Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1923-11-22
MR.. AND MRS. FINLEY MAST
HAVE RETURNED HOME
Mrs. Mast Has Made a Beautiful Rug
for the White House

we think worthy of reproduction il
these columns, insofar as the people
concerned are our good friends anc
among the county's best people:
We had the pleasure of melting in
Lenoir last week our old friends Mr.
and Mrs. Finley Mast of Vale Crucis
who were returning from a beautiful
trip of months duration to Wash.
ingtOn, Maryland New Jersey anG
New York. The trip was taken pri.
marily to visit. their son Claud Mast
who is comfortably located as farmer
and dairyman near Darlington, Md.
and Mr.. Mast's neice, Mrs. Edward
Lund, at Orange, N. j. Orange is
one of the show places in New Jer-
sey, bieng popular place for sum-
mer suburban homes for New York
ers. While at Orange Mr.. and Mrs.
Mast and Mrs. Lund motored over to
New York to see three Vale Crucis
young ladies who are trained nurses
in New York Hospital-Misses An
ME and Beatrice Shull and Lula Tay-
1or.
Mrs. Mast has many friends in
Washington and many people there
who do not know her personally
know of her. Among their friends
whom they did not see in Washing
ton on this trip on account of their
short stay was our old friend John
Summers, disbursing officer of the
Treasury Department, who always
spends the mont hof September with
the Masts at Vale Crucis. Mrs.
Mast's reputation in Washington and
in every state in the Union and how
she obtained it, is an interesting
story. AS young girl she was taught
to weave, for the Watauga people
were among the last to give up the
fine old custom of Roman matrons,
prevalent in the colonies and later in
this country-that young girl need
not expect to marry until she had
perfected herself in al the domestic
accomplishments, and one Of the
most important of these was ability
to do the weaving for the family, and
from the. flax they grew on the rich
land of the mountains fleece from
the sheep that throve upon the noun
tain pastures, and cotton from the
, outside they manufactured most
beautiful designs in blankets, cover
lets, linens, etc. and colored them as
they chose. AS she grew up she neg
lected the hundred-year-old loom,
but later took it up again and began
making all sorts Of beautiful things.
She had put some of her produc-
tions, handsome rugs made out Of
jute rug filters, on sale with the Cen
tlewoman's League in Washington
and the first Mrs. Woodrow Wilson
was taken with the beauty of one
that was nine feet by nine in dimen-
sion, and bought it, and was so
pleased with it's adornment of the
Blue Room of the White House that
wove six strips seventeen feet
square! Mrs. Mast could make one
seventeen feet long, but she could
make it only one yard wide, so she
wove seventeen strips seventeen feet
long and one yard wide and had
them put together and sent the COM
posite rug to Mrs. Wilson, and it is
now in the Blue Room Of the White
House.
This put Mrs. Mast on the map SO
far as Washing ton was concern
and orders for mats and all the fruits
of the 1OO-year-old loom, beautifully
woven and many of them exquisitely
colored began to flow in and she and
her two sisters are kept busy filling
orders from all quarters, even from
Canada, and they are always behind
in filling them. Among the special
ties of this pretty industry is beau
tiful lady's handbag which become:
the rage with the feminine world a:
soon as seen. The Masts' house i.
crowded with summer visitors, ano
this fact increases the demand fol
the interesting products Of the loom
That is a good place to spend thu
summer is proven by John Summer
spending every September there ant
) also by the presence, often on Sun
day in the good old summer time O.
Is or 20 automobiles parked on tn
grounds and bringing mountain Wis
itors who have come to get one O
the Mast dinners.
This is not a new story for it ha
been told before, but the presenc
of Mr.. and Mrs. Mast in Lenoir las
week. put it into our head that it
about time to tell it again and t
show what Watauga people are dc
ing,