Table Of ContentTHE WEST ASHEVILLE STORY
A Publication of the West Asheville History Project
Sponsored by the Asheville-Buncombe Library System and The North Carolina Humanities Council
Volume 1, Issue 1 Winter 2001
HAYWOOD
ROAD
©TheAsheville-BuncombeLibrarySystem, 2001
HAYWOODROADNEARBREVARDROAD, LATE 20'SOREARLY30'S. PHOTO, NORTH CAROLINACOLLECION, PACK
MEMORIALPUBLIC LIBRARY. DONATEDBYTOMMYSELLERS.
THE STORY OF HAYWOOD ROAD
The story ofHaywood Road is the story ofWestAsheville, because itwas along this road thatthe town
developed. Before itwas calledHaywoodRoad, it was partoftheWesternTurnpike thatran from Salisbur}'.
North Carolinato the Georgia state line in Cherokee County. It was the only road fromAsheville to the west.
Ifyou wantedto getto Haywood County, and later, ifyou wanted to getto the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park, you hadto go down Haywood Road.
In 1885. withhisWestAsheville Improvement Company, Edwin Carrierbegan developing the road. He
built2-story brickbuildings along theroad, many ofwhichstill stand. It was probably at this time that
HaywoodRoad got its name. At first, Haywoodran whereWestwood Place is now. down to the river. Then
W.E. Logan donated land furthersouth so thatthe road couldbe moved and "'macadamized'", which meant
thatamixtureofgravelandtarwouldbe laiddown on the road. Thatmade itless dusty andeasierto travel
on. There was abigdebate atthe time inWestAsheville overwhere the roadwouldbe laidout. E.B.
Atkinson argued in anAsheville Citizen editorial thattheroad should notbe moved, due tothe factthatit
woulddisplace longtimeresidents. OtherWestAshevilleresidents, includingone identifyinghimselfas
Public B. Blowed, respondedvehemently inopposition. Atissue was the potential gradeofthe road, whose
land itabutted, andwhose property wouldbe devalued as aresultofthe move. In the end, the County
Commissioners movedtheroadto its currentlocation.
Atthattime. WestAsheville was mainly woods andfields. Carrierhad laidoutlots andnamed streets,
andresidents soon beganto arrive. PeoplecametoWestAshevilleformanyreasons, one ofwhichwas thatit
offered affordable living.
(continuedonpage2) 1
)
(continuedfrompage 1 FirstSettler: RobertHenry(1827)
Being the country, families could have small farms and gar- FirstHotel: DeoverHotel (founded
dens to feed themselves, yet be close enough toAsheville to work byReuben Deaverin 1830)
in town. FirstBridge: Smith'sBridge(1833)
WestAsheville was growing rapidly. In 1910, as electric FirstChurch: MillerMeeting
House (1847)
service came toWestAsheville, trolley service was extendeddown
FirstElectricPassengerElevator
Haywood Road. Thetrolleywastheeasiestway to get around intheSouth: SulphurSprings
then, as cars had not yet hit it big in the area, and most people Hotel (1889)
couldn'tafford them anyway. In 1914, Haywood Road was paved. FirstElectricPowerPlantInWNC:
By 1930, WestAsheville's populationhad grown to over EdwinCarrierDam&Power
12,000. Haywood Road looked a lot like it does today. The fire FirstRPalialnwtaoyninHoWmeisntyAsChreeveilkle(:1889)
station had been built in 1922. TheWestAsheville Bank andTrust WestAsheville&Sulphur
Company moved into theirnew building on the cornerof SpringsElectric Railway(1891)
Haywood Road and RichmondAvenue in 1927. Anew Post FirstTrolleyonHaywoodRoad: 1910
Office opened at795 Haywood Road. Calvary Baptist, West FirstMayorofWestAsheville:
H.L. Bright(1914)
Asheville Presbyterian, andtheTrinity United MethodistChurches
FirstPaved RoadinWestAsheville:
all stoodin theirpresentlocations. Businesses such as Fortune's Haywood Road (1914)
Hardware, May's Market, and Home Furniture flourished. Buta FirstCityWaterLines: Builtunder
new developmentinAsheville threatenedHaywood Road. Itwas French Broad River(1914)
thecar. FirstBank; BankofWestAsheville
As more people began to drive, demand forthe trolley serv- (1915)
FirstFireStation: Station3,at421
ice decreased. Its lastrun was in 1934. To accommodate the Haywood Road (1922)
increasein traffic. Smoky Park Bridge was constructed in 1950. FirstParochialSchoolinWNC:
People now traveled toAsheville with ease. In 1960, the St.JoanofArc (1928)
Crosstown Expressway opened to traffic, and Haywood Road was FirstFlightatCarrierField: 1930
no longerthe primary route west. As PattonAvenue and Interstate FirstDrive-In BankinAsheville;
240received the brunt ofgrowth, HaywoodRoad retainedthe FirstNational Bank, Haywood
Road Branch (1950)
landmarks ofits heyday. No longerthe primary conduit itonce FirstPurpose-BuiltBranch Library
was, Haywood Road is still the busy main streetofWestAsheville. in NC:WestBranch Library(1953)
FirstShoppingCenterinWNC:
Westgate(1956)
FirstRaceatAshevilleMotor
Speedway: 1960
OLDESTHAYWOODROADPHOTOTODATE: FAIRCHILD'SSTORE,CORNEROFHAYWOODROAD&STATEST., 1911.
GEORGEFAIRCHILD,PROPRIETOR,STANDINGFRONTLEFTHOLDINGHOE;HELATEROPERATEDFAIRCHILD'SGARAGE
ATTHISADDRESS. PHOTO, NORTHCAROLINACOLLECTION,PACKMEMORIALPUBLICLIBRARY. DONATEDBYHARRY
WORLEY.
2
. .
THEBANKOFWESTASHEVILLE,414HAYWOODROAD,LATE20'S AYCOCKSCHOOL,441 HAYWOODROAD, 1951 OR 1952.
OREARLY30'S. COURTESYEWARTM. BALLPHOTOGRAPHIC PHOTO,NORTHCAROUNACOLLECTION,PACK MEMORIAL
COLLECTION,SPECIALCOLLECTIONS,RAMSEYLIBRARY,UNCA PUBUCLIBRARY
THE BANK OF WEST ASHEVILLE AYCOCK ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL
The Bank ofWestAsheville opened in 1915 at the
comerofHaywood Road andBeverly. In 1927. a new- Aycock Elementar}' School at441 Haywood
bank building opened on the comerofHaywood Road Road opened in 1927. NamedforCharles B.
and RichmondAvenue. The yellow brick structure was Aycock, NC's "Education Governor", the school
3 stories high and was called "WestAsheville's First was built on the site ofWestAsheville's firstpub-
Skyscraper". The Bank ofWestAsheville closed in lic school, a 2-roombrick structure which stood
Novemberof 1930 as the Depression deepened. The on the lotbehindthe presentbuilding, and which
building still stands, and looks much as it did when new. was torn down in 1943.A}'cockElementar.'
School served generations ofWestAsheville stu-
dents, mostofwhomwalkedto school. The pres-
Tin:ii.\>'K<>^A»^i8yA8«HV4Mtl^ " entbuildingwas erectedin the 60s andnow
houses theAccelerated Learning Center.
:,„";;';?.. 7^2^ "^-r. /^..^.^ __._ _ s^-f^^
ASHEVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT
BANKOFWESTASHEVILLECHECK, 1927.COURTESYDANJUDD STATION #3
AUXILIARY FIREMEN
ASHEVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT
1 CaptainJohn. L. Hall 12. B.A. Barrosse
2. Mr. Mac Kiser 13. FrankA. Davis, Capt. AF
3. FiremanArrowood 14. Ted Gaze
4. Fireman Ted Callaway 15. Jimmy Davis
5. BillyDovis 16. Harold Cummings
6. DoyleWoody 17. Joe Bassett
7. Fireman Grady 18. Harold Hicks
(Turkey)Wilson 19.J.L Duckett
8. Austin O. Combs 20. MaryLouiseBrondle
9. GeorgeHughes, Lt. AF 21 JackHensley
10. Joe Hensley 22. Marion Davis
11. HenryMay, 2nd Lt. AF
AUXILIARYFIREMEN,STATION3,421 HAYWOODROAD. STATION3,BUILTIN 1922,OPERATEDUNTIL 1979. ITWAS
WESTASHEVILLE'SFIRSTPERMANENTFIRESTATION,SUCCESSORTOAVOLUNTEERUNITESTABLISHEDIN 1917BUT
FORCEDTOCLOSEIN 1918DUETOAMANPOWERSHORTAGECAUSEDBYTHEWAR. BUILDINGSTILLSTANDS.
PHOTO, NORTHCAROLINACOLLEQION,PACKMEMORIALPUBLICUBRARY.
—
TRINITY UNITED
METHODIST CHURCH
On September6, 1847, Thomas L. Gaston deeded an acre
ofland along the future Haywood Road to brothers Peterand
George Miller, "forthebenefitofthe neighborhood", as the
deed stated. Peterbuilt a 1-room frame building namedThe
MillerMeeting House. Used as a"day school" through the
weekand fornon-denominational services on Sundays, this
building wasWestAsheville's firstchurchAND first school.
In 1871, through the influence ofJames Buttrick, azealous
Methodistfrom England, the churchjoined thefold ofthe
Southern Methodist Church, and the name was changed to
Balm Grove. In 1909, when anew building was erected, the
name changed to WestAshevilleMethodistChurch. The cur-
rent building was completed in 1927. Church membership
through the 40's exceeded 1200. In 1968, the church adopted
MILLERMEETINGHOUSE, 1847,587HAYWOODROAD. itspresentname.Trinity United MethodistChurch. The church
PHOTO,TRINITYUNITEDMETHODISTCHURCH. celebrated its 150th anniversary in 1997.
CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH
Organized in 1909, Calvary Baptist Church
startedoutwith 68 members meeting in the Odd
Fellows Hall on Haywood Road (current site of
B & B Pharmacy). Construction onthepresent
buildingbegan in 1921 and thebuilding was first
used on May 13, 1923. In 1924, Calvary formed
the firstVacation Bible School inAsheville, and
in 1934 the churchformedthe firstBrotherhood
organization in North Carolina. The beloved
Rev. J.B. Grice served as pastor 1918-1947. The
presentcongregation ofmorethan 1200celebrated ODDFELLOWSHALL,CORNEROFHAYWOODRD.ANDHANOVERST.,
1927. PHOTO,CALVARYBAPTISTCHURCH.
Calvary's 90th anniversary in 1999.
WEST ASHEVILLE
PRESBYTERLAN CHURCH
In 1913, PR Wynn ofWestAsheville
started a Sunday School onthe second
floorofthe Ideal Drug Store building at
723 HaywoodRoad. In 1916, the West
Asheville Presbyterian Churchwas
organized; the property atthe comerof
Haywood Road and VirginiaAvenue was
purchased and the first church building
—
the "Potato House" was erected. The
congregation grew potatoes on the proper-
ty to raise funds forthecurrent sanctuary,
built in 1922. In 1943, the church helped
organize the Malvern Hills Presbyterian
"THEBARNINTHEPOTATOPATCH",690HAYWOODRD., 1917. Church. In 1956, anew Sunday School
PHOTO, WESTASHEVILLEPRESBYTERIANCHURCH. building was built. The church celebrated
its 80th anniversary in 1996.
GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH
Grace Baptist Church was organized October
26, 1947. in the chapel ofAnders-Rice Funeral
Home at 521 Haywood Road; membership had
reached 350 when the charter period ended that
November. The church purchased the site at
718 Haywood Road (the formerGardner
Hospital), and met in the Masonic Hall on
Hanover St. until renovations were completed.
The first service was held at the new location
December21, 1947. InAugust, 1854. the old res-
idence was torn down to make way forthe new
sanctuary, dedicated in March of 1955. The
GRACEBAPTISTCHURCH,718HAYWOODROAD.GARDNERHOSPITAL
UNDERDEMOLITIONTOMAKEWAYFORCURRENTSANCTUARY. church celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1997.
PHOTO,GRACEBAPTISTCHURCH.
jOAN OF ARC
ST.
CHURCH & SCHOOL
In March of 1927, parishioners
from St. Lawrence Catholic Church in
Asheville purchased a 12-room house
on the cornerofHaywood Rd. and
Blue RidgeAve. in WestAsheville. At
the direction ofFather Louis J. Bour,
pastorofSt. Lawrence, the structure ST.JOANOFARCCHURCHANDSCHOOL,919HAYWOODROAD.PHOTOCOURTESY
was renovated as a chapel and the first NORTHCAROLINACOLLECTION,PACKMEMORIALPUBLICLIBRARY.
parochial school in Western North Carolina. The school and chapel were named St. Joan ofArc; chapel
furnishings, including pews and an organ, were donated by parishioners. Enrolling 75 pupils during its first
yearofoperation, by 1949 the school provided elementary and high school education to 163 students. The
present church building was constructed in 1936. In 1950, construction began on a new brick school build-
ing. In 1980, the school consolidated with St. Eugene's asAsheville Catholic School, in NorthAsheville.
The church celebrated its 65th anniversary in 1993.
WEST ASHEVILLE
^-.
CHURCH
BAPTIST
ES
In December, 1929, some mem-
bers ofFrench BroadAvenue Baptist
Church who had homes in West 1 '^ -i i- r
yy^mK
Asheville formally organized West
Asheville Baptist Church. The charter If^ '^: g ^^jBBWiB^^.^'^.,-.. *
congregation of 113 members met in a
rented "Upper Room" above theA&P WESTASHEVILLEBAPTISTCHURCH,926HAYWOODROAD;FIRSTANNIVERSARY,
Se,tore at.-7790-77.H1aywoodJ rR,dj. AA ,lot was DECEMBER 1, 1930. PHOTOCOURTESYWESTASHEVILLEBAPTISTCHURCH.
leased on Haywood Rd., across from Blue RidgeAvenue, and achurch was erected; first services were held
there on May 18, 1930. In 1935, the lease on the lotran out. Raising $900 in a single Sunday, the church
purchased its present site on the cornerofHaywood Rd. and LynndaleAve. The church met in the old Vance
Elementary School while the building was underconstruction. At 10:16 p.m. on May 27. 1982, the church
suffered one ofWestAsheville's worst tragedies. Lightning struck the church, starting a huge fire. 25-year
old fireman Raymond Flowers losthis life battling the blaze, and the church was severely damaged. The
congregation rebuilt thechurch in 3 years, dedicating the new building on May 31, 1985. The church cele-
brated its 70th anniversary in 1999.
THE THEATER
ISIS
The Isis Theater, at 743
Haywood Road, opened
December26, 1937. Built at a
cost of$50,000, the artdeco
structure featured two screening
rooms and could seat 550. The
theateroffered amatinee andtwo
evening shows Monday-Friday,
with continuous shows after 1:00
p.m. on Saturdays. Admission in
1937 was 20 cents foradults and
10cents forchildren. Usually
one ofthefeatures was awestern.
Ageneration thrived on its
Saturday matinees and aircondi- THEISISTHEATER,743HAYWOODROAD,DATENOTKNOWN.PHOTO,EWARTM.BALL
tioning. The Isis closed its doors PHOTOGRAPHICCOLLECTION,SPECIALCOLLECTIONS,RAMSEYLIBRARY,UNCA.PRESENT
inNovemberof 1957. LOCATIONOFPASTABIUTIESRESTAURANT.
MAY'S MARKET
May's Market, founded in 1928 at 747
Haywood Road by John B. May, became aWest
Asheville institution. Mr. May employed all of
his children in the store, and countless West
Asheville young people got theirfirstjobs
working at May's Market after school and on
Saturdays. The store was open 6 days a week,
and groceries were delivered by bicycle and
delivery truck. During the Depression, Mr. May
extended credit to many ofhis customers. His
MAY'SMARKET,747HAYWOODROAD, 1970'S. PHOTOCOURTESY daughterNancy, who began working in the
FRANKANDNANCYLEPPERT. PRESENTLOCATIONOFMERCADO
MEXICANA. ^'^^'"^ ^" 1943, recalls that the lastDepressi.on-
eraaccounts were paid offduring the 50"s. Afterthe war, she and herhusband, Frank Leppert,joined Mr.
May in the family business. May's Market was known forits meats; butcherRalph Pitillo ran the meat
counterforover40 years. May's Marketclosed in 1978, after50 years in business.
HAYWOODROAD, WESTASHEVILLE,EARLY30S. LEFTTORIGHT: A&P,797HAYWOODROAD;OLDPOSTOFFICE,795HAYWOODROAD;
PALACETHEATER,791 HAYWOODROAD;REDSTARSTATION,785HAYWOODROAD. POSTOFFICEOPENEDIN 1929. PALACETHEATER
OPENED 1928. PHOTO,EWARTM.BALLPHOTOGRAPHICCOLLECTION, SPECIALCOLLECTIONS,RAMSEYUBRARY,UNCA.
WEST ASHEVILLE
BRANCH LIBRARY
In 1929. the West
Asheville Community Club
launched adrive to secure a
public librar>' forthe commu-
nity. The Depression, fol- INTERIOROFWESTBRANCHLIBRARY, 1953. FIRSTLIBRARIAN,MRS. DOANOGDEN,VISIBLEAT
lowedbyWWII, caused DESKINBACKGROUND. PHOTO,NORTHCAROLINACOLLEQION,PACKMEMORIALPUBLIC
LIBRARY.
delays, but in 1953 the goal
was achieved. Built onproperty at 970 Haywood Road donated by theWestAsheville BusinessAssociation.
WestAsheville Branch Library was the firstpurpose-builtbranch librar>' in North Carolina. The hbrarv'
shared space in the $100,000building with Fire Station 6 and the WestAsheville Community Center.
Dedicated on May 31. 1953. the library was hailed as acultural milestone in the history ofWestAshe\ille.
"Libra)-}-Journal" in November. 1954. noted that "Community gratitude is frequently expressed. . .that cit\
attire is notrequired." Opening with acollection of2500 new books, the library registered afirstmonth's
circulation of4.365. In 1997. the hbrary moved into a new building at 942 Haywood Road, next doorto the
old location. The collection now numbers over40.000 items: circulation in October, 2000. topped 15.000.
WestAsheville Branch Library remains the busiest branch in theAsheville-Buncombe Library System.
LAVONNE'S DRIVI'IN
OPENING
TUESDAY, 4 P:M
LAVONNE'S DRIVE-IN
NOW
OPEN
^^ >-'•» •"••»^ FO^UoN^TA-IN
CHICKEN IN BASKET ^ SERVICE
FTRAISETDYSSHARNIDMWPICLHNESBASKETJ
FOUNTAIN DAIRYBAR
NOBEERNORwrNESERVEDHERG
LAVONNE'SDRIVE-IN,955HAYWOODROAD,ACROSSTHESTREETFROMWESTBRANCHLIBRARY, 1951-58;BECAMETOOT&TELL
DRIVE-ININ 1959. PHOTO,EWARTM.BALLPHOTOGRAPHICCOLLEaiON,SPECIALCOLLEQIONS,RAMSEYUBRARY,UNCA.
—
THANKS!
Asheville-BuncombeLibrary
System•AshevilleCitizen-Times•
BUtmorePress•RosemarieBrown-
Taylor•CalvaryBaptistChurch•
MaryRuthDuyck•FriendsofWest
AshevilleBranchLibrary•DaleGroce
•BarbaraHall•BetsyMurray•Rob
Neufeld•ZoeRhine•DavidSimon•
NorthCarolinaCollection,Pack
MemorialPublicLibrary•Special
Collections,RamseyLibrary,UNCA•
HAYWOODROADAT1-240,LOOKINGWEST;NOVEMBER, 1999. PHOTOCOURTESY TrinityUnitedMethodistChurch•
LISSAJUEDEMANN. WestAshevilleBusinessAssociation•
WestAshevilleLionsClub•West
AshevilleStoryCircleParticipants•
AnnWright•HelenWykle
SulphurSprings Rd WEST ASHEVILLE
HISTORY PROJECT
COMMITTEE
Pope &DotBallinger•
VermontAve. MildredAve. BruceEmory•CulleyHolderfield
•FreddieHopper•
FDRON HAYWOOD LissaJuedemann•JoanJohnson•
ROAD MiUieJones•MinnieJones•
Frank& NancyLeppert•
DanLobdell • KarenLoughmiller•
In 1936, thenation's president GlennMay • KathyNewfont
FairfaxAve, rode downHaywoodRoad. Franklin
D. Roosevelt, inthe middleofapresi- SPECLVL TLLANKS
LouisianaAve. dentialcampaign,journeyedto
AshevillefromtheGreat Smoky BruceEmory• HarlanGradin•
CulleyHolderfield•Freddie
DorchesterAve. Mountains National Park, taking Hopper•Mrs. InezHorton•
the only possibleroute Image420•EdSheary •Staffof
Highway 10—whichincluded WestBranchLibrary•The
PEOPLEofWestAsheville!
HaywoodRoad. 5,000people lined
Allen St. both sides oftheroute throughWest STAFF
Asheville all theway totheWest ProjectDirector:
AshevilleBridge. TheAsheville KarenLoughmiller
Citizen reportedthat"Both sides of Writers:
Richmond Ave. Haywood Roadwerepacked ashe CulleyHolderfield,PhyllisLang
MichiganAve • camethroughWestAsheville.The Photographers:
entiredistanceoftheroutewas LissaJuedemann, DanLobdell
Sv/annannoaAve linedwith men, women, Research:
BruceEmory,MillieJones
andchildren, white
ConsultingHumanitiesScholar:
andcolored."
Dr. PhyllisLang
SponsoredbytheNorthCarolina
HumanitiesCouncil
HAYWOOD ROAD
WestAshevilleHistoryProjectWestAshevilleBranchLibrary942Haywood florthCarolinaHunianitiei[ouncil
Road,WestAsheville828-251-4990 WeavingCuttur
