In this week’s archives of the Cherokee Scout and Andrews Journal:
10 years ago – Sept. 25, 2013, Scout: The Murphy football team lost its biggest fan when Parasadie Gentry, the 94-year-old mother of legendary Bulldogs head coach David Gentry, passed away.
- Ed Reid of Camp Creek near the Tennessee line finished in third place in the 32nd annual World Gee Haw Whimmy Diddle Competition. He has made the old Appalachian toys since his youth.
- The Murphy Town Council approved $15,111 in grant money to go toward the Wiggles building behind the L&N Train Depot downtown and biking/hiking trails at 700 acres Murphy owns in the vicinity of Snap-on Tools. Update: That area eventually became the Piney Knob Trail System, featuring 22.3 miles of recreational hiking and mountain biking trails.
Sept. 26, 2013, Journal: A mother bear and one of her cubs help themselves to food and milk left outside for feral cats by Jeanette Sares in Marble. Her bird feeder was also hit.
- Calaboose Cellars on Aquone Road in Andrews was expanding with a large harvest of more than 12,000 pounds of grapes Update: After being one of the first wineries to locate in the area., and later adding a brewery, Calaboose Cellars eventually closed.
25 years ago – Sept. 23, 1998, Scout: Murphy Elementary School teacher Mary Beth Cornwell, former exceptional children’s teacher at Andrews Middle School, was named the Cherokee County Teacher of the Year.
- A citizens group asked for the state’s help to keep a proposed granite crushing operation off of Marres Top Road in Hot House. The group also hired an attorney, Gerald Collins Jr. of Murphy, who pointed out several potential errors in the permitting process.
- Members of the Hummer Club were coming to Cherokee County to test their military-looking trucks in the Upper Tellico Off-Road Vehicle Area. Update: The U.S. Forest Service has since closed that area.
Sept. 24, 1998, Journal: Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters was looking forward to the second year of the Christian camping ministry outside Andrews after hosting 300 kids in year one.
- Bo Gritz, a former presidential candidate who was in Andrews to help hunt for fugitive Eric Rudolph, was found near his home with a gunshot wound. Officials did not know whether the shooting, which was not life threatening, was intentional or accidental.
50 years ago – Sept. 27, 1973, Scout: William David Crisp, 21, and Barry Lee Dockery, 22, both of Murphy, were killed when their late-model Volkswagen ran off of the road on Georgia 66 in Young Harris and struck a tree.
- Mrs. Jerry Davidson shared a photo with the Scout of the 1909 Murphy Concert Band, which consisted entirely of brass instruments and drums. Two of the men were still living at the time.
Sept. 26, 1973, Journal: The official Cherokee County ambulance service was set to shut down due to financial needs, according to DeeWitt Sharp of Andrews, who operated the service since it began five years ago.
- You could buy a Polaroid Big Shot color camera for only $9.95 at the A&P store in Andrews. The catch was that film cost $4.29 per roll.
– Publisher David Brown