Newspapers / The Black Mountain News … / Sept. 30, 1976, edition 1 / Page 5
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An Old Timmer Reminisces i The Town Of Black Mountain In The Good Old Days The year was 1902. I was living in the town. There were five stores: J.M. McCoy’s, the old brick building still stands just below the railroad crossing; J.J. Alred’s, Mr. Mayor’s; Ed Greene's and Will savages. The Post Office was about the size of a chicken house and looked a lot like a chicken house. u The streets were nice black dirt and in rainy weather the mud was up over the tops of our shoes. If we didnt have our shoes tied on good, they would stick in the mud and we would go on without shoes. In a long dry spell, the dust would almost choke me. That was back in the good old days. You should have seen inside the stores each morning, they were so nice and clean. Everybody took a lump of mud in on their feet and by closing time, which was any time from 8 o’clock to 11 o'clock at night, you could not tell if there was any floor they were so dirty. The first bank in Black Mountain was in a brick building in a little room about 12 by 12. They called it the Commonwealth Bank. It did not do much well, the people was afraid to put their money in the bank because they was afraid they would never get it back. There wasnt any electric lights, there was only oil amps . There wasnt any water in the house except State Unit Will Provide Prepaid Legal Services A new North Carolina organization has been formed which will provide prepaid legal services to groups and businesses of 10 or more persons. ,1 Formation of the nonprofit North Carolina Prepaid Legal Services was announced at a news conference. It was created by an act of the 1975 General Assembly and is sponsored by the N .C. State Bar. Joseph C. Delk in, a native of Asheboro, has been named executive director. The board of directors decided Monday that the premiun will be $6 per month per family. A spokesman said it will cover all legal fees except mainly class action I cases and contingency fee cases. Participation will be initially limited to groups such as businesses and other organizations that commonly buy group health insurance. Any group of business in terested in may obtain ad ditional information through the State Bar headquarters in Raleigh. The Bar said the program which operates much like group health insurance - will be available to individuals in six months to a year. Atty. Gen. Rufus Edmisten headed a list of dignitaries who attended the news con ference. The corporation will provide for attorney fees similar to the way health insurance programs pre-pay hospital and doctor bills. We are the first state in the Smith Anri nnlv the 11th in the nation to have available a State Bar sponsored prepaid legal services plan,” Ed misten said. Sen. Willis Whichard, D Durham, one of the sponsors of the legislation, said.“For too long, too many of our citizens have gone without adequate legal counsel. They earn too much money to qualify for legal aid programs and they don’t make enough to retain attorneys regularly. Delk said, “We’re very pleased with the interest that has been expressed in NC PLS from businesses and individuals across the state. Already a number of groups have taken steps leading to the signing of agreements with us. Mr. & Mrs. W.E. Plemmons when we went to a well and drew a bucket full. When wash day came we would draw water the day before so we could get an early start on the scrub board. We had an old tin wash pan to wash our face and hands in. We didnt pay much attention to bath tubs for there wasnt any. You wonder how people got a bath, well- that was a secret and still is. I was an orphan. The people I lived with was named Knupp. Mr. Knupp worked at the Pin factory. The things they called pins were made of locust wood. They were used on electric light poles to hold the wire on big glass nobs. I was eight years old in 1902. My job was to herd the cow . I also sold milk in town. Sweet milk was five cents a quart and buttermilk was fifteen cents a gallon. I herded my cow on the hill where the Hotel (Monte Vista) now stands. I did not get much schooling but I remember the year I went to school at the old Kerlee School house. That stood where the Northwestern Bank stands now. The school house was one long room and a big fireplace at one end of the house, all grades in the same room. I will always remember my teacher. Her name was Miss Sadie Dougherty. She was so good and kind to me. She later became Mrs. Sadie (Mrs. A. F., Sr.) Tyson. I still love her although she is gone from this world to a better world I know. There was a lot of bad children in school. They liked to tease the little kids. They called me all kinds of names. Here are a few they called me: Fiddlesticks, Flounce, Buzzard, and when they got me good and mad they called me Little Devil. So you see the children wasnt angels back in the good old days. There wasn’t any automobiles in those days, never heard of such a thing. We had to walk, ride mule or horse back or in a buggy or carriage. You could ride an ox wagon if you wasnt in a hurry. They’d get you there after while. Mule teams hauled all kinds of things across the moun tains. Lumber, cross ties; crossties, in case you don’t know, you dont wear around your neck, they are what the rails on the railroad are at tached to; tanbark, which is oak bark used to tan leather, along with other things. The only sport we had in town was pitching horseshoe s. In the cool of the evening the men would pitch horseshoes. The women and children would gather around to see the fun. They would stay as long as they could see a horseshoe. In 1910 things began to get a little better. They put in a few water lines and a few electric lights. Mr. R. L. Woodward was foreman teaching the men that put in the first water line in Black Mountain in 1910. Back in the “good old days" the people in Black Mountain did not have any refrigerators, washing machines, electric irons, no rugs on the floor, or vacum cleaners or telephones-What did they have?? Well, not much of anything of material things, but we enjoyed what we did have. We did not have to lock our doors when we went out to visit a neighbor, no one would go into our house to steal. We could go out at night without being afraid someone would crack our head and take our little bit of money. You know, I could buy good calico cloth for ten cents a yard and that wasnt too bad. Now we have everything nice and convenient and we just take it for granted, all these benefits. Now I think we should take time to thank the Good Lord for all the wonderful things we have in these “Good old days!’ Lola Owenby Plemmons, an old timer this of 1976, now aged 82. Just one last thought: There was only one church in Black Mountain in 1902. A Methodist Church on Church St. The people all walked to church on Sunday, a lot of folks walked for miles to church. Everyone was glad to see the friends and neighbors on Sunday and they had a good time greeting each other. We did not turn on the radio or t.v. to get a sermon on Sunday morning. We never heard of such a thing for there wasnt any. One thing I would like to know though, Why the Methodist preacher* never visits anymore? If you see a preacher you have to visit him even if you are 82 years old. Bye now, see you later . Editors comment: The article above is printed exactly as Mrs. Piemmons wrote it. We felt to make any changes would detract from Its contents and feeling. Mrs. Piemmons and her husband, W. E., live on Lakey Street. They recently celebrated their tttfa wedding anniversary. Mrs. Plemmons gives na a look at yesterday and hope for tomorrow. We extend oar sheerest thanks to her daughter Katherine for sharing this lovely story with us and you.” TOWN HARDWARE For The Do-It-YoarseUer THE STORE WITH Almost everything 103 W. State St COMPLETE FURNACE SERVICE Oil Fvrnance and Oil Heaters Mobile Home Furnaces Parts and Service Day or Night B&V SERVICE 669-7301 669-7294 STEELE’S CONSTRUCTION CO. Building And Remodeling Of All Types 669-6565 N.C. Contractors Licence NO. 8227 Crimes Of Violence Drop Bat Thefts Up /Ml UIUCCUC Ul U1C1V puaucu the nation’s crime rate up 3 per cent during the first six months of this year, com ' pared with the same period a year ago, the FBI reported Thursday. AJ though the six other crime | categories declined, an 11 per cent surge in thefts was enough to produce an over-all increase in the crimes measure by the EDI’s Uniform Crime Reports. Thefts were up in all cities, suburbs and rural areas alike and in all parts of the country. The FBI figures are based on crimes reported to 9,160 state and local police agen cies. Other studies have shown that the number of crimes actually committed far exceeds the number reported to the police. Atty. Gen. Edward Levi | noted that the 3 per cent over all increase was much less than the 13 per cent boost reported for the first half of' 1975, compared with the previous year. He called the trend en couraging, but said, There remains a net increase in serious crime. A clear reminder that all segments of the criminal justice system must continue working to solve the problem.” Nationally, the FBI report 12 per "cent, rape and assault each dropped 1 per cent, robbery was down 10 per cent, burglary dropped 5 per cent and motor vehicle theft declined 3 per cent. The pattern of an increased thefts and a decline in all other crimes was true for cities "~f 25,000 and more in population. But there were variations from city to city. Among the largest cities, the number of crimes reported in all seven categories declined in Chicago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia, but rose ir. New York and Houston. In the nation’s suburbs , the report showed a 1 to 2 per cent increase in assault and rape as well as a nine per cent increase in theft. The other crimes declined. In rural areas, theft was up 8 per cent and motor vehicle theft increased 4 per cent while the other crimes decreased. The number of rural murders plummeted 21 per cent, the largest decrease in any category. By region, the over-all crime rate was up 9 per cent in the Northeast, 3 per cent in North Central States, 1 per cent in the South and 2 per cent in the West. mcvoM ** n ^9 5 U o— ™m,n‘ 10 Speed *.9- *’50 0° 89 5 Speed a*g. $i'5-00 3 Speed 10 ln<* ••£ 8 .•», 49 1 LAW*1 JUsi.jssss rr Nothing'1*!? (B likeaDeere 404 fcwtSM^ggL Scholarships Ten Montreat-A nderson College sophmores recently received scholarship cer tificates for the 1976-77 academic year. The Rev. Dr. John Akers, dean of the college, made the awards during the formal opening convocation in Montreat. Recipients of this award must have a 3.5 average for their first two semesters at Hie college. These students are Miss Patricia Ann Bane of Black Mountain, David Buchanan of Bakersville, Miss Susan Easterling of Winston-Salem, Miss Nancy Lynn Hood of Knoxville, Tenn., Miss Julie Kilgore of Cary, Miss Margaret Kuhn of Newland, Miss Paula Sue Myers of Mexico City, Mexico, Miss Judith Brooke Parriott of 'North Augusta, S.' C."‘Miss Teresa Jean Posey of North Augusta, and Miss Kathy Wendt of Memphis, Tenn. Retired School Personnel Meeting Set The Retired School Per sonnel of Asheville and Buncombe County will hold its regular monthly meeting Tuesday October 5 at the Hallmark Cafeteria, Tunnel Road Shopping Center at 12 noon. Ralph L. Smith, former principal of the Swannanoa School will lead the program on Legislation that will come before the N.C. State General Assembly at its January term, Mrs. Daintry G. Allison, president of the association stated. Smith will present resumes of interviews with Legislative candidates both Republican and Democratic of their stand on the Legislative Program of Retired Teachers. Essentially these three i.ems: (1) Ad dition of a clause tying in a cost of living increase to regular retirement checks for all retirees. (2) To revamp the $5,000 exemption on Homesteads to its former status. (3) Iron out all discrepancies in the retirement system. During a lifetime the average human heart beats 2 1/2 billion times! What to do about the cost of electricity. Besides jnst complaining. Everybody knows that the amount of electricity you use this month directly affects the amount of your electric bill next month. But what few people know is that the amount of electricity you use now also affects how future electricity prices are determined. \bu see, right now, we re going through one of the hottest times of the year. When air conditioner usage reaches its peak. And when electricity usage reaches its peak. Naturally to avoid having blackouts or brownouts, we must have the generating capacity to handle these "peak load" periods of time. Nobody knows exactly when they will come, but they usually occur during the summer. Last year our peak load period occurred on August 25. Whenever it comes this year; it determines the maximum generating capacity we have to supply During recent years, peak load has continued to climb, requiring us to invest in more generating capacity And with building costs higher than ever before, eventually this means higher prices for your electricity \bu don't want that. And neither do we. The trick is to keep the peak load as low as possible. Monthlypeak demand for electricity. The best way to help do that is to use less electricity between the peak load hours of 9 AM and 10 PM during the hottest months, June through September. (As you can see from the chart, summer usage starts getting high arouna9AM and stays high until 10 PM). Do your laundry either during early morning or late evening hours, preferably with cold water. When you have to use the dishwasher, wait until its full and turn it on just before you go to bed. Try to take showers before 9AM or after 10PM. Try serving cooler meals, avoid cooking as much as possible during peak load. And finally keep your air conditioner at the warmest possible comfort setting. Of course, these and other conservation measures we Hourly usage on a hot summer day. talk about will always help you keep your costs down. But, during these critical "hot times"they can also help us keep future construction costs down. And, in the long run, the less we have to spend to make electricity the less you'll have to iiftp | spend to use it.
The Black Mountain News (Black Mountain, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 30, 1976, edition 1
5
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