tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073404907618866651.post2614616790232037483..comments2023-04-24T08:29:37.370-07:00Comments on Growing Up In Brevard in the 50's and 60's: Good Ol' SummertimePat Meece Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963073124147585301noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073404907618866651.post-31472038678263943352010-09-21T11:05:14.118-07:002010-09-21T11:05:14.118-07:00You don't usually hear about anyone swimming i...You don't usually hear about anyone swimming in the French Broad River, probably because it had so much silt suspended in it that it appeared dirty. Several of us camped and fished regularly at the mouth of Lambs Creek and the French Broad and always had a great time. We had a 5-HP Mercury Outboard Motor that we would attach to a homemade flat bottom boat and run up and down the river. If you can imagine a bunch of early teen boys with that much freedom. Don't remember who owned the motor, but seems like it was paid for with night crawlers sold at Joe's Little Store. When we camped we would fish almost all night and needless to say we ate everything we caught, which included horny heads, catfish, brim, perch and all the trash fish. We spent many warm summer nights fishing and talking. We never had any adults with us and as far as I remember no one checked on us. We would stay for two or three days or until the food ran out. You can just eat fried potatoes/onions and trash fish for so long. Gosh! The freedoms we had and not much to worry about. Can you picture letting kids have that much freedom today with all the nuts running around.Michael Lee Brockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08804735113591498008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073404907618866651.post-19097533649354762202010-08-21T16:58:40.894-07:002010-08-21T16:58:40.894-07:00Shift Party? Ron, I did not know that. I thought...Shift Party? Ron, I did not know that. I thought it was a bunch of you guys who put it together. When did the Inn burn down? I don't think I was around Brevard at that time. I sure hope Charie (and Joe) got an equitable settlement. He, Charlie, is one of the finest men I have ever known. He gave me (and Jerry and Tom) a job out of the goodness of his heart...twice.Jim '58noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073404907618866651.post-79434976522182200052010-08-21T06:54:43.927-07:002010-08-21T06:54:43.927-07:00Jim, the party that you mention concerning the fir...Jim, the party that you mention concerning the fire at Cascade Lake Inn was a DuPont shift party. You can't really blame any individual. I suspect the Pickelsimers and DuPont came to an equitable settlement.Ronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07435878891507618031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073404907618866651.post-37066643763876129732010-08-20T13:29:21.654-07:002010-08-20T13:29:21.654-07:00Jim: I remember Preacher Rogers, Preacher Julian, ...Jim: I remember Preacher Rogers, Preacher Julian, Mrs. Cheek and all the good people at Pisgah Forest Baptist Church. I also remember the long Sunday services. Someone sent Buddy Julian's Obit to me recently. I hated to hear about him passing. I saw him a lot at car shows and enjoyed talking to him about the things you mentioned. I also remember how dangerous it was to make your turn at the dam when you were skiing at Cascade. I'm really surprised someone didn't go over the edge. I understand the lake and property has been a campground for several years, but I liked it better before. Good Memories.Michael Lee Brockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08804735113591498008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073404907618866651.post-19349493152018908532010-08-20T13:00:29.342-07:002010-08-20T13:00:29.342-07:00Cascade Lake was an excellent place to swim and wa...Cascade Lake was an excellent place to swim and water ski...pretty good fishing also. I have not thought of him in years and years, but the only person who would let my rowdy friends and me ski behind his boat was Charles Wolf, whose boat had two green 55 horse power Johnson outboards on it. I can see it as clear as day right now. He was somewhat of a prankster and would pull us (what we considered) dangerously close to the dam to scare the wits out of us. Loads of fun. Hey Ron, do you remembver when one of our "un-named" friends hosted a party at the Cascade Inn and it burned down sometime during the early morning hours after the party? Speaking of Charles Wolf, he and his brother Howard were big guys, and I can still see them meekly following their mother who was a fairly big woman herself, into Pisgah Forest Baptist Church for "preaching" by Reverend Clarence Rogers! Mrs. Wolf had a different hat for every Sunday. I never knew anything about Mr. Wolf...maybe he has alreadys passed on at that time. Funny thing about Preacher Rogers was that he would almost always announce before his sermon who was going to feed him and his family (Mrs. Rogers, Donald, Joy and Wanda Ruth)that day's Sunday dinner. After everyone got used to that, all the women would (good naturedly) prepare extra food lest they would be short if he chose them. I guess because he lived across from my Grandma Capell and because she was very good cook, he chose her quite often. How I digress from the old swimming holes...Preacher Rogers never laid his watch on the pulpit (like Preacher Julian did) and it was not unheard of for him to still be "preaching" at 1 o'clock or later. Either he figured all of us sinning Bapatist needed the extra lesson or he wanted to give us our money's worth. Do you remember those days Michael?Jim '58noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073404907618866651.post-18103754788289395962010-08-17T13:06:35.375-07:002010-08-17T13:06:35.375-07:00I had almost forgot about one of our favorite plac...I had almost forgot about one of our favorite places to swim. Cascade Lake in Little River. A big group of us would rent a rowboat. It cost $1.50 for the day and we would row and swim to the upper end of the lake, near the waterfalls. We would spend the day swimming and laying on the huge rocks to get warm. In the 50's Cascade was a very active lake with water skiing and picnicking. The last time I was by Cascade the Clubhouse was a overgrown and looked pitiful.Michael Lee Brockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08804735113591498008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073404907618866651.post-11374399272892495722010-08-09T17:03:00.623-07:002010-08-09T17:03:00.623-07:00Well, you have told me of a place of which I did n...Well, you have told me of a place of which I did not know! Maybe, I can go with you sometime...just to see it. I am not very good at hiking, though. It sounds very nice! The good thing about all these posts is becoming aware of places in our beloved county that we never knew!Becky '58noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073404907618866651.post-26035956303862786842010-08-09T16:18:45.004-07:002010-08-09T16:18:45.004-07:00Becky, I suppose one can drive into Kuykendall tod...Becky, I suppose one can drive into Kuykendall today. I've seen signs at the Selica Rd./64W. We went through the woods above Lake Sega and followed a trail. I'd love to hike that again; my father used to hike it and I'd tag along. It was very beautiful with all the mountain laurel and Rhododendrons. The creek was faily large and treacherous and reminded me of Sliding Rock. I spent a great deal of my time in the mountains and hiked a lot of trails.Rubyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14102564315396756967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073404907618866651.post-40104551720927808572010-08-09T16:15:48.261-07:002010-08-09T16:15:48.261-07:00Camp Strauss/Sapphire was also the home of the Ecu...Camp Strauss/Sapphire was also the home of the Ecusta Band Camp (and for a few more years the BHS Band Camp). How easily I remember the envy I had for all of those up in the cool lake water, while we were marching up and down that field at the bottom of the dam. Hot, hot, hot!!!Doris '58noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073404907618866651.post-66503908044618017702010-08-09T14:52:55.244-07:002010-08-09T14:52:55.244-07:00One of the best things I remember about Camp Strau...One of the best things I remember about Camp Strauss (or Camp Sapphire) was passing the swimming test and being able to go to the "cool" side of the lake ... cool as in where all the cool people were swimming and cool as in the water was naturally always much cooler on the deeper side.Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00012946202837903205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073404907618866651.post-45159971038297425822010-08-09T14:03:02.851-07:002010-08-09T14:03:02.851-07:00Wow, Ruby, but I guess those thoughts of jumping i...Wow, Ruby, but I guess those thoughts of jumping in the ice cold water is refreshing and appealing in this very hot summer! I don't know where Kuykendall is. Please refresh my memory!Becky '58noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073404907618866651.post-1334164031364844812010-08-08T20:04:53.797-07:002010-08-08T20:04:53.797-07:00I forgot to include a comment about my husband and...I forgot to include a comment about my husband and his brother and how they celebrated their birthdays. They were twins, so they had a tradition of going to Davidson River on their birthday and jumping in the swimming hole. Oh, btw, they had to break the ice once in a while as their birthday was in December. Not exactly a summertime story. lolRuby, '62noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073404907618866651.post-44817548633766343582010-08-08T19:56:21.464-07:002010-08-08T19:56:21.464-07:00Straus holds so many fond memories for all of us i...Straus holds so many fond memories for all of us in Brevard. We didn’t have much by the world’s standards, but we were rich by our standards. My husband and I share our different stories and smile at our experiences. He was a ‘city boy’ and I was a ‘country girl’. He had an automobile to cruise around in and our family walked or rode a bus until our brother got old enough to drive. When he went into the Navy, my sister and I got to cruise also. Funny, Don lived next door to my uncle and I didn’t even know him then. Anyway, he’s told me many stories of his experiences at Straus and how he could swim underwater all the way across and back again; he still swims very well. He and Leonard Poteet used to compete, but I won’t tell that entire story. My family, in the early years, spent lots of time swimming at Cathy’s Creek after we picked black berries; later years, we were always at Lake Sega, as most of us girls worked there. We had a great time and often hiked to Kuykendall and played in the treacherous water there. At least I thought it was, as no adults were with us in case we got into trouble. We were truly blessed as children as we had so many activities to occupy our time and so many adults that genuinely cared for us and looked after us. Straus was the icing on the cake, especially on the fourth of July. I’m so grateful my children were also able to benefit from all the activities there.Ruby, '62noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073404907618866651.post-36656402436739537522010-08-06T12:25:56.458-07:002010-08-06T12:25:56.458-07:00I remember franklin Park stocked the pool with tro...I remember franklin Park stocked the pool with trout and had a contest to see who could catch the first one, the largest one, and the most with your hands. At first the fish were too fast but as the chlorine took its toll even the smallest kid could catch one. I can't remember if it was a one time event or if they did it for several years. Does anyone else remember that?Bob Morley, '63noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073404907618866651.post-9068811796010879252010-08-06T09:52:45.905-07:002010-08-06T09:52:45.905-07:00Thanks Jim - yepper - my sister and I are kin on B...Thanks Jim - yepper - my sister and I are kin on Buddy - perhaps 3rd cousin ... not sure ....... <br /><br />I sure hope this weather breaks and we have cooler weather this week-end......... love to just get outside without sweltering .....<br /><br />Hope everyone has a wonderful week-end.<br /><br />AnnAnn - '61noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073404907618866651.post-55963335367395338492010-08-06T08:58:57.044-07:002010-08-06T08:58:57.044-07:00My parents loved to go on picnics and on Sundays M...My parents loved to go on picnics and on Sundays Mom would pack a lunch of fried chicken, potato salad, green beans, and of course sweet tea. We would go to the Davidson River campground so we could swim. As you know that is the coldest water in the world. It took forever to get acclimated to it. I remember my brothers and me getting out of the water and being blue from the cold. But what fun it was.<br /><br />Billie McGahaBillie '58noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073404907618866651.post-86340238600017800902010-08-04T13:58:27.110-07:002010-08-04T13:58:27.110-07:00Jimmie, I remember the bus (Ecusta bus?) coming to...Jimmie, I remember the bus (Ecusta bus?) coming to town in the morning to take us to swimming lessons at Camp Straus. My stop was on West Main - there were probably other stops too. Seems like the driver took whoever was waiting to go. I don't think we needed permission slips, did we? My parents both worked so I was on my own for getting myself ready for wherever I was going and walking from Probart Street into town. In the afternoon, I walked to Franklin Pool - I loved that pool. Gerald Petit was the life guard. On slow days, he'd help us with things we were working on in swim classes. Of course, we had to pass tests at Straus and Franklin Pool to go in the deep water. That was a big deal to make that leap! Summer days were something else!Pat Meece Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963073124147585301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073404907618866651.post-8229583413644222312010-08-04T12:44:43.929-07:002010-08-04T12:44:43.929-07:00The railroad track was right behind our house on G...The railroad track was right behind our house on Green Acres and a great short cut. We would cut across Ralph Fisher's cow pasture, walk the tracks up to Joe's Little Store and then walk the road to Camp Straus. If we were on the tracks when a train was coming and we had an extra penny (which was rarely), we would put it on the track for the train to run over. When we picked the penny up later, it was about the size of a quarter and razor thin. Mother also packed lunches for us, probably to keep us out of her hair for the day...smart lady.Jim '58noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073404907618866651.post-54114910992231681892010-08-04T12:24:25.746-07:002010-08-04T12:24:25.746-07:00I remember walking the railroad track to Camp Stra...I remember walking the railroad track to Camp Straus...taking a sandwich and staying all day...yes and the old wooden bath houses...and all the swings on the hill...wasn't there a bus that picked us up for Coaching School...that is where I learned to swim...also July 4th....free popcorn and lemonade...cooling off under the trees.Jimmie Jeannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073404907618866651.post-45800156961576803722010-08-04T11:18:08.829-07:002010-08-04T11:18:08.829-07:00I just thought of this. Some of the high school f...I just thought of this. Some of the high school football teams from South Carolina used to conduct their pre-season drills at Camp Deerwood. I don't know if it was legal or not back then, but we (the Blue Devils) would go out there and scrimmage them. Afterwards, Gordon Sprott (is the name correct, Ron?) would allow us to swim there. We were also allowed there at specific times as guests of the Deerwood summer counselors. Fond, fond memories.Jim '58noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073404907618866651.post-87285821753305220042010-08-04T09:50:57.867-07:002010-08-04T09:50:57.867-07:00Hey, Monica......Did you work for Transylvania Com...Hey, Monica......Did you work for Transylvania Community Hospital in April of 1962? I think you almost delivered my baby girl. Dr. Sader was rushing into the room as he removed his jacket, but you were in the process of bringing her into the world.Becky '58noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073404907618866651.post-26489708145571604102010-08-04T08:51:13.367-07:002010-08-04T08:51:13.367-07:00Ann, yes Buddy's dad was Karl and his sister i...Ann, yes Buddy's dad was Karl and his sister is Wilma. There is also a much younger brother, James. Buddy's mother, Hazel, made the best cornbread (cakes and sticks) that I have ever eaten. I'm still trying to figure out where the Vagabond was.Jim '58noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073404907618866651.post-47531394627179538632010-08-03T19:28:46.805-07:002010-08-03T19:28:46.805-07:00It's time for a '60's rep to comment! ...It's time for a '60's rep to comment! Oh, my gosh! Ron mentioned basketball and ping-pong at Camp Straus; it was swimming (once you passed the "test"), yep- diving/jumping off the high board, tennis in the Barn when it rained, ping-pong for hours and huddling when the storms came! Stone's Lake was a treat, and the icy waters of Sliding Rock, etc. It is great to reconnect with those who remember these things. What a wonderful idea, Pat - thank you! Now I will spread the word among my classmates. Thanks to Eleanor F. for sharing the info. This is great! Monica, Class of '63Monicanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073404907618866651.post-60357404209950109342010-08-03T06:06:25.852-07:002010-08-03T06:06:25.852-07:00No Becky - my cousin Pat grew up in Maryland ........No Becky - my cousin Pat grew up in Maryland ......but came to Brevard and spent a lot of summers with me ........ as far as related to Buddy, I 'think' I am - not sure yet......Ann - -'61'noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073404907618866651.post-54364421456561947252010-08-02T15:45:06.462-07:002010-08-02T15:45:06.462-07:00Hey, Ann......Did your cousin, Pat, go to BHS?
I a...Hey, Ann......Did your cousin, Pat, go to BHS?<br />I am wondering about her last name in order to see if I knew her. Are you related to Buddy?Becky '58noreply@blogger.com