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My new book is available!Click here to view on Amazon.com Journey back to the time of the vaudeville era, radio jamboree, and old-time hillbilly music. This trip comes courtesy of a suitcase lost for 50 years documenting the career of Fiddlin’ Charlie Bowman and his fellow performers through photos, personal letters, and newspaper clippings. A note by Tony Russell
The joy of this book is that in its scores of images we see every step of Charlie Bowman’s journey. A list of his wins in fiddling contests. In stage makeup among the pranksters of The Hill Billies. In the sharp-suited Rice Brothers Gang, the only band member wearing the hillbilly’s check shirt and overalls. Promotional ten-by-eights, newspaper ads, radio logs, postcards, record labels, telegrams, letters ... |
Do you enjoy reading about the history of Northeast Tennessee and surrounding area? If so, welcome to "Bob Cox's Yesteryear" website (aka "Archives of Yesteryear"), containing my local history columns and features, most of which have appeared on Monday's History/Heritage page of the Johnson City (Tennessee) Press newspaper: www.johnsoncitypress.com.
Since new articles are being added weekly, check back frequently. Also, use the "Search this site" button at the left or click on "article catagories" to find subjects of interest. Use quotation marks to narrow your search. Click on the photos along the right side and the corresponding article will be shown.
Subjects deal with the glorious beginnings of this beautiful Appalachian mountainous region. My primary focus lies mainly within Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and Western North Carolina, with particular emphasis on Johnson City, Tennessee. Click on any photo along the right side and you will be directed to the corresponding article. I am currently in the process of adding many new photos to my articles.
Click on "Photo Galleries" at the top left to preview all the photos contained in my articles. The rotating questions at the top can be answered by clicking on them, which takes you to the article that contains the answer. So now ... sit back, relax and return with us to those glorious carefree days of yesteryear. I can be reached at boblcox@bcyesteryear.com.
Another great fully developed history website to explore is Henry's website: www.johnsonsdepot.com.
Copyright © 2004-17 by the Johnson City Press and Bob L. Cox. All Rights Reserved.
A January 1930 Johnson City Chronicle newspaper clipping concerning a unique program promoted by Johnson City High School’s (Science Hill) Home Economics Department had an eye-catching title, “Menus Planned by Students for Fat Folks.”
In 1925, an acknowledgement was made that although several automobile manufacturers had been building motorcars since 1900, it was the inimitable Henry Ford who produced a vehicle that exceeded the realm of manufacture to become an institution.
Today’s column is the story of Julia Whalen, a young girl unknown in the annals of East Tennessee folklore except for one brief moment of valor displayed in a near train collision in the vicinity of Carter’s Station (Elizabethton) on the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia (ETV&G) Railroad in December 1874.
This past January, I wrote about White Rock Summit, the tallest peak on Buffalo Mountain that collapsed in 1882, as reported by several newspapers around the country. The massive rockslide was precipitated by two weeksof steady rain that flooded a sizable portion of East Tennessee that extended west to Knoxville. Damage was widespread.
Over the years, countless old-time Appalachian music lovers have pleasant memories of attending the Carter Family Fold in Maces Springs, VA on Saturday nights. Located in Poor Valley just outside Hiltons in the beautiful Clinch Mountains of Southwest Virginia, the quaint atmosphere of the rustic Fold is a favorite setting for those who love the musical genre once popularized by The Carter Family.
Brush Creek is a stream of water that is very familiar to Johnson Citians, largely because of its long history of flooding. The name is reported to have originated with Abraham Jobe who owned land along the creek in what became the business section of the town. He once related that a heavy mass of red brush grew along the creek and obstructed the view except for those riding on horseback. Apparently, the name stuck.
The East Tennessee and Western North Carolina’s (ET&WNC) narrow gauge railroad, affectionately known as Tweetsie, can be traced to 1881 when it began trekking between Johnson City and Hampton and a year later to Boone.
During 1952-53, I was in Mrs. Fannie Taylor’s fourth grade class at Henry Johnson School opposite Kiwanis Park. She was the wife of Alf Taylor, whose father, Alf, was a former Tennessee Governor. Subjects included reading, writing, arithmetic, spelling, English, geography, health, music and library.
An April 1939 article in the Johnson City Chronicle and Staff News provides specifics of the building of a new and difficult train route across the Blue Ridge Mountains. The title was “The Building of ‘The Clinchfield Route’ - A Romance in Railroad Construction.”
Today’s column is a nostalgic quiz covering downtown Johnson City movie theatres and favorite motion pictures that were projected on their big screens. Older residents can readily recall four movie houses that entertained the masses.
Click on photo to view story
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