' 1| |?j i! aSII ★Montreal
at Black Mountain, NC 28711 ^ R l H^Pf*.l*PSt
———m—15 cents per copy
Referendum request likely
by Clint Williams
A letter written and
distributed by Paul Griffith, of
102 Dogwood Drive,
requesting that the Black
Mountain Town Board make a
request to the County Board of
Elections ‘ to call an election
in the town of Black Mountain
for the purpose of voting on
the proposition of FOR or
AGAINST the sale of mixed
beverages in social establish
ments and restaurants,’ ’ has
evoked an almost uniform
response from the members of
the Town Board.
The letter from Griffith
requests that the matter be
placed on the agenda for the
July 10 Town Board meeting.
“This request will be
landled like any other request
for an item to be placed on the
agenda,’’said Black Mountain
Mayor Tom Sobol. “In my
jpinion, I think the Board will
take some action on it.”
Sobol went on to say that if
the Board did1 not take any
action on the issue, • a
referendum could be called
for if a petition signed by 20
percent of the registered
voters of the town was
presented to the Board of
Elections. However, Sobol
said, “If it came to that, I
think the Board is sort of
shirking it’s responsibility by
not making a decision.”
If a motion is made to
request a referendum be held,
Sobol said, “I fully expect it to
be a split vote, to be quite
frank, but I do think the vote
would carry.”
“I think if the town holds a
referendum, it will be ex
tremely close,” Sobol added.
In a prepared statement,
Alderman A.F. Tyson said, “I
am not advocating how
anyone should vote on this
issue, but I do think the people
should be given the op
portunity to vote on it.”
Tyson later added that he
does not plan to sponsor the
motion and that he would like
for some of “the other Board
members to express them
selves a little more clearly.’'
Aid. John Klutz said that he
was currently uncertain how
he would vote when the issue
is brought before the Board
and he is uncertain if the
measure would pass. Klutz
said that he had not heard any
wishes from any of the
establishments that may be
eligible to sell mixed-drinks if
the referendum is held and
passed.
“I can’t see having an
election if nobody is going to
take advantage of it,’ ’ Klutz
said.
Aid. Jim Norton’s views
were consistent with the
general consensus of the
Board. Norton said that the
Board should bring up the
issue “without hesitation’’and
arrange it so the people can
vote.
“I think it’ s time the
majority should start ruling
again.’’Norton said.
(Continued on nave 1A\
Arrival of steam engine
high-lights holiday activities
by Clint Williams
The anticipatory crowd
begins to thicken an hour
ahead of tipte. After long
patient mmw«r'*htr
gathering of over 250 people
watch the scheduled time of
arrival pass without incident.
The throng settles into a
limbo between excitement and
boredom, disappointment and
eagerness. Restless children
throw oil-covered stones,
adults mingle, and gossip, and
joke, and tell their children
not to throw stones.
Suddenly, men in red
jackets and red caps inject
excitement back into the
crowd. “The train has left the
Biltmore station. Please clear
the tracks.”
The knowledge that the
train is actually, finally
coming seems to make the
people swarm like bees. Onto
the track to look ahead, to see
the first clue of the trains
arrival. Children dart back
and forth across the tracks.
One of the men in the red
cap becomes harried.
‘PLEASEr-t-leftf the trttcks.
We're concerned for the saftey
of the children. Please stay
three feet away from the
track. Please CLEAR THE
TRACK. We're concerned for
the safety of your children!”
Then, far-off, faint and
lonesome, the whistle of the
steam engine can be heard.
For one split second the crowd
falls silent There is a refrain,
and bedlam returns. Children
run and scream with joy.
Adults buzz excitedly.
“Please clear the track! We’
re concerned with the safety of
your children!”
A tower of smoke, thick and
black, rises from beyond the
horizon, growing higher and
higher, signaling the long
awaited train is growing
closer and closer. A collective
cheer breaks out as the
locomotive breaks over the
crept of the 'hill.
train dfmws closer.
iSRea* cteatf ftatracl^: ’
And louder. The column of
smoke grows higher. As the
train grows closer. And
louder. First close enough to
hear, then close enough to see.
Now, close enough to smell.
“Please clear the tracks!
We’ re concerned for the
safe....” but the sound of the
metal monster drowns out the
cry of the frenzied man in the
red jacket and red cap. And
the crowd falls back of it’s own
accord, awed by the big,
black, smoke-belching engine
with fire shooting from under
it's belly. With the brakes
hissing and smoking the train
stops.
There is a polite scramble
as the 248 passengers go to
board the train, each one
seemingly wanting a window
seat. Then, there' is an abrupt
jerk and the train is moving —
finally. Finally, after the
waiting, the train is moving,
the' Tide dawn^Wie mountain •
has begun.
There are cars and people
lining the roads aa the train
slowly pulls out of Black
Mountain. Cars on US 70 pull
off to watch the spectacle.
Traffic paces itself to keep
even with the train. Small
groups gather along the rail
road right-of-way.
Soon, the long string of cars
crawls into the darkness of the
Ridgecrest tunnel. In this
tunnel, as in the others to
follow, the blackness is filled
with the half-terrified, half
delighted screams of scores of
children. The water that
slides down the granite sides
of the tunnel catches the light
of the closed cars and shines
briefly, like a glistening ghost.
The longer tunnels also
become choked with the soot,
smoke and cinders of the
engine and re-emerging into
the daylights is a welcome
nett#.
The trai| eases down the
mountain, like a giant
twisting, pointed serpent.
Smoke billows out from the
smoke staefc and the straining
brakes. Tljere is the hiss of
the air brakes, the clatter and
rumble of the tracks and the
mythical singing of the
wheels.
Everywhere — at the mouth
of tunnels, at the foot of
bridges, along the right-of way
— there are people with
cameras and curiousity.
Passengers and on-lookers
wave to each other like old
friends.
The out-skirts of Old Fort
are almost like a foreign
country. This different per
spective gives them a new
look.
The number of side-line
spectators increases as the
train draws closer to the Old
Fort depot. The scenery
moves by slower, slower and
still slower, until the train
stops and hundreds of
passengers reluctantly get off.
They are bubbling, buzzing,
talking of this ride, dreaming
of the next.
1-40 opening not devastating
by Clint Williams
An informal survey of area
service stations and
restaurants reveals that the
opening of Interstate-40 (I
10' has not had the
devastating impact on those
businesses that line US 70 that
wa“ originally thought. At
least not yet.
Although the opening of 1-40
has affected “the gas business
considerably’,’ Roger
Reynolds, manager of Black
Mountain Exxon, says that the
increase in his bay work
compensates for it. “It's a lot
more convenient for the local
People to get into the bays,"he
said Monday, "I’m booked up
through Friday.”
Margret Slagle of Black
Mountain Union 76 has been
exceptionally busy.’ ’ She
*ent on to say that she felt the
Interstate hadn’t had any
affect and that the local people
*ere "more relaxed in their
purchasing."
A spokesman for Burgess 66
Service Center was more
cautious. “So far you cant tell
any difference. After the
holidays, then we’ll know.”
The manager of Interstate
Service Center, Bill Sinclair,
las noticed a 20 to 25 per cent
decrease in the amount of
Gasoline pumped this Fourth
of July week-end compared to
1351 years holiday. "It (the
opening of MO) has cut us
4,000 gallons short for the
*eek-end.” After the season,
*nclair anticipates anywhere
from a 35 percent to 40 percent
drop in volume despite a
“super local business."
He also pointed out that
many of the regular travelers
of the Interstate come off the
super-highway to buy gas.
These regular customers are
(Continued on page 10)
Two young Fourth of July Parade watchers build stone towers as they wait for the action to begin
(Clint Williams). For more scenes, see page 6.
ln-the-iJaks
Terry estate is elegant, eccentric
by Priscilla Hopkins
Sheltered and secluded by
the trees that gave it their
name more than sixty years
ago, the manor house of In-the
- Oaks stands in stately
solitude at the end of a shady
private drive on the south
western outskirts of Black
Mountain.
Begun in 1916 by Franklin
Silas Terry, the careful and
authentic reproduction of a
Tudor country manor reflects
the meticulous and orderly
detail and attention that Mr
Terry gave to all facets of his
life. He was a highly suc
cessful and wealthy man
' because he had a combination
of foresight and acumen in his
guainess dealings. Early
electric light patents were
acquired by him and the
National Electric Lamp
Association was formed by
him; this company was later
sold to General Electric and
he served as corporate vice
president for electric lamp
development and production
for that company for a
number of years in Cleveland,
Ohio. A private business
partner, Mr. B.G. Germaine,
and he bought a number of
businesses that were on the
verge of bankruptcy and, after
putting in good management
which revitalized them, sold
them at a profit. Several
businesses involved in this
process were the first voting
machine manufacturer,
Richmond Brothers, and
Peerless Motorcar Company.
Mr. terry, nis male
secretary, and Mr. Germaine
spent many summers boar
ding in Black Mountain and
carrying on their business
activities from here. Mr.
Terry combined business with
pleasure and visited with his
aunt and uncle and their eight
surviving children—the
Slocombs—who had a cottage
here. He had visited with
them frequently over the
years both here and in their
permanent home in Fayet
teville.
Their eldest daughter,
Lillian Emerson, was a widow
with a young daughter, also
named Lillian. Mr. Terry had
already purchased some
acreage from the Slocombs
and other adjacent property
owners and begun con
struction on a yedr-a round
home for himself when he and
Mrs. Emerson decided to be
married
The proximity of their
family, the seasonal beauties
and good climate of the area
and the convenience of the
near-by Southern Railroad
line were all considerations in
their settling here—the latter
was especially important
because they entertained
many house guests who came
from all over the country
during their residence at In
the-Oaks
Once the decision to build
here had been reached, the
New York City architectual
firm of Frank Wallis and Son
was engaged to design the
house and a contract signed
with an Asheville firm to do
the construction work. The
plans for the estate also in
eluded extensive landscaping
of the grounds.
The granite for the exterior
of the house was quarried
somewhere between Black
Mountain and Mr. Mitchell
along the Southern Railroad
line and was then transported
to the local building site by the
railroad. The roof was
originally covered with hand
hewn cedar shingles to
simulate a thatched roof.
(These have been replaced
because of fire and insurance
regulations, but the original
shakes may still be seen on the
roofs of the well house and the
garden hefte.r, The cypress
gutters from the main con
struction period are in use and
good repair today. Large
banks of multi-paned windows
and doors were used
throughout the house to admit
as much light as possible.
Upon entering the ground
floor of the original portion of
the house, one is in the Great
Hall which nearly traverses
the house on a west to east
axis. The cathedral ceiling
with its massive exposed oak
beams gives a sense of
spaciousness to the hall. A
gallery runs the length of the
hall on the north wall, three
tall pairs of doors fill most of
the south one, and the eastern
wall is dominated by a
fireplace of hand-rubbed
granite of impressive
proportions. Several of the
furnishings of this room still
remain from those that once
graced the hall. An intricately
carved wood box stands near
the hearth, an Oriental rug
that is approximately 14’x 3£
now faded and worn—covers
most of the floor, and a hand
some Elizabethan refectory
table stands near the western
exterior door.
To the south of the Great
Hall is the Music room with its
curved ceiling that was
designed to enrich the
acoustics of the room. A
variety of r,4u.*icaf
were held in this room that
included piano recitals,
chamber groups, and private
performances by artists such
as Lili Ponds. The wall above
the entrance to the room
contains a window that opened
into young Lillian’s room so
that she, too, could enjoy the
musicales held there. The
eastern wall has a number of
generous windows which
overlook a courtyard framed
in part by the southern wall of
the Great Hall. The long walls
of the room are decorated with
pilasters with ionic 'capitals
which give a formal at
mosphere to the room.
To the north of the Great
Hall and parallel to it lies the
family sitting room; it is long
and narrow and opens onto the
Great Hall with doors. On the
opposing wall are large
windows that overlook the
grounds. Beyond this to the
east through connecting doors
is the family dining room.
It is wainscoted with some
of the highly decorative oak
paneling that gives a sense of
unity to the ground floor
rooms. The wainscoting is
capped with a shelf upon
which dishes and mugs were
once colorfully displayed. A
bay window with a window
seat gives diners a. pleasant
. view. Off of this room an;!
imim-. ■
are the Sutler’s paiKry with its
connecting kitchen and the
servants'stairwell.
Upstairs are guest roems
and suites, Lillian's suite an.'
the comfortable Hut un
pretentious Master Suite. The
bedroom of the latter has a
delicately rolled ceiling and
windows on three sides which
make the room very light and
airy. There is an adjoining
dressing room, sitting room
complete with a small
fireplace, a kitchenette and a
large bath whose shower stall
has thirteen heads!
On the level that is down a
half a flight from the Great
Hall is one of the two most
fascinating rooms in the main
(Continued on page 10)