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Glenn Stroup asked me if I would write a column about Warren Weddle, Science Hill High School’s former colorful band director. Since I was not in the band, Glenn became my primary source of information.

According to the former band member, Warren once played in a dance band in Chicago as a professional drummer, which explains why he was so successful in teaching percussion to local musicians such as George Buda, Gene Young, Jerry Doyle, Bob Byrd, Bobby Joe Tipton and others. Over the years, he retained his dexterity and coordination to the extent that he could play four different rhythms at the same time with his hands and feet.

Glenn remembered that Mr. Weddle was somewhat absent-minded, probably because he was usually thinking about the next thing he had to do. He taught Junior High School students in the morning and then cruised down the street to Science Hill High School in the afternoon. Since band instruments were so expensive, especially the more exotic ones like the oboe or bassoon, it became necessary for students to use school-owned instruments at both schools. Warren would routinely cram them into his car and transport them from one site to the other.

On one occasion, the bandleader left his car parked at Junior High and walked down Roan Street to “The Hill.” He usually asked several of the first boys to show up for band practice to carry in the instruments for him. His tendency to forget where he parked his car led to practical jokes by some of the male pranksters. They would drive his car around to the front of the school, leave it there and then fib to him that they couldn't find it. Obviously that was good for only a few times before the band director caught on to their revelry. He was subject to numerous other practical jokes primarily because he was such a good sport. His students loved him.

The Weddles never had children; perhaps Warren figured that his students were his kids. He was a good listener and became a friend as well as a mentor to his students. The Weddles owned a small dog that went everywhere with them. The animal rode in the front passenger seat, while Mrs. Weddle sat in the back. Her reason was that she didn't want to get dog hairs on her clothes.

The director always had a “show” band” versus a “drill band,” meaning that the band’s halftime performance had a theme and was new every week. He often used current popular tunes of that day, which required loads of work orchestrating the music. He wrote the music for all instruments and distributed it to his students at the beginning of the week. To make copies for them, he used the infamous “Ditto” machine (a “spirit duplicator) that many of us still recall. It used an odorous gel purple substance (not ink) with purple color.

Mr. Weddle also had a penchant for wooden batons (the type with a cork handle or similar substance). He had a less-than-desirable habit of chewing on them if things were not going well. One day someone dipped the tip of the baton in the Ditto colorant and by end of the class, Warren’s lips had turned lavender.

“I had tremendous respect and admiration for Mr. Weddle,” said Stroup, “and I still fondly remember him after 60 years since graduation. I respected him as a person, not just for the tremendous knowledge and skill he possessed as a teacher and musician.”

Let me conclude with my vivid memory of the bandleader. I rarely missed a downtown Johnson City parade. Warren had the curious habit of walking briskly on the sidewalk keeping up with his SHHS band and, at the same time, maneuvering carefully through the spectators without knocking anyone down. I suppose he saw this as a valuable opportunity to evaluate the marching and playing skills of his musicians.

Glenn is delighted that his memories of his favorite band director are appearing in the newspaper. I am sure others have fond recollections of Mr. Weddle.

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Today’s column is a collection of blurbs taken from the Johnson City Chronicle in mid August 1927. The city’s population that year was 25,000, with a trading population estimated at 200,000.   

The city limits enclosed 7.2 square miles with 45 miles of asphalt-paved streets, 80 miles of graded macadam and 68 miles of cement sidewalks. The State Normal School had 35 teachers for 1,550 students; Milligan College operated with 14 faculty members and 250 undergraduates.

Free Service Tire Company (phone number 5158) had an interesting advertisement entry using a 4 by 6 inch block interestingly titled, “The Blowout, Vol. 1, No. 29.” The ad was published every Thursday in the interest of Johnson City motorists by the Free Service Tire Company, Dan Wexler, Editor:

“In time of famine, the Eskimos have been known to eat leather, bones and almost anything except Eskimo Pie.

“Speaking of cooling subjects – the Walker Coal and Ice Company, who run their vehicles winter and summer, use Goodyear tires on their trucks.

“The ladies who dress in the latest style don’t have any trouble keeping cool this summer.

“Mrs. Doc. Lamb (wife of Dr. John Lamb, a dentist), who not only knows style but also the disadvantage of changing tires in this hot weather, just purchased four Goodyear Tires for her Dodge Sedan.

“Motorist: ‘I’m sorry I ran over your hen. Will a dollar make it right?’ Farmer: ‘Better make it two. One of my roosters was mighty fond of that hen and the shock might kill him.’

“A real good time can’t be bought or planned; it just happens.

“The fellow who buys cheap tires may be figuring on having a good time, but he will no doubt have a hot one.

“Don’t spend more than you take in. Then you’ll not have to worry about higher accountancy.

“Charlie Hunter (cashier, Unaka and City National Bank) who knows a little about accountancy also knows a lot about buying tires. He uses Kelly Heavy Duty Tires.

“’The old gray hair ain’t what she used to be,’ said the dear old lady as she finished dying her hair.”

Another item from that edition noted that Harry Range of Range Motor Company said that the greatest problem of automotive engineers was to design motors that would achieve greater fuel economy. The latest claim by the Dodge Brothers Company was that its new 4-cylindar cars, driven at 25-miles-per-hour, were capable of running 25 miles on a gallon of gas. Several unique features of the car’s design were credited for the exceptional fuel economy.  

An additional note says about 75 “newsies” (carriers of the Johnson City Chronicle and Staff-News) were complimentary guests of the John Robinson Circus at the big tent show on Keystone Field that Thursday night. The circus held a clever contest offering complimentary tickets if newspaper readers would cut out a piece of a puzzle in subsequent editions of the paper that week, put them together to form a whole picture, identify it and then submit it to the newspaper.

 The H & C Grocery Company, owned by H. C. Hows, located at the corner of 301 W. Walnut Street at Buffalo (phone 686) had a rather large ad: “What do you need today in the grocery line? We have a complete stock of all the finest brands of fruits, vegetables, staples and canned goods. … The delicious flavors of our meats call for a second helping. We take pride in offering the very highest quality obtainable.”

Finally, the police blotter contained the notice of an individual living with his uncle in Cash Hollow. He was arrested by Sheriff Dan France and Deputy Thomas Howell on a charge of stealing and was taken to Blountville for detention. The robbery occurred at the Tom Childress Store on Horse Creek.

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Ken Riddle has glowing comments about Mary Hardin McCown in “The Cy Crumley Scrapbook, ET&WNC Railroad Historical Photo Collection,” Archives of Appalachia, ETSU). McCown, whose father, George W. Harden, was superintendent of the famed railroad, was the “grande dame of Johnson City and an expert of the narrow gauge railroad’s history.”

“Mary was a real dear old girl,” said Ken, “and was honestly the standard bearer of a lot of the history of the area for many years, when history was not so cool. She adored her dad, had a quick smile and possessed a charming persona, especially when she was talking about Cranberry, the railroad, or her daddy.”

(1908 photo of George Hardin (left, father of Mary Hardin McCown and superintendent of the ET&WNC Railroad) and Rev. J.E. Crouch (Johnson City Christian Church minister) standing in front of Tweetsie Engine 8.  (Photo courtesy of the Cy Crumley Collection, Archives of Appalachia.)

   

(Mary Hardin McCown from 1980.She is standing in her apartment at the Appalachian Christian Village holding what she identified as a miner's torch from the Cranberry mines. (Photo Courtesy of the Cy Crumley Scrapbook Collection, Archives of Appalachia).  

The noted historian once issued a 3-page condensed documentation of her tremendous knowledge of the area’s history, titling it “Johnson City’s ‘Firsts.’” It offers a succinct description of important happenings in the city. I captured some excerpts from her work:

1772-1792: What is now Johnson City was located originally on grants of 50 shillings for 100 acres from the State of North Carolina, “along the waters of Brush Creek.” The earliest settlers were Robert Young (to the west), David Jobe (midtown who purchased the Joseph Young land) and Jacob Hoss (to the east who acquired the Joseph Young land).

Sep. 2, 1811: Most likely, the first name on record was that of “Brush Creek Settlement.” James Nelson whose father, William Nelson, owned land to the west of Robert Young, gave “4 acres 8 poles” on Brush Creek to the Methodist Society for educational and church purposes. Here was built the Brush Creek Campground, which functioned for more than half a century.

Mar. 3, 1813: A group petitioned the court to build a road that would connect to one located at Dugan’s Ford on the Watauga River that ran between Elizabethton and Blountville. It was considered to be the best route to the Salt Works in Virginia for the Brush Creek settlers.

Feb. 24, 1832: The first area post office listed was at Green Meadows with Joseph L. Burtz as postmaster. It was located about two miles west of town close to the Robert Young log cabin. It was discontinued in 1853.

Jun. 7, 1849: The Blue Plum post office opened to the east about two miles toward Carter County. Johnson was selected as the first postmaster until John H. Bowman eventually replaced him. The office closed in 1859.

1857-58: With the advent of the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad through town, Henry Johnson moved westward after buying half an acre from Abraham Jobe.

Jul. 10, 1857: Johnson’s Depot appeared with Henry Johnson as postmaster. Tipton Jobe, both nephew and son-in-law of Abraham Jobe, sold land to the railroad for a depot, which included other necessary sites for one dollar.

Oct. 8, 1859: The name of the post office was changed to Haynesville in honor of Landon Carter Haynes, the Confederate senator who lived just south of town.

Apr. 8, 1861: The name, Haynesville, was changed back to Johnson’s Depot.

About 1864: A school was held in a house on Rome Hill (later known as Roan Hill), but was later moved to a site near the Brush Creek Campground and the big spring there.

Mar. 9, 1865: Johnson’s Depot was permanently renamed Johnson City.

1866: The Science Hill Literary Society was organized, composed of a group of young men who met for debates.

Feb. 14, 1867: After a decision was made to build a school, the hill above Nobb Spring was selected. Tipton Jobe donated two acres and 56 perches of land. At this spot, the Science Hill Male and Female Institute was built from brick that was burned on the site and laid by local labor.

Oct. 27, 1867: The Institute was dedicated with Embree Hoss and Bishop Hoss as speakers. It opened on Aug. 24, 1868 with Reverend John B. Pence serving as principal.

Dec. 1, 1869: Johnson City was first incorporated with Daniel W. Crumley as mayor. The city limits were within a radius of a half-mile from the downtown depot.

1871: A group headed by Colonel Robert Love, Elijah Simerly, W.M. Taylor and others built the first hotel in the city. It was a 3-story frame building with 40 rooms standing on the side of the railroad between the Public Square and Wilson Avenue. The contractor was Henry Hoss Crouch.

Mar. 7, 1879: The State Legislature revoked Johnson City’s charter, but reincorporated it on March 25 with Colonel S.H. Yokum chosen as mayor.

Jun. 15, 1881: The Tennessee Legislature first chartered the ET&WNC as a broad gauge road, but difficulties were encountered causing the broad gauge idea to be abandoned. Instead, the railroad was built as a narrow gauge road, with the first train going through to Cranberry, NC on that date. After a long and colorful run, the line was discontinued for through service in June 1960.

1886: The downtown high school was leased to Johnson City for five years. About 1902, the school was again leased to the city, but this time for 99 years for use as Science Hill High School. It remained a high school until 1961 when it became South Junior High.

Sep. 5, 1911: East Tennessee State Normal School was built on land donated by George L. Carver, president of the Carolina and Clinchfield Railroad. It opened in 1911 with Dr. Philander P. Claxton as speaker. The school later became East Tennessee State College and finally East Tennessee State University.

1901: Congressman Walter P. Brownlow was instrumental in establishing the Mountain Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. About 475 acres aimed at providing domiciliary and hospital facilities were purchased from the Lyle and other families.

1903: The first hospital facility in Johnson City was a small private one established by Dr. William J. Matthews. It was housed in the Carlistle Hotel (a brick building that became known as the Franklin Apartments at the corner of E. Main and Division streets). 

Mrs. McCown’s time capsule summary certainly offers a convenient resource of important dates in Johnson City’s colorful history.

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An advertisement from a July 1927 Johnson City Staff-News told of the “Famous Paul English Players,” known as “The Show with a Million Friends,” coming to the city, performing in “the finest equipped tent theatre in America. 

The show site was located on the “regular show grounds” next to the Arcade Building (an early indoor mall at 133-135 W. Market Street that extended from Market to Main with shops lined on both sides and upstairs). A 1923 City Directory reveals a vacant lot at 137 W. Market, which is likely where the tent resided. The program was under the auspices of the Moose Lodge (135.5 W. Main Street).

The Paul English Players, a 45-person group of quality actors, offered a new performance each night. People who enjoyed the show one night could return the next and see a different one.

I located two old advertisements in Billboard Magazine. The first was dated September 11, 1920: “Wanted quick by the Paul English Players. Emotional leading woman, not under 5 feet, 5 inches, not over 140 pounds. Must be A-l. Good study and wardrobe. Will pay transportation on show to right party. Wire. Can use good heavy.”

The second one was dated November 25, 1922: “Wanted for the Paul English Players, Kempner Theatre, Little Rock, Arkansas, Piano player with library, to double baritone, tuba, cornet or e-flat clarinet. Also, comedian capable of being featured in stock and repertoire. Wire quick.”

According to the 1927 Johnson City flyer, the show was titled, “Some Baby” and described as being a comedy “direct from a metropolitan run.” To add variety, Paul English employed big time vaudeville performers between acts of first class plays. One group, the Florida Ramblers from Miami Beach, was known as “The South’s Peppiest Musical Organization.”

Patrons had the option of standing in line to buy tickets at the tent or purchasing them at Savoy Drug Store (201 E. Main Street). Doors opened at 7 p.m. with performances beginning at 8:20. Tickets cost 40 cents for adults, 20 cents for children and 20 cents for reserved seats. A special ticket was printed in the newspaper allowing ladies to be admitted free on Monday night when accompanied by a paid adult.

Paul English, as talented as his troupe was, had the good fortune of touring with the legendary Jimmie Rodgers, who became known as “The Father of Country Music,” “The Singing Brakeman” and “The Blue Yodeler.” The singer was riding a whirlwind of success at the time.

Two years prior to English’s coming to Johnson City, he and Rodgers toured together in tent shows that included performances in Alabama and Mississippi. When Rodgers completed his travel of the circuit in December 1928, he joined the Paul English Players, working out of Mobile, Alabama. The employment of a name attraction for limited engagements was said to be something new in tent shows. Rodgers’ appearances significantly increased attendance.

The Paul English Players repeatedly received high marks for their productions and played all over the country before packed audiences. Some of the plays they performed were “The Country Boy,” “While the City Sleeps,” “Which One Shall I Marry?” and “The Girl He Couldn’t Buy.”

Paul English received a good deal of praise for his group’s performances. Large attendance at his plays illustrated the paying public’s desire to keep spoken drama alive, especially when directed by its capable leader. English was credited for acquiring “a most charming and highly qualified special company of players that were able to present high-class plays.”

Paul owned a special train, which he used to carry his vast paraphernalia from city to city. When he came to a locale, he brought quality backdrops with him instead of cheap ones used by lesser-known groups.

After a week’s performances that began on Monday, July 4, the group departed for its next engagement. Tent repertoire shows ran a very successful gamut from 1917 to 1930.

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WJSO-AM stories continue to drift into my mailbox. Don Sluder, who became employed at the station on December 1, 1958, within two months of the station’s sign-on, said he enjoyed the two recent Press articles from Don Dale and Ray Stockard on the subject. Don indicated that there was so much that could be said about WJSO that helped cause a revolution in the way a radio station was formatted. 

(The WJSO “Bad Guys” (l to r): Don Dale, Norm Davis, Ray Stockard, Bill Seaver (Jackie London) and Stan Scott attempt to push the station's Chevrolet van.)

“Bob Mattox and I worked the morning shift,” said Sluder. “Seeing the picture you used with the trashcan in the air reminded me of a humorous incident. Bob called me one morning and said that there was something alive in the control room trashcan. It was filled with Teletype paper and I discovered a mouse had made a nice nest and had a large number of little hairless babies. When Bob finished his shift he took the trashcan out and dumped it. Watching Bob run as mother and all the little ones scattered in every direction was hilarious.”

Don related another funny account concerning Bill Bachman who was the station manager at the time. He was an old radioman but was a little rusty with his announcing skills. He was pressed into service one morning to deliver a newscast. As was normal back then, they did a rip and then read the latest five-minute newscast to come across the wire. There was very little preparation time. In Bill’s search for news, he came across a story about a famous actor who had died. He became very serious since this was his final story before doing the weather. Although Don could not remember the actor’s name, he recollected what he said over the air: “Mr. (name) has died; he was 76 degrees.”

“Another tale,” said Don, “involved my doing a five-minute newscast in a small booth facing the control room. My first story had a Johnson City byline and concerned a lady who discovered what she thought was an alligator in her rose garden. There was something about the way it was written that I thought was funny. I began laughing uncontrollably during the entire newscast. My next story concerned a plane crash that killed several people. Yep, I laughed through that one also and on through to the weather. The control room announcer was laughing so hard he didn't think to turn me off and start a record playing.”

While in the same booth but during a different newscast, Bob was to start Don’s first record after the news, which would start his air shift. When he finished the news, he realized that Bob was not in the control room; therefore he proceeded to make his way to start a record. This, of course, was a distraction and led to some dead air space, something that was unthinkable by radio stations. The reason for the blunder was that Bob forgot that Don had left the studio to go up the highway to a store to get some snacks.

“I still keep up with Bob Mattox,” said Shuler, “I talked to Stockard and Norm Davis recently. Ray was still a student at ETSU when he came to the station and worked weekends.

“WJSO had unbelievable power and reach in the surrounding area. The staff regularly received mail from listeners in Knoxville who tuned in every day. When they received permission for an early sign-on, I was working the early shift in Sumter, South Carolina. Bob and I would continue our morning banter by phone until time for me to sign our station on the air.

“I have many fond memories of that time in my career,” said the former announcer. “Our big competition was the duo team of Merrill Moore and Joe Goodpasture, who had a dialog over WETB-AM in Johnson City that was known as ‘The Joe and Mo Show.’ He and Merrill worked together several years later at Channel 5 in Bristol.”

Don concluded his note by saying, “I thought you might like to know what WJSO was like in the real early days.”

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The late Sue Carr Eckstein once shared with me a massive scrapbook that had belonged to her father, Paul Carr. She also gave me a photograph of Carr Brothers employees that accompanies this column. My research dates the photo to about 1922. The business, owned by brothers, Paul and Sam Carr, was located at Oak and Millard streets. Earlier publications list it at First Avenue and Millard Street, but that was before Oak Street was renamed from its former Carnegie street designation. 

My grandpa, Earl B. Cox, is shown in the second row in the center (hatless and wearing a suit). Paul Carr is on the front row, fourth from the left. For years, the owners gave their employees a $20 gold piece as a Christmas gift. Another present for men was a necktie. I have one of the latter that is permanently retired and resting comfortably in my closet.

City directories provide a glimpse of the business, which began operation about 1910 as a coal supplier. Three years later, its product line was expanded to include fuel wood, ice and lumber. By 1915, the firm had dropped wood.

Circa 1922, a representative from the Utica Heater Company of New York came to Johnson City at the invitation of the Carr brothers to promote their highly publicized “Super-Smokeless Furnace.” The public was invited to attend a demonstration of it on a W. Market Street vacant lot that was adjacent the old Arcade Building. The space was frequently used during the city’s early years for numerous open air and tent performances. 

According to the agent: “The Utica furnace consumes all gases and volatile matter that would ordinarily escape in the form of smoke by combining them with air heated to about 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit. No smoke comes from the furnace and the available heat emitting from the coal is increased about 60 percent, ensuring absolute cleanliness and a 25-30 percent reduction in coal consumption.”

By 1928, the company had stopped selling ice and was promoting “lumber, building materials and coal.”

A full-page flyer from a 1930 Johnson City Chronicle and Staff-News stated: “Carr Brothers – Home Builders – Wholesale and Retail Dealers in Lumber, Building Material and Coal – Price Quality and Service Have Built the Business into One of the Largest in Its Line in the Entire Appalachian Section of Tennessee and Virginia.”

The workforce that year included Paul Carr  (general manager), Sam Carr (assistant manager), Earl B. Cox (collection, salesman), Ralph B. Carr (salesman), H.G. Taylor (salesman), J.F. Venable (salesman), C.G. Taylor (collection, salesman), Guy S. Carr (real estate, rental), W.P. Crowley (real estate, rental), N.K. Humphrey (shop superintendent), Paul Emmert (bookkeeper), Mrs. R.O. Wilcox (assistant bookkeeper), Mrs. Ana Eakin (stenographer), Miss Edna Gobble (shipping) and Phil Carr (messenger).

A 1941 brochure gave the company’s address as Oak Street at the Southern Railroad tracks, although the actual location was unchanged. The railroad conveniently ran in close proximity to their property, which is likely why they purchased this parcel of land.

In 1948, the management team consisted of Paul Carr (president/treasurer), Sam Carr (vice president/secretary) and Phil Carr (vice president). By then, the business was more descriptive: paint, lumber, roofing, lime, plaster, cement and coal. Several large coal yards and warehouses occupied the property. Also, three next generation of Carr brothers had made their way into the business world occupying executive positions at 7 Up Bottling Company: Guy (president), Ralph (vice president/treasurer) and Phil (secretary, in addition to his Carr Brothers position). 

Around 1963, Carr Brothers closed its doors forever, having completed a 53-year successful downtown run. If anyone can identify the other personnel in my column photo, please send me a note.

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Today’s column contains excerpts from six notes I received from Press readers. If you would like for me to include your comments in a future “Yesteryear Mailbox” article, please forward them to me.

York Trivette: “I’m enclosing a picture of the Spot Steak House (421 E. Main Street, owned by Don and Bill Bradford). It was located about where McDonalds is now situated. I am sure that only a very few of your readers will remember what it was called before it became The Spot. It was known as The Roxy (“The Students Rendezvous Spot”), owned by Carl Woods. This was just prior to World War II. Also, his brother, J.H. Woods, owned the Bypath that was located at 212 N. Roan Street at Millard Street, adjacent to Central Baptist Church. The Bypath later became the property of Dick Cox, who renamed it The Gables.” 

Charlie Mears: “My family stayed at the Rio Motel in 1963 for a few weeks when my father took a new job in Johnson City. Is the building that still exists with various shops in it on N. Roan Street across from the Johnson City Mall where the Rio was located or was that the Greystone Motel?” Yes, Charlie, the motel with the shops was indeed the Rio Motel. The Greystone sat farther south toward town along the same side of the road. Beverly Court was at Sunset Drive and fairly close to the Rio. The Mears family had the distinction on April 20, 1964 of being recognized as newcomers to the area by the Johnson City Press-Chronicle. The publication honored their move from Atlanta, Georgia to the city with a write-up in the paper. 

Rob Bowman: “I was at the Blue Moon Dinner Theater the other night. Do you know anything about the building where they are located? It's at 215 E. Main Street. I think that it used to be the Liberty Theater. There appears to be the projection room visible in the back. From what I could find, the Liberty was at 221 Main Street, then it became the Vogue Dress Shop. The addresses don’t add up. ” Rob, the Liberty Theatre was at 221 E. Main and Wallace Shoes was situated at 215 E. Main. When the Liberty Theatre closed about 1957, it became the New Vogue, owned by Louis Millin, who previously owned the Vogue Dress Shop at 129-31 W. Market Street. He closed one business and opened another with a slightly different name.

David Templeton: I have been searching for a restaurant we once visited somewhere within two or three hours of, or maybe much closer, to Kingsport. My mother had a yen to run a restaurant and heard about one that might be affordable as her starter. We traveled one weekend to see the restaurant and I remember that it had a large coffeepot atop the restaurant, oh, maybe eight feet tall, and a remarkable effigy of a percolator. It would have been probably early 1956. Mom eventually opened a restaurant closer to home on Highway 11-W near Church Hill, Tennessee. The picture of the coffeepot restaurant has stuck in my mind and I have often tried to recollect where it was located. The one I'm trying to find was close to the Tri-Cities area.” Maybe a reader can answer that one.

Carol Wilson: “In your recent article, the Walter Wilson, who was honored by the Kiwanis Club, was my great-grandfather. We believe there is a copy in ETSU’s library or historic archives of the ancestry and descendants of Walter Clement Wilson (1862-1942) and Amanda Melvina Snethen Wilson (1861-1925) written by his granddaughter, Esther Wade Bare. Your article referenced Sophronia as his wife. She was his second wife. Amanda was his first wife and the mother of his children.”

Ben Hall: “The picture of the 1942 “J” Club members in your recent column is a great one. The person third from right, front row (identified as ?3) is me. I lettered in tennis for two years and often played doubles with Roy Holloway. Mr. Johnson, not shown in the picture, was our coach and he would drive us to and from matches in his old green car, which we named ‘the green hornet.’”

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On May 22, 1926, the news came out that the Great Smoky Mountain National Park was rapidly becoming a reality. The project grew from the dream of a few enthusiasts to the actual and determined intention of the majority of the citizens in this section of the country, generating more supporters than any other project ever launched in these parts.

The park would comprise about 300,000 acres of forestland in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountain Range, which extended along the border of North Carolina and Tennessee. It held within its territorial limits the last great eastern frontier, the final blanket of forest, which covered the entire portion of the United States before the coming of the white man to this country.

In the establishment of the new park, the citizens of the two border states, who had been co-operating in the work, desired to preserve for the future this last great stronghold of nature. Although the land would be deeded forever to the care of the United States Government, it would become the property of the people to be utilized as a national playground for future generations. In its establishment, the people jointly invested $2 million, which was matched with additional funds from outside the two states.

Lumber companies held the majority of the specified land as a timber reserve. The main reason for the magnificent stand of forest, which still existed in this section, was the inaccessibility of the entire mountain territory. No railroads crossed this pristine mountain country and vehicular travel was almost nonexistent over the rough mountain trails.

So formidable was the terrain that mapping of the proposed park had to be done from the air. Mosaic photographs of the section revealed parts of the region that showed no signs of human life. The land appeared undisturbed for miles. Indeed, the region was so vast that there were spots in which no humans had likely trodden.

Within the proposed park area, there were seven major unnamed peaks. The numerous mountains received designations only where they had striking characteristics or represented a significant incident from the past.

According to botanists, within the new National Park, there was a variety of flora that was the most remarkable on the continent. Beginning at the base of the mountains, explorers found trees and shrubs that resembled that of northern Georgia, but after climbing further, a startling change was noticed. The southern varieties were suddenly replaced by more northern shrubs until at the very tops of the ridges were found trees that grew nowhere south of Canada. This variety of flora was more remarkable considering the fact that the number of species in one mountain range greatly outnumbered those species found in the entire continent of Europe.

Hidden in the forest fastnesses of the Smokies were deer, elk, bear and other plentiful species of animals, which were rapidly disappearing elsewhere in the United States. The establishment of the new park further preserved species of animals for the enjoyment of future generations. Even in this section of the country there was need for protection as bear and deer were rapidly becoming limited as hunting became more prevalent. The establishment of the park came just in time to save large sections of the primeval forest; a number of lumber companies were preparing to invade this land with the ax.

One of the major assets of the park was a permanent power supply for rivers, which had their headwaters in this territory. This included not only streams of North Carolina but also those that flowed west from this mountain region. The forest blanket of the Smokies began protecting the continual power supply at the great national power project at Muscle Shoals.

The destruction of these forests would have meant massive flooding in the rainy season and insufficient water supply during the time of drought. The forest cover had an impounding action, which contained the moisture falling on the mountains in a bed of spongy leaves that was slowly released into nearby streams. The exposed deforested slopes had a much greater runoff and streams, which had no forests around their headwaters, received devastation from disastrous floods. According to experts, no system of reservoirs could possibly supplant the value of the natural water storage of abundant forest growth.

After Secretary Hubert Work of the Department of the Interior endorsed the National Park project, the establishment of the new fell squarely into the hands of Congress. There was no precedent for the use of the funds of the National Government for the purchase of National Park property.  In the past, this was handled by individual states. It was possible, however, for a group of citizens to present to the Government a recommended park area that would be accepted and administered by the Government for the welfare and recreation of the general public. Such was the case in the Smoky Mountain project.

The great park area was summarily purchased with funds jointly subscribed mainly by Tennessee and North Carolina to that end. It was policed and improved at the expense of the National Government. The improvement included a skyline highway down the great central ridge, following the state line between North Carolina and Tennessee.

Highways made connection with this central road and traversed the park areas from east to west. It was expected that the establishment of the park and that also of the Shenandoah Valley Park would bring to the south an additional large number of visitors who would add to the prosperity and enjoyment of the section. That was certainly the case.

Congress chartered the Smoky Mountain National Park in 1934 and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt officially dedicated it in 1940. The efforts of those persistent farsighted champions of the 1920s resulted in the creation of the magnificent Great Smoky Mountain National Park that people all over the world enjoy today.

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In early December last year, I wrote a column paraphrasing a hodgepodge of news bits taken from a variety of newspapers spanning 1890 to 1928. Today’s column follows that same vein with news from the years 1924 through 1947.

I keep a running log of smaller news items that I plan to run from time to time. I find them interesting and hope you do too.

Sep. 1924: Forest rangers battled to save the town of Erwin from destruction by forest fires, which had been raging on Unaka Mountain for several days. At the same time, residents and numerous vacationers fought a series of new fires that were threatening the popular Unaka Springs Hotel and the village of Marbleton.

Feb. 1938: A bus-automobile trailer collision took the lives of two members, Roy Roberts and James Grissom, of the undefeated Carson-Newman College basketball team. More than 20 other students were in the bus en route to Johnson City, but fortunately escaped injury.

Jul. 1940: For the first time in East Tennessee, a presentation billed as “Opera Under the Stars” presented “Carmen” at Roosevelt Stadium in Johnson City. The production was conducted by A.F. Thaviu and featured such famous stars as Mario Selveira, who played the part of Escamillo; Harriet Bruer as Carmen; and Henry Thompson as Don Jose. It was described as “enjoyable entertainment and excellent music to the people of this region.” Tickets were secured in Johnson City from members of the Wednesday Morning Music Club and at Snyder-Jones Pharmacy. They were also available in Elizabethton, Erwin, Greeneville, Bristol and Kingsport. The opera came to Johnson City under the auspices of the Wednesday Morning Music Club and the Johnson City Press-Chronicle.

Jul. 1940: The Civitan Club placed automobile tags on sale bearing the appropriate slogan, “Johnson City – Where History and Scenery Meet.” The plates served several purposes by promoting tourism, trade and industry for the city; generating revenue for playgrounds in needed areas; and accumulating funds for a Boy Scout troop for underprivileged youths. The tags displayed black lettering on orange background. 

Jul. 1940: The Johnson City-Press Chronicle once had a Sunday feature called, “The Public Library” that provided a review of three current books on its shelves. On this day, the offerings were Charles’ Gift by Hubert Footner (story of a 1650 dwelling on Chesapeake Bay), “The Last Tragedian by Otis Skinner (early days of the American theatre) and The Making of a Minister’s Wife” by Anna Johnson (living a challenging lifestyle).

Feb. 1947: New York Congressman Irving Ives came to Johnson City to address the East Tennessee Lincoln Day dinner. The republican’s views mirror the debate in Washington today: “Congress must bring our national budget actually and definitely into balance to save the nation from economic disaster. Non-essential governmental spending should be cut to the bone and only that which can be fully justified should be allowed. Then by all means, we should adopt a tax reduction. Tax reduction must of necessity come last to bring our economy into proper adjustment.”

Feb. 1947: While Johnson Citians were basking in the warmth of an unusually mild winter, two local boys were enduring the bitter cold as part of Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd’s noted Antarctic expedition. Frank Roupas (19-year-old former graduate of Science Hill High School) and Jack Shipley (17-year-old attendee of ETSC Training School) were serving in the Navy on the carrier ship “Philippine Sea” as part of “Operation Highjump.”

If you have any news tidbits from yesteryear to share, I would love to receive them for future articles.

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Lewis Brown, an occasional contributor to my column, asked me if I was familiar with a former Johnson City business known as the Spudnut Shop. 

“Many years ago when I joined the Optimist club,” said Lewis, “John Roach (former parts manager for Tennessee Motor Company, 401 W. Market Street) told me about a donut shop in the downtown area that opened sometime after WWII and made donuts from potato flour. Apparently, it was inexpensive and made good donuts.”

I do not recall that eatery. According to my research, the product was the brainchild of Al and Bob Pelton, brothers from Salt Lake City, who had eaten some potato-based doughnuts while visiting Germany from a folk recipe that traces its beginnings back to that country. The boys, impressed with the taste of it, experimented with potatoes, wheat dough and other ingredients before deciding on a secret dry potato mix formulation. Thus began a business in 1940, which they cleverly named Spudnuts. 

In 1946, the entrepreneurs established a nationwide chain of franchised Spudnut Shops; two years later, they totaled over 200 stores across the country. The tasty delicacy was widely advertised, using as its slogan “Coast to Coast, Alaska to Mexico.” Soon Mr. Spudnut, a doughnut cartoon character, began appearing in advertisements. Within six years, there were over 300 shops operating in 38 states. By 1964, the company was distributing about 400,000 Spudnuts per day.

One tantalizing ad from 1952 promoted other Spudnut products: “Buttons and Bows (luscious pastry, succulent taste and appetite surprise, topped with fresh coconut and maraschino cherry, five cents), Spudnut Persians (a crispy melt-in-your mouth goodness, tangy cinnamon layers, smooth, five cents), Spudnut Bismarks (tender crisp crust with tangy fresh-flavored filling, wonderful for lunches, five cents), Spud-Overs (a light flaky crust surrounding a generous portion of Spud Apples, blended with an exciting selection of rare spices, two for five cents).”

An advertisement from 1956 described the product as “a special blend of finest wheat flour, powdered whole eggs, specially prepared potatoes, milk solids and other vital ingredients, all mixed and blended perfectly to the secret Pelton formula. Spudnuts are 'raised' in a proof box, just like all finest pastries. Then they are cooked at an exact high temperature in highest-quality shortenings, causing them to be greaseless. Finally, they are glazed, sugarcoated or chocolate iced.” 

A newspaper in 1960 referred to Spudnuts as “a delicious doughnut-like pastry made from light fluffy potato flour, cooked in pure vegetable shortening, making them easy to digest. Is there just one kind of Spudnut? No. There are at least 30 varieties including chocolate, maple, glazed, nut, coconut, jelly, lemon, cream, twists, honey, apple, spice and others.” A 1962 flyer urges the consumer to come by for some freshly ground coffee and 45 varieties of Spudnuts.

When the Pelton brothers retired in 1968 and sold their business to National Oven Products, Inc., annual sales were $2 million. By the 1980s, the parent company had closed, leaving their franchisees unsupported. Today, the only remnants of the once flourishing sugary business are a handful of stores still marketing the yummy product. One has to wonder if the independent stores use their own formula or have the “secret” one developed by the Pelton brothers.

I can’t believe I missed out on Spudnuts since I love doughnuts, but possibly I was away at college during this time. If anyone can recall eating at the Johnson City shop or perhaps at another one in the area, please identify its location and tell me what you thought of the potato-based product.

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