Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1915-08-26
Automobile Tourists Change Situations to
Which Old Conditions Must be Adjusted

The accompanying Illustrations,
though representing wiaely varying
modes Of transportation I'm Henderson
Vile, bridge a short period OF only
about one decade. e
The view showing Col. s. v. Piekens
with his two horse-drawn street cars
was commonplace in Hendereonville
about: q decade ago before gasoline
and electrically driven street cars and
automobiles had made their appear
ance in the city.
COntrasting Scenes. 80
These horse-draWn street cars about
ten years ago were quite progressive
for Hendersonville but the service.
mostly on Main street, was abandoned
before the gasoline or electric street
cars came into us here.
The other scene shown in Henderson
Vile in its present everyday Iffe. with
two street ears.and automobiles parked
on either side OF Main street for about
five blocks and number on some or
the intersectfng streets. :.-y.s..-.
Changes Wrought hE S.ARtNs.
Main street this summer is the scene,
of twice or three times as many autc-
mobiles as were seen there no longer
than last year. -. ...s::i ....sss.::s.
Probably the universal mse OF the
automobile has, not worked more
changes for any city within the past
year than for Hendersonv1Ele and other
-parts of Henderson county. The eOun
ty's splendid roads and the prevalence
of automobiles have greatly revO1u-
tionized the tourist business, for the
reason that it has affected it in many
ways.
It was only within the past three or
four years that the automobile was
introduced in HendersonYille to any
extent and last winter was the first to
offer local conditions that warranted
the use of automobiles throughout the
year.
BY reason of the unsatisfactory con,
dition of the roads leading from the
Southern states into Hendersonville,
the trip in an automobile was quite
risky, but the opening of the Green
vile and Spartanburg roads have
placed these highways In the Blue
Book. the automobile trave1ers1 guide.,
and daily these roads are traversed by
many machines.
Railway Affected.
Even the, Southern railway has felt
the effects of good roads and automo-
biles for travel to this section hereto
fore was almost entirely by rail, but
now they come in automobiles from
various parts of the Union.
COnStancy Of Tourists Affected
The automobile has also affected the
stability of the tourist business. Here
tofore a party or family came to Hen
dersonville or some other place in
Western Carolina and rarely moved to
another resort during the season. Now
they come in machines, stop for day
or so at a hotel or transient boarding
house and move on to anther summer
resort, living to a great extent in their
cars. iMtfIN
Hits Boarding Houses Hard.
This new mode of travel has affect
ed the city boarding house business
materially since these migratory visi-
tors usually stop at hotels, but the
new condition of things has increased
considerably the patronage of country
boarding houses, which, by reason Of
their accessibility to the city afforded
by good roads and machines, many
more tourists than usual are taking
advantage of because Of cheaper rates
in the country aud the much desired
tranquil surroundings.
Good roads and automobiles have
been the making over Of such hereto
fore isolated places as Chimney Rock
and Bat Cave, which were very popu-
lar among those who summed up
enough courage to take the long tire
some trip there in hacks. The revo-
luton it has worked in that section is
attested to by the announcement in
last weeks Democrat of the intention
of DR.. L. B. Morse of Hendersonville
to construct an automobile scenic
highway to the. base of Chimney Rock.
thus making this place much more
popular to thousands Of tourists by
reason of it's accessibility without a
strenuous climb by foot
Laurel Park Affected.
Another Hendersonyille enterprise
seriously affected by the automobile Is
that of the Laurel Park estate. The
management has gone to a great ex-l
pense to build about ten miles of good
roads through the park. erect TROLLEY
line to the city. and provide other at
fractions. Heretofore the park has
been getting fairly good revenue from
the street cars. but this has been seTf-
ously crippled by the large number OF
machines not only from Hendersan-
vile but from surrounding towns
which visit the park. to which no ad4I
mission fee has been charged. thus
reducing the street car traffic. But
this shift in the affairs of the park has
, Increased rather than reduced its pop
ularity as place for amusement seek
ers and summer cottagers.
HeRdersOnyfIIe is Progressing.
The pictures herewith serve to show
some of the remarkable progress
made by Hendersonville within the
past decade. Where about ten years
ago there was Main thoroughfare
lined with onar1ed nonrlv cared for