to many colleges. The school
has already been accredited
by the state Board of Educa
tion.
Wyatt added that the com
mittee's recommendation
alone does not confer ac
creditation. The recommenda
tion will now be considered by
a panel on the state level.
Should the panel concur with
the visiting committee's fin
dings, the action will be taken
when the association meets at
its annual convention in Atlan
ta in December.
Culver Dale, the former
director of the Western
Regional Education Center,
chaired the 13-member
visiting committee.
At Wednesday's meeting of
the Board of Education, Wyatt
thanked the board for their
support in applying for ac
creditation. He also presented
the board with a copy of the
three-volumn self-study
report which the school's
faculty prepared as .a basis for
the accreditation.
The report was the basis for
the visiting committee's in
spection. The committee
reviewed the report prior to
inspecting the school's opera
tion. The inspection was made
to give the committee a first
hand look at the school's
operation. The inspectors sat
in on classes and interviewed
both faculty and students as
part of their tour.
In other action taken at
Wednesday's school board
meeting, the board approved
the allocation of $25,000 for the
purchase of a new activity bus
for Madison High School. The
funds were made available
from surplus funds from last
year's budget allocated by the
county commissioners.
The board also heard from
driver education instructor
McClelland Rice regarding a
proposal for the driver train
ing program. French Broad
Chevrolet of Marshall has of
fered to supply the driver
training program with cars
for student drivers. The board
approved the proposal, sub
ject to the approval of con
tracts by the board's attorney,
Larry Leake.
Hie board also accepted the
resignations of Barbara Ray,
a former teacher and Arthur
Gosnell, a school bus driver.
Chapel With A Lone History
By SELMA RAMSEY AND
EVERETT HARNETT
As you leave Marshall and
enter the Rollins community,
you may have noticed a small
chapel sitting alone beside the
road. Hut small chapel and
its congregation have a
history dating back nearly a
century.
Ponders Chapel Baptist
Church was organized in 1885
by the Rev. Randy Ponders on
Little Pine Creek. Property
for the church was donated by
Bud Roberts.
Rev. Ponders began his
church by preaching in the
homes of the congregation at
first. Before long, the con
gregation was able to build a
small plant building which
also served as a school. After
the building was completed,
Rev. Ponders was called to
serve another church.
In 1920, Rev. Ponders
returned to visit the congrega
tion. The church members
gathered in the Roberts home
and Rev. Ponders preached to
them once more. This was his
last visit to the church. He
died shprtly after visiting
Marshall.
Following Rev. Ponders'
departure, the Rev. H.E.
Gudger was chosen as the
pastor of the church. Rev.
Gudger was a large man, stan
ding six and a half feet tall and
weighing some 230 pounds. He
preached at the little church
on the first and third Sunday
of each month, walking from
his home in Leicester to Mar
shall, a distance of 14 miles.
He returned home each Sun
day on foot after giving his
sermon.
Rev. Gudger was a very
dedicated man and he preach
ed at the little church until his
death in 1830 when he was in
his 80's. He told the congrega
tion he was "not going to rust
out, he was going to wear out
for the Lord."
His favorite hymn was
"Trust In The Lord" and he
sang it at the end of every ser
vice he conducted.
The little plant church was
moved several limes during
its years of service. Afier.it
was built on Little Creek
around 1M5, it was first mov
ed across the river to Redmon
Rd, about a half mile below
Marshall. The church was
moved by a team of mules and
ferried across the French
Broad.
Later, the church was mov
ed to what is now the corner of
Walnut Creek Rd. and Skyway
Dr. Another move saw the
church transported to a site on
Hayes Run and Smith Creek.
On Dec. 1, 1903, a lot was
purchased from W.B.
Ramsey, Minnie Ramsey,
A.J. Ramsey and Clara
Ramsey by Joe Hall and Fate
Jackson, trustees of the
church. The lot was purchased
for (30. The plank church then
made its last move, to the lot
at the mouth of Hayes Run, its
present location.
In 1952, the old plant church
was replaced by the one that
stands on the lot today. The
new church was built by the
Payne brothers, Clay, Gar
risno'wid Wayne >
When he died in 1930, Rev.
Gudger had served as pastor
for 43 years. He was succeed
ed by the Rev. Homer
Ferguson, who served the con
gregation for two years.
Following his departure, The
Rev. J.H. Pettaway served as
pastor for 10 years. He was
succeeded by Rev. Charlie
Thomason who served for two
years. Rev. Thomason was
succeeded by the Rev. J.E.
Pedew, who served as the
pastor from 1962 until his
death in Nov. 1961. Following
the death of Rev. Pedew, the
Rev. D.E. Lytle was named in
terim pastor, a position he still
holds.
Everett Barnett has served
the church for the past 46
years as treasurer. Mrs. Edith
Hampton has served as the
church secretary for the past
27 years.
(Continued on Page ?)
YOUNG MEMBERS OF PONDERS
CHAPEL CHURCH stand outside the
building in this 1919 photo. In front from the
Charles Jane*, Hugh and Brownlow Burnett, ,
Walter Henry and Everett Baraett. In the se
cond row an Eugene Jones. Karl Bar ,
I Prtiutfw, fcaMBl(a^95io^a^fltoie
McLain. Behind them stand Ray Henry,
Baiter Joins, William and Doney Barnett,
Lodusky Jones, Norman Feimster, Mable
Davenport, Rose McLain, Margaret Daven
port, Virginia and Lodte Jones and Dora Gor
,man. la the rear are Elizabeth Henry, Carrie
r, Rev J.C Clark and Bob Sams.
OLD NO. 765 PASSES through Marshall
Saturday afternoon on its way back to Knox
ville. The steam locomotive made a round
trip excursion from Knoxville to Asheville
for railroad and nostalgia fans.
Pioneer Days Reset
For Nov. 5 And 6
The Pioneer Days celebra
tion, cancelled earlier by a
strike by ldcomotlve
engineers, has been
rescheduled for Nov. 5 and 6,
according to Cynthia Niles,
the celebration's coordinator.
The celebration, marking
the 100th anniversary of the
railroad's coming to Marshall,
was cancelled last month
when the Brotherhood of
Locomotive Engineers struck
the nation's railroads. Con
gressional action brought an
end to the walkout, but not in
time to save the two-day
celebration in Marshall.
Highlight of the weekend
festivities will be "The Best
Friend of Charleston", a
replica of the first steam
engine made in America. Ac
companying the replica will
be a display car belonging to
the Norfolk Southern Railway.
Hie display car will have ex
hibits detailing the history of
railroading in America from
the early days of steam
x engines to the computerized
present
"The Best Friend of
Charleston" will be giving
free rides to the public on Nov.
6. The first day of the celebra
tion, Nov. 5, the train will be
available to give rides to
senior citizens and the han
dicapped.
Other activities are planned
in conjunction with the train's
visit to Marshall. For more in
formation, contact Cynthia
Niles at Roberts Pharmacy in
Marshall.
ARC Cuts Will Hurt County
Many good things have occurred in Madison
County in recent years because local officials
have applied for, and received, funds from the
Appalachian Regional Commission. The 17-year
old agency is now facing drastic funding cuts
from the federal government.
ARC funding has been responsible for many
improvements made over the past 17 years.
These improvements include renovating elderly
people's homes in the Bee Tree section, creating
day care centers for working mothers, im
provements in the county health program and at
tracting new industry to Madison County.
ARC funding for such projects could be af
fected by current efforts to work out a solution to
different bills passed by the House and Senate in
Congress.
The house version of the Mil calls for a five
year "Finish Up1' program, starting with $296
million in next year's fiscal budget. The Senate
version calls for a three-year extension of the
commission and provides for a $150 million block
grant, with only $50 million earmarked for non
highway projects.
What will cuts in the ARC funding mean to
Madison County? Sam Parka-, director of the
Madison County Housing Authority, and Becky
Williams, a consultant to the authority, said
older people would be especially hard hit by such
would be built without indoor plumbing, or in
sulation, or a modern septic system, so that often
effluent ran into a nearby creek.
If such a house were wired for electricity at
all, Parker said, chances are the wiring was
never inspected for safety. Now, most of these
houses belong to older people, said Parker ? bo
that it is typical that half the 22 houses in the Bee
Tree area being brought up to standards by this J
year's ARC grant belong to older citizens.
There's still plenty to do," said Parker.
Madison County is the only western county in the
I960 census, with more than 20% substandard
housing. He said the authority has applied for
and received ARC grants three years in a row to
renovate 106 houses; the Town of Marshall has
received funds to take care of 38 additional
houses and Hot Springs has received funds for 40
houses. Housing Authority grants were actually
for 18 months, but each time the work was finish
ed within a year, to dear the way for another
grant application.
ARC funds are available only for septic
systems, water supplies and other site work, but
these funds enable the Housing Authority to
stretch other funds it gets from the U.S. Housing
A Irban
other sources, to
authority can renovate