Photo courtesy of Western Carolina University Southern Appalachian Digital Collections
To see an enlarged version visit this page and click on photo.
Waldo Scroggs and Ben Fleming with automobile
Gideon Thomas Laney (1889-1976), also known as Gid, was the prominent photographer for the Brasstown and Sweetwater areas of Clay County, North Carolina in the first part of the 20th century. Trained as a portrait photographer and motivated by the need for flexible work after the death of his wife Martha Creech Ison in 1929 left him a single parent, Gideon borrowed his sister’s bellows camera and began to photograph the people and events of his community. He sent his film off to be developed by Weaver Studio in Copperhill, Tennessee and later by Crisp’s Studio in Murphy, North Carolina. From the negatives, he made 6 cent postcard prints using his in-home darkroom.
Time Period
1920s
1930s
1940s
Location
Clay County (N.C.)
I stumbled on the photo above as I was looking through the Gid Laney collection from the Southern Appalachian Digital Collection.
Waldo Everest Scroggs died in 1936 when he was 30 years old. So the time period offered by the collection can at least be narrowed down to the 20-30s.
The community of Brasstown that we live in is divided between Clay and Cherokee Counties. I’m almost positive the photo was taken somewhere down around where Clay’s Corner is today. As you come from Peachtree to our house right around Clay’s the county line switches back and forth.
The old car and the two gentlemen make the photo a striking one, but the name Waldo is really what jumped out at me.
Over the years I’d heard a few stories about Waldo and the garage he used to have, but about a year ago Clay Logan shared the story of Waldo’s untimely death with me.
If you’ve been in the area near Clay’s and John C. Campbell Folk School you’ve likely noticed a sign for Waldo’s Landing. That’s where his garage was. There’s a dandy photo of it in the Brasstown Community Center.
Here’s a transcript of the recording of Clay.
“He always stayed in trouble all the time. And he got, he got stabbed on Doosenberry hill. You know where Doosenberry’s at? Right on the top of that hill. He was in Murphy drunk raising cain. And Ronnie Clayton’s uncle, Uncle Bill’s brother said hey I’ll take him home don’t worry about it you know to keep him from getting locked up. Cause they lived up here. I can’t remember his name though. Anyhow Ronnie knows it. But they stopped there he started raising cain with with Clayton. And they stopped there and they got in a fight he said you know he hated all them Claytons anyhow and was going to kill them. And they got in a fight and he stabbed him in the neck, Clayton did. And of course they took him to the hospital and I think two or three days later he died. And then Clayton left left the country, he went to Florida and never come back. But you know back then if you left then they didn’t have no way to track you. They didn’t have no way to figure out where you got to like now. But that’s what happened to Waldo. But we wrote a letter I had a Keith I don’t know whether you ever remember Keith Hampton? Alright we was wanting when they built that bridge we was wanting to name it Waldo’s Landing and and Keith wrote up a big letter. I used to have it. I had it stuck in the back of that but somebody got it. And and you’ve got to present it to the state DOT and they wrote a letter back and said we don’t name bridges after outlaws. So they wouldn’t name it Waldo’s Landing so I had a couple of signs made up and I went out there and put the signs up. So that’s how it got to being Waldo’s Landing. It still ought to be anyhow cause that’s the history regardless of how mean he was.”
I studied the photo and wondered which man was Waldo. I happen to remember he was a brother to Fred O. Scroggs. Here’s a photo of Fred O.
After looking at Fred O’s photo my best guess is Waldo is the gentleman standing outside the car, but I need to ask Clay or David Anderson to see if my guess is right.
I’m glad Clay shared the story of Waldo with me even though it is a sad one. I had never heard it before and would never have guessed that the famed Fred O had a brother who was an outlaw.
Last night’s video: CD Reveal – A 7 Year Project Finished!
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Its so interesting to read small town history!! That old photo is a wonderful slice of local history.
Have you ever heard of the Murphy Bulletin? It was the newspaper that first printed the story of the slaying of Jasper A Gibson near Hiwassee, Georgia. Mr. Gibson had come to visit my great-great grandfather Manuel and his wife Mary and had walked up on some of what we call domestic violence.
Manuel was disciplining his wife as he was know to do. Mr. Gibson interfered but soon departed and shortly thereafter Manuel left the home. Nothing was thought of it until the following morning Mr. Gibson when it was discovered had not returned to his home. A search party found him in Manuel’s cornfield only 50 yards from the house dead of an apparent knife wound. Manuel returned home later in the night but left again presumably on his way back to North Carolina.
Manuel (great-great-grandfather Manuel) was, according to the newspapers, a noted Baptist minister as his father before him had been. I guess this incident put a stop to that.
Why would I air the family linen like this, you might ask. To me it’s history! To me it’s like telling a lie if you leave anything out. “The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God!”
Loved the story today, Tipper! Congratulations on the completion of the CD! What a labor of love. I really enjoyed hearing Paul talk about it and I’m so happy for all of you. Can’t wait to purchase it.
Waldo married Beatrice Littell in Florida. They had one son Bartow Kemiston Scroggs born 5 Sep 1926. Bartow’s birth record has his 1st name as Brartow which may have been a typographical error. Waldo and Beatrice divorced in 1928 on Florida. Waldo remarried Donnie Pearl Crisp in 1934. Beatrice remarried Joseph P Lysek.
Bartow, at some point, took on his step-father’s surname. He died in Pinellas County, Florida in 2007.
Bartow had served his country in Navy and graduated from the University of Tampa and had gotten an M.S. from Ball State University. He went into teaching science and physical education, first in Washington, D. C. then in Clearwater and Tampa, Florida. He was recognized as as outstanding teacher in Pinellas County on several occasions.
Sounds like the chip flew quite a ways from the old block that time, didn’t it?
Great post today, Tipper!
I enjoyed watching you and Paul. I can only imagine how excited you and Paul must be. Have you ever seen Paul get animated when excited? He seems to stoic for that to me. His opening comment sorta proves that. 🙂
Robert-he is pretty stoic 🙂
Any picture that is older than the date I am looking at it (eg: even a picture from the day before!) is fun and interesting for me to look at. I enjoyed enlarging this picture on my phone to magnify it, and looking at every little piece of it. So very interesting! People and everyday life really was not that much different in decades past (minus technology’s invasion on us). This was a great post! History is fun!
Donna. : )
What an interesting story. So sad that he died at age 30. So young. Even though he was an outlaw and mean, we was always taught there’s good in every one. Speaking of names of roads or such, where I was raised there was a hill you drove up and down and its real name was Huges Hill because the people lived there and they owned that land . I guess was named after them but I don’t know why I always called it the News Hill and everyone else started calling it that too. Still do today. And where we live now theres a creek below us named Lick Creek but we say, Leak Creek. Why? I don’t know. Tell sweet granny hey. I hope Tipper you got her card I sent.
If there was trouble, it’s no surprise there was Claytons in the middle of it! Great story and photos.
Great post! Any idea what/where the building behind the car is? Could it be the “rock house”? This is about exactly when the Folk School was founded.
Rooney-I’m not sure. I wonder if Clay or David Anderson would know-they might 🙂
I find it fascinating why and how areas are named, in many cases it leads to a great story, like Waldo. I was recently visiting with with my stepmom and she has all these wonderful vintage family photos and wondering what she should do with them. Sad a lot of them will probably just be thrown away, the younger generation won’t want them.
My folks come from White House TN and the surrounding area. My daddy used to tell a story about my grandfather getting in a knife fight on the kitchen table of their farm house! A neighbor they had a dispute with broke in during the night and chaos ensued; story goes the neighbor was cut with his own knife and ran off. No one died and nothing ever came of it. Except the neighbor never came back- dispute “tabled”!
This is a great story. History is history for the good or the bad (we really need to know both sides and the consequences that happened). Thanks so much for sharing. The pictures are marvelous and you’re right, the man leaning on the car looks very much like Fred O. You are such a wonderful writer; the whole family is so talented. Praying for you all. Much love, Jane in SC
Thought-provoking contrast of then and now. Have we been tamed too much? Hard for me to put in words what I mean. Sad that an attempted good deed turned tragic though.
I worked with a man who told the story of a fella who had a fish trap on the river. He got to thinking somebody was robbing it so he hid out to watch it. Sure enough, here came a neighbor in a boat and pulled his trap. He shot to scare him but something went wrong and he killed him. He fled the country. When his mother died the sheriff came to the funeral but the son never showed. He never came back. Nobody lives in that country now. It all went into the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.
Interesting story about your town. Thanks for sharing.
Enjoyed the video of you and Paul promoting the music CD. Paul’s musical talents are limitless! Does Steve sing or play an instrument?
Blessings sent your way!
My mother had an uncle that was a professional photographer during the first half of the 1900’s. He passed away around 1960 when I was about 6 years old. His name was Will Kirby and he lived at Gaffney, SC. I have heard he had a lot of stories to tell. To me today’s story is not only sad, but shows how alcohol has destroyed many lives.
I listen to the video and many of the things said about Pap could be said about my father in law, he never recorded or sung professionally. He not only looked a lot like Pap but loved his Gibson guitar and wrote a good many gospel songs, one of his songs about his daddy would always be sung at our church on Father’s Day. Scraps of paper with songs he had wrote were found in his guitar case when he passed away. I spend a lot of time on YouTube listening to Pap and the other family members singing the old time gospel hymns, none of these new songs for me. I will be looking into buying the CD. I want everyone, especially Tipper and Paul, to understand in no way am I trying to take anything away from Pap by comparing my father in law to him. He would often talk about the Wilson Brothers.
Such an interesting story and amazing there are still people around that know it. Really enjoyed you and Paul last night I’d love to see you, Paul and Steve talk sometime about growing up together and thing you each remember about pap and granny, there are 3 of us siblings in my family and it’s funny the different things we all remember that the other doesn’t. I love those kind of conversations when you get together. We don’t do it enough.
Prayers to granny.
I wonder if that’s how “Where’s Waldo”? started!
Great story. But I think you’re wrong – that’s Waldo standing beside the car (:-!)
Although a sad story of an outlaw, it is rich in the history of this era. Tipper, so great that you peruse the Southern Appalachian Digital Collection!
I very much enjoyed your video with brother Paul last night about Pap’s songs. What a wonderful way Paul and you have honored the extreme talent your father!
Blessings,
Theresa
I loved the video last night, and thank Paul for smiling. With all of the talent in your family, he is doing his part in furthering it on. A great tribute, also, to Pap. This wild ride with Waldo and Clay was something and a look into the ‘good ole days’. Funny that there is a town called Waldo down here in Florida…makes ya wonder. My prayers for Granny and you guys. God Bless
What a colorful story! Thans Tipper