The Alpha Cafe ad. I found this in my grandmother’s Salem Academy Annual. The Alpha Cafe was located at 120 W. 4th Street. I found the address in a copy of the 1924 Winston-Salem City Directory.
Sunday – September 3rd
B.H. Tuttle, W.M Mitchell & I left Winston 6:30 a.m. Had breakfast at the Alpha Café. Went to Charlotte to meet Clarence McDonald from Hamlet N.C. who was going with us on the trip. Had lunch just out of Charlotte. Went thru Belmont, Gastonia, Lincolnton, and Hickory and camped near Rutherford College at Mr. Conrad’s. While the boys were making the beds I went up to see Mrs. LaFevre (mother-n-law of brother) and get the address of some people in California. Didn’t sleep much for the mosquitoes were buzzing around & occasionally biting us all night.
Approximate mileage 159 miles (part 1, part 2).
Mrs LeFevre is the mother of Mamie LeFevre who was Robert Marvin’s wife. Robert Marvin is one of Lloyd’s brothers. Rutherford College closed in 1933 because of the Great Depression. It merged with Weaver College and Brevard Institute to become Brevard College.
Rutherford College
(from a yearbook)
Monday – September 4th
Got up early. Had breakfast and was on the road by 7:00 a.m. Passed thru Morganton and had lunch at a beautiful spring near Bridgewater. Drove over to the dam. Had Mr. Turner to ring his bell. Stopped in Marion a few minutes also in Asheville and wrote some cards to our people and others. Arrived in Mars Hill late in the afternoon. It is the only town in the world that has only one street block wide-mile long and sky high. Very pretty place. Camped 1/2 mile from Switzerland Hotel . It was raining so we got a shed to cook under and had a fine bed in a barn on the hay.
The Winona Boydstun Industrial Home for Girls, Walnut, N.C. I found this picture in the August 1908 Home Mission Monthly Journal which was not copyrighted.
Approximate mileage 89.3 miles (part1, part2).
The Bridgewater Dam (hydro station) began operation in 1919 and was decommissioned in 2011. It was also known as the Linville Dam on Lake James and was an earthen dam.
The Winona Boydstun Industrial Home for Girls Residence was converted to the Hotel Switzerland in 1918. Hotel Switzerland was mentioned in the Mohawk Hobbs guide of the area: “a good hotel, opened all year ; 35 rooms with hot and cold water; single $2.50, double $3; breakfast 50c, lunch or dinner 75c”. The building is no longer there but the location is off Hwy 25/70 between Marshall (not Mars Hill) and Hot Springs in an area known as Walnut. It is the location of the first Madison County Courthouse, and there is a historical marker there now.
Even though they don’t mention it, Lloyd and the gang were traveling on the Dixie Highway after leaving Asheville. There will be more about the Dixie Highway on September 6th when they mention it.
 The Hotel Switzerland |
 The Linville Dam today |
 NC Route Marker |
 French Broad River |
 Portion of the 1922 NC route Map. I highlighted in Green the Route I think they took. Click here to see the full map |