Last week
Picturing the Past featured a scrapbook and photograph album created by Selma
Morgan when she was a student at Rosman High School in the late 1920’s and
early 1930’s.  Along with those items
from Miss Morgan’s school days was a copy of “The Rosman Rocket” dated April
18, 1930. 

1929-30 Rosman High School girls’ basketball team.

Rosman
High School did not have a yearbook until the late 1940s.  “The Rosman Rocket” appears to be an annual
publication for the purpose of commemorating the past year.  It cost 25 cents, which would have been the equivalent
of about $3.70 today.  School news,
photographs of the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams, alumni updates, the
upcoming graduation exercises schedule and general articles were featured in
the publication.

In
addition, there were numerous business advertisements to helped cover the cost.  About half of these were from Rosman merchants.  In 1930, when the town population was 484,
Rosman had a variety of businesses.  The
Rosman Extract Plant and Gloucester Lumber provided jobs and helped support a
busy commercial district. 

Advertisers
of groceries and general merchandise included stores owned by D.L. Glazener,
James Glazener, Dewey Winchester, Berlie White and Walter Whitmire, as well as the
Gloucester Company Store and Rosman Cash & Carry.  Other businesses represented were Mrs. Nath
Galloway’s dress shop, Arthur Pharr’s café, Rosman Drug, Rosman Hotel, Rosman
Motor Company and Whitmire’s Barber Shop.  Walter Reece, an authorized dealer of Delco
lights, pumps, batteries and radios had an ad in the publication. 

If you
know more about “The Rosman Rocket” or have other issues please contact a staff
member in the North Carolina Room at the Transylvania County Library.

Photographs
and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina
Room, Transylvania County Library. Visit the NC Room during regular library
hours (Monday-Friday) to learn more about our history and see additional
photographs. For more information, comments, or suggestions contact Marcy at [email protected]
or 828-884-1820.