Asheville Town in the Year 1842
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Justice Summey Gives Many Interesting Facts.
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"Asheville Should Be Proud of the Progress Made Since the Old Days"
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Photograph: At the time the street was South Main Street, now named Biltmore Avenue. Note the sign to the left: Patton & Summey. This is believed to be the business owned by Montraville Patton (1806-1896) and Albert T. Summey (1823-1906). Montraville Patton was a brother of Mary (Polly) Patton (1794-1853) who married James McConnell Smith (1787-1856).
Editor The Citizen: -- When I was a young fellow of 18 I accepted a position as clerk in the store of Patton & Osborn. At that time there were seven stores in Asheville: Patton & Osborn, M. Patton, A. B. Chunn, Williams & Roberts, Joseph Dunlap, James M. Smith and N. S. Jarrett. There were two hotels, the Eagle hotel, kept by J. W. Patton, and the Buck hotel kept by James M. Smith. The population was estimated at 600 souls. We had only one street, properly so called, Main street. On it and around the square all the business was transacted. The Asheville merchants did quite a large business, there being at that time only two country stores, J. M. Alexander's, 10 miles north of Asheville, and J. R. Shuford's, 10 miles south of the town, both located on the old Buncombe township road.
We had only three lawyers in town, N. W. Woodfin, John W. Woodfin and Joshua Roberts, and one in the county, Geo. W. Candler. The Highland Messenger, edited by Joshua Roberts and Rev. D. R. McAnally, was the only paper published in the state west of the Blue Ridge. It was a well conducted paper, the editors being both gentlemen of high standing. Of all the white people then living here there are now living only three males, J. L. McKee, Thos. W. Patton, who was about two years old, and myself; and of females, Mrs. Harriett Kerr, Mrs. Sarah L. McDowell, Mrs. Jane Spears and Mrs. Lizzie Smith, and one, or perhaps two, daughters, I am not certain, of N. W. Woodfin.
