Published Articles by Carroll C. Jones
CANTON'S OLD DAM BLOWN TO KINGDOM COME
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 01/13/2020 edition)
Research in the Champion Paper and Fibre Company's monthly publication The Log reveals amazing photo and story about the Canton paper company's impoundment dams across the Pigeon River.
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 01/13/2020 edition)
Research in the Champion Paper and Fibre Company's monthly publication The Log reveals amazing photo and story about the Canton paper company's impoundment dams across the Pigeon River.
WHEN AN ARMY INVADED THE PIGEON VALLEY
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 05/25/2019 edition)
This article is about General Griffith Rutherford's punitive campaign against the Cherokee Indians in 1776. His route--or trace--into the mountains passed through Haywood County's Pigeon Valley.
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 05/25/2019 edition)
This article is about General Griffith Rutherford's punitive campaign against the Cherokee Indians in 1776. His route--or trace--into the mountains passed through Haywood County's Pigeon Valley.
BETHEL'S HISTORIC PHOENIX-COLUMN BRIDGE or Haywood's Iron-Truss Bridge Targeted for National Register (published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 01/13/2020 edition)
An old iron-truss bridge located in Bethel, North Carolina was recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Learn why the 1891 bridge is so special and received this weighty recognition.
An old iron-truss bridge located in Bethel, North Carolina was recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Learn why the 1891 bridge is so special and received this weighty recognition.
CANTON'S ORIGINAL BUCKET FACTORY
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 04/15/2019 edition)
In 1915, an old bucket factory was constructed at Canton's Penland Street for the purpose of manufacturing "dinner" buckets patented by Bethel's Calvin Christopher.
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 04/15/2019 edition)
In 1915, an old bucket factory was constructed at Canton's Penland Street for the purpose of manufacturing "dinner" buckets patented by Bethel's Calvin Christopher.
CAPTAIN HARGROVE'S DIARY DISCOVERED AMONG ATTIC PLUNDER
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 09/10/2018 edition)
An old diary found amidst the attic plunder of a historic Haywood County house belonged to Civil War veteran William H. Hargrove. The diary is chock full of Hargrove's notes and memories recorded during and immediately after the American Civil War.
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 09/10/2018 edition)
An old diary found amidst the attic plunder of a historic Haywood County house belonged to Civil War veteran William H. Hargrove. The diary is chock full of Hargrove's notes and memories recorded during and immediately after the American Civil War.
REMEMBERING THE HARGROVE BOTTOM
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 03/21/2019 edition)
As Carroll peers across the Pigeon River bottomland, where his mother was raised and Hargrove ancestors farmed, many sentimental memories are stirred.
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 03/21/2019 edition)
As Carroll peers across the Pigeon River bottomland, where his mother was raised and Hargrove ancestors farmed, many sentimental memories are stirred.
MY MIDDLE PRONG PASSION
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 03/25/2017 edition)
A fly-fishing trip into the remote Middle Prong wilderness is more exciting than Carroll supposed it might me. Read about his trek along old logging railroad grades to reach the pristine waters of the East Fork of the Pigeon River's tributary stream. And find out how a rattling critter interrupted his quest for the native speckle trout.
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 03/25/2017 edition)
A fly-fishing trip into the remote Middle Prong wilderness is more exciting than Carroll supposed it might me. Read about his trek along old logging railroad grades to reach the pristine waters of the East Fork of the Pigeon River's tributary stream. And find out how a rattling critter interrupted his quest for the native speckle trout.
HOW, WHY, AND WHEN DID CANTON REALLY GET ITS NAME?
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 06/05/2017 edition)
There are many tales about how western North Carolina's papermill town of Canton acquired its name. This article offers an interesting and fact-based explanation of the origins of the town's name.
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 06/05/2017 edition)
There are many tales about how western North Carolina's papermill town of Canton acquired its name. This article offers an interesting and fact-based explanation of the origins of the town's name.
THE PIGEON RIVER ONCE EMPTIED INTO THE ATLANTIC or The Old Canton Water Gap
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 07/05/2019 edition)
Learn how a gap in Haywood County's Newfound Mountains--known as the Canton Water Gap--served as an ancient river's escape route out of the North Carolina mountains on its way to the Atlantic Ocean.
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 07/05/2019 edition)
Learn how a gap in Haywood County's Newfound Mountains--known as the Canton Water Gap--served as an ancient river's escape route out of the North Carolina mountains on its way to the Atlantic Ocean.
A "TURN-O-MEAL" AT CATHEY'S MILL
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 02/14/2019 edition)
Carroll's great-grandfather waited his "turn" at Cathey's grist mill in Haywood County's Forks of Pigeon. While waiting for his turn-o-meal, young William H. Hargrove fascinated over the workings of the mill.
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 02/14/2019 edition)
Carroll's great-grandfather waited his "turn" at Cathey's grist mill in Haywood County's Forks of Pigeon. While waiting for his turn-o-meal, young William H. Hargrove fascinated over the workings of the mill.
THE LEGACY OF THE PIGEON RIVER INVENTOR RECOUNTED
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 02/06/2022 edition)
Believe it or not, the small rural community of Bethel was once the home of North Carolina's most prolific inventor. By some accounts, Calvin Filmore Christopher registered more than one hundred inventions with the U.S. Patent Office. Find out more about the inventor and his inventions.
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 02/06/2022 edition)
Believe it or not, the small rural community of Bethel was once the home of North Carolina's most prolific inventor. By some accounts, Calvin Filmore Christopher registered more than one hundred inventions with the U.S. Patent Office. Find out more about the inventor and his inventions.
THOMSON'S PULP MILL: "TURNING THE PAST INTO A HISTORY"
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 08/20/2018 edition)
This is a promotional article about Carroll's book, Thomson's Pulp Mill. Among other things that are revealed, noted author and architectural historian Camille Wells wrote this about the book, “The gift Carroll C. Jones—engineer, writer, historian, and Canton native—has bestowed in his Thomson’s Pulp Mill is the wondrous story of a mammoth pulp mill’s construction at Canton. He has recovered from astonishing obscurity a crucial series of events in Canton’s past."
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 08/20/2018 edition)
This is a promotional article about Carroll's book, Thomson's Pulp Mill. Among other things that are revealed, noted author and architectural historian Camille Wells wrote this about the book, “The gift Carroll C. Jones—engineer, writer, historian, and Canton native—has bestowed in his Thomson’s Pulp Mill is the wondrous story of a mammoth pulp mill’s construction at Canton. He has recovered from astonishing obscurity a crucial series of events in Canton’s past."
WHEN THE CHAMPION PAPER COMPANY HAD A "TABULATING OFFICE" or A Glimpse Inside Champion Paper and Fibre Company's Tabulating Office (published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 10/10/2018 edition)
In the 1950's and '60's, before the advent of huge electronic data-processing computers, the accounting--or "tabulating"--business was accomplished using electro-mechanical machines that punched, read, and sorted punched cards. Read about Champion Paper Company's busy tabulating office.
In the 1950's and '60's, before the advent of huge electronic data-processing computers, the accounting--or "tabulating"--business was accomplished using electro-mechanical machines that punched, read, and sorted punched cards. Read about Champion Paper Company's busy tabulating office.
WHEN A TRIP TO THE MARKET TOOK A MONTH'S TIME
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 08/05/2019 edition)
Back in the mid-nineteenth century, many Haywood County farmers sold their livestock and produce at markets outside of the mountains. These trips, or “droves” as they were called then, could keep Haywood’s mountaineer farmers away from their families for a month or longer.
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 08/05/2019 edition)
Back in the mid-nineteenth century, many Haywood County farmers sold their livestock and produce at markets outside of the mountains. These trips, or “droves” as they were called then, could keep Haywood’s mountaineer farmers away from their families for a month or longer.
A MATTER OF GRAVEYARD SLEUTHING
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 09/02/2019 edition)
When an old Bethel-area photo recently came to light, it took a community organization's involvement and a matter of graveyard sleuthing to uncover the real secrets it held.
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 09/02/2019 edition)
When an old Bethel-area photo recently came to light, it took a community organization's involvement and a matter of graveyard sleuthing to uncover the real secrets it held.
THE SONOMA KAOLIN MINE
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 09/07/2019 edition)
Bethel, North Carolina was once host to a mining industry, of all things. A friend guided a few Bethel Rural Community Organization members to a hilltop above his house, where we saw the remnants of a century-old kaolin (clay) mine. In a deep, overgrown chasm, we could see where men worked, wielding picks and shovels and pushing minecarts to and fro. Read more about this old "Sonoma" kaolin mine.
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 09/07/2019 edition)
Bethel, North Carolina was once host to a mining industry, of all things. A friend guided a few Bethel Rural Community Organization members to a hilltop above his house, where we saw the remnants of a century-old kaolin (clay) mine. In a deep, overgrown chasm, we could see where men worked, wielding picks and shovels and pushing minecarts to and fro. Read more about this old "Sonoma" kaolin mine.
REMEMBERING GEORGE W. VANDERBILT'S BUCK SPRING LODGE
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 09/10/2020 edition)
George W. Vanderbilt, founder of Asheville's Biltmore House, built a rustic hunting lodge near Mt. Pisgah in 1896. Although the National Forest Service demolished the log structures in the early 1960's, the site and lodge remains can still be visited at the Blue Ridge Parkway overlook located at milepost 407.6. Read more about the construction and history of the Buck Spring Lodge.
REMEMBERING GEORGE W. VANDERBILT'S BUCK SPRING LODGE: MORE MEMORIES RESCUED FROM "LIMBO"
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 02/09/2021 edition)
This follow-up to the original George W. Vanderbilt's Buck Spring Lodge article reveals more facts that were rescued from the "limbo of memory." First-hand personal stories and details of the lodge's unique ram-jet pump, along with an account of the search for the pump site, have been added.
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 02/09/2021 edition)
This follow-up to the original George W. Vanderbilt's Buck Spring Lodge article reveals more facts that were rescued from the "limbo of memory." First-hand personal stories and details of the lodge's unique ram-jet pump, along with an account of the search for the pump site, have been added.
COLONEL SILAS A. JONES' PIPELINE DREAM
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 03/30/2021 edition)
Prior to the chaos of the Champion Fibre Company plant's physical creation in Canton, N.C. in the early 1900's, a Waynesville entrepreneur and gospeler of that town's virtues tried to persuade Peter G. Thomson to build the factory in Waynesville. This is a story of that "pipeline dream" and how it turned out.
(published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 03/30/2021 edition)
Prior to the chaos of the Champion Fibre Company plant's physical creation in Canton, N.C. in the early 1900's, a Waynesville entrepreneur and gospeler of that town's virtues tried to persuade Peter G. Thomson to build the factory in Waynesville. This is a story of that "pipeline dream" and how it turned out.
REMEMBERING LAKE LOGAN
(published in The Smoky Mountain News, 03/09/2022 edition)
One of the most beautiful settings in western North Carolina is Lake Logan, a sizable water reservoir built in 1932 by the Champion Fibre Company--the former owner and operator of a huge paper mill in nearby Canton. Prior to that, this location on the West Fork of the Pigeon River served as the site of a bustling logging village named Sunburst. Not only does this article provide intriguing histories of Sunburst and Lake Logan, but it also reveals the different cultures that have surrounded these pristine waters for almost a century now.
(published in The Smoky Mountain News, 03/09/2022 edition)
One of the most beautiful settings in western North Carolina is Lake Logan, a sizable water reservoir built in 1932 by the Champion Fibre Company--the former owner and operator of a huge paper mill in nearby Canton. Prior to that, this location on the West Fork of the Pigeon River served as the site of a bustling logging village named Sunburst. Not only does this article provide intriguing histories of Sunburst and Lake Logan, but it also reveals the different cultures that have surrounded these pristine waters for almost a century now.
AN ILLUMINATING PANORAMA OF THREE FORKS (SUNBURST)
(published in The Smoky Mountain News, 09/14/2022 edition)
The discovery of a century-old panoramic photo showing Haywood County's Sunburst area leads to an intriguing discussion of the logging village of Spruce, the railroad infrastructure supporting the logging operations, and much more.
(published in The Smoky Mountain News, 09/14/2022 edition)
The discovery of a century-old panoramic photo showing Haywood County's Sunburst area leads to an intriguing discussion of the logging village of Spruce, the railroad infrastructure supporting the logging operations, and much more.
SEARCHING FOR BOOMER INN
(published in The Smoky Mountain News, 09/30/2022 edition)
A 1935 USGS map indicating a structure named "Boomer Inn", located in the midst of an unpopulated wilderness area, led to an investigation to determine what this Boomer Inn really was. Could it be the location of an early 1900's cabin where Dr. Carl A. Schenck's forestry school students camped on trips between the school's headquarters at Sunburst Village and The Champion Fibre Company's forestry operations on the other side of the mountain? Readers are encouraged to learn more about the Boomer Inn and the modern-day search to discover it.
(published in The Smoky Mountain News, 09/30/2022 edition)
A 1935 USGS map indicating a structure named "Boomer Inn", located in the midst of an unpopulated wilderness area, led to an investigation to determine what this Boomer Inn really was. Could it be the location of an early 1900's cabin where Dr. Carl A. Schenck's forestry school students camped on trips between the school's headquarters at Sunburst Village and The Champion Fibre Company's forestry operations on the other side of the mountain? Readers are encouraged to learn more about the Boomer Inn and the modern-day search to discover it.
PIGEON RIVER'S PEA VINE RAILROAD
Champion's Failed Flume Scheme Leads to a Railroad (published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 09/09/2023 edition)
Fires, Financial Woes End Rail Service (published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 09/16/2023 edition)
Read and learn about the Pea Vine railroad that once linked Canton with the logging endeavors at the headwaters of the West Fork of the Pigeon River.
Champion's Failed Flume Scheme Leads to a Railroad (published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 09/09/2023 edition)
Fires, Financial Woes End Rail Service (published in Waynesville Mountaineer, 09/16/2023 edition)
Read and learn about the Pea Vine railroad that once linked Canton with the logging endeavors at the headwaters of the West Fork of the Pigeon River.