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March 15, 1934 marked a special event for the Kings Mountain Post of the American Legion; it celebrated 15 years of service. Congress chartered the association in 1919 as a patriotic, mutual-help, and wartime veterans’ organization. While my source did not reveal the location of the Legion in that year, it later resided at 503 E. Main Street adjacent to the Central Fire Station.

The first order of business at the anniversary commemoration was a review of its history by the membership. More than 200 members, visitors and honored guests were on hand for what was described as a “bean feed” coupled with an elaborate program, an initiation ceremony for six new members and a gala party.

Past commanders, who were introduced in the sequential order of their terms, spoke briefly concerning their experience as heads of the local Legion and further elaborated on progress made since its early beginning. Mrs. Cleve B. Coe presented the American Legion Auxiliary officials who reviewed the work of both the Legion and the Auxiliary.

A huge birthday cake, appropriately topped with 15 candles occupied the center of the stage. Each commander lighted a designated candle before addressing the large audience and introducing guests.

Dr. H.M. Cass, chapter member and leader during the first year of the organization, lighted the first candle. Other unit heads in order of their service were scheduled to speak, although not all were able to attend: Lee B. Harr, twice commander, (1920-1921), R.F. Farrell (1922, absent), Adam Bowman (1923), Belmont Collette (1924 and 1928), Sam H. Colie (1925, absent), Harry Smith, 1926), Joe Summers (1927), W. Lewis Smith (1929), W.T. Watkins (1930), C.B. Coe (1931, absent), C.C. Rice (1932, absent) and Fred M. Lewis (1933).

Members of the Auxiliary lighted candles for the absent former commanders and presented them to the audience. When Frank Gaut, the 1934 commander, was introduced, he lighted a “half candle” commenting that the present Legion year only deserved one that size.

The commanders said they were highly pleased with the Legion’s accomplishments. The subject of relief to families of needy ex-service men and the bonus became the principal topic for their brief discussion.

Mr. C.B. Coe introduced the past commanders of the Auxiliary as follows: Mrs. Mary Lyle, Miss Ethel Barton, Mrs. Louise St. John Taylor, Mrs. Ray Greenway; Mrs. George Hyder, Mrs. Hubert Johnson, Mrs. (?) Scott, Mrs. John Herrin. State officers – Mrs. H.L. Moore, Miss Belle Miller and Miss Louise Summers – were also introduced.

Following an appeal by Miss Edith Barton, it was unanimously decided by Legion and Auxillary members present to start operation of the Crippled Children’s Survey in Johnson City immediately.

Next came an impressive initiation ceremony for six new members. Following this was a program of addresses, both formal and impromptu. Commander Galt, who presided throughout the meeting, outlined a plan designed to increase club membership by reviewing the various impressive objectives of the organization.

Next on the agenda was the main event, a party that took weeks of planning and preparation.  Many were present from out of town posts as well as the Lester Harris Post of Mountain Home. Several past commanders were unable to be present but sent their congratulations.

The cake “cutting” was a surprising finale to the gathering. A $15 prize was offered to the past commander who could cut a piece of the mammoth pastry. No one won the money because the cake was actually fabricated of tin boxes that were revealed when the icing was penetrated.  

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Paul Gill, a frequent responder to my history articles, has conducted a tremendous amount of research on several local families that include Weaver, Sherfey and Feathers. He put me in contact with Sandy Mills for a column about her grandfather, Arlie Anderson Weaver.

Sandy and her siblings, Jeanne and Marta, fondly remember Arlie as a gentle, soft-spoken man who never raised his voice. He was born in 1887 in Bristol, Tennessee and died in 1961. He married Ira Beatrice Crumley with whom he raised four children, three girls and a boy.

Soon after the death of Arlie’s father, Jacob Emanuel Weaver, in 1919, the couple acquired the old Frederick Weaver home where Arlie was born. The house, reportedly built around 1770 by the Beeler family, resided in the Weaver clan for 162 years until it was sold in 1982 shortly after the passing of Ira.

The stately old home still stands but has been renovated over the years. It was located on Weaver Pike across from Weaver School, Weaver Church and Rader Store, which was once owned by Arlie’s father. Sandy attended the school until the mid-8th grade.

Ms. Mills obviously possessed a passion for the old home place as evidenced by her detailed description of its exterior and interior features. It had a huge chimney and fireplace made of stone. The front steps were very wide and also constructed of stone. A swing hung on the front porch.

Sandy meticulously described the interior of the house with its beautiful fixtures and spacious rooms: “Inside was a large living room with a standing radio, a short-wave radio and a piano. The latter had a seat cover that slipped when I sat down on it. On a large wooden desk sat a very old typewriter with glass keys on it. A bedroom was located to the left, though I suspect it was once a parlor or perhaps a second living room. The telephone was in this room. My grandfather kept frequently used phone numbers written on the wallpaper beside the telephone. He had no need for a Rolodex.”

Sandy recalled that the dining room was back of the living room: “My grandmother served Sunday dinner there on pink depression glass dishes. In the corner was a curved glass cabinet, which held special pieces and a set of dishes that Glenn Weaver, my uncle, brought back from the Korean War. 

“Next was the kitchen with a cabinet, which had a flour mill inside one door. A built-in cupboard occupied the back corner and a table was in the middle. On it was always pear butter or similar food item in a covered dish. My grandfather ate there, at least when I was present. There was a closed-in back porch beyond the kitchen. This is where he always marked our height on the doorframe, labeling the name of the child and the date. Thus, he could show us how much we grew from visit to visit.”

The granddaughter said that access to the upstairs was achieved using a stairwell that was opened from the downstairs bedroom. Climbing the steps revealed three bedrooms. The one her grandfather slept in had a feather bed that was never made. He logically reasoned that it was foolish to make the bed and then mess it up again at bedtime. Each bed upstairs had a light hanging on the headboard and the closet areas were curtained. Sandy recalled that her grandfather’s Mason sword always hung on one bedroom wall.

Sandy concluded her note: “There was a cellar accessible from outside, which held canned foods that were ‘put up’ during the summer months to be enjoyed until the next season. My grandparents ran a dairy farm. The barn was down a little way from the house with a large spring in between. My cousin and I played in the barn frequently in the summer.”   

Paul Gill sent me a photo dated May 1904 of the Tip Top Restaurant that once operated in Johnson City. He believes it was near Fountain Square. Visibly noted are unpaved streets and wooden sidewalks. Paul said the man in the apron is his cousin and storeowner, George R. Brown. Standing beside him on the right is his wife. Their son, Melvin, and daughter, Phoebe, are in front of them. Several advertisements can be read: G.R. Brown, Tip Top Restaurant, Ice Cream, Lodging 25 Cents and Fresh Oysters. Paul said that when autos became plentiful, George opened a service station in town. He would like to know if anyone could provide additional facts to share. An old City Directory identifies George’s wife’s name as Sallie and their residence on Boone Street at W. Watauga Avenue.  

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Old timers will fondly recall the popular 11-piece Marion Mercer Band that featured the bandleader’s equally talented sister Nelle on piano. Debuting in the 1930s, this musical ensemble was the only major one in these parts until its success later spawned other groups. Marion Mercer could play a variety of instruments: trombone, vibraphone, violin, accordion, piano, organ and chimes.

Top: Marion Mercer Band, Bottom: Nelle Mercer Band, Gene Young on Drums

In 1980, the late Press writer Dorothy Hamill interviewed Nelle. The bandleader showed the reporter a photo of her brother’s early band and identified band members. Duke Barron played saxophone and clarinet. Doc Welch, Tony Farris and Edwin Bowman played saxophone. Trumpeters included Dan Zoerb and Bill “Rocky” Stone. Park Johnson was on bass fiddle and Junior Campbell pounded the drums.

Because musicians had regular jobs then, they worked weekdays and performed on weekends. They were in heavy demand throughout East Tennessee and usually stayed booked most of the time. Aside from vocalist Frieda Ricker Rose, Nelle was the only female performer in the band. The gifted lady, who in private life was Mrs. Earl Dotson, could assume Marion’s bandleader responsibilities during his absence at a moment’s notice. Ms. Rose later became a receptionist for the Johnson City Press-Chronicle.

The three Mercer siblings, Marion, Nelle and Beulah, grew up in a musical family. When Nelle was about three years old, she stood on her tiptoes in order to reach the piano keys and plunk out tunes. At age 12, the youngster played piano for Unaka Avenue Baptist Church. Later, her mother would hold her on her lap and let her play.

When World War II broke out, Marion took a military hiatus and began serving his country as a member of the U.S. Army Special Services. Before departing, he turned over the reins of his band to Nelle. The new leader’s first order of business was to compose a theme song, “Study In Rhythm.” Doc Welsh served as arranger for every new piece that the group played. Nelle’s genre was primarily easy listening big band music – soft and sweet in the fullness and richness style of the Glenn Miller Band. Those were the days of the fox trot, Big Apple, waltz and jitterbug.

Jean Bowman Moore, who lived a block away on E. Myrtle Avenue, recalled going to Nelle’s residence at 515 E. Fairview when the bandleader and her band would practice their music on the porch and draw a sizable crowd of spectators on the steps, sidewalk and street below. Jean recalled that those were fun times.

During the war years, Nelle and her band purchased a bus and began traveling to distant gigs in Ohio, Michigan, Louisiana, Kentucky and West Virginia. About this same time, she saw the need for and hired a booking agent.

When the war ended, Nelle and Marion did not reunite, but instead led separate bands. By then, added competition came from others such as Vernon Weaver and Rocky Stone who formed their groups.

Patrons once asked Nelle to organize an all-girl band, but she could not locate enough qualified, available musicians to meet their request. The bandleader’s witty solution was to begin introducing her male band members with ladies names: Mabel (Doc Welsh), Agnes (Park Johnson) and Nanny (Marion Mercer, when he played with them). Not to miss out on the fun, Nelle acquired the name Butch.

Over time, other female vocalists performed with Nelle’s band, such as Lucille Young, Georgia Horne, Margaret Harrison, Ginger Dennis, Betsy Ross and Pat Archer.

In 1947, Nelle and Earl bought the Country Kitchen in 1947. It was located near the old structural steel bridge over the Watuaga River in the Austin Springs community.

In 1956, Marion moved to Crystal Springs, Florida where he remained active in the music entertainment business by forming a new band, which he called the Marion Mercer Trio. He was active there for many years playing at local venues.

The musician opened the first Radio Shack in that area and became the owner of Mercer Music Store in three nearby cities. Many people knew him through his music at the Port Paradise, Plantation Club, Yardarm, Holiday Inn, Citrus Hills and Seven Rivers Golf and Country Club. He passed away in March 2000. 

Nelle’s group later became known as the Nelle Mercer Tenor Band, consisting of tenor saxophones, trumpets and drums. Band personnel were Robert Moore, Tony Farris, Gene Proffitt, Charlie Showalter, Gene Young (drums), Rex S. Rowe, Daley Fine, Clay Slagle, Joe Morrell, Al Bryan, Mac Blackwell, Joe Henley (trumpet) and 13-year old singer Pat Holden.

The Country Kitchen was apparently a successful business enterprise for the Dotsons because they operated it for 21 years until they closed it in 1968. The building stood vacant for many years as a drive by tribute to its big-band heyday era before it became dilapidated and was finally razed.

Although Nelle quit playing professionally, she never abandoned the music she loved. At her home on Austin Springs Road, she owned two organs and a piano and played them with gusto. Since she and Beulah composed numerous songs during their lives – gospel, sentimental and ballads – they ushered in their senior years by getting together frequently and harmonizing their tunes.

Although the three Mercer performers have long passed from the scene, their popular music added rays of sunshine to people’s lives, making them smile at a time when the world’s war situation greatly saddened them. 

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I love to read old newspapers because I never know what I might come across. Such was the case when I examined an article in an April 1931 Johnson City Staff-News titled “Major Lyle Is Chief Speaker for Kiwanis – Old Resident Describes Development of City from Days of Long Ago.”

Major Cy H. Lyle, former editor of the city’s first daily newspaper, The Comet, offered interesting tidbits to the club of the development of Johnson City from a diminutive village of less than 400 people to a thriving town of almost 30,000. The occasion was the Kiwanis Club’s regular luncheon meeting Wednesday noon at the John Sevier Hotel.

Fortunately for club members, he offered very specific information about the city’s growth from 1887 until 1931. However, regrettably for newspaper readers, the account provided a dearth of specific information about the history he was so fluently discussing.

The noted newspaperman supplied details of the city’s gradual growth from the days when the town consisted of the Hoss House, a single water tank (used for trains at Johnson’s Depot), a water ram (hydraulic pump that operates without electricity) and a few scattered houses. Lyle further related numerous anecdotes involving some of the early citizens. Again, the newspaper writer saw fit not to mention their names or what they said. Cy proceeded to describe the struggles of producing a daily paper.

Major Lyle depicted the various residences and business buildings that sprang up as Johnson City grew, relating specifically where each one had stood. The newspaper indicated that older members of the club enjoyed his address because they remembered the things he said. Younger members were also interested because they had heard about them from hearsay.

Lyle recalled the days when Bob Taylor, Augustus Herman Pettibone (member of the United States House of Representatives for the 1st congressional district of Tennessee) and others engaged in heated political battles.

 “I quote these facts from memory,” said Lyle, “but there is none here who can dispute them. I can remember Johnson City from 1878, when I went to work for the Jonesboro Times. I moved to Johnson City in 1881 and lived here much of the time since.”

After Lyle concluded his speech, Mayor W.B. Ellison, who was in charge of program entertainment, introduced some pupils from West Side School The young artists gave a varied program, including a piano and xylophone number, the chorus from a song titled “The Levve,” a reading called “Moonlight on the Colorado” and a song by a quartet of harmonica players.

F. Stewart Crosley, newly elected governor of the Kentucky-Tennessee district, was introduced by president and businessman F.B. Hannah and, in a brief response to a standing tribute by the club, expressed his intention of carrying out the agenda launched by the late Dr. E.B. Bowery, whom he succeed in office.

Afterward, the president handled several items of business. One was an invitation from the Miami Kiwanis Club for the Johnson City members to attend the international meeting in that city sometime in May. District trustees Charles Edwards of Kingsport, L.M. Allred of Erwin and Walter Hunter of Kingsport were present to name a successor to the post of lieutenant governor. It was announced that W.T. Watkins won the award for having the greenest necktie at the previous gathering.

The meeting concluded on a humorous note. Ralph Carr was introduced as the club’s “Baby Kiwanian.” 

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In 1954-55, Miss Sophia Boring was my sixth grade teacher at Henry Johnson School on W. Market Street across from Kiwanis Park. This pretty lady had taught there since 1936, after previously being employed at Columbus Powell School.

Our room was on the second floor in the southwest corner of the school overlooking the playground, Miller and Keezel Garage and the Pepsi Cola Plant. One of the first lessons our teacher taught us was to never call her by her first name. One student deviously tested her sincerity and reaped the consequences.

Subjects that year included reading, writing, spelling, English, geography, history, arithmetic, health, physical education, art, music and duty. Miss Gordon Grubbs, the other sixth grade teacher, taught us geography. John Manning, the city’s elementary school physical education director, visited the school on Fridays to work with the boys.

Sophia (oops, Miss Boring) possessed a special talent for reading stories to her students. She was anything but boring. She read and even performed portions of Homer's “Iliad” and “Odyssey” for the class. She was not opposed to standing on her desk for added dramatization. I can still picture in my mind the massive Trojan horse that she word painted for us. She received her training from Science Hill High School’s Dramatic Club in 1927. She also wrote a school play each year, but that is another story.

Weekly Readers were distributed to students at no charge. They were popular juvenile newspapers that contained stories as well as national news, written in a style fitting for six graders. Once a month, a “Classic's Illustrated” comic books was also handed out to students who could afford the 15 cent charge. 

In those days, we did not have ballpoint pens. Instead, we used fountain pens that had to be filled with ink. Miss Boring had a cabinet along the back of the room with one shelf dedicated for students’ inkbottles. We identified our bottle by scratching our last name on the cap. To fill a pen, you placed the tip of it into the ink and simultaneously pulled a small lever on the side. This created a vacuum, causing ink to flow into the chamber. We filled our pens each morning before class, which usually lasted us all day.

Our classroom had slate blackboards along the north and east sides. Within a few years, green boards began replacing black ones, but the newer ones did not seem natural to us. We still referred to them as blackboards.

Assigned daily duties, which were graded, included carrying out trash, dusting erasers, sweeping the floor and washing blackboards. A fundamental rule was to erase the boards thoroughly before washing them to prevent streaking. We took the erasers to a designated outside door on the west side of the school for cleaning, which consisted of beating two of them together. We were strictly forbidden to strike an eraser against the steps or side of the building. About half way into the year, the school purchased an electric eraser, which was actually a small vacuum cleaner. It was kept in the back of the cafeteria for all classes to use. It was especially loud. 

After I graduated from the sixth grade, I did not see Miss Boring again until 1967 when I learned that she lived on Highland Avenue. I just had to see her. I shared several memories with her from that era, but sadly she was unable to recall any of them. When I bragged on her wonderful teaching skills and story telling ability, she seemed pleased. I concluded the visit and departed happy that I had seen my former teacher. She passed away shortly thereafter. She stands tall as one of my better schoolteachers.

Miss Boring (upper left inset) probably took the column photo showing her 32 students posing on the upper set of front steps of the school. The photo was her 1927 Sciience Hill High School graduation picture.

Classmates that I can identify are (left to right):

Front: 1. Carolyn Patrick, 2. Joan Curtis, 3. Tonda Nave, 4. Jean Senter, 5. ?, 6. Janice Blevins, 7. Dorothy Greene, 8. Robert Cox, 9. Charles Willingham, 10. Frankie Lewis.

Middle: 11. ?, 12. Brenda Lady, 13. ?, 14. ?, 15. Janie Buchanan, 16. ?, 17. Nanci Biddix, 18. ?, 19. ?, 20. Allen Davis, 21. Jimmy Laughren, 22. Bill Durham.

Back: 23. Johnny McKenzie, 24. Ralph Miller, 25. Wyndham Frye, 26. Edward Johnson, 27. Harold Tyree, 28. Leonard Smith, 29. Stanley Bishop, 30. Kyle Bulla, 31. Larry Hodges and 32. Eddie McKinney.

If anyone can supply the missing names, drop me a note for inclusion on the History/Heritage page.  

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In its heyday, Johnson City’s Southern Railway Depot was a scene of constant activity as travelers embarked and disembarked passenger trains.

Today’s column deals with a young lady, whom I will identify as Jane Doe. It is early summer of 1938 and she is anxiously waiting for the big locomotive to arrive to take her on an extended journey away from the city. Since she has never been on an overnight train trip before, she is understandably apprehensive.

It is imperative that she follows a few common sense rules of train etiquette while on board. First, she needs to dress fittingly for the long ride. Summer wear calls for her to adorn a silk or non-crushable linen suit and a lightweight woolen coat. Her hat should be small yet comfortably stay on her head. She needs to wear sturdy comfortable leather shoes. Her luggage should be sturdy enough so as not to come apart at some point during the lengthy jostling ride.

If at any time she needs a question answered, either at the station or on the train, she should consult a railroad employee not a fellow passenger, lest she be offered erroneous advice. Most trains have signs posted advising people not to play cards with strangers. That is not to say she should not participate in a friendly game of bridge or similar pastime, providing no wagers are involved.

When Jane enters the dining car, the steward will escort her to a table and offer her a menu card. Afterward, a waiter will take her order and deliver her food. After she finishes the meal, he will bring her check on a tray. She should place her money on it and wait until he returns with her change. If her bill is under a dollar, the appropriate tip is ten cents. If the meal totals more than a dollar, the suggested amount is 10 to 15 percent of the bill.

Pullman cars can present a formidable and awkward challenge to travelers. Jane can choose a lower berth or an upper one. Since she is young, she picks a higher one, which is slightly cheaper and often more comfortable, although more difficult to get in and out of. A small, agile person can fully dress in his or her berth, but others may find it difficult. Miss Doe should bring along a dark robe or appropriate gown to wear when going from her berth to the nearby dressing room. She needs a small bag containing brushes, combs, cosmetics and other toiletry items for use in the washroom.

Some folks prefer to dress entirely in the dressing room, which requires getting up early ahead of the morning rush. Passengers who chose lower berths are entitled to sit in the seat that faces forward. If the young traveler wants to retire early, she can request the porter to have her berth made ready. The lower occupant must move to an unoccupied nearby seat or go in the club car until this task is completed. When ready to turn in, she again notifies the porter to bring a ladder. In the morning, she uses a bell to signal the porter that she needs the steps again.

Another courteous suggestion is to ask for additional blankets before retiring. Train blankets are heavy but often provide little warmth. Ringing for a porter in the middle of the night is inconsiderate because it awakens other passengers plus the porter may not be available or on break. If Miss Doe wants her shoes shined, she places them on the floor under the lower berth. Payment for the shine can be included with the tip upon leaving the train.

Before Miss Doe reaches her final destination, her porter will brush her clothing, wipe off her shoes and carry her bags for her. This is the appropriate time to tip him. The amount should be 25 to 50 cents for each special service rendered such as a shoeshine or providing a card table. Bon voyage, young lady, we hope to see you back in Johnson City soon. 

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Tommy Church, a Johnson City resident, recalled when Homer Harris, a local cowboy star, performed at his school:

“From 1971 until 1975, I attended kindergarten through the second grade at King Springs School. I remember when he and his trick horse, Stardust, came to our school and put on a program. I later attended Happy Valley Elementary School and he also visited there but with a horse that he called Stardust, Jr. Do you know anything about this man?”

Many East Tennessee residents who lived in the area from mid-1940 through the 1970s will likely recall Homer Harris and Stardust. He became known as the “Seven-Foot Smiling Cowboy,” but admitted that the figure also included his hat and boots. He became an instant hit with the area’s youthful “buckaroos and buckarettes.”

Harris was born on May 18, 1909 in Hartford, Tennessee in Cocke County. He acquired his first guitar while still a young boy and learned to sing by listening to old breakable 78-rpm phonograph records by country and western legends such as Mother Maybelle Carter.

In 1937, Homer acquired a job singing and playing his Martin guitar over WBIX in Muskogee, Oklahoma. While there, he won first prize in a radio contest singing, “Little Brown Jug.” A year later, the emerging songster moved to California where he displayed his talent in numerous venues. He was even hired to entertain Shirley Temple at her sixth birthday in Palm Springs.

Harris accepted a job at Monogram Studios in Hollywood doing supporting roles for western movies, but his employment was short-lived; he received his draft notice. While serving in the Army from 1942 to 1945, he participated in numerous GI shows. In 1943, the crooner made a guest shot singing “Little Brown Jug” in the British documentary film, “Welcome To Britain,” starring Bob Hope and Burgess Meredith. In April 1947, he recorded the song for Nation Record Company in New York, but apparently it was never released.

After his discharge from service, Harris used his separation pay to buy a Palomino horse that reportedly was named Prima. It would be the first of several steeds that he would own during his colorful career. He conceived the idea of writing a song that he titled, “I'm Riding My Horse on the Radio.” It became such a hit with youngsters that Homer decided to include his horse in his performances.

Soon after the war, Homer relocated to East Tennessee where he joined Knoxville’s “Mid-Day Merry-Go-Round” over WNOX. The program was comprised of Lowell Blanchard (program director, emcee); Archie “Grandpappy” Campbell (comedian, tenor, Hee Haw fame), Bill and Cliff Carlistle, Burke Barber, Molly O’Day and Homer Harris. In 1949, Homer began appearing on Cas Walker’s radio show over WROL and later WIVK. The savvy entrepreneur and philanthropist learned the financial benefits derived from using radio and later television to sponsor singers and musicians of old-time music to promote his chain of rustic supermarkets.

A photo from 1949 shows Harris sitting on his horse Dolly beside Cas inside one of his country stores. About this time, Homer purchased a 3-year-old trick horse named Stardust from Walker that added a new dimension to his act. The educated horse eventually learned to count by striking his foot on the ground and to strum Homer’s guitar using his nose. The popular cowboy began appearing on radio with three shows a day over Knoxville’s WROL (later renamed WATE). Soon after, a noon hour show was added for WIVK.

On July 16, 1950, Homer and Stardust participated in a remote broadcast sponsored by WIVK. Two 90-minute shows were presented at the Atomic Caverns (now Cherokee Caverns) located on the Oak Ridge Highway. The first show was aired from inside the caverns. At the conclusion, Stardust amazingly climbed 69 steps from 200 feet inside the caverns to the Crystal Ballroom at ground level. The second program followed outside at the caverns’ entrance. Admission for each was 75 cents for adults and 35 cents for children. Other entertainers included Hargis Kelly (trick fiddle), Simon Kelly (guitar), Pee Wee Whaley (mandolin), Puddin’ Head Joe (comedian) and the Kelly Brothers Quartet.

Subsequently, Homer and Stardust joined Bonnie Lou and Buster on WCYB radio. When WJHL television came on the air in 1953, the four of them moved to the new station where they performed with Lloyd Bell for a three-days-a-week program. Other musicians who performed with the group were Guy “Pepe” Pealer (steel guitar), Chuck Henderson (aka the Carolina Indian, guitar, banjo) and Bennie Sims (fiddler). Later, it became a daily morning show.

Homer eventually left WJHL and began touring the south with his guitar and famed trick horse. However in due time, he migrated back to Knoxville and joined Cas Walker again, this time appearing on the grocer’s music shows over WATE and WBIR television.

During the 1960s, the cowboy and his horse were busy appearing at area grammar schools and theatres. A July 3, 1969 theatre flyer promotes a 1965 movie and a western stage show with several music stars: “Showing on Screen- 'Buffalo Bill' – Ridin', Shootin', Singing TV Stars Coming In Person – Homer Harris, 7-Foot Cowboy; Carl Story, RCA Recording Star; Trick Horse, Stardust, A Real Live Oklahoma Educated Horse; Recording Stars: The Saddle Pals, Lloyd Bell and Bobby Thompson; and Ray Myers, The Armless Musician Who Leads a Normal Life.” The ad contained a photo of Homer and Stardust doing the “camel stretch.”

When Stardust passed away in 1973 at age 29, Homer had three-year-old Stardust, Jr. trained and ready to fill his hoofs. By 1978, Homer was forced to retire due to health reasons. Even then, the aging cowpoke occasionally performed at John Rice Irwin’s Museum of Appalachia near Norris, Tennessee and at local senior citizen centers and charity shows.

The end of the winding dusty trail for the towering “Seven-Foot Smiling Cowboy” came on September 7, 1998, concluding an entertainment career that is still fondly recalled by Tommy Church and many other area residents.  

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In 1943, there arose a need for increased production of quality gloves brought about by the war effort and increasing civilian demands.

Tom Lee, in his excellent book, The Tennessee-Virginia Tri-Cities (U.T. Press, 2005) noted that during World War II  “while wartime demand increased manufacturing activity across the Tri-Cities area, the distribution of major new employers during the war reflected a growing disparity among the urban centers that made up the Tri-Cities. Elizabethton continued to rely on the rayon industry. Johnson City recruited only one new firm, the Artcraft Glove Company of Tennessee.”

The big news came from Mr. Patrick Crocetta, president of the Artcraft Glove Company of New York with several factories in operation there. He announced that his company was expanding operations to Johnson City. The plant became a reality for our city after five years of negotiations between Artcraft officials and the local Chamber of Commerce headed by Norris Langford, manager of the J.C. Penney store.

Artcraft chose to remodel an existing building, the vacant Columbus Powell School at 901 S. Roan, for its facility rather than construct a new one. Remodeling efforts went into high gear on September 15 that year with ambitious plans to have it operational by early November. Machinery units soon arrived at the new business. Training of production line workers was assigned to Mr. William Warren “Doc” Simmons of the Johnson City Vocational School. The United States Employment Service hired personnel from the area’s local labor pool, excluding foremen positions.

According to estimates, between 165 and 290 people worked in the factory with 80% of them being women since a goodly number of men were serving their country. My cousin, Mrs. Jean Bowman Moore, who lived on Myrtle Avenue at the time was one of them.

The plant started up as planned and capacity soon rose to between 3,000 and 4,000 pairs of gloves a day. Nearly all of them went into the various branches of the military – a wool-lined leather glove for the Navy, a wool glove with a leather palm for the Army and Marines and a leather mitten, as seen in “Memphis Belle,” for the Air Force. The latter was a 1943 documentary film directed by William Wyler that told about the 25th and last mission of an American B-17 bomber, which was based in England during World War II.

Surprisingly, Artcraft made no work gloves, choosing instead to produce multi-purpose ones for both military and civilian needs using a wide variety of material available for glove construction. Retail cost for the gloves ranged from $2 to $3.

One stipulation of the effort was that the plant would be utilized for government contracts if available. Mr. Crocetta emphasized that the plant was not considered to be temporary with full expectations that production would continue long after the war. Indeed, it did.

The glove factory operated two shifts a day, six days a week. Paul Sechrest was chosen plant manager. His daughter, Mrs. Charles E. Allen, remembers that every day from 6 p.m. to midnight, she was with her father, mother and sister laboriously packing the day’s production output into boxes for shipment to military units around the world.

According to historian Ray Stahl, the plant was one of the first new industries to come to Johnson City after the Depression of the 1930s. It stayed around for 30 years, ceasing operations in 1973.  It served our country well. 

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My fascination for stories about Daniel Boone and his famous trek through East Tennessee in 1760 have me constantly searching for new information about him. Recently, I found something in a 1918 “Wisconsin Magazine of History” that merits sharing with Press readers.

  

Mr. C. A. Rafter once donated a most interesting firearm, a flintlock Kentucky rifle of the kind used by hardy pioneers of the 18thcentury, to Wisconsin’s State Historical Museum.  

According to historian Emory Hamilton, Long Hunters (aka Longhunters) were brave explorers and huntsman peculiar to Southwest Virginia. Most hunts originated on the Holston River in the vicinity of present day Chilhowie, but were comprised of hunters who lived on both the Clinch and Holston rivers.

These courageous souls were native landowners and residents who settled along the banks of the two rivers. Later when pioneer settlers moved toward the extreme frontier, Long Hunters had long since preceded them. They endured rigorous winters in rudimentary shelters with the ever-present dangers of Indians, sickness, hardships, exposure to the elements and accidents. Over time, the term became loosely used to describe any American explorer from that period.

The interesting fact about this firearm is the inscription carved on the stock, “Boons True Fren” (Boone’s True Friend). In another location on the weapon are the letters “D.B.” The stock contained a row of five grim notches, each representing the sending of a redskin to the “happy hunting grounds.” What little is known of the rifle came from a letter written by Mr. Rafter:

“Dr. Norcop or Count DuBois, as he used to be called, came to the mountains of Northeast Georgia years ago and built a rustic castle in which he lived very much by himself and collected relics. He was well educated, much traveled and altogether a very interesting character. The Boone rifle hung over his fireplace. It was my pleasure to call upon him whenever in his vicinity and upon one of these visits, I asked him to will the old rifle to me when he was through with it.

“Shortly after this, he brought it to me. He claimed that he purchased it from a Tennessee mountaineer about 40 years ago and that the marks now on it were then on it. The doctor is getting old now and I had a letter from him the other day in which he said, ‘My health if failing fast and I am about to take my great adventure.’ I expect to hear any day of his death.”

Within a few days after writing the letter, Mr. Rafter suddenly and unexpectedly perished in a fire, thus preceding his aged friend in embarking on the “great adventure.”

Additional details on the old gun were afforded by a letter written to the Society by the superintendent of schools of Johnson City, Tennessee. No name was provided. “It was within a few miles of Johnson City,” he writes, “that Daniel Boone killed a bear in the year 1760. The tree stood till two years ago. Older people recall the distinct words: ‘D. Boon cillED a Bar on tree in year 1760.’ A marker has been placed there. It is quite evident that it was the same rifle that you have that Daniel Boone used in killing the bear and we would like very much to have a good distinct picture of the gun showing the words and notches supposed to represent number of Indians killed.”

The Society concluded: “We do not think the evidence is conclusive that “D. Boon cillED a Bar” in 1760 with the gun now in our possession, although it is not at all improbable that such is the fact.  At any rate, the gun is a highly interesting weapon and one can hardly look upon it without having the imagination stirred by pictures of far-away scenes through which it must have passed.” 

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A large 1928 map identified as “Johnson City General Plan” reveals a wealth of information, some of it surprising. The legend identifies symbols for proposed and actual streets, parks and parkways, schools, semi-public properties, public properties, cemeteries, railroad property, industrial property and business property. John Nolan was listed as the city planner.

I immediately spotted something very interesting. I attended West Side School at 304 W. Main at Watauga in the first grade. Printed on the map just west of Peachtree Street across Sidney Avenue (renamed Knob Creek Road) were the words, “Proposed West Side School.” Did the city plan to replace the old one? That did not happen because it was in use until 1961.

The answer lies in the fact that the city needed another grammar school in the rapidly expanding west end of town. City officials apparently had a change of heart and later build it at 812 W. Market (across from Kiwanis Park). Between 1930 and 1934, the Main Street school was known as Old West Side School and the new one became New West Side School. In 1934, the new school’s designation was changed to Henry Johnson School. No school was ever built opposite Peachtree.

Another interesting tidbit was a reference to a “High School Site” on a sizable plot of land sandwiched between Elm Street, Eighth Avenue, Baxter Street and a proposed North Skyline Parkway along the north side. Was this site researched for a new Science Hill (201 S. Roan Street) or Langston (226 E. Myrtle), the city’s black high school? Obviously, no educational facility was ever constructed there.

Other schools displayed on the map were East Tennessee Normal School, Junior High, Martha Wilder, Columbus Powell, Keystone, Douglas (black), Dunbar (black), Piney Grove, Roan Hill, North Side and South Side. Notably absent was New Martha Wilder (renamed Stratton). Another sizeable parcel of land situated south of the intersection of Buffalo and Highland was marked, “Special School Site.” No additional information was offered.

As I further perused the map, I spotted four more anticipated parkways in addition to the aforementioned North Skyline one: Country Club, Cherokee, Woodland and Sinking Creek.

While most of Johnson City’s street identifications in 1928 were identical to those of today, a few changed names over the years. Case-in-point is the group of ten parallel streets running east and west from Tannery Knob toward North Johnson City. Remnants of a failed attempt by wealthy steel magnate Andrew Carnegie to build an imposing new town named Carnegie along the northeast end of the city were visibly evident. The Carnegie avenues (and today’s names) were First (Millard/Railroad), Second (Fairview), Third (Myrtle), Fourth (Watauga), Fifth (Unaka), Sixth (Holston), Seventh (Chilhowie), Eighth, Ninth and Tenth. The names on the 1928 map showed First, Fairview, Myrtle, Watauga, Unaka, Holston, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth and Tenth.

Other observations from the plan revealed a future City Mountain Park on what is now known as Tannery Knob, the main Post Office located on Ashe Street (later became the Ashe Street Courthouse), a Jewish Cemetery adjacent to Oak Hill Cemetery at the intersection of Whitney and Wilson, the VA referred to as National Sanitorium and several planned roads the length of the south end of E. Main. One in particular, Glanzstoff Road, was named for the American Glanzstoff plant in Elizabethton (renamed North American Rayon Corporation). It became the new Johnson City/Elizabethton Highway.

The 1928 city-planning map offers another glimpse of vintage Johnson City and adds additional pieces to the city’s “history mystery” puzzle. 

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