USA > North Carolina > Buncombe County > Asheville > Asheville city directory [serial] 1896-1897 > Part 2
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Colonel Andrew Erwin, who has been mentioned in connection with James Patton, came to Asheville in 1803, and succeeded to the business of Jeremiah Cleveland, merchant and innkeeper. At this time Asheville consisted of less than a dozen log houses. D. K. Bennett, in his Chro- nology of North Carolina, published in 1858, says of Colonel Erwin : " He was a man of extraordinary energy and enterprise, and great strength of mind," and " may be justly considered the incipient founder of Asheville. . .
. He was the first postmaster, and throughout the entire period of his citizenship foremost in every effort for the improve- ment of the town and county."
The Rev. George Newton, the first Presbyterian minister who settled on the west side of the Blue Ridge, is believed to have been the founder and first pastor of the three churches of Swannanoa, Asheville and Reems Creek, previous to 1797. In the early part of 1797 he moved to the spot about one mile south of Asheville, now on the road to Biltmore, where a frame building was erected for him. A short distance south of this a log house, known as Union Academy, stood, from 1797 to about 1809. This was demolished, and in the autumn of 1810 a brick building took its place. By act of the General Assembly the name of the school was changed to Newton Academy, and here Mr. Newton taught a classical school from 1797 to 1814. The school was a famous one throughout the
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ASHEVILLE CITY DIRECTORY-HISTORICAL.
western section. Lack of space forbids an extended mention of Rev. Samuel Edney, a consecrated man of God, who, with Jonathan Bird, was sent by the Methodists to what was then called the Black Mountain Circuit, including all the western part of the State and a portion of Tennessee-the "far West" in 1792. For a number of years he preached monthly at Newton Academy, and the first campmeeting ever held in the county was on his possessions. Finding that he was unable to govern a number of slaves which he inherited and raised, he parted with them. Once while preaching the funeral sermon of one of a large family named Stepp, he unintentionally gave great offense to the family by exclaiming : "Yes! and after all these warnings from God, you will go on, step by step, till you all go down to hell!" Rev. James Askew, born in 1778, was an early settler on Spring Creek, and was one of the pioneer Methodist ministers for a long period. He died in 1852.
Rev. Humphrey Posey, a pioneer Baptist in the western section, was noted for his great originality and mental force. Among others, who made this section rich in strong deeds and by their " walk and conversa- tion," may be mentioned General Philip Brittain, who suggested the name for Henderson county ; Colonel John Clayton, James Johnson, the Revolutionary soldier and man of God ; Colonel J. Barnett, Colonel Ben. Davidson, Captain Thomas Foster, Colonel James M. Alexander, Colonel James M. Lowry, James Gudger, George Jones, John Woodfin, Colonel John Miller, and the original and hardy Captain Thomas Case; while, in addition to these, such names as Baird, Weaver, Whitson, Brevard, Vance, Blackstock, and many others have left an indelible impress by the industry, enterprise and sturdy character of themselves and their descendants.
The opening of the roads already mentioned gave a tremendous im- petus to trade, and Asheville, being also the distributing point for mails, became a trading post of considerable importance. In those early days in the "woods," hardy courage, shrewd business ability, thrift, and sturdy self-reliance were needed for worldly success, and these qualities were not lacking in the pioneer traders of Asheville. James Patton, J. McC. Smith, and Andrew Erwin have already been mentioned. To these may be added Jeremiah Cleveland, George Jones, William R. Smith, James W. Patton, Montraville Patton, J. T. Poor, Samnel and Alfred Chunn, W. D. Rankin and others, who in succeeding years traded with the surrounding country ; and trade was lively-the pioneers, when not fighting Indians, had an eye to the main chance and exchanged wares for valuable furs and skins. As the country settled up, the prod- ucts of the farm were exchanged for the various articles kept in the " general stores " of the day. Colonel A. T. Davidson relates that in
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1832 his father sent him to Asheville from Haywood county to exchange beeswax and other products for clover seed, and this was the first clover ever planted in Haywood ; and James M. Edney, in the Asheville Messenger, of 1850, says, in an article on Hot Springs : "On our way down we met 373 head of Kentucky cattle in one drove ; and at the Springs saw in another drove 400 ducks."
From 1803 to 1844 the number of buildings in Asheville nearly doubled. The town was incorporated in 1833; still there were less than a score of houses in 1844, and all these were on or near Main street. It was at the old Buek Hotel that Colonel Davidson, then a mere lad, stopped. A famous hostelry it was in those days and for many years, and is still standing at the northeast corner of North Main and College streets. In 1844 there was no building on the east side of Main street between the old Buck and Woodfin street, and only a small building on the Woodfin place. Where the old Carolina House now stands, was a blacksmith's shop owned by Mr. Peter Stradley, who lived in a house back of the shop.
Before the 40's John Dickson, D.D., M.D., conducted a young ladies' seminary in the Johnston House, corner of Church street and Patton avenue, which was torn down in 1895, to make way for the Drhumor Block. In this school Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman in America ever granted a medical diploma, taught. It seems a curious coincidence that just fifty years later the first female physician to practice in Ashe- ville began her duties with her office within a few yards of that old brick building. The Dickson School was successfully conducted for many years and took high rank as an institution of learning.
The only building in 1844 on College street was one on the Davidson place, while the only one east of the Woodfin House was a Methodist parsonage. The land northeast of the court-house was used as a parade ground for the militia. On South Main there was a frame store build- ing owned by Montraville Patton, and the building on the northeast corner of Eagle and Main streets was occupied by Dr. Hardy.
Part of the Eagle Hotel, which was the first three-story building erected in Buncombe county, was then standing. Where Powell & Snider's store now stands, A. B. Chunn had a house. Battery Park Hill, then known as Battery Porter, was at that time "in the country," and as late as 1872 the boys of the village were accustomed to shoot squir- rels there. In addition to the schools already mentioned, Colonel Lee's school for boys was a noted one, and many of the best citizens of the Carolinas were educated by him. Colonel Lee came from South Caro- lina and opened his school in a large brick house built by himself. This was situated on the Swannanoa and was known as The Lodge, which
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3
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BATTERY PARK HOTEL,
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ASHEVILLE CITY DIRECTORY-HISTORICAL.
afterwards became the hospitable summer home of Mr. William Patton. Colonel Lee moved from The Lodge to Chunn's Cove in 1847, and there continued his school until the beginning of the war between the States, when, with eight sons and many of his pupils, he enlisted on the South- ern side. Another school which has passed away was one where girls were taught by Mrs. Morrison and Miss Cozzins, and was situated on Haywood street, where W. H. Penland's home now stands.
It is well said that the character of a town is judged by its churches. Of the four great Protestant bodies, the Presbyterians were the first to occupy Asheville. James Patton, who has already been frequently men- tioned and without a reference to whose public-spirited liberality a his- tory of Asheville would be incomplete, united with Samuel Chunn in donating a beautiful plat of ground covered with splendid oaks, where the first church, a brick building, was erected. It occupied the present spot of the First Presbyterian Church. The Methodists first occupied a schoolhouse, which was situated on the site of the present Methodist Episcopal Church, South. This was replaced by a large frame building, and this by the present brick building. The Episcopalians had at first. only occasional services by travelling clergymen. In 1847 Rev. James Buxton came as rector, and, by faithful service extending over a period of more than forty years, established for himself a warm place in the hearts of the people. The property now owned by Trinity Parish was donated by James W. Patton and a brick church was built in 1849. This was replaced by the larger church now standing on the same spot.
To the unshaken determination of the Rev. Thomas Stradley, who for many years was almost the only Baptist in this neighborhood, that de- nomination is indebted in large measure for the establishment of a church and congregation. The First Baptist Church, now occupying the old Vance property, where Zeb Vance first opened his law office, repre- sents, with several other churches in the city, the outcome of Mr. Strad- ley's untiring devotion.
From eighteen houses in 1844, Asheville grew, by 1870, to a town of 1,500 people. By 1880 the population had grown to 2,610. The Western North Carolina Railroad came in 1880, and since that time. Asheville has increased, until to-day the people within her borders num- ber 12,832. The advent of the railroad, however, did not mark the beginning of Asheville's reputation as a leading resort both for health- seekers and for those who wished to escape the depressing heat of sum- mer. For considerably more than half a century, wealthy planters and others from the South have come here to enjoy the enchanting scenery, the cool summers, and the life-giving air. E. J. Aston, Esq., gave a great impetus to Northern travel to Asheville by publishing a pamphlet
on the climate, scenery, agricultural re- sources, and mineral wealth of Western North Carolina. However much others may have labored for the upbuilding of the city, no one will dispute that E. J. Aston's untiring persistence in advertis- ing Asheville and vicinity, his sturdy devotion to her interests, and his splendid example as a noble and upright citizen, should forever enshrine him in the affec- tions and memory of our people.
Christian Reid, in her charming de- scriptive novel, "The Land of the Sky," written many years before the railroad added to Asheville's " advantages, says of the place : " It was less a town than a collection of country seats, scattered ir- regularly and picturesquely over innu- merable hills." And again she adds that "there was an absence of " the stagnation and depressing village air one knows so well." Space forbids lingering too long
[' A succession of interesting views, changing with every mile and every turn of the road."] SCENE ON SOUTHERN RAILWAY.
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over the period from 1840 to 1860, a period of peace and prosperity, of unlimited hospitality, of culture and refinement of the kind that did not weaken character. Of modern push and progress there was none; neither was there poverty. With as brief a mention as possible of that period the reader must be content. To speak of the "natives" of that period as if they were fit subjects for a dime museum, and to regard a squalid cabin as the type of their mountain home, is to show an ignorance that is ludicrous. The same may be said of those who
[" So tortuous has been the ascent that from one point the track may be seen below on fourteen different grades."}
SCENE ON SOUTHERN RAILWAY.
speak similarly of the people and houses of to-day, though both suffered sadly in the late war, and it has taken time to rebuild their desolated homes and hopes. The names of the early settlers of Western North Carolina attest, no less strongly than the records show, the large element of Scotch-Irish which settled in our mountains, and whose descendants to-day are worthy sons of a stock than which there is no more brave, sturdy, and upright in all that goes to make good citizens. A " home-
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keeping" people, content with a sufficiency, they have the same spirit of their ancestors, who, with Sevier, Boone, and others opened the West for settlement in the face of immense dangers and discouragements, and despite the whimperings of the East. Direct descendants of those whose intense energy helped to blaze the way for and make possible the control of the Mississippi river and the trans-Mississippi territory, there is in this people a sturdy Americanism, unmixed with foreign elements.
Of some of the Asheville homes of the "long ago" brief mention may be made. To the south was Swannanoa Hill, now the residence of Major Breese, where lived the popular and able Dr. Hardy in princely style, surrounded by all the beauty that nature, adorned and unadorned, could give. Farther north and opposite to this was the residence of Dr. John Dickson, who lived on and improved the property now owned by Mr. James M. Campbell. Nearer to Asheville was Belleview, inherited by Mrs. Joshua Roberts, daughter of one of Buncombe's first settlers. This was afterwards purchased by Dr. Hardy. On a neighboring hill lived Dr. Tennant in the house now known as Mountain Cottage. Be- tween Belleview and Swannanoa Hill lived Dr. Foster in the then hand- some retreat, now known as the Baird property. Nearer the center of the town stood the beautiful Patton home. The beautiful home now owned by Dr. Burroughs was formerly part of the Woodfin estate, and was famous for its luxurious surroundings and the hospitality dispensed. The Rankin homestead and Mr. John Woodfin's, now the Fagg property, deserve more than passing mention. On College street stood the Morri- son home and the old Vance property, the latter now occupied by the First Baptist Church. On Church street were the Buxton, Aston, and Johnston homes. In the western section were the homes of Philetus and Joshua Roberts. The Ravenscroft Building and Asheville Female College, the latter including on its grounds a part of the present Oaks Hotel as a boarding hall, have their places in these records of former days. The old McDowell place (now Mr. Garrett's), Antler Hall, The Rest, Azalea, and Murphy's should not be omitted. The Eagle Hotel has already been mentioned-a great resort in its day. Deaver's Springs, now White Sulphur, five miles from town; the Warm Springs, which have since become Hot; and Alexander's, were widely popular. The Asheville Messenger of 1850 has a very interesting article by James M. Edney on Warm Springs, Paint Rock, and The Chimneys. An idea of the popularity of the Springs at that time and earlier may be gained from a quotation from the article mentioned : " . . 3 In 1831 they be- came the property of James Patton, and have been used, owned, and occupied by James W. and John E. Patton, his sons, ever since. These gentlemen have greatly improved and popularized them. The present
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building is a most beautiful one ; 230 feet long, two stories high, with a piazza fronting the river, studded with thirteen massive columns, twenty feet in height. The dining-room is 40 by 80 feet; the bar, ball, and dancing-rooms are all airy, spacious and comfortable. In addition to this, there are six other small brick buildings for families and single gen- tlemen, all beautifully situated on a level surface or green lawn, in a fine grove of locust and other forest trees, set out by the proprietors.
[" The ride from Asheville to the Hot Springs, along the valley of the beautiful and historic French Broad river, is the most picturesque in America."]
SCENE ON SOUTHERN RAILWAY.
The establishment accommodates comfortably 250 persons, and 240 can be seated at the dining tables at one time. The improvements were made at great expense, and the main building, with a stable 60 by 160 feet, were burned down September 18, 1838; but, by great efforts, were reopened July 1, 1839." In the Messenger of 1851, by the same writer, is an interesting article descriptive of an ascent of Black Mountain. In
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ASHEVILLE CITY DIRECTORY -- HISTORICAL.
the article the writer states that he and A. S. Merrimon climbed the two highest balsams on top of the mountain and gave three cheers each, in succession, " for the United States, Millard Fillmore and William A. Graham, the Old North State, Professor Mitchell, Mountain Boys, and Buncombe Lassies."
A history of Asheville and Buncombe would be incomplete without a mention of Colonel David Coleman, a gentleman of great learning and legal ability. So, too, of Nicholas W. Woodfin, with his caustic wit but generous heart, who in his day was regarded as the ablest lawyer at the Asheville bar and one of the greatest criminal lawyers that North Car- olina has produced. He was a member of the convention of May, 1861, which passed the ordinance of secession.
Zeb Vance, legislator, Governor, Representative, and Senator, the great commoner, the idol of North Carolina, the pride of Buncombe, needs no commendation or mention that could make him better known or better loved.
Dr. J. G. Hardy and Dr. W. L. Hilliard must be mentioned, the two physicians who for so many years displayed their splendid abilities and were held by the entire community in so high and affectionate esteem.
An extended history of Asheville and vicinity during the war period, though richly deserved, cannot be made in the limits of a short sketch. On April 12, 1861, the Buncombe Riflemen left Asheville for Raleigh, and reached there in time to form part of the first regiment under Colonel D. H. Hill, and were on their way to Virginia before the act of secession was passed. The company consisted of about one hundred men, with W. W. McDowell as captain; W. M. Hardy, James A. Patton and G. H. Gregory as lieutenants. They took part in the first battle of the war, the battle of Bethel, on June 10, 1861. When their time of enlistment, six months, expired, members of the company quickly enlisted in other regiments. Some of them, under Captain J. M. Young, joined the 11th Regiment, and were afterwards almost completely destroyed at Gettysburg.
The second company from Buncombe was the Rough and Ready Guards, which left Asheville May 3, 1861, officered by Z. B. Vance, captain ; P. W. Roberts, J. M. Gudger and S. S. Brown, lieutenants. On a reorganization of the company at a later period, Captain Vance became colonel of the 26th Regiment ; P. W. Roberts of the 14th; J. M. Gudger captain of the Rough and Readys; Frank M. Haney, Thomas D. Johnston, George W. Murray, lieutenants. The first Buncombe boy killed during the war was Willie Hardy, son of Dr. J. F. E. Hardy. He was shot dead at First Manassas while carrying dispatches across the field, and his body now lies a little north of the Asheville Library Building.
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HISTORICAL.
Of the last years of the war the less said the better. A mention of the atrocious deeds of deserters from both armies would only reopen wounds scarcely yet healed.
It remains now to speak of Asheville of to-day, which dates from the advent of the railroad in 1880. Of the great impetus given to travel to this section by means of the advertising done by E. J. Aston, mention has already been made. This, with the railroads, was influential in ad- vertising the advantages of Asheville and Western North Carolina to out-
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PATTON AVE. STREET SCENE.
siders from all over this country, Canada, and parts of Europe. With her miles of paved streets, her four banks (two National), her churches, ber fine system of public schools, her well equipped private schools, her business college, the elegant hotels which can easily accommodate from 1,200 to 1,500 people, the miles of street railways, the morning and afternoon daily papers, the Library, the Opera House (the finest in the State), the water-works and sewer system, the electric and gas lighting, the telephone exchange, the fire department, the associations and clubs of various names and kinds, the factories, the splendid business houses,
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the Federal Building, the City Hall, with its fine market accommodations, Asheville takes rank at once as a city which for push and pluck is not anywhere surpassed. For its size, the city is perhaps the most cosmopol- itan in the United States. This is not surprising to those who meet here people from every point of the compass. Stagnation in such an atmos phere is impossible.
"It is not the intention of the historian to boom the city, but simply to relate facts as they exist. The fact that in the last year upward of Az ? ? ? ?
1st Nat"1 Banh
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$400,000 worth of business blocks and residences have been erected, is an index that Asheville is not asleep even in the day when " hard times" are cried. It is a matter of astonishment to visitors to note how many of the people, who come to Asheville for a short visit, decide to remain permanently. The result of this decision is seen in the neat, and often elegant, homes which are being constructed in all parts of the city at all times of the year. Of the climatic advantages of this section one need scarcely speak.
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ASHEVILLE CITY DIRECTORY-HISTORICAL.
Ring of JF. Rumbough.
Tes. cf GATears
Kes of Capl. W. /I. Coche.
Res of
Fareeding the Mountains by Taul
More of the Mountain Trout
Che each Broad
SCENE ON SOUTHERN RAILWAY.
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ASHEVILLE CITY DIRECTORY-HISTORICAL.
Topography.
The city nestles in the mountains on an elevated broken plateau 250 feet above the French Broad river, and is protected by a range of moun- tains on the east. The plateau forms an undulating surface of about two miles from east to west, and of unlimited extent north and south. The mean elevation above the sea level is 2,389 feet.
Churches.
The churches of Asheville include the Baptist, the Methodist Episco- pal, South ; the Presbyterian, Episcopal, Methodist Episcopal, Christian, Roman Catholic, Jewish, Lutheran, and Unitarian. The names and locations of each will be found in the Directory proper.
Schools-Public.
The city of Asheville was made a special school district in 1887 A tax of sixteen and two-thirds cents on each hundred dollars of listed property, and fifty cents on each poll, was levied, and the city's public school property was turned over to a school committee, which had been appointed. This property consisted of a small wooden house belonging to the old colored district, a vacant lot and a small sum of money be- longing to the white district. The old military academy on Montford avenue was purchased and repaired with the colored building. The schools_opened in January, 1888, with more than 600 white applicants and 300 colored. The building on Orange street was completed by the fall of 1888, at a cost of about $11,000. Ten white teachers and one colored were added, and 1,200 children were admitted. A tax of thirty cents on property and ninety cents on polls was levied to raise $12,000, which was badly needed. This was continued the following year; but the rate was afterwards made twenty cents on property and sixty cents on polls, the maximum allowed by the amendment passed by the legisla- ture of 1889. The legislature of 1891 passed a bill authorizing the City Council to issue bonds of the city to the amount of $25,000. This act was ratified by an almost unanimous vote of the people. Three hand- some brick buildings were erected in the summer of 1892-the Mont- ford, Bailey, and Catholic Hill buildings. Another issue of $25,000 in bonds was made, and to-day the city has four handsome brick buildings in which to accommodate her children. The school tax received from the city is about $11,000 and from the county about $5,000, The schools are free of debt, are well equipped with modern conveniences, are thoroughly progressive, and are patronized by every class of society.
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ASHEVILLE CITY DIRECTORY-HISTORICAL.
There are twenty-seven teachers, twenty-one white and six colored, and one superintendent who devotes his entire time to the schools. It has always been the policy of the committee to choose teachers according to fitness, regardless of geographical locality or sectarian views ; and this wise policy has led to the selection of a fine corps of teachers, who keep in touch with every educational move. The enrollment for the session of 1895-6 was 1,581.
Colored Public School.
4
+Ward Public School. .
--
4 th Ward Public School
3d Ward Public School.
Schools-Private.
One of the oldest institutions of learning in the western portion of the State is the Asheville Female College, which is an outgrowth of the Dickson Seminary, already referred to. The present building was erected by Dr. James Atkins and the late J. A. Branner, in 1888. The school is well equipped with modern conveniences, and has always been well patronized.
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