Creating the regular Picturing the Past column is a source of learning, amusement, and fascination as myself and staff in the NC Room of Transylvania County Library delve into the past through the window of vintage photographs. Many readers may not realize the source for the photo collection that we highlight.

Prior to the construction of the current library building on Gaston Street, the Historic Preservation Commission owned much of what now comprises the archives. Part of that collection is a large contribution of photographs, slides, and negatives from the Austin family, who had a photography and art supply store in downtown Brevard for decades from 1925-2003. Through the years, the NC Room has also received a steady stream of smaller donations from the public that help our photographic collection continue to grow.

One recent donation from history enthusiast Bill Parris is a collection depicting various members of the Allison and Orr families that belonged to his late mother-in-law Lillie Mae Orr Smith; the items donated will be a self-contained collection that is being named in her honor. Although many of the photographs are of unidentified people, sometimes context clues will give more understanding about who and what these images portray. Here are a few highlights that are providing us with a wealth of opportunities to hunt through history to discover more about who the people in these photographs were.

One example is the image of a young man in a tall, brimmed hat sitting cross-legged in front of a partially constructed cabin. Knowing that it came from the Allison family meant that when I saw it, it reminded me of an article I’d written several months ago about Elk Park and the lodge on the grounds owned by William Hicks Allison. When I compared these images side by side, it seemed very likely that this was the same building, though it’s still uncertain who the young man in the photo is. This also helps to date the photo because in the background, the lodge is still in construction and does not yet have a roof, which means it is before 1904 at least, when a Transylvania Times article mentions the lodge and grounds being open for visitors.

Another picture in this recent collection shows the construction of a commercial building with a very distinctive pattern of brick on the right column that made it possible to identify it as the Lawrence Building on Jordan Street, dating the photo to 1926 when the building is known to have been constructed. The building has been a Western Union, the Brevard Post Office, Austin Photography Studio, and numerous other businesses through the years.

A last example of these intriguing photographs is of a woman in clothing dating to the late 1800s at the base of a waterfall. The volume and even path of rivers and falls can change somewhat over time with large floods and other acts of nature, but their general character remains the same. This one appears to resemble Dismal Falls, though the identity of both the woman and the falls remains a mystery.

If you have information about these mystery photographs, or historic photographs of Transylvania County that you wish to donate and preserve for generations to come, please contact the NC Room. Here, we can scan them so they are preserved digitally for ready access, as well as store them in a controlled and organized environment where they can benefit many descendants for years to come.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. This article was written by Local History Librarian Laura Sperry. For more information, comments, or suggestions, contact NC Room staff at [email protected] or 828-884-1820.