University of North Carolina at Asheville
D. Hiden Ramsey Library
Special Collections/University Archives

Oral History Register
for

Marguerite Kimberly Carter, 1903-

OH-VOA C371 Ma

Voices of Asheville Oral History Collection
D.H. Ramsey Library Special Collections, UNCA

Title

Creator

Dorothy Joynes for Voices of Asheville Oral History Collection

Subject

LCSH:
Carter, Marguerite Kimberly, 1903-
Asheville (N.C.) -- History
Physical education and training -- North Carolina -- Asheville
Catholic schools -- North Carolina -- Asheville
St. Genevieve-of-the Pines (Asheville, N.C.)

Subject

Keyword: Grace School ; St. Genevieve of the Pines ; Hall Fletcher ; David Millard ; physical education

Description

Abstract: Carter discusses her memories of everyday life  in Asheville when she was a child, during the early 1900's.  She describes her first experiences with automobiles, telephones, movies and radios.  She describes her education, and her experience teaching physical education. She talks about changes that have occurred in education since she was a child, and changes that have occurred in the area over time.  She talks about how she met and married her husband, and describes activities they enjoy together. 

Publisher

D. H. Ramsey Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville, NC, 28804

Contributor

Date

Electronic Record Issued: 2002-04-03

Type

Sound ; Text ; Image

Format

Physical Description: 13-page abstract ; 1 90-minute audiocassette and 1 copy ; 12 color photographs ; newspaper articles

Identifier

Source

OH-VOA C371 Ma

Language

English

Relation

References: VOA Mary Ellen Wolcott Oral History

Coverage

Acquisition

Donor number: 146 ;  Date of acquisition: 1998

Processed By

Dorothy Joynes, Ruth Beard and staff

Interview Date

Interview Location

Biography

List of names

Side 1:

She was born almost 91 years ago (see enclosure)  and is living in a house with "pebble dash" finish (see photos).  When she was 2 years old she had pneumonia and remembers the doctor coming to visit in his horse and buggy. (enclosure) [Dr. Hall Fletcher]

[16]  When she recovered, her first outing was with the doctor in his new auto.  They drove to her aunt's house, one block away. [Mary Kimberly]

[20]  Her aunt was a teacher at the Murray Hill School (enclosure) and took her to the first grade with her on the trolley.  They changed at Pack Square.

[27] Grove bought all the farm property belonging to her father and a house was built on South French Broad (see photo).  She describes her school.  There was in the basement the restroom which was comprised of a trough of running water with seats on top.  Children walked home for lunch.  There was no cafeteria (see enclosure).

[54]  She went to a school on Ashland Ave (190 Ashland Ave.) for the 6th grade, Montford for the 7th and, while they were building David Millard, the Woodfin House for the 8th and 9th.  She graduated from David Millard in 1921.  There were 11 grades.  It was not difficult getting into college.  She did so well on her math test she was advised at Randolph Macon to major in math.  She graduated with a "blanket" degree and when she returned to Asheville she taught the 4th grade for 2 years at Grace School (now Ira B. Jones).

[83]  She went to Columbia University to study physical education.  After one year she was asked to teach physical education to girls in David Millard and Hall Fletcher. There was one gym in each school to be shared with the boys so she went two days to one school, 3 to the other and reversed the procedure the following semester.

[93] When she went to school there were no sports, games or gym clothes.  There was one teacher for a class of 20 children who had 5 to 10 minutes of play time during the school day.

[103]  It was always assumed by the family that she would go to college and become a teacher.  Most of her friends went to a girl's college.  Her father's sisters were teachers.  [Rebecca Kimberly, Mary Kimberly, Fanny Kimberly]

[112]  She chose physical education because she liked to play.  Her older sister became a concert pianist; she tried piano but didn't last long.  She wanted to play "kick the can."  Her mother gave up when she was in 5th grade.  [Elizabeth Kimberly Schoenheit, Elizabeth Reams Kimberly]

[124]  Her mother made dresses and petticoats.  For winter she wore thick black pantyhose and socks in summer with Mary Jane shoes.  Her mother took care of the family and cooked. Every Saturday a Negro woman came to help.

[142]  In the second grade she was asked to pose for 5th grade students who were learning to draw from a model.  Her mother in making the dress had to put two backs instead of a front and back together.  She still remembers the embarrassment she felt.

[160]  Her mother shopped at the Palais Royal on Biltmore where Fains is now and M.V. Moore on Patton Ave. (see enclosure).

[173]  She was in school with Fortune who took many photographs of Asheville, particularly of the 1916 flood.  She remembers the flood which crested on a Sunday morning.  The Sunday School superintendent of the Central Methodist Church had the children sing "Lord, Lift Me Up to Higher Ground".  Several people were drowned and the lumber yard owned by parents of her friends was destroyed.  Her husband remembered getting across the river to go to the Baptist church and being unable to get home (see enclosure). [Robert Fortune, L.B. Rogers, Foster Piercy Carter]

[217]  The family, before moving to South French Broad, would take baskets of food with them to Riverside Park for the day and return home by streetcar after dark.  They had a "penny box" where flashing pictures could be seen.  They went to the movies in town later when they were on South French Broad (253- photo enclosed).

[237]  The family purchased food from Felmet grocery store.  Once a week one of the men would walk to the house, make a list of items the family needed and deliver the goods by wagon.  The A&P wagon would come by occasionally; this was the beginning of the A&P.  The family had a cow which was taken care of by her mother as her father was working at the lumber mill.  She remembers pulling weeds and gathering beans.

[273]  She remembers her first phone number #412 and the operator answered.  Her mother then ordered food by phone.  The family had chickens and the first cold spell in November was the time to kill the pig.  She remembers helping grind sausage for her mother who rolled it in balls and poured hot grease on top to can.  She also made head cheese and liver mush.  Her father usually slaughtered the hog but one year he was away at a lumber camp and her mother did it.

[344]  She occasionally went to a Saturday movie - serials where the villain tied the heroine to train rails.  This was before the talkies.  When she was about 12 her mother sent her to the bank to cash her father's check.  She didn't have an allowance and walked by a bakery on Patton Ave. wondering what she would buy if she had a dime.  There was no way for her to earn money and most of the time she didn't think she needed it.

[383]  She could outrun any of the children and always got "home free."  There were no team games or play equipment.  Her grandson made a swing for her great granddaughter.

[417]  For years she taught Physical Ed. at St. Genevieve's - or as she said, she didn't teach, she just played with the children.  Mother Potts was very helpful (see her tape and Sister Winters) and her freshman tournaments were always winners.  She taught folk dancing and had festivals, attended by parents.  At one time she returned to college to study tap dancing, folk dancing and gymnastics.  [Mother Potts]

[470]  It was hard getting enough equipment at St. Genevieve's (see enclosure).  Mary Ellen Wolcott (see her tape) said "this is the lady that made me climb a rope, and I've been afraid of heights ever since." [Mary Ellen Wolcott]

[518]  Her husband was more interested in camping and they often went on 3-day backpack hikes up the Appalachian Trail (see Bill Hussey tape).  They took army pup tents and plastic for ground cover.  [F. Piercy Carter]

[548]  As a councilor at summer camp she taught how to make sleeping bags out of army blankets and safety pins.  Now down bags are bought along with freeze dried food and air mattresses.

Side 2:

She met her husband at a New Year's Eve bridge party.  On his way home he dropped off his date and told a friend he was going to marry her.  This was during the Depression and he didn't have a car, but, as a young couple they hiked, went to dances in private homes, played bridge and on Sunday, when he wasn't involved in his law firm, went on picnics.

[2/38]  They would hike up to the top of Sunset Mountain and she remembers riding on the open car trolley. There were only two houses on the way up.  She doesn't remember a movie there but there was on open-air band stand.  She went to Dreamland when it first opened.  (see Pless tape)

[2/51]  After she graduated from college she used her first check of earned money to buy a radio.  It was tall - about 3-4 feet high.  She doesn't remember the crystal set.

[2/64]  She remembers Pickford in the movies and saw Rogers at the auditorium. [Mary Pickford, Will Rogers]

[2/71]  The Senior Prom in 1921 was held at the old Battery Park Hotel, which was large, rambling and ornate.  Murray had dancing classes there and her rich friends went.  She wanted to go.  [Arthur Murray]

[2/82] Her father had a farm with pond and vegetable garden where UNCA gym is now.  He would bring home a gallon of milk strapped over his shoulder to their house on Hillside St.  They all canned anything they didn't eat that day.

[2/106]  When the bank closed, they knew Davis [she couldn't remember his name at this point]  when she cashed the check mentioned above it was on the corner of Church and Patton - now a parking lot.  It was called Battery Park Bank. [Wallace Davis]

[2/122]  The mayor shot himself.  His son is still living in town.  Rankin also shot himself (see enclosed).  [Rankin Street was named for his father, James Rankin, a former mayor.]  [Gallatin Roberts, Arthur Rankin]

[2/136]  In her generation there were 5 children.  Her father financed her college education but the other brothers and sisters were sent by his siblings.  Her youngest sister was at Randolph Macon when Piercy told her aunt that the banks were going to fail.  She immediately paid the next tuition and two weeks later the banks failed.

[2/157]  The school lost 7 million dollars.  Teachers who were renting apartments had to go home.  She was living at home and continued to teach at Hall Fletcher.  For the next 2 years she taught 5 subjects.  Then she married in 1931.

[2/190]  She and her husband lived with her family on Hillside (house now torn down).  They moved from South French Broad in 1917.

[2/189]  In 1942 she and her husband moved to 27 Edgewood Road in the house built by her two maiden aunts, who were teachers (photos).  [Mary Kimberly, Fanny Kimberly]

[2/216]  Grove bought Kimberly property and two houses were moved to Edgewood (photos).  Her father's oldest brother and a mason, who had worked on the Grove Park Inn, built the house we are in and two aunts paid for the material.  Stone from a quarry was brought by wagon.  Building was started in 1913 and the aunts moved in 1915.  John was farming in Virginia and the aunts, who had a deed to the house asked for a deed to the land so that, if anything happened to him the younger sister would be protected.  He did not give the deed so the sisters moved to 221 Kimberly (owners lost house during Depression).  John let his niece and her parents live there.  John became ill, asked to come back and gave deed to land.  The younger sister who had willed her portion to Marguerite, died first.  Marguerite and Piercy, who had been living in a house built by Rebecca (not on Grove property) moved in with their 6 year-old daughter, the two sisters from 221 joined them, and the Stikeleathers moved into 221 Kimberly.  Her son was born in 1945.  [Sallie Carter Johnson, Dorothy and James Gudger Stikeleather Jr., Garrett Kimberly]

[2/315]  Her sister worked with Doris on the family genealogy (see enclosed which makes the various house moves clearer).  There is also a volume on the Stikeleather family. [Dorothy Stikeleather, Doris Ward]

[2/338]  She kept on teaching when she was pregnant with her daughter but after she was born she stayed home for 2 1/2 years.  She was asked to substitute for 6 weeks at Hall Fletcher and stayed 9 years, transferring to Vance for 2 years.

[2/371]  When her son was born she took him to the Junior League Day Care Center in the Presbyterian Church.

[2/407]  The first St. Joseph Hospital was built with porches for TB patients.  Her older sister married the nephew of Von Ruck who built the first TB sanitarium at Sulphur Springs in West Asheville.  [Later Winyah Sanatorium.  1920 Asheville City Directory: Von Ruck Memorial Sanitarium , East st cor Spears av, (East Street later became Mt. Clare Ave.) Dr. Karl Von Ruck pres.   1927 Asheville City Directory: Winyah Sanitorium (Von Ruck Memorial Sanitorium), Spears av at end Mt Clare av, Edward W. Schoenheit, medical director]  Her younger sister married a doctor who was in a sanitarium on a cure.  They moved to New York City where he became a pneumothoracic surgeon.  He became an authority on collapsing the lung and went to Russia and other countries to teach. [Elizabeth Kimberly (Mrs. Edward W.) Schoenheit, Karl Von Ruck, Mildred Kimberly Riggins, Dr. H. McLeod Riggins]

[2/479]  Her husband was interested in politics.  Her husband's father had 250 first cousins, as his grandfather had 17 children.  He ran a grist mill.  (see enclosed )

[2/492]  The family went camping and hiking.  He liked to cook; she didn't.

[2/513]  She went to the wellness class at A-B Tech and learned that you aren't supposed to eat bacon and eggs every morning.  Her husband quit cooking!

[2/521]  The Central Methodist Church started the exercise group in the North Asheville Community Center in 1968.  She is still leading it (see enclosure).

Thanks

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