French Broad hustler and Western Carolina Democrat. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1915-1916, 1916-01-20
(By Thos. j. Rickman.)

interest and people of Henderson Coun-
Il, and now, if we should lift the veil
OF the past about seventy-five years.
we would be near the beginning of the
organization of Henderson county. We
find a section of country mostly
in it's wild and natural state, scarce in
men and women and likewise scarce
in money and improvements. The
country then, as now, had it's French
Broad River, Green River Broad River,
Mills River, McDowells Greek. Boil
ston Greek. Crab Creek, Big and Little
Willow Creeks, Mud Creek, Bats and
Devils Fork, Hungry Creek, Hoopers i
Greek, Clear Greek, Cane Greek, and
very many other creeks and spring
branches. Along the banks of most all
OF said streams. were hundreds of wa
terfalIs. mll-sites, power=sites. factory
SITES, ETC., but there were no factories.
nor power plants. The plains, hills
and mountains, were covered with TIM
bers and woods, but there We're no
mills and there were no roads, except
in rare instances. Razor-back hogs,
scrubby cattle, common sheep, work
oxen and a few "swey-back" horses,
all browzed the woods and sWamps,
to keep alive, while potato. corn and
truck patches, were fenced in around
the log cabins Crisis of corn, in bags,
or horseback, or on shoulder-back,
| were carried for miles, to a small
Iovershot wheel mill, with the necessity,
| often. of going a day or two later, to
l get the necessary Wherewithal for
i making the corn pone. Rivers and
creeks were forded, or crossed on foot.
logs, led up to, by trails and dug-outb.
When bridge-building set in, it was
IAN annual business, for every freshet
that came, washed away the bridge.
The bridge rested on trestles of wood
en- poles, stood in the middle of the
stream, and was expected to remain
oply till the swollen stream brought
down the first log, when away went
bridge. drift and all together.
log-rOllings were public institu-,
and enough valuable timbers n logs
were burned in log-heaps. On c~learings
to have built all the wooden houses i'll
Asheville, Hendersonville, and all the
Iother towns in Western North Carroll
Ia. -Nine-tenths OF al 1.-The houses
then. were built of wooden poles, or
small logs, hughed and k~notched, COW
cred with four-teet, handmade boards.
Heather straps often answering for
both hinges and door lafches. Few or
no churches, schools, roads. bridges,
little, or no money, no SOCIETY," no re-
finement, home made shirt, GOAT.
trousers, socks, shoes, homemade
bedsteads, shuck mattress, blanket.
quilt, sheet, pillow. no cook-steve,
oren fire cooking. Log cart, sled,
b~Ull-tongued plow,, bride, back-band
names, collar, single-tree, plow-lne
| ord C1nJpioc Ill -noodn of homo
What sort of people were these? you
ask, and now o come to the import
ant part of our story. We obtained
some stale records and notes kept by
one of the oldest inhabitants of Hen
derson county, M they are in many
respects a revelation, Nei3 boris are
said to be God-giyen. and neighbors
then, were neighbors. even if they did
i've a long way apart, through swamp
and forest. No one can tell how, but
a neighbor then, captured his or her
nelghbor. 1t too no formal introduc-
ton, for all stood on common ground.
The venison, beef. pork, or mutton,
When killed, was divided into at least
four or six parts and sent QUIT was
not weighed on scales, it was returned
IL similar blocks. No group killed a.
the same time. People tnen were hui
man, to the backbone and from head
Ito foot. Their clothes were baggy,
and large, their feet were big, and 81
was the heart. They took no railroad,
street car, automobile, or ocean-Voy-
Lagos together. and you know zthe@Fea-a
son why. They were as though, cast
alone on IN island, Robinson Cruso
fashion. but they surely did discover
the link of common humanity, n
some think, we later lads, have lost it
again. They were no intruderS, one
upon another, but they swapped enter
tainment, otter spreading beds on the
floor. for the guest, but it was a joy to
Eentertain. even thus. The earliest
roasting ears. cucumbers and red pep
per were Sent around, though tht
didn't mean to urn one another. They
knew how to give, Wat to give, when
10 give and how to receive back again.
In sickness, you neither had, o need
/ ed doctor, medicine o professional
nurse. Without money, and without
price. they carried you to h defeats
! soup-bow1; and with herbs. teas and
kindness they cured you. They always
lad time. was neve in a hurry, but
they talked. knit, stitched, seweG,
darned, mended. helped, advised, show
ed. asked, loaned and borrowed-they
had the human spirit. From 80 cents.
to 1920 would be the annual amount
of 3 common farmers state and county
taxes. Gold and silver, they had not,
i baL they had what was better. they
had the milk of human kindness and
they minded their own business as well
as.we do.
We need not now try to initiate them.
for we cannot. if we would.
More anon.