Most area folks can sadly recall Sept. 1, 1981 when the Majestic Theatre closed its doors forever. The beautifully designed edifice, built in 1902, served the city well for 79 years with first-run motion pictures.

Pre-1928 movies were a far cry from those of today; the first ones sported black and white images that could be seen but not heard. Silent features consisted of several six to eight-minute reels that were alternately played on two projectors. This monotonous labor-intensive routine required projectionists to work hastily so as to avoid annoying film interruptions. Advanced technology soon permitted movies to fit onto one or two large reels.

An organist or pianist, positioned in front of the flickering screen, was often used to provide musical accompaniment. Inscribed words on the big screen kept the audience knowledgably of the action. The Majestic’s owners purchased a “Mighty Wurlitzer” theatre organ in 1926 at a cost of $20,000. Frank Wilson was the first organist.

In 1928, major cinematic improvements occurred with the introduction of sound, the first offering being the 1927 “talkie” movie, “The Jazz Singer,” starring noted “Mammy” singer and actor, Al Jolson. Sound tracks were recorded on large record discs. To synchronize sight and sound, the projectionist carefully keyed the record groove with the “start” frame on the film. Miscues were normal fare with film breakage and record skips, throwing movies out of sync.

In those days, film advertising on theatre “fronts,” as they were called, was the responsibility of the owners, thereby requiring a staff artist to create new ones each time the movie changed.

 The excitement of the first “talkie” motion picture to be shown at the Majestic Theatre can be sensed in a Sept. 13, 1928 Johnson City Chronicle article: “One of the most significant events in the history of motion pictures will occur next Monday, Sept. 17, when the Majestic Theatre introduces to the public of this section the marvels and wonders of this scientific age, Vitaphone and Movietone, pictures with a voice and soul.”

The article went on to state that Warner Brothers’ new technology was in its second year of existence and had been accepted at such leading cities as Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, Atlanta, New York and Birmingham. The Majestic, affiliated with the Publix Theatres’ chain, was now ready to begin showing synchronized pictures.

The movie featured Al Jolson singing such songs as “Toot, Toot, Tootsie;” “Dirty Hands, Dirty Face;” Blue Skies;” and “Kol Nidre,” a Jewish prayer. Also included were the first talking news, Fox Movietone News, and other Vitaphone “shorts.” The Majestic Theatre owners expressed pride in being the first to announce the unique movie for East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and Western North Carolina.

“The Jazz Singer” occupied the bill for the first part of the week and a new film, “Glorious Betsy,” played the second half. Matinee prices were 10 cents for children and 35 cents for adults. Showings after 6 p.m. were the same for children but 50 cents for adults.

 The newspaper article concluded with a message from theatre management: “The Majestic Theatre extends an invitation to the people of the outside cities and towns to avail themselves of this opportunity of seeing and hearing the latest and best pictures at all times in Johnson City, as Vitaphone and Movietone will become permanent policy at this Publix playhouse.” 

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In the mid 1960s, I became acquainted with George and Mary Parker, owners of the Dixie Drive-In Restaurant at 425 E. Main and occasional patrons of Frick’s Music Mart, where I had a part-time job. This restaurant was always one of my favorites, mainly because of their hamburgers with that special tasting sauce.

Top: The Dixie in the 1920s, Bottom: The restaurant in the 1950s

Jean Lewis, former writer for the Press-Chronicle, interviewed the couple just prior to their closing the restaurant in 1972 and gleaned 42 years of mouthwatering memories from them. The Parkers opened the popular eatery on Sept. 30, 1930 and are credited with pioneering curb service in Johnson City. This amenity allowed folks the luxury of eating inside their vehicles.

The husband and wife team acquired the novel idea after visiting a relative in Washington, DC, where curb service restaurants were already established and doing a flourishing business. After stopping at several drive-ins, they liked what they saw and decided to offer the same service in Johnson City. This was a gutsy venture considering the fact that the country was in the midst of a depression.

Mr. Parker related how the two of them pursued the dicey concept equipped with a bold dream, $85 cash, a bank loan, some scrap lumber and the assistance of some teenage boys. That initial effort produced a 12 x 20 foot structure that bore the name Dixie Barbecue.

According to Mrs. Parker: “We grossed $6 on our first day of business. We didn’t advertise or anything; people just came in. It happened that the Appalachian Tri-State Fair was in operation that day, located where the Municipal Building now sits.”

The first year would prove to be a difficult one, causing the entrepreneurs to wonder if they had done the right thing: “One day,” said Mrs. Parker, “it was so bad and snowy with no customers in sight that we decided to just close down and give up. About that time, a man came in and gave us six takeout orders. From that time on, we never entertained the thought of quitting.” The couple confessed to working seven days a week while caring for two nephews.

The Parkers were quite proud that so many youngsters, principally boys, worked there over the years: “Most of those who worked here as curb hops went on to make outstanding businessmen. We couldn’t begin to name them all, but there are those who became lawyers, architects, ministers and realtors.” The building literally expanded eight and ten feet at a time as the business grew in popularity, all the while maintaining a comfortable and affordable atmosphere conducive to family dining.

The Parkers cite one memorable event from May 1944 when three homesick GIs stationed in England painted a sign on a ballpark fence using foot-high letters and sent the Parkers a picture of it. It read: “Eat at Dixie Bar-B-Q – Home of Delicious Hamburgers, Johnson City.” The photo identified two of the three soldiers as Gale Cox and Cone Dixon, both former curb hops at the Dixie. The restaurant owners prominently displayed it in the foyer of their business for several years. The valued picture abruptly vanished one day after five busloads of students from Kingsport descended on the restaurant following a football game with their archrival, Science Hill High School. Fortunately, the picture was later recovered.

Mrs. Parker concluded the 1972 interview by saying: “It breaks our hearts to leave the business world of Johnson City, but it’s time we thought of our health and the future.”  

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The discovery of an old scrapbook of newspaper clippings is always an exciting find and often contributes to an enhanced understanding of history. Such was the case in late October 1938 when Mrs. Kate Keys of 407 Highland Avenue found two pages from a scrapbook dating back to 1888, just 10 days before the national elections. The specifics of the find were not specified.

The unidentified material, which most likely came from The Comet, described the upcoming November 2 presidential election between Democrat Grover Cleveland and his Republican challenger Benjamin Harrison. Of particular note was a reference to Washington County residents and brothers Bob and Alf Taylor who, just two years prior, ran against each other in the now famous “War of the Roses” campaign for governor of Tennessee. After the votes were counted, Bob had prevailed.

Harrison became president in 1889 by receiving a majority of electoral votes, although Cleveland had a plurality in the popular column. Cleveland turned the tables later and went into office for his second term. For governor, the Republicans ran S.W. Hawkins of Carroll County; for Congress, A.A. “Alf” Taylor of Washington County; for senator, James A. West, also of Washington County; and for floater, C.C. Collins of Carter County. The Democrats chose Robert L. (“Fighting Bob”) Taylor of Washington County.

Not all of the find was political fare. At the top of one of the pages is a picture in red of the American flag with a caption written in faded brown ink: “The flag of our own happy country.” A poem in praise of the flag by William H. Burleigh occupies the upper left corner, while another gem of poetry, “The Drunkard’s Daughter” by Rev. W.Q.A. Graham, takes the right-hand side.

The other side of the sheet contains more faded brown writing that proclaims: “For conduct good and lessons learned, your teacher can commend.” There is also a poem clipped from a publication called “The Methodist,” titled “The Resurrection and the Life” and written by Sereno Edwards Todd.

A death note, probably taken from the same publication, was written in a strikingly dissimilar style to that used nowadays. It ran, in part: “Died of flux (diarrhea) at her home near Loy’s X Roads, Union County Tenn., July 11, 1884, in the 27th year of her age. She was naturally of a cheerful and affectionate disposition. For the last six or seven years, she was altimes a great sufferer. Literally she passed through the furnace of affliction. We trust these dispensations consumed the dross and refined all the gold of her nature. We have not learned as to her spiritual comforts in the last hours. Only know that she has passed to the Spirit Land.”

The final clipping was an amusing four-stanza poem by a David W. Wright explaining why he was slow paying his subscription to the newspaper. The first and fourth stanzas read: “Send on your paper, printer; Don’t strike my name off yet. You know the times are stringent, And money hard to get. But I must have the paper, Cost what it may to me. I’d rather dock my sugar, And do without my tea.”

Thanks to Mrs. Kate Keys, her sharing of two pages of nineteenth century history almost 70 years ago allows us a brief yet interesting peek into a piece of Johnson City’s storied past. 

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While my father was serving his country overseas during WWII, he received a black and white Christmas card from his employer, Eastman Kodak Company in Kingsport, with these expectant words:

“The lights are still burning at Tennessee Eastman this Christmas – lights of hope and good cheer – lights of welcome awaiting your safe return. With best wishes from your company – P.J. Wilcox and James C. White.” Also enclosed was one of 11,000 $50 war bonds sent to servicemen and women stateside and abroad.

 

An examination of several Johnson City Press-Chronicle newspapers from December 1942 to 1944 denotes what many families are experiencing today – balancing the joy of the season with the harsh reality of a war. One ominous front-page article contained unwanted news: “American troops engaged in trying to stem the German breakthrough are suffering a big battle price in men and material, but are making the enemy also pay a fearful cost in blood and munitions for his great Western Front counteroffensive.”

Late Dec. 1944 found the city with temperatures in the low 20s and a heavy, slick blanket of snow and ice covering the region. School superintendent C.E. Rogers announced that city buses were running and that street forces were busy keeping the steps at Science Hill and Junior High free of the white stuff. Westbound trains at Southern Railway were running late; the Streamliner had arrived into the city six hours past due and No. 41 passenger train was 3.5 hours behind schedule.

Sixteen women’s organizations and eight Girl Scout troops were actively promoting bond sales that, to date, had yielded $47,156.50. The names of 497 servicemen to whom the bonds were dedicated were posted in the Main Street window of Sterchi Brothers. The newspaper counted down the 25 days of Christmas with a message at the bottom left on the front page, such as “23 Shopping Days to Christmas, Give War Bonds, Stamps.”

One edition noted that 17 men from Selective Service Board #1 and 45 from Board #2 were en route to an Army induction center. A “Daily Holiday Bible Reading” section was posted each day on page 4 with one displaying the first six verses of Psalms 37. Needy families were reminded to register at the Salvation Army office for Christmas dinner baskets to be distributed at a “family party” being held at the First Presbyterian Church. Ration dates for meats and fats, processed foods, sugar, shoes and gasoline were listed: “Sugar: Book 4, stamps 30 through 34, valid indefinitely for five pounds each. Gasoline: No. 12 coupons in ‘A’ books good for four gallons through Dec. 21.”   

Five East Tennessee Seabees – Henry Tippett, Ray Britt, Glenn Poarch, William Cawood and John Laws – sent V-Mail letters to the Press-Chronicle from the Pacific theater as part of a state proclamation designating Dec. 28 as Seabee Day in Tennessee.

Holiday ads populated the newspapers: Fields: “Dress Shirts, $1.49-$1.98; Coplan Ties, $.50-$1; and Suspender sets, $.69-$1.”

Sears Roebuck: “Walnut Veneer End Table, $7.98; Chenille Rugs, $2.98; Hunting Pants, $1.98; and Christmas Tree Stands, $.69.”

Kings: “Black Chesterfield Coats, $35 to $59.95; Topflight Topper-Fashion of the Year.”

Sam’s Haberdashery (Samuel E. Miller): “Buy Him a Hat, $2.95-$9.95.”

The Little Stores: Coffee, $.30 lb.; Pork Chops, $.37 lb.; Flour $1.45, 25-lb. Bag; and Shrimp, No. 1 Tin, $.35 with 3-points of ration stamps.”

This Christmas, let’s adopt the same message on the 1940s Kodak card and offer lights of hope for today’s service personnel and await their safe return home.

  

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During the late 1940s, I recall seeing young men in downtown Johnson City selling a weekly national newspaper with the curious title “Grit.” These salesmen stood at busy locations, typically the corner of Spring and E. Main streets and along the front of the old City Bus Terminal at Buffalo.

A Grit newspaper in 1932 consisted of a regular size newspaper and 8.5 x 11.5 “Story Section” insert. The 28-page tabloid contained seven mostly “to be continued” stories aimed at different ages and both genders; two full page cartoon strips, “Bringing Up Father” and “The Bungle Family;” a column titled “Poems – New and Old Favorites;” and numerous ads. The successful Williamsport, PA newspaper recruited boys from across the country to peddle its merchandize in the bustling business districts of yesteryear.

An ad from the same 1932 Grit newspaper reads: “Boys – Sell Grit – Earn Cash, also a watch, rifle, glove, wagon, knife, scooter and many more free prizes. Fellows, you can have a paying business of your own by selling Grit on Saturdays. Over 19,000 boys are now making money and winning prizes. Besides their free prizes, many of them earn $1 to $5 every Saturday.”

A second ad from the news publication further stated: “Grit is easy to sell. It contains the news of the world, 150 pictures, comics, sports, a wonderful Story Section and many other intensely interesting features that delight the entire family. We give you a newsbag free.” A notice inside the paper was aimed at obtaining steady customers: “Send us $2 and your full address and Grit, together with the Story Section, will be sent to your post office or delivered by your mail carrier 52 weeks without further difficulty.”

In order to recruit young street vendors, the business published small 12-page comic books, such as one titled “Grit Will Help You As Nothing Else Can!” The storyline involves a young man receiving a leadership award from the local Boys Club. His friend Joe, envious of the lad’s recognition, decides to improve his skills by becoming a Grit paperboy. The results are quite predictable. After becoming a successful Grit salesman, Joe likewise receives a leadership award from the club and earns enough money to go to camp.

The booklet mentions six distinguished men who acknowledged that their Grit selling experience helped them along the road to success. The most recognizable celebrity was singing cowboy star, Gene Autry. Each Grit “salesboy” wore a hexagon shaped bronze-colored pin on his shirt to identify him as being an “Authorized Salesman.” After selling papers on the street for a week, carriers filled out a weekly sales report and returned it to the company, along with cardboard coin cards containing money collected that week.

The brainchild behind Grit was German immigrant Dietrick Lamade, who began publishing it in 1882. The entrepreneur was not satisfied with just selling papers; he wanted his product to brighten readers' lives with news focused on happiness, optimism, peace, cheer and contentment. Conspicuously absent was pessimistic and negative reporting.

Lamade’s recruits were said to have learned valuable lessons in honesty, integrity and perseverance. Grit sales figures went from 100,000 in 1900 to 300,000 in 1916. Grit is still around today but is now published as a magazine focusing on contemporary country life.

The young eager males hoping to get rich by selling Grit newspapers at downtown street corners of heavy pedestrian and automobile traffic flow have long since vanished from the American scene. 

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My father grew up on E. Fairview Avenue just two blocks from Martha Wilder School at Myrtle and New, where he attended grammar school. His 2A report card for 1923 shows Alena Woodall as his teacher and Larry Childress the principal.

The building once had a unique large enclosed metal fire-escape chute that extended from the second floor to the ground. My grandmother Cox’s scrapbook contains an undated newspaper clipping with the heading “Martha Wilder Entertains.” The article deals with students giving “one of the most delightful and successful entertainments of all the spring festivities.” The program began with a welcome song by children from all six grades followed by a folk dance of eight girls from Miss Williams’ classroom with each young lady dressed in a snow-white dress.

To quote from the article: “The 'Train to Mauro' was the dramatic feature of the evening in which little Miss Dorothy Remine played the role of Mrs. Buttermilk, a country woman who believed ‘charity to all with her herbs and roots' and who had advice to spare to everybody. Little Buster Barlow as Johnny Buttermilk had come to the conclusion that nothing on earth could keep his mother from talking, especially when he was starving to death for a piece of ginger bread. The station clerk, played by Elbert Whiteside, did not appreciate Mrs. Buttermilk’s advice and was greatly irritated by her insistence on going ‘To Mauro’ today.”

Another routine portrayed Millicent Ffollett as “Springtime,” clad in a dainty white frock, wearing a fairy crown and possessing a magic wand. With each wave of it, she produced an array of lovely spring flowers, represented by little girls dressed in exquisite apparel displaying a wide variety of spring colors. Several small boys wearing white suits followed Springtime and sprinkled frost over the pretty flowers, causing them to wilt and die. Observing the demise of the flowers, Doris Serl, depicting the role of Queen of Sunbeams, appeared with her magic wand and smiled so warmly upon the flowers that they once again raised their graceful little heads and blossomed.

Other acts including “The Sick Doll,” a clever dialogue, and “Swing Song” by Ida Mae Walker were greatly enjoyed. The program finished with a reading by Miss Kate Remine, as she delightfully impersonated a charming yet mischievous little girl known as “Naughty Zell.” The teachers of Martha Wilder were highly commended for producing such a delightful program.

Grandma’s scrapbook also contained a brief death notice for Martha Wilder: “City Founder’s Daughter Dies – Funeral was held yesterday at Chattanooga for Martha Wilder, 88, for whom one of Johnson City’s oldest schools was named. She died Sunday at her home in Media, Pa.” The clipping identified Martha as a daughter of the late Gen. John Thomas Wilder, a founder of Johnson City who gave land for the school in 1892. The property later became the site of a vocational training facility and eventually the city’s Senior Center. Another school, Annie Wilder Stratton, was named for Martha’s sister who married Frank Stratton.

Gen. Wilder was a Union Army officer who led the Union forces against Chattanooga in August 1863. Shortly after the close of the war, he relocated from New York to the Chestoa section of what is now Unicoi County.

During the industrialist’s lifetime, he built several hydroelectric power dams in the area, operated two blast furnaces and constructed two hotels on Roan Mountain, a log building and the popular Cloudland Hotel that was destroyed by fire in 1885. 

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Between 1956 and 1964, I routinely patronized McElyea Shoe Repair and Harness Shop at 127 Spring and Jobe (now State of Franklin Road). The owner, Robert McElyea, repaired my damaged or worn-out shoes while I patiently waited in a chair in my sock feet.

The still-standing two-story white building had never known anything but the harness business. C.W. Seaver built the structure in 1907 after learning the trade in 1896 from his half-brother, George C. Seaver. The businessman previously ran a harness store on Spring Street where the Cherry Street parking lot is now located.

Seaver arrived in Johnson City in 1873, when the population was 250 people. Stepping-stones were positioned at strategic locations on Spring and other streets so pedestrians could cross from one side to the other without trekking through mud or dust. Harness shops were popular sites for social gatherings. Farmers brought produce to town to sell or barter, picked up needed supplies and then assembled at the nearest harness shop, usually congregating around a big pot-bellied stove swapping tall tales and exchanging local gossip. All the while, the ladies shopped in the surrounding downtown stores acquiring sundry items such as calico, ribbons and grocery staples.

During the usual chitchat, Seaver was busy fitting teams of horses with harnesses that would stand the rigors of fully loaded wagons traveling over crude unpaved narrow roads beset with potholes and rocks. The owner was known to occasionally become stern with patrons when he found a horse with blemishes caused by an improperly fitted harness. His distinctive trademark was a circular belt with these words in the middle: “C.W. Seaver, Harness Maker.”

Business opportunities abounded in infant Johnson City from a variety of sources – traveling circuses, young boys with goats hitched to small wagons and downtown peddlers employing dogs to pull their carts. In 1903, the building of Soldiers’ Home (VA Center) brought about a boom in harness business when as many as 100 teams worked on a single grading job.

With time brought progress. Electric lights, paved streets and fancy automobiles slowly arrived on the scene. Although the primary mode of transportation was altered from four-legged horses pulling buggies to four-wheeled cars, it did offer one distinct advantage for leather workers. People could then travel long distances in modern vehicles to harness shops without having to depend on their animals to get there. Even with reduced demand, there was still enough business to sustain the business, at least for a while.

In 1945, 81-year-old C W. Seaver sold the shop to his nephew, George F. Seaver, who ran it another 10 years. Robert McElyea took over the reins of the operation in 1955. Fittingly, the new owner almost immediately added shoe repair to his menu of services in addition to his harness, saddle and bridle work. He had learned the trade by working at a harness and shoe repair shop in Elizabethton owned by a Mr. Riddle. Robert acquired much of the store equipment as part of the sale agreement, including two old tables that dated back to 1907. 

On Tuesday, March 30, 1976, after nearly 21 years of service to the city, McElyea said “whoa” to his downtown profession, closed and locked the front door of his store for the final time. It symbolically and sadly represented the end of a nostalgic era. 

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In March 1961, my fellow Science Hill High School students and I began an orderly transfer to a new spacious modern school building located on John Exum Parkway. With the excitement of moving to the new facility, we hardly glanced back to the top of Roan Hill where students, dating back to 1864, had received an education.

On June 2, we seniors flipped the tassels on our hats and were blissfully added to the learning institute’s long list of graduates. We hold the distinction of having attended the last classes at the old downtown 88-step building and having graduated from the new one. On Nov. 21 that year, SHHS celebrated its first basketball game in the new gym with a “Dedication Game.” According to an event program, the contest pitted the “Hilltoppers” against the visiting Training School’s “Jr. Bucs.”

Special guests included C. Howard McCorkle, School Superintendent; George Greenwell, Principal; Carl Jones, President of the Chamber of Commerce; and Jack Chinouth, President of the Sports Club. City Commissions were invited as well: Mae Ross McDowell, Mayor; Carroll Long, V. Mayor; David Walker; Ben Crumley; Ross Spears, Jr.; David Burkhalter, City Manager; and Carl Johnson. School Board members included E.T. Brading, Chairman; Viola Mathes; Nat T. Sizemore; Richard T, Haemsch, Jr.; William S. Sells; John F. Lawson; John Seward; George Speed; John C. Howren; Forrest K. Morris and Gerald Goode.

The game was preceded with a 15-minute dedication service at 8:00 pm. Rev. Weldon Estes, pastor of Clark Street Baptist Church, offered the dedicatory prayer, followed by the presentation of colors from the ROTC Color Guard consisting of Hartman Gurley, Jack Onks, Kyle Bulla, Martin Crawford and Tommy Thompson.

Warren Weddle, the Hilltoppers’ colorful band director, guided the musicians as they played the National Anthem. John Seward, chairman of the Athletic Council, offered greetings and concluded the service.

It was then time to sit back and enjoy an exciting sporting event. Coach Elvin Little and Assistant Coach Paul Brewster directed the Toppers; Coach Bob Paynter andAssistant Coach Joe Shipley managed the Jr. Bucs. Players on the Topper squad were Bobby Jones, Lonnie Lowe, Carroll Vance, Steve Spurrier, Al Ferguson, Jimmy Evans, Richard Goode, Donny Bates, Tommy Hager, Choo Tipton, Bill Wilson and Ted Roberts. The Buc roster included Nick Owens, Mack Edmisten, Jerry Morris, Joe Pence, Ron Rodgers, Don Shearin, Wilbur Bond, Howell Sherrod, John Wilson, Wayne Miller, Sonny Treadway, Don York and Nick McCurry.

Not to leave out a key ingredient of any basketball game, the home team cheerleaders, consisting of Sheila Bolding, Mary Alice Gordon, Nancy McCorkle, Ann Meredith, Patti Pitts, Kathleen Wiley and Judy Yeiser, kept the crowd lively. The visiting team’s yells were orchestrated by Nancy Gordon, Janice Volrath, Barbara Vaughn, Carole Mullins and Margaret Taylor.

Under the leadership of Commanding Officer Martin Wright, the ROTC Sponsors entertained at halftime with a precision drill maneuver from Barbara Mann, Diane Cross, Sally Muse, Raylene Arwood, Madelyn Langdon, Jane Montgomery, Sheila McDaniel, Jill Hanselman, Claire Thacker, Marcy Edmonds and Ruth Gobel.

According to Larry Reaves, the basketball contest concluded with a 49-33 win for the Toppers. If you participated in the transfer in 1961 from the old to the new “hill,” drop me a note and share your special remembrances.   

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My April 2007 article, concerning the J.J. Page Carnival that visited Johnson City each April between about 1930 and 1949, prompted a letter from a reader: “My name is Charles Howell. I now own the J.J. Page home place just off Watauga Ave. where Mr. and Mrs. Page lived when they operated the carnival in the 30s and 40s.”

Charles said that he never attended any of the Page carnival shows because he was not born until several years after it ended its run.

I asked him if he knew much about this family. He responded: “J.J. and Minnie's only daughter, Dorothy Page Samier, lived in the house until age and health concerns forced her into a nursing home. She had two daughters both of whom left Johnson City in the late 70s.”   

Charles explained that a collection of carnival artifacts was left behind in his basement that included several costumes, a sideshow tent, old letters, photos and other related paraphernalia.  

Unfortunately, due to age, moisture, rodents and other harsh conditions, the fabric items were not salvageable. Howell sent me several photos that cover the carnival’s long colorful history: 

1- Minnie Page in the 1920s.

2- J.J. and Minnie Page.

3- $300 Unaka and City Bank check written July 16, 1926 to “Cash” against the Unaka and City National Bank: It contains a picture of the business that once operated from the tall building at E. Main and Spring streets, later becoming the site of the Hamilton National Bank.

4- A $25 personalized check from J.J. Page Exhibition reads “Modern Shows and Up-To-Date Rides” written to the “Red Store” dated Sept. 18, 1941: The financial institution on the check is “The Banking and Trust Company, Jonesboro, Tennessee.” Two retail grocery “Red Stores” were in business that year in Johnson City, one at 266 W. Market at W. Watauga and the other at 210 N. Roan.

5, 6- Two photos of the Page carnival: Can someone identify the location of these two pictures? One site was opposite Memorial Stadium near Tannery Knob and another one east on Main at Broadway within sight of Belle Ridge. 

7- Carnival Admission tickets: The cost was 26 cents per person. “Est. Price 22 cents – Federal Tax 4 cents.”

8- Advertising card containing the words: “J.J. Page Exhibition Shows – Better Class Amusements.”

9- Envelope from a letter written by a carnival worker in Augusta, GA and addressed to Mr. Page in Johnson City on Dec. 25, 1935: The writer first wishes the family a merry Christmas and a happy New Year and then informs his boss that he is out of groceries and wants enough money sent to buy paint because he says that he is “tired of laying around now.” 

The envelope and letter logo each contain the words: “J.J. Page Exhibition Shows; J.J. Page Owner & Manager; Consisting of Shows, Riding Devices, Concessions, Bands and Free Acts; Permanent Address and Winter Quarters, Johnson City, Tenn.”

10- Photo of two carnival cowboys addressed “To our friend, J.J. Page” from “Shot Gun and Jim.”

The last item that Charles sent was an undated article from “Modern Mechanix and Inventions” titled, “You Can’t Win – How Carnival Racketeers Rob the Public of Vast Sums in Carnival Games.” The publication humorously said that it is easier for a three-legged horse to win the Kentucky Derby than for a carnival goer to win a rigged carnival prize.

Charles further whetted my historical appetite with these remarks:  “I still have a couple of boxes full of J.J. Page items. When I get time, I will dig them out and send you more.” Needless to say, I am anxiously waiting. 

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Mildred Kozsuch, local author of “Historical Reminiscences of Carter County Tennessee,” The Overmountain Press, sent me an informative clipping from the July 9, 1937 edition of the Johnson City Beacon titled “Only One Building Linking City with Stage-Road Days.”

The article lamented the fact that only one downtown building remained as a reminder of the old Civil War era Stage Road (now Market Street) that loped through the city. The two-story building was located at 144 E. Market Street (southwest corner at Roan) made of hand-made brick that had been formed and burned locally. Sadly, it was demolished several years ago. In 1937, it was the site of a barbershop; today, it houses the popular Taste Buds restaurant.

Some early store owners at that spot were Bob and John Rankin; John W. Hunter; Selden Nelson; Christian and Crockett; Christian, Hoss and Hodge; and Hoss, Hodge and Company. In later years, it served as a grocery store, barbershop and bookshop. The upstairs ranged from a storage facility to a beauty parlor.

John Rankin and his descendents lived in a hand-made brick home, built shortly after the Civil War, in the southeast corner of the intersection. Dr. J.C. King whose wife was a daughter of Rankin later occupied the home. The site eventually became a music studio operated by teachers Hunter L. Rhea and Mary L. Lyle. Afterward, it became the Spinning Wheel Tea Room.

The dirt Stage Road became a popular travel route of covered wagons, horsemen and even troupes and artillery that passed through the diminutive Johnson City, referred to then as “Brush Creek Flats.” The Tipton Jobe home (at Tipton and Jobe streets) was alleged to be the first one in Johnson City. City founder, Henry Johnson, built a store on the old Stage Road. In 1937, the Square Drug Company (101 W. Market) occupied the site. Older residents will remember that location as being on the east side of the Skippers Shop.

The next store, that of T.A. Faw, was on the artery at the railroad where the Southern Café (101 E. Market, later Byrd’s Restaurant) was located. Eventually, a newsstand and an upstairs rooming hotel opened there. The Faw home and spring was situated at Market and Roan where the John Sevier Hotel would be built.

Those establishments were about the only ones on the old highway at that time. Farther “out in the country” on the northwest side of Watauga Avenue and Market Street was “the old Methodist camp meeting ground, beside the Harrington Spring, then marked by a filling station and the swimming pool, plus a few residences.” Locals will remember the station as becoming Collins’ ESSO Service Center and the pool having multiple names – Watauga, Sur Joi and Carver.

Businesses flourished along old Stage Road with its nucleus on Fountain Square. The thoroughfare became the principal business street of the village for many years north of Johnson’s railroad depot (between Main and Market streets).

The article concluded by saying that the pedestrian foot log across Brush Creek at about the present location of McClure Street was replaced by a footbridge. However, passing vehicles had to ford the creek.

On one side of the road, a Hale family ran a large handsome livery stable. Opposite it was Eli McNees Blacksmith Shop (future site of the Arcade Building). Their residence was near the rear of the old Tennessee Theatre. A loom house was said to be close to it.

I wish to thank Mildred Kozsuch for sharing such an interesting article with Press readers. 

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