if ,Pick the
I I #^ba,, C»»tes( w i n
Hil» scene along N.C. Highway US just North of LJaville shows
Grandfather Mountain in a dazzling frame of Beech, Oak,
Chestnut, and Maple leaves that are at their Autumn best now.
The large Chestnut trees were killed by the blight 4S years ago,
bat Chestnut leaves on small shoots coming up from the
stffl make their golden eontribntioa during the great October
show In the high mountains. (Hugh Morton)
Uur Valley part one:
Avenged murder opens Valley settlement
by Du Want
Ed. Note~Tbto to the lint to
* rather sketchy series oo the
blstery ef the Swauanea
Valley. Uke most American
blstery, It will neglect the
thouauds of years the red
mu lived here set oat of
predjodke bat oat of a lack of
information. Oar sources ere
Western North Caroliu
History, by John Preston
Arthur and Western North
Carolina: Its Mountains and
ltt People to ISM, by Ora
Blackman.
Samuel Davidson wu not
only the first white settler ol
the Swannanoa Valley, but the
first white settler west ot the
Blue Ridge Mountains in
North Carolina. With his wife,
baby and female slave,
Davidson trespassed Into
hunting land owned under
treaty by the Cherokee and
built a log house near where
Bee Tree Creek Joins the
Swannanoa River.
The Davidsons came by a
rough trail used during the
Revolutionary War to fight
British-sympathizing
Cherokee, which wound from
Old Fort to Ridgecrest ap>
proximately along the same
route as Mill Creek Road and
Old US 70.
Old Fort, originally known
as Ft Davidson, had been
built in the 17500 to protect
settlers in what were then the
western parts of Burke and
Rutherford Counties from
hostile Catawba and
Cherokee. During the
revolution, it served a a
military base for battles
against the Cherokee, who
were supplied with guns and
ammunition by the British.
Davidson, a Revolutionary
War veteran himself, met with
ill fate when he was lured
from his homestead up Jonas
Mountain and ambushed by
Cherokee. The Indians used
the bell the settler kept around
his horse’s neck to make
Davidson think that he was
chasing his escaped hone.
Although rumor has it that
Davidson was scalped, neither
book confirmed that account.
Davidson’s wife, servant
and child hid, and returned to
Old Fort after hearing the
fatal rifle shot.
An avenging party, led by
94-year-old Major Ben Bur gin,
out of Old Fort killed a
number of Cherokee and
opened the Valley to white
settlers. With the government'
s grace, seven families settled
in the Bee Tree-Swannanoa
area in 1785. Among them
were Davidson’s twin brother,
Major William Davidson; and
his sister, Rachel Alexander
Absentee ballots
given, poll changes
Absentee balloting will be
allowed in all county precincts
on the state-wide bond issues
and constitutional amend
ments. Those residents living
within the boundaries of the
Buncombe County School
District are also able to vote
absentee on the local question
concerning changing the
election of school board
members from nonpartisan to
partisan.
All absentee ballots must be
applied for in the Board's
office in the Courthouse
Annex during regular
business hours. A near
relative may sign an ap
plication for an absent or
invalid voter, and the ballot
will be mailed to the voter
after the application is ap
proved by the Board of
Elections. The deadline is
Wednesday, November 2, at 5
p.m.
The county Board of Elec
tions nas also noted that the
polling place for Black
Mountain Precinct 3 will be
the clubhouse, rather than the
Eagle’ s Nest. Now that
renovations have been
completed at the clubhouse, it
will become the permanent
polling place for that precinct.
and their families. There
were also.three families of
Pattons, and one each of
Gudger and Forster (later
also called Foster) to begin
those family lines still
growing in the Valley.
FRANCES O. FOREMAN
ha* announced for the office
of alderman in Montreal. She
has served as Montreat mayor
in the past
Asheville “receptive”on water
by Dan Ward
The Black Mountain Town
Board will learn within two
weeks the reaction of
Asheville authorities to
proposals to purchase filtered
water from that city at
reduced coats.
Mayor Margaret Slagle said
Asheville City Manager Ken
Michaelov was “very
receptiveto proposals offered
by Black Mountain Town
Manager Jon Creighton last
week ‘ on a long-term
agreement between the towns.
Creighton was out of town last
week and unavailable for
comment.
A proposal made by
Creighton was that Black
Mountain install a 10 to 14 inch
water main directly to the
Asheville water treatment
facilities at North Fork
Reservoir. Such a line would
avoid reducing water pressure
to users in the Swannanoa
Valley already on the
Asheville water system.
When Black Mountain was
using Asheville water last
month during the peak of its
water crisis, pressure was
reduced in many parts of
Swannanoa.
In addition, pumping the
water directly from Asheville’
s reservoir may enable the
town to buy it at reduced
rates.
Asheville’s rates for
wholesale water sales are set
by the Sullivan Law,, which
Water changes due
by Du Ward
In a special workshop on
Black Mountain’s water crisis,
the Town Board made some
decisions that will be officially
acted on at the next regular
board meeting November 14.
The board decided to ap
prove a hike in the cost of
installing a tap to town water
from |110 to $225, in keeping
with other water systems.
Also they are expected to
approve a cost raise from $60
to $125 for installing a sewer
tap.
The board also decided, on
Town Manager Jon
Creighton’s recom
mendations, not to switch
from monthly to bi-monthly
billing. Bi-monthly billing,
suggested by Aid. Jon Mundy
as a way to cut costs, would
cause problems in collective
from delinquent accounts,
Creighton said.
If Asheville authorities
consent to a proposal by
Creighton to allow Black
Mountain to install a direct
line to Asheville's North Fork
beatment facilities, th* board
will also discuss funding such.
i * '
a project. Trying to pass a
bond issue or obtaining a loan
will be the two major alter
natives, according to Mayor
Margaret Slagle.
The board will also approve
installing taps for five
buildings owned by Stepp
Nickols Realty. Taps for those
houses were already approved
prior to the water crisis,
pending reservoir im
provements by the contractor.
Mayor Slagle noted that the
water bill to Black Mountain
from Asheville for last month
was $15,000.
prohibits that city from selling
water to towns at different
rates from each other or from
industry. By installing its own
line to the Asheville reservoir,
Black Mountain may be able
to be exempt from the Sullivan
Law prohibition.
In addition, Creighton
discussed the possibilility of
receiving a certain amount of
water without cost from
Asheville because 365 gallons
per day flowing into the North
Fork reservoir comes from
the Chestnut Cove watershed.
Black Mountain owns the
water rights to the Chestnut
Cove watershed, but owns no
land there on which to build a
collector reservoir. The
Chestnut Cove water rights
have long been an issue bet
ween Asheville and Black
Mountain water authourities.
According to Mrs. Slagle,
Creighton and Michaelov also
discussed the likelihood that
Asheville’s water system will
eventually become a county
water system once the Clean
Water Act becomes enforced.
In terms of far ranging
goals, the two spoke of how
installing a large line directly
to Blade Mountain from North
Fork Reservoir could even
tually solve treatment
problems suffered by Mon
treat and Ridgecrest.
S,V.F,D. joins state group
Hie Swannanoa Volunteer
Fire Department and Rescue
Squad has decided to Join the
North Carolina State
Association of Rescue Squads,
following a vote by the
department’s Board of
Directors on October 13.
The department, originally
chartered in 1969, has shown a
recent interest in life-support
and Rescue Squad activities,
and has acquired the
minimum equipment for
membership in the State
Association, which currently
has over 230 organised squads
with more than 6,000 in
dividual members
represented.
The Swannanoa unit will be
assigned to Area X, which
ranges from Buncombe
County to Cherokee County
Max Coffey is chief officer of
the rescue squad.
On October 10, eight men,
three engines and rescue
truck responded to a house
fire on New Salem Road. The
fire, which started when a
furnace defected, caused $4000
damage. Names of the
residents were not available.
Kevin Moorehead
Later that evening, one truck
and 20 men were called to
stand by at the scene of a
wreck 2% miles east of
Swannanoa on US 70.
Frances Tate was treated at
Memorial Mission Hospital
and released for smoke
inhilation when she was
caught in a fire at the Wanda
Jo Pruett residence on Patton
Cove Road. Two trucks and 21
men answered alarm-from
another fire caused by a faulty
furnace. Damage was
estimated at $250.
Three men have completed
firefighting school. They are
Max Coffey, Ricky Bradley
and Glenn Hensley.
Candidate night
There will be a “Meet the
Candidates *ni£ht for the Town
of Montreat on Friday, Oc
tober 21, at 8 p.m. in Gaither
Hall. Those who have filed for
candidacy in the election of
three commissioners for the
Town of Montreat are John
Abemethy, Steve Aceto, Andy
Andrews, Frances Foreman,
and Ivan Stafford.
Bearded beauty wins crown
by Du Ward
Warren Wilson College’s
Homecoming Queen might
win personality points in the
Miss America Pageant-hut
would surely flunk the evening
gown and bathing suti com
petitions.
You see, the college has
elected as Hoiiecoming Queen
Kevin Moorehead, whose
shoulder length hair and
trimmed beard are
reminiscent of countless
renderings of Jesus hanging in
Sunday School classrooms
worldwide.
Moorehead’s election was
motivated by more than
vanity or a joke.
“A couple of guys suggested
I run as a joke. I said, ‘why
not? "Moorehead said. “When
I came out of class, there were
signs up and everything
saying, ‘elect Kevin
Moorehead Queen. '
Moorehead went along with
the campaign, seeing it as a
protest against the cost and
elitism he felt the election
demonstrated.
"The money part, I did
have my facts wrong on,’ he
said. He had been told that the
cost of chosing and crowning a
queen was $400 out of student
activity funds. He later found
out that the entire
Homecoming weekend’s
activites cost $400-the queen
aspect cost less than $30.
He also saw the election as
being contrary to the
philosophy of education
practiced at Warren Wilson,
where everyone works for
room and board, despite
financial status.
“I thought it was kind of
ridiculous. Around here
everybody works the same,
but this sort of establishes a
quality system- it seems kind
of unfair.’
Moorehead, as a result of a
write-in campaign, was one of
seven finalists. Two girls,
including his girlfriend,
dropped out of the ruining.
He became the favorite
among the five remaining.
What he hadn’t expected
was a strong reaction from
many students and alumni
who didn’t appreciated the
mockery.
“This girl told me two days
ago that at an alumni meeting
the middle-age people were
somewhat against (having a
male queen), but the older
people were pulling for me.
There were rumors during the
election that the alumni would
quit donating money if I won,’
he said.
Although Moordhead’s
protest has aroused many
students from what he called
“apathy! he is pushing to have
the Homecoming Queen
contest abolished through a
student caucus referendum.
In the meantime, he is
enjoying the benefits that go
with being queen-a bouquet of
roses and rhinestone crown he
can keep for a year. One
benefit he didn’t receive, but
doesn’t miss at all, is the
traditional dance with college
president.
“The whole thing was really
sad for awhile,’ Moorehead
said of his election and
crowning ceremony. “I really
koi discouraged around the
middle of it.’
But would the biology major
go through it all again, now
that he knows ail that h»inn a
male homecoming queen
involves?
“Probably-I’m basically
pretty crazy,’he said.
—mr'nnln • 'iTrnimr -\.v