Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1903-10-07
A Sketch Of Highlands, N. C.

=" S90pi u"' ~ 1o'o, OWO young men
riding on a pair of mules, slowly
made their way over Satula, and or
clear bright evening saw for tn,
first time the plateau on which the
village of Highlands, N. c., is now
situated. They were Samuel T
Kelsey and G. g. Hutcherson, o.
Reno county, Kansas. They were
SO delighted with the scenery and
climate that they bought eight hun.
dred acres of land for the purpose oi
building a town.
There were no houses then or
what is now the town site-only one
little log cabin with crooked raj
fence around it. Mr.. Halls hote
now stands on the place where tha,
cabin was.
Mr.. Kelsey and his friend made
themselves as comfortable as the,
could, although the house he'd onl,
one room, and Mr.. Kelsey's hired
help occupied the same room will
them. Mr.. Kelsey began at once te
cut timber and make preparations tc
raise a small crop in the field sur.
rounding the log cabin.
The following summer small
plank house was built by Ivory Don.
aldson, whore Robert Reese now
lives. Il. Baxter White was the irs,
settler. He came to Highlands il
April following the purchase of LAND
in 1875. He came to see the coun.
try and put up at the only hotel in
the proposed town, namely, Mr.. Kel.
sey's cabin, and occupied the same
room with MIR. Kelsey and his mer
for few days. His family did no,
arrive until later.
In 1876 Robert Campbell, young
college student from Laurens, S. c..
came and engaged to teach the pub,
lie school in an old log house within
few rods of Mr.. Clark's present
home. This was the first school in
the town. The teacher "boarded
round" free. The next year Miss
Annie Porcher, of Oconee county,
5. g., was employed to teach the
school. Mr.. Campbell returned to
college in the fall and graduated
He was advised by Mr.. White to go
to Princeton, N. j., for seminary
course. He took four years. course
there and is now an Episcopal cler-
gyman in the State of New Jersey.
Soon after Miss Porcher's contract
as teacher was completed the present
school house was built by subscrip
ton. Mr.. Kelsey, Mr.. Hutcherson,
MIR. White, Mr.. Arnold and others
about the country and Franklin,
whose names are not at hand, con.
tributed literally.
MIR. Baxter, of Middleburg, Yer
mont, was the first teacher, and the
next was Prof. Lukins, an invalid.
Among others of the early teachers
were Miss Rose, Of the Chicago public
schools, Rev. A. l.. Cooper and Rev.
Jas. A. Forgartie. Mr.. Cooper died
and was buried in the cemetery here.
Miss Ocphea E. Rose was fine
teacher and stayed with the school
six years. Many of the boys and
girls of her day laid well the founda-
tion of good education. She died
few years ago in New York State
of consumption.
This is of the earlir days of High
lands. Later, when Prof. II. G. Har-
bison taught here, he furnished the
lumber for the smaller school room
and library. The school boys built
the two rooms themselves.
The bell once belonged to Con-
gregational church in towl in New
York. The church was enlarged
and a new and larger bell was pur
chased. Mr.. Maxwell, one of the
trustees of that church, friend of
Mr.. Kelsey, gave the bell to High
lands and all the men here Clipped
in to pay the freight. David Reed,
of Pine Mountain, Ga, carried it up
from Walhalla. The bell was given
for church here, but as there was
no church here in those days it was
put on the school house, where
preaching was sometimes held.
The school continues to improve
and we hope some day to have one
of the best schools in the State right
here at Highlands.--Christiana An
derson in the Franklin (N.C.) Press.