French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1916-1919, 1916-12-07
(By G. F. G.

(BY u. r. Vi.
Ever since / came to henderson,
Vile I have heard of that famous
mountain section of the county called
Raven Rock. 1t has so happened that
7 nave had the good fortune of seeing
nearly every other section OF the
county before journeying into perhaps
the greatest Republican strongnoio'
Notwithstanding "the Ridge" IN the
county.
Raven Rock is in the extreme
southern part of the county. in fact
it's in the mountainous corner with
Polk county on one side n out
Carolina on the other. l. took what
they told me was the shortest route to
the center namely, Mountain Page
school house, which is a little better
than two miles from Saluda station.
Republican Companion.
The weather was a little hazy, but
the road started out to be a fairly
good one. l had a Republican COM
panion in the car with me, for l had q
sneaking idea that a Democrat was
more Or less a curiosity" in that Sec
ton and in case of a challenge 1 would
let my friend do all the talking.
We made good time on our journey
over what is called the Mountain
Page road, and what was once the
main highway into Saluda from the
old Buncombe stage coach road, now
the Greenville highway. This road
winds I'D and down and around the
mountains, passing many old home
steads, former homes of many lead
ing citizens of western North Carroll
ma, who have moved to the cities.
Mountain Page School.
Mountain Page school house is
comparatively a new building. but the
site is one of the oldest in the county
and no doubt the school has been re-
built many times. Within a little over
a mile from here Judge C. NJ. Pace
first saw the light of day. He spent
twenty years of his life tilling the
soil in hearing distance of the little
old school house. They are now hold
ing school over there with Prof. w.
Scott Young. Of Upward, teaching.
Prof. Young has taught there for a
number of years.
We did not stop long here on what
seemed to be the crest of the noun
tain. Our road carried US around the
mountain from where we could look
over into the valley. There we saw
signs of labor, ever than we
had observed anywhere else on the
trip except for a few piles of chestnut
wood lying along the road side ready
to be hauled to the station. The farms
along the valley looked as if they had
e been touched by the 1916
freshet" and perhaps they were not.
Along the slopes we found young and
old orchards and some of the. trees
had apples on them yet.
PAGES Store.
Right here We came up to Hannah
PAGES store, a trade center of the
community, a place where the inhabi.
tantS often gathered during the day
to talk over the news, discuss local
topics and buy what they just had to
have, without going to town.
Like all other country mechants Mr.
Pace takes eggs, chickens and the
like, the same as cash from his neigh
bors. When Mr.. Pace goes to town
to dispose Of his chickens and eggs he
just locks up the store and leaves. He
was away when we passed and it was
our MISFORTUNE to miss him.
We decided at this stage of the trir
that we would take in the whole o.
Raven Rock, CT rather that par
traVersable with a Ford and i'll so do.
fng come back into civilization via
Melrose on the Sp~artanburg highway
W. started circling the mountains
once again along a very narrow but
remarkably good road.
John T. Stations Home.
1t was only a short while before We
came to the forks of the road with one
road leading back to the North ant
the other leading towards a large
stately dwelling house. We met two
men at a little shop near the road side
having their mules shod. One of these
men nroVed to be John T. Station, fol-