On January 3, 1934, the Johnson City Staff-News announced a new comic strip page as part of a “New Deal” for its readers. The most significant one was the addition of “Popeye, the Sailor Man,” a highly popular feature that was incorporated in “Thimble Theatre,” a nationwide comic strip in early 1929. In time, Popeye prevailed and took over the title.

Other outstanding changes included “Jiggs” (and his wife Maggie from the well-liked strip, “Bringing Up Father), “Tillie the Toiler” (an attractive flapper who worked as a stenographer, secretary and part-time model for a women's wear company), Polly and her Pals” (a work that began as “Positive Polly,” who was a child of the woman's suffrage movement but soon was changed to include her “Pals,” who were family members) and the exciting adventures of “Brick Bradford” in the “The City Under the Sea,” an action-packed adventure serial of the “Tarzan” type. It even incorporated space travel similar to Flash Gordon.

Approximately 140 pupils from the elementary schools of the city were promoted to Junior High School while a large number graduated from Junior High and advanced to the high school. For the first time in the history of the Johnson City school system, a mid year graduation was offered to high school students who completed the city, county and state requirements.

Receipts at the Johnson City post office showed a $9,713 decrease as compared to the prior year. The decline was explained by the fact that circulars and pamphlets, formerly sent through the mails with postage were being distributed by hand and placed in mailboxes without postage. This brought about an immediate announcement from the postmaster general in Washington that all persons distributing hand-bills and placing them in mail boxes would be subject to paying special postage. Regular postmen were required to accumulate the distributed items and return them to the post office for collection.

At the January meeting of the Board of Education, Miss Kathleen Conner was hired as a teacher for South Side School. Miss Hasseltyne Oaks, instructor of music, was granted a leave of absence for the remainder of the school year at her request to allow her to attend the Teachers College to further prepare herself for teaching music in the public schools. Miss Conner, a 1931 graduate of the State Teachers College, had done extensive substitution work in the city system and her work had been rated as superior. The changes were made by Roy G. Bigelow, acting supervisor of schools.

Miss Kathleen Cooper, a current teacher at the school was transferred to the music department to fill Miss Oaks’ position. She had assisted in the musical work of the school since coming to South Side and was well qualified to fill the position.

A hot stove collapsed at the Automobile Sales and Service Company at 103 Wilson Avenue, prompting a call to the Johnson City Fire Department. The firm, which sold DeSotos and Plymouths, was the former site of the Chevrolet Sales Company. Engine companies #2 and #4, ladder company #3 and salvage company #5 responded. Little damage was reported.

A golden eagle, said to be one of the few left of this magnificent bird, was released in the Great Smoky Mountains by park officials. The bird was captured on Ben Lomond Hill, Hydes Ferry Pike, located 12 miles from Nashville. Prior to its release, the bird was in good health and eating heartily.

And finally this jewel … The January meeting of the Washington County Medical Society met on that Tuesday evening at the John Sevier Hotel. Dinner was served at 7 p.m. in the Club Room, followed by the program and a business session at 8 p.m. Dr. Henry Cass and Dr. Edward West spoke on “Diseases of the Rectum” while Dr. Carroll Long and C. Ward Friberg chose “Biologic Test for Pregnancy.” Fortunately the meal was served before the talks.

I maintain a running log of area news briefs for occasional use in my column. Today's 10 entries cover a variety of subjects spanning 1872 to 1889:

Mar. 1872: Elcanah Hoss, Esquire, completed an elegant and spacious hotel (unnamed but likely the City Hotel, later renamed the Piedmont Hotel) just a few steps from the location of the city’s car shed. He featured an impressive menu of tasty items for his patrons. A witty ad in rhyme states, “Elcanah is a good hotelier and otherwise a bully feller. He’ll give you chicken, ham or beef. He’ll give you coffee, milk or tea or anything you wish to see and will not bring your cash to grief.”

Mar. 1872: A 14-inch snow that blanked the area produced as much as 25 inches of mud in some places. Overall, business was good that year considering the scarcity of money in the country. There was talk of resuming work on the railroad from Johnson City to the Carolinas. Iron was the great staple here. Several improvements were underway in the city.

Oct. 1872: Dr. Daniel Kinney, one of the oldest physicians in upper East Tennessee died on this day. Also, a  small son of Major Tipton of Roan County fell from a wagon loaded with pumpkins. The wheels ran over his body causing serious but not life-threatening injuries. William Perry, a worthy citizen of Sullivan County was severely injured after being kicked on the right knee by a horse, confining him to his home with severe pain.

Apr. 1873: Favorable signs were discovered at the foot of Buffalo Mountain near Johnson City, which proved the existence of bituminous coal in large quantities. A company was organized and began drilling a shaft for further development. Mica was also discovered near the same site and another company was contacted to pursue it. Iron ore was also found to exist there in abundance.

Apr. 1873: Mr. John C. Blakely, a 40-year-old resident on Horse Creek about 18 miles from this place, has lived in the same settlement ever since he was a child. He made his first visit to Jonesboro that month. For the first time, he saw a train of railroad cars. He admired the massive engine of a passing train and commented that it could “blow its horn louder than a cow could bawl.”

Apr. 1873: The rumor mill began buzzing over news that an undisclosed company had bought property and organized at the old downtown Union Depot for the purpose of erecting buildings to provide a cotton manufactory.

July 1873: A number of farmers in the vicinity of Johnson City met for the purpose of organizing a “Farmers' Association.” Mr. Tipton Jobe donated 15 acres of land as a suitable location for a fair ground. Mr. Sam Miller was elected temporary president of the Association.  

Oct. 1, 1873: The Washington County Fair opened for a 2-day engagement. The gathering was described as being a large one for the first day with over 1000 persons in attendance. The ladies were out in full force and were deeply interested in the activities of the event. The display of stock, farm products and ladies handiwork was judged to be excellent. The fair was a complete success. C.W. Charlton (editor of Brownlow's National Wig) spoke for about one hour and a half, with those in attendance listening to him with “marked respect and attention.”

July 1874: Professor Gale's School in Blountville ended its school year with an entertaining concert. It was accompanied with charades with all of the students participating. The admission fee was ten cents. The blurb noted that the school was large and doing well. The professor was described as an excellent teacher.

Apr. 1889: Contractors were ready to begin work on the CC&O Railroad pending the issuance of bonds. They were placed in the hands of a trust company to be delivered to the railroad at which time the mayor of Johnson City and the chief engineer of the line deemed that the terms of the contact had been met. It was noted that Johnson City had more enterprise to the square inch than any town in the South and could be relied upon when a significant occasion like the railroad issue presented itself.

This is my third column on the house that was built as Mountcastle Hills, located just off N. Roan Street in 1917. In the first one, John Zollicoffer sent me several old photos and clippings about the wedding. In the second one, Alex Summers recalled specific details of the dwelling once owned by his grandparents. 

Today's column materialized after I located an article in my yesteryear collection written in 1987 by Jon Ruetz for the Johnson City Press-Chronicle. It covered the years that the home was owned by Dr. and Mrs. Edward Campbell.

“Originally called Mountcastle Hills,” said Jon, “the house occupied the crest of the hill at the end of Barberry Road since its construction in 1917 by Mr. and Mrs. James A Summers.”

According to Mrs. Christine Frambach, the daughter of the couple, “Dr. Campbell started his practice in Hampton, Tennessee. In those days, there were only two ways for him to travel long distances – either by horseback or hopping on Tweetsie, the famous little railroad which once ran through Upper East Tennessee. Later, the doctor became one of the first flight surgeons in the area, giving a physical to anyone from Knoxville to Roanoke who sought a pilot’s license.” 

Ruetz said the Campbells purchased the home (about 1936) and renamed it “Argyll,” since the family was known as the “Campbell Clan of Argyll.” During its heyday, it had been a showplace with gala dinner parties and summer evening barbecues. One can only imagine the massive wooden pillars of the front porch heavily decorated with Christmas lights, with each huge old window containing a gleaming candle.

Mrs. Frambach further indicated that the abode was opened each New Year’s day for open house. Literally hundreds of Johnson Citians would stop by to visit with the Campbells, he being a renowned eye, ear, nose and throat specialist.

The 11,000 square-foot residence contained many conveniences, such as an elevator. Even as it was being torn down years later, it still displayed the elegance characteristic of the lovely old home.

“My mother, a frustrated architect,” said the daughter, “designed and oversaw the remodeling of the house. The old windows on the first floor were bricked up and beautiful new Palladian windows were installed.

”A Palladian window is an architectural section, which usually contains a taller central window with an arched top and a smaller narrow window on either side.” The beautiful cornice work in the main room downstairs and even the corner cupboard in the kitchen were plaster. A Mr. Zintmeyer, who was a Swiss artist, did the work.

The walls of the second-floor landing were covered with what Mrs. Frambach called “scenic paper,” wallpaper that matched edges to form the look of a mural She said the paper had also been used in the main room on the first floor, but her mother had it painted several years prior.

A swimming pool was added to the grounds in 1952. My column photo was taken from an airplane in 1937 by Mrs. Frambach’s brother, Ed Campbell, after the house had been remodeled. It shows the swimming pool and guest quarters  in the middle of the photo at the extreme left.

Of special interest in the picture is the lack of anything in the field behind the house. Today, the John Exum Parkway runs roughly along the line of timber at the top of the photo, with Science Hill High School now standing in what was a corn patch just behind the trees.

Mrs. Frambach noted that the city limits on Roan Street came up to “Barberry Road, but the house and most of the property was outside the city at the time. The road is visible in front of the house.

Shortly before the vacant old structure met its fate from a malicious wrecking ball, Ruetz visited the site and offered some poignant words: “The old house stood casting a gaunt and austere silhouette against the gray December sky – a behemoth from an earlier time that had outlived its day.”

I recently corresponded with John Zollicoffer concerning the article I wrote about the wedding of his parents in Johnson City in October 1934. The nuptials took place at the bride's parents, James and Alice Summers' beautiful home in Mountcastle Hills. John passed our notes to Alex Summers who played a significant role in my Summers Hardware feature in 2009. “Dear Bob,” he wrote, “Glad to see you are still digging around about the Summers and Zollicoffers.”

“Mountcastle Hills,” Summers said, ” was the name and address of the property where my grandparents built and moved into in 1917. It was not the general area surrounding it. It was located near the city limits at the end of N. Roan Street at that time. There was (and still is) a short street named Barberry Road on the left (south side) that led to the property. Our house was at the end of the street. There was one other house there, known as “Aquone” (pronounced “uh-jwan-nee,” Cherokee for “resting place”) that belonged to Judge Samuel Cole Williams (financier of Mayne Williams Library).

“In 1916, my grandmother purchased 6.5 acres from Mrs. Carrie L. Gilmer for $250/acre ($1625), which had been part of the Gilmer farm. There must have been an earlier purchase either from Mrs. Gilmer or other adjacent landowners since at one time there were some 18 total acres. The Mountcastle property contained the residence, a swimming pool and bathhouses, a tennis court, a servants' house, a three-car garage with a laundry under it, a barn for my father's horse and the children's ponies, areas where chickens were raised, a garden where corn and other vegetables were grown plus an extensive nursery where my grandmother grew trees and shrubbery for the Monte Vista Cemetery.

Alex noted that although the house was fairly large for it's day, it was typical of other nice homes throughout the city. There were about 5000 square feet per floor, a full basement and attic, all the new conveniences of the time that included two furnaces with central steam heat, an elevator, electric refrigeration and a central vacuum system. Mr. D.R. Beeson designed the house in the latest style, which showed the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright.

According to Summers, Dr. and Mrs. G. Edward Campbell purchased the house about 1936 and renamed it Argyll. Mrs. Campbell had the house renovated by adding white columns across the front (see photo), replacing many of the windows with arched Palladian style windows and other refinements.

About 1987, the Campbell's daughter, Christine McCoy Frambach, sold the property to a developer who razed the house and the out buildings. The property was cleared and graded to a flat plateau where the top of the hill had been.

Alex commented about nearby Mountcastle Drive. “The former name of the road that became Mountcastle Drive was changed when a new link to Baxter Street was made after the mall was built there. The area was the location of an approximate 350-acre farm that was owned by Addie White Mountcastle, my great grandmother.

“The farm was located loosely between the Kingsport-Bristol Highway, Princeton Road, Mountcastle Drive and Lakeview Drive, extending almost to Oakland Avenue. Cobb Creek ran through the property creating Lake Wataussee (later renamed Cox's Lake by owner, Leon Cox). There was formerly a large frame house on the west end of what is now Mountcastle Drive where my grandmother was born. Sometime in the early 1890s, the Mountcastles sold the property to the Cox family (for a dairy) and moved into town.”

I have a third column coming soon that addresses Argyll and its ultimate demise. Alex, as always, you are a treasure trove of memories. Thank you for sharing them with us.

On Oct. 14, 1934 at 8:00 p.m., Mr. John Zollicoffer and Miss Helen Summers became husband and wife at the home of bride’s parents in Mountcastle Hills. The Johnson City Chronicle described the ceremony as “dignified simplicity.” Several out-of-town guests attended the gala affair. The Rev. Robert King, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, impressively and beautifully solemnized the rites.   

The spacious rooms of the home displayed an alluring aspect with an improvised altar before the massive eastern fireplace of the drawing room. Tall cathedral candles and baskets of mammoth chrysanthemums were placed at each side against the ivy covered, white background. Ivy and baby chrysanthemums were entwined along the lovely colonial stairs and small boxwood pots marked the aisle for the entrance of the bridal party.

A program of nuptial music began at 7:45 p.m., rendered by Mrs. H.L. Burbage, pianist; Mrs. Edward Brading, violinist; and Miss Mary Luther Wright, harpist.

The Mountcastle Hills Home of the Summers Family Where the Wedding Took Place

The exquisite numbers were “Traumeri,” “Morning Calm as the Night” and “Toujours L’Amour Toujours.” Mr. Charles Broyles, tenor, sang “All for You.” At the closing bars of “Liebestraum,” the bridal party entered to the strains of “Lohengrin’s Wedding March.” During the service, “Sweet Evening Star” was softly played and as a recessional Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” and Schubert’s “Serenade.”

The bride’s brothers, Frank and Jack Summers, preceded the bride to the altar. Mrs. Frank Summers served as matron-of-honor while Miss Edith Summers, only sister of the bride, was maid of honor. The bride’s father gave his daughter in marriage. They descended the stairs and proceeded to the altar where they were met by the groom and his best man, his brother, Algernon Augustus Zollicoffer.

The bride was radiant in a bridal gown of white satin, fashioned on straight princess lines, distinguished by a deep braided satin period collar and cuffs and sweeping train. Her exquisite bride’s bouquet was of orchids and valley lilies. The bridal veil of rose point lace was shaped to the head with a coronet of orange blossoms.

The dining table, covered with an imported lace cloth, was a picture of exquisiteness. A great bowl of white chrysanthemums centered the large table and white tapers burned in silver holders. White tulle was festooned in streamers from the chandelier to four edges of the table.

The bride cut a lovely four-tiered bridal cake, decorated with lilies of the valley and calla lilies. The talismanic favors were contained in the beautiful cake. Ices were shaped to resemble bridal slippers and wedding bells. Mints were decorated similar to the cake and served with coffee.

Assisting in the dining room were Miss Mary Gump, Mrs. William Preas, Miss Mary Elliott, Mrs. Glenn Elliott, Mrs. R.N. Dosser, Mrs. Welsford Artz, Miss Effie Leland, Mrs. Jay Gump, Mrs. Harris Sanders of Nashville, Miss Marjory Shipley and Miss Elizabeth Shipley. Guests were received at the door by Mrs. Allen Harris and Mrs. David Miller and entertained by Mrs. Paul Wofford, Mrs. L.L. Copenhaver, Mrs. George Oldham, Mrs. Ward Friberg and Mrs. Frank Henderson.

The groom was a graduate of the University of North Carolina Law School, a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity and engaged in the practice of law with his brother, Mr. Jere Zollicoffer.

Immediately following the reception, tendered by the bride’s parents, the bride and groom left by motor for a two-week honeymoon to the Chicago World’s Fair. Upon their return on November 1, they resided in Henderson, NC.

What makes this wedding so special is the fact that the couple in later years rescued the city’s gorgeous Lady of the Fountain from being melted. They stored it for a period of time in their E. Watauga garage before taking it to their home in Henderson, NC where it became a garden decoration with running water from the urn. The pair eventually agreed to let the bronze statue come home to Johnson City where she belonged and hopefully will remain. Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Zollicoffer.

A nameless correspondent had the unique privilege of touring a mica mine on Roan Mountain, Tennessee in 1890. The writer, obviously impressed with the stunning terrain, made some astute observations:

“Mountains after mountains and hills upon hills go rolling over the broad expanse and here and there is to be seen the swift mountain stream rushing on with furious speed and tireless course to the ocean, mother of all. The salubrity of the atmosphere is something to be wondered at and, if anything, will instill new life into the over-worked and indisposed city man.”

An overcoat was essential for those not acclimated to climbing steep declivities. The writer declared that the only way to travel there was on a mountain mule, a sure-footed critter with no danger of falling off, as it meanders over places where man would not dare to tread.

The country of East Tennessee in the late 1800s was sparsely settled and consequently not in a very high state of cultivation. Although the mountain’s thick wooded forests produced the finest timber in the world, they were so inaccessible to railroads and waterways that land could be obtained for five dollars an acre. Lumbering was one of the principal vocations of the people. Some coal mining was pursued because it could be found all over the area in considerable abundance.

A crew of mine workers graciously invited the reporter to descend into their mica mine with them. It began with a scenic drive to the mine site on roads uncommonly smooth for mountain treks. Upon arrival, the reporter encountered “a strange kind of people.” They lived peacefully with very little commercial intervention from outsiders. They raised crops and hunted meat on their land. When they obtained enough mica from the mine, they shipped it off in low wagons, drawn by mountain mules, to be used in exchange for clothing and other necessities that their land could not produce.

The machinery of the mine was crude compared to those found in larger ventures in other regions. The party was then precariously lowered 60 feet through a shaft by a rickety machine, which consisted of a rough platform attached to a rope that was powered by two brawny looking fellows.

When the group reached their subterranean destination, their special guest was introduced to mica, being told that the ore could only be obtained by blasting. The group then walked down several dark little corridors, almost freezing to death, until they spotted the ore they were seeking.

One massive six-foot gentleman, who appeared to be the boss, ordered blasting power to be brought out. There was no dampness detected in the mines; nor were there any noxious gas explosion concerns to deal with. The miners wore ordinary oil lamps on their hats because regular lamps used in other mines were unnecessary with mica.

The journalist then noticed some safety manhole covers in the mine with doors on them that allowed personnel access. After powder was placed in strategic positions, the fuse was ignited and every man scampered into a manhole for protection. Following the explosion, their visitor started to exit the barrier, but was quickly warned to stay inside to keep from smothering to death from dust and smoke. After a few moments, the all clear was given and everyone exited the enclosure to claim the prize – enough mica for a couple of cartloads. Also present were general debris and dirt.

After the waste was removed, each blast yielded enough mica to fill a bushel container. The miners were restricted to two blasts a day due to smoke and gas rising from the burning of powder.

As the correspondent departed the mine, he felt sorry for the individuals who made a living in this crude manner. Although the mine was not very profitable, he later found out that it yielded the purest mica than any mine located in the country. 

While examining my late Grandma Cox’s scrapbook and photo collection, I stumbled upon a picture and an obituary notice for Charles Haven Liebe. According to her compilation, their great grandfathers were brothers.

Charles was born in 1880 on Lick Creek in Greene County. After serving in the Spanish-American War in 1898, he married Harriet “Hattie” Lee White. The couple moved to Johnson City about 1916, residing for about two years at 915 E. Sixth Avenue (Carnegie designed street later renamed Holston Avenue). Charles’s writing career began in 1910 and kept him gainfully employed until 1953, yielding one fiction novel and an estimated 321 short stories for pulp magazines and newspapers. He used “Hapsburg Liebe” as his pen name, but occasionally utilized two additional ones, “Charles Haven” and “John Bennett.” The Liebe family moved to St. Petersburg, Florida where he purchased a movie studio by the name of Tropical Pictures.

Pulp magazines were very popular from 1896 through the 1950s because of their low cost (about 10 cents) and entertaining action packed stories. They were so-named because they were printed on cheap wood pulp paper often with untrimmed edges. However, the covers were eye grabbers, featuring bold multihued colorful art and bold action scenes. Hapsburg focused mainly on westerns, but occasionally ventured into stories about the mountaineer clan that he knew so well. Some of the magazines (and years) that Liebe wrote for include the following:

Ace-High Magazine (1928-41), Adventure (1916), All Western Magazine (1935-38), Argosy (1918-36), Big-Book Western Magazine (1940-41), Blue Book (1913-27), Colliers (1919), Complete Story Magazine (1925), Double Action Western (1936-39), Double-Action Gang Magazine (1938), Exciting Western (1941-42), Fiction Quarterly (1944), Frontier Stories (1927), Good Stories (1921-31), Grit Magazine(1929), Gun-Swift Western (1938), Jester’s Luck (1936), Master Thriller Series (1937), Mellifont All Western Library (1940s), North West Stories (1927), People’s Home Journal (1912-13), Popular Western (1936-42), Range Riders Western (1942-49), Romance (1915-29), Romantic West Annual (1952), Short Stories (1920-59), Street & Smith’s Western Story (1942-47), Texas Rangers (1937-57), The Danger Trail (1928), The Golden West Magazine (1927), The Phantom Detective (1935), The Rio Kid Western (1940-41), Thrilling Western (1934-40), Top-Notch, (1925-36), Triple-X Western (1928-31), West (1927-51), Western Action (1938-39), Western Magazine (1936-45), Western Romances (1937), Western Short Stories (1942), Western Yarns (1938), Wild West Stories (1936), Wild West Weekly (1940-43) and World Wide Adventure (1967, published after his death).

Seven silent black and white movies were made from Hapsburg Liebe’s stories. Shown below (if known) are film titles, date, genre, run times, recognizable movie stars and production companies: Circumstantial Evidence (1912, 10 minutes, Selig Polyscope Co.), Weapons of Love (1916, Big U Co.), The Last Rebel (1918, drama, Triangle Film Corp.), Bill Apperson’s Boy (1919, drama, Jack Pickford Film Co.), Trimmed (1922, drama/western, five 10-minute 35-mm reels, starring Hoot Gibson, Universal Film Manufacturing Co.), The Broad Road (1923, melodrama, Associated Authors) and Down Upon the Suwanee River (1925, melodrama, Royal Palm Productions). Perhaps this inspired Hapsburg to purchase his own movie production company.

Surprising, Hapsburg wrote only one fiction novel, a 239-page mountaineer story titled Clan Call (Doubleday, Page and Co., 1920), which makes references to several East Tennessee landmarks. It deals with a mountain clan.

In 1957, Hapsburg passed away in St. Petersburg and was given a military funeral. William Johnson of Houston Texas, who amassed a large collection of his writings, donated it to the Swem Library at the College of William and Mary. Perhaps it is time for my wife and me to visit Colonial Williamsburg and learn more about my relative. 

In 1935, Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt wrote an article titled “Facing the Problems of Youth” for the February edition of “National Parent-Teacher Magazine.” She later used the subject as she began traveling around the country giving lectures.

The first lad made a stopover in Johnson City on May 30, 1939 and delivered a brief speech that mirrored her article, shortening the title to “Problems of Youth.” The event took place at 8:00 p.m. in the big City Hall auditorium at the northwest corner of West Main and Boone streets. As you read her comments, think about how things have changed, yet remained the same over the past 77 years. Here are excerpts from her talk:

“Education today is not purely a question of the education of youth; it is a question of the education of parents, because so many parents, I find, have lost their hold on their children. One reason for this is that they insist on laying down the law without allowing a free intellectual interchange of ideas between themselves and the younger generation.

“I believe that as we grow older we gain some wisdom, but I do not believe that we can take it for granted that our wisdom will be accepted by the younger generation. We have to be prepared to put our thinking across to them. We cannot simply expect them to say, ‘Our older people have had experience and they have proved to themselves certain things, therefore they are right.’ That isn't the way the best kind of young people think. They want to experience for themselves.

“I find they are perfectly willing to talk to older people, but they don't want to talk to older people who are shocked by their ideas, nor do they want to talk to older people who are not realistic. We might just as well accept things, which are facts as facts and not try to imagine that the world is different, more like what we idealized in the past.

“But if the relationship is such that youth has no desire to talk to older people, then, I think, it is entirely impossible to help the youth of today—and they need help badly. I think they are very glad to have it, too, when it is given in a spirit of helpfulness, not self-righteousness. We don't need to idealize things that are past; they look glamorous, but perhaps they were not so glamorous when we really lived through them.

“My own feeling would be that the most important education is the education which will enable us, both in our homes and in our schools, to understand the real problems that our children have to meet today. It is easy enough to impart book knowledge, but it is not so easy to build up the relationship between youth and older people, which is essential to the working out of their problems—very difficult problems on which young people need our leadership and our understanding.

“We cannot pass over the fact that the world is a hard world for youth and that so far we have not really given their problems as much attention as we should. We smile—I smiled myself the other day when one young boy said that he hoped to go in and clean up politics. Politics need to be cleaned up, of course. Everything that is human needs that particular kind of enthusiasm.

“But we older people know that we don't always succeed as easily as these young ones think they can. Yet I doubt if we should smile. I think that we should welcome their help, and find places where this tremendous energy that is in youth—if it cannot be used immediately in making a living—may at least be used where it is so greatly needed today.

“I should like to leave with you this one idea which I have been thinking about a great deal of late: the necessity for us as parents, as teachers, as older people, to put our minds on the problems of youth, to face realities, to face the world as it is and the lives that they have to live—not as we wish they were, but as they are – and, having done that, to give our sympathetic help in every way that we can.” 

Today’s column is a continuation of several vintage news briefs that I have accumulated over the years from old newspapers. This edition spans 96 years (1863 to 1959).

Oct. 1863: The ravages of the Civil War became a stark reality on this date when a band of Confederate raiders descended upon the town of Blountville, Tennessee, reducing the larger and better portion of it to ashes. Those whose homes and effects were totally obliterated included W.W. James, John Powell, John Fain, Dr. N.G. Dulaney, E.P. Cawood, Rev. N.C. Baldwin, Mrs. Martha Rhea, F.L. Bumgardner and Major J.G. Eans. The courthouse along with the offices of the clerks of the county and the jail were also destroyed. Loss was estimated at half a million dollars.

Mar. 1872: A new calaboose was opened in Johnson City to accommodate the imbibed public. The city had recently been incorporated with a mayor, Board of Alderman and police force. An amusing unplanned dirt street race that occurred one evening attracted a crowd of spectators. Two large intoxicated men and a smallish fellow with exceptionally large feet somehow mounted a small horse and precariously began riding it down the street. After the trio became blatantly boisterous, seven policemen were dispatched to the scene and gave chase but surprisingly could not keep up with the revelers. The drunks outpaced the officers by 200 yards.”

Nov. 1895: George D. Massengill, Jr. and Miss Inez Jobe, a young lady from a prominent city family, were married one afternoon. The next day, they were being driven on a wagon to the train station with expectations of making a bridal trip to Washington. Without warning, the team of horses became startled and galloped away, throwing Mrs. Massengill to the ground where she received a skull fracture and passed out. After examining her, the physicians who were called to the scene determined that her injuries were not life threatening. John Garrell, driver of the team, was also seriously injured, but Mr. Massengill was not hurt.

Dec. 1906: Senator-elect Robert Love Taylor of Happy Valley, Tennessee selected Mr. Laps McCord, long-time editor of the Tennessee Sugar Tree Gazette, to be his private secretary. The paper humorously stated, “Only a man whose mind runs to something like sugar would do for the frolicsome fiddler from Happy Valley.”

Main Street Looking West in Johnson City as It Appeared in 1908

Aug. 1909: A man (whose name I will withhold), had been in Washington, DC for 100 days, but had been locked up behind bars for 95 of them for drunkenness and vagrancy. The Civil War veteran begged the presiding judge to let him leave the nation’s capitol and return to his mountain residence in Johnson City, Tennessee. “Judge, your Honor,” he said, “I want to go back to my native home because it is dry down there. I fought for the freedom of my country, but I don’t think much of the freedom of the Capitol of this glorious land of the free. This town has too many temptations for me and I can’t keep sober where there is so much liquor flowing. I want to go back to the town of my birth.” “All right, Thomas,” replied his honor, “I shall keep you in jail for 60 days to get the liquor fully out of your system and, after that, you can return to your home in Tennessee.”

Jan. 1959: The wreckage of a Southeast Airlines plane, missing for several days with 10 persons aboard, was spotted about 400 feet from the top of rugged Holston mountain. There was no sign of life at the scene of the wreckage. An Air National Guard plane located the wreckage at 11:50 a.m. about 10-15 miles east of Holston Dam in the rocky, heavily forested East Tennessee area. Captain Robert A. Jackson of the Civil Air Patrol led a mobile unit to the scene with 15 members of the Greeneville, Tennessee Rescue Squad accompanying him. It took the rescuers several hours to reach the scene.  

In 1775, Benjamin Franklin was appointed as the first Postmaster General, but it would be another 125 years before the postal system would implement RFD (Rural Free Delivery) aimed at providing mail service to country folks.

According to the 1988 book, History of Washington County Tennessee, initially the government was the primary user of the postal service. The general population had to rely on volunteers traveling to and from their area to receive mail delivery. Eventually mail routes became established with riders carrying mail in saddlebags. When roads improved such that stagecoaches could travel over them, parcels were delivered by these roomier conveyances.

By 1796, a post office was established at Jonesborough with John Waddell, Jr., a son-in-law of John Sevier, as postmaster. In Washington County, post offices were at first located in the homes or stores of designated postmasters, which meant a change of address anytime there was a change of postmaster.

In 1803, a proposed stagecoach route between Jonesborough and Blountville was rejected because it was too costly – $600 per year for once a week delivery. A carrier on horseback could transport it for $200. By 1840, mail was established between Jonesborough and three nearby cities: Abingdon, Virginia; Winston-Salem, North Carolina; and Knoxville, Tennessee.

By 1847, there were only eight post offices in Washington County. The number slowly grew to 14 by 1868. However, as the population began to increase, numerous additional offices were established throughout the county.

Postage stamps were introduced in 1847. During the Civil War, a Jonesborough postmaster issued a five-cent stamp on which his name appeared. However, uniform rates for stamps were not established until 1863. Initially, customers could prepay for a letter using a stamp or let the recipient fork out the money upon arrival.

Around 1900, the number of post offices began to decrease significantly because RFD had arrived. The establishment of 300 free rural delivery routes in Tennessee resulted in an almost immediate closing down of all post offices in Tennessee; they had served their usefulness. New and prosperous towns sprang up near villages, which brought with it larger distribution locations for the mail.

Many of the old post offices had historical significance attached to them. For instance, Bean station was where William Bean in 1769 built the first cabin by a white settler in Kentucky, Tennessee or Western North Carolina. 

Noli Chucky (Nolichucky) was the site of Jacob Brown’s first store opening in Tennessee in 1772. It was also where Russell Bean, the first child born on Tennessee soil first saw light. Also, John Sevier whose bravery was displayed in a battle with Indians earned the nickname “Nolichucky Jack.”

A few hundred yards from the Boons Creek office was the site of a gigantic leaning beech tree that bore the famous inscription, “D. Boon cilled a bar in the year 1760.” 

According to the book, Tennessee Post Offices and Postmaster Appointments, 1789-1984, there were 99 original post offices in Washington County. A sampling of nine of them with the post office name (its first postmaster, the years in existence and where the post office function was absorbed) include the following:

Alfred (Landon C. Garber, 1889-1899, Johnson City), Austin Springs (Clisbe Austin, Jr., 1875-1900, Johnson City), Blizzard (renamed Damphool, John F. Grisham, 1889-1900, Jonesborough), Blue Plum (Henry Johnson, 1849-1859, discontinued), Douglass Shed (renamed Douglass, Charles S. Ervin, 1895-1900, Jonesborough), Hacker (Robert L. Ford, 1893-1900, Telford), Haws Cross Roads (Thomas R. Haws, 1860-1900, Jonesborough), Johnson’s Depot (renamed Haynesville, 1857-1870, name changed to Johnson City), and Knob Creek (Alpheus Dove, 1856-1859, discontinued).