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Historic Webster Vol. 11 No. 2

  • Historic Webster is a newsletter of the Webster Historical Society, Inc., created at the Society’s founding in 1974. The publication helped to serve the Society's mission of collecting and preserving the history of Webster, North Carolina. Webster, established in 1851, was the original county seat for Jackson County.
  • HISTORIC~ VOLUME XI, NUMBER 2 WEBSTER, NORTH CAROLINA Family of Cabinetmakers By Mildred Cowan (Editor's Note: Few things are lasting -great paintings, great music, great architec­ture -and I would add, beau­tiful furniture, an act in its own. Visit the great museums of this country and worked into the exhibits of Whistler, or Tiffany, among the architec­tural remains of Wright's is furniture. It helps set the stage for presentation. Webster has had its own master cabinetmakers and while the furniture of Joseph and Lawrence Cowan may not be seen in a museum, they do grace the homes of many, far and wide.) The first United States cen­sus in 1790 lists a Joseph Cowan in Burke County, North Carolina. The 1830 cen­sus lists a Joseph Cowan in Macon County, North Caro­lina. Children at that time and females were not listed by name, only approximate age. His wife was Nancy Buchanan. The 1850 census, Macon County, lists a William Cowan age 46 born in Burke County. His wife was Eleanor Cowan, age 40. This William Joseph Warrenton Cowan (1834-1917) and his son (right) Lawrence D. Cowan (1870-1946) operated a cabinetmaking shop in Webster from the mid 1800's untill900. Lawrence carried on the trade until ready made furniture became available. He then moved into the housing business. Cowan and Eleanor were parents of John Cowan, James Cowan, Joseph Cowan, William Cowan, Lafayette Cowan, Martha Cowan, and Margaret Cowan. Their son Joseph was my grandfather whom this story is really about. Cowan in Civil War Moore's Royster of the Militia of N.C. page 444, records the record of Joseph W. Cowan's service dur­ing the War Between the States. It reads as follows: "Joseph Warrenton Cowan, born May 15, 1834, at Webster, N.C., Jackson Co. (then Macon Co.) son of William and Ellender (Eleanor) Cowan. He was com­missioned a 2nd Lieutenant of the company in Webster District of the 113th Regiment of the 28th Brigade, North Carolina Militia, April 20, 1862 (the 86th year of our Independence), service known as Home Guard." He was also Justice of the Peace at that time and later. Macon County and Hay­wood County in 1850 were divided by the Tuckaseigee River and the land purchased or granted to Joseph Cowan was in the Little Savannah area of Macon County where my great-grandfather Wil­liam lived and grandfather Joseph Warrenton Cowan was born on May 15, 1834. Joseph W. Cowan married Sarah Melvina Allman Sep­tember 'r1, 1860. He died May 20, 1917. To this union were born six children: Eleanor Octavia (9/25/61), Charlotte (8/10/64), William (4/'n/67), L., Lawrence D. (8/29/70), Mary (7/29/74) and Luna (10/2/79). Grandfather owned approx­imately 200 acres of land on the south side of Tuckaseigee River extending from the top of River Hill ridge to the Wild property now known as Cow­an Valley Estates. Most of the land when he bought it was in timber. Only a large log one room house with an upstairs room existed then. My father, Lawrence Cowan, was born in the log house, but grandfather had already started to build a large eight room house for the family. Grandfather built a sawmill near the river and cut, sawed, dried, and finished lumber to build the house. He and grandmother hand planed the lumber. The hand planed planks in the hallway have been preserved. That house still stands, now owned by James E. and Ruth Crawford. Grandfather was not very interested in farming . He raised hogs and cows and chickens and enough produce for his family. His main in­terest and means of a liveli­hood was making furniture. Continued on page 4 Clark's N.C. Regiments Vof IV, page 65, reads: "Ser­vices of the Home Guards were arduous and almost continuous and their value has never been fully ap­preciated. They preserved public order, guarded bridges and prisoners, arrested deserters and kept down the depudation of those who in organized bands made inroads upon defenseless neighbors." The Cowan home in Webster was built in 1870 by Joseph Cowan. The home, located on the banks of the Tuckasegee River was remodeled by his son Lawrence and is still occupied. Page 2, HISTORIC WEBSTER, SUMMER 1985 A catalogue of Joseph and The Makers Joseph Warrenton Cowan and Sarah Allman Cowan were married in 1860 and lived in Webster where he carried on his cabinetmaking business. Lawrence D. Cowan, his wife, Roxie Hyatt Cowan (1886-1974), and their daughter Mildred in Asheville in 1930. Lawrence D. Cowan carried on his father's business until he became a housing contractor. ") This four poster walnut bed was made by Joseph Cowan for his own home. It is now in the home of Mildred Cowan, a granddaughter. It was originally made with cords for cornshuck mattress and feather­bed. In later years his son, Lawrence Cowan, made side rails to support modern springs and mattress. J. W. Cowan made many similar beds for Western N.C. customers. Photo by Jan Davidson. · Y 'I \ This solid oak table was made by Lawrence Cowan to match the oak bed. The notched trim around the top matches the notching on the headboard of the bed. Photo by Jan Davidson. This high-boy dresser J . W. Cowan made of poplar for his own use. It is owned by Mildred Cowan. Photo by Alwa yne McClure. The J . W. Cowan home had no running water. His son Lawrence made a wash stand of polished pine for each bedroom. A bowl and pitcher was provided for each one. Photo by Alwayne McClure. Made by Joseph Cowan, this corner cupboard is walnut. It is now owned by Dean and Norma Allman of Red­way, California. Photo by Dean Allman. II a I La1 soli dau Da' A isn• McC is a mat old. ped' lath che1 peg: M (J st Jc to SUMMER 1985, HISTORIC WEBSTER, Page 3 Lawrence Cowan furniture 1 the early 1900's bedsteads with tigh headboard were popular. vrence Cowan made this one of d oak. It is in the home of his .ghter, Mildred. Photo by Jan ridson. bedside table made by J. W. Cowan 1w in the home of Mrs. Eleanore Self ;an of Stone Mountain, Georgia, who great granddaughter. Mr. Cowan le this table when he was 17 years The top is made of walnut, the estal, turned on a foot operated e, of birdseye maple, and the legs of .·ry.lt was put together with wooden ;. Photo by Jesse A. McCall. uch of the furniture he oseph W. Cowan) made is ill in existence from 1ckson County to California , Atlanta. The altar and pulpit was designed, built and donated by Lawrence Cowan to the Webster Baptist Church when the present building was dedicated in 1900. The arch design behind the altar was also designed and built by him. The altar and pulpit are of oak. The pulpit has inset panels of burl. Photo by Mark Haskett. The solid walnut cup­board was made by Lawrence Cowan for his own home. The doors have panels of burl. The turned posts are an add­ed beauty to the struc­ture of the piece. This piece of furniture is own­ed by his daughter, Mildred. Photos by Jan Davidson and Alwayne McCllrre. Page 4, HISTORIC WEBSTER, SUMMER 1985 Cowan Furniture Is Prized Continued from page 1 He built a "shop" and made furniture by orders from peo­ple of the county. Much of the furniture he made is still in existence from Jackson Coun­ty, North Carolina, to Califor­nia and to Atlanta, Georgia. He not only used lumber from his own place, but it is said some of the crude tools he us­ed he also made. The bricks for the Court­house were made in Cowan molds between the Baptist Church and the Cowan house. The Thomas Cox white house on the Cox farm in Cullowhee was furnished with beds and tables made by Joseph Cowan. In the Cox din­ing room was a walnut ban­quet table that could seat 20 people. When in use for a smaller party the removable leaves were stored in an in­gen! ous stand which was sometimes placed in front of the fireplace for a screen. Grandfather had a large business in caskets, often working through the night with the help of my father and his daughters. Aunt Mary and Aunt Luna would pad and line the caskets with cloth. If the casket was for a lady or a child they would add lace. This solid oak couch was made by Lawrence Cowan. The present upholstery was done by Roy Baker of Webster. The couch is in the home of his daughter, Mildred Cowan, in Webster. The carved detail on the legs and head are by hand. Photo by Jan Davidson In my own home now I have a four poster, solid walnut bed and a high boy (chest of drawers with a mirror), a book shelf and a rocking chair The Name Cowan The name Cowan is said by some historians to have been of Irish origin and by others to have been of Scot­tish derivation. One writer states that it was originally taken from the Gaelic Maca'ghobhainn, Anglicized Cowan. Others assert that it is of Celtic origin and taken from the name Colban. Yet another maintains that the name is derived from the Scottish Mac­Comgan, having reference to Saint Comgan, and was Anglicized MacCowan from which the prefix Mac, meaning "son of," was later dropped. O'Hart, one of the foremost of Irish historians, states that the name is derived from the Irish O'Casmhain, Anglicized Cowan. The prefix 0 means "of the family of," while Caohain means "a noble person." According to O'Hart, at least one branch of the fami­ly traces its descent from Caomhain, son of Conmac, Prince of Hi-Fiachra, who was Chief of the Sept in the year 876 A.D. Jolin Cowan, who fled from Scotland in 1637 to Ireland, in consequence of a duel, settled in the County Down, Ireland. Relatives of his came to America in 1720 and settled in Lancaster and Chester Counties in Pennsylvania before moving south to Salisbury, North Carolina. Members of these families later moved to the wilderness of Western North Carolina then in­habited by Indians, according to "Abstracts from the Cowan Family, McClung Collections." The first Cowan in America was Hugh Cowan who arrived previous to 1720. Tax lists of Chester County, Penn­sylvania, list him as a single free man and resident of Middletown Township in 1720. Hugh, William, John and David Cowan, supposedly brothers, are recorded as applying for land in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as early as 1734. They came from Newry, County Down, Province of Olster, Ireland, the families having previously moved from Scotland to the North of Ireland. Grandpa made for his brother William who was a large man and paralyzed. Other pieces he made that l!!e still in the family are a round dining table, a night stand, beds, and a three corner cupboard. Grandpa_ and grandma A Joseph Cowan table made of black walnut is now own­ed by Mrs. Ann Davis Melton of Waynesville, a great granddaughter. The table originally had a lazy susan in the center which was removed. Photo by Ann Davis Melton. I Elizabeth Keys dies I Elizabeth Marshall Keys, an original member of the Webster Historical Society, died January 21, in Tampa, Florida. Mrs. Keys, who was born in Washington, D.C., on March 16, 1918, was the daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Mar­shall Keys. Mr. Keys was the owner of the Blackwood Lum­ber Company. The company operated in Jackson County from 1923 until 1944, and the family continued to maintain a home in East LaPorte until 1977. After graduating from Holton Arms in Washington, she studied art in New York and exhibited her work in many of the city's galleries. Coming home to Jackson County in 1962, Mrs. Keys us­ed the area as the subject for her oil and watercolor paint­ings. One of her paintings de­picting Jackson County hangs in the White House. Before Mrs. Keys moved to Florida in 1977, she worked with the county's Art Council and helped establish Juda­culla Rock as an historical site. were members of Old Savan­nah Baptist Church until a Baptist Church was organized and established at Webster. The present church property was sold in 1897 to the church for $35.00 which he gave back to the church. Grandpa was a member of the Webster Masonic Lodge which later moved to Sylva and then to Dillsboro. As a small child he read all the children's Bible stories to me, and he taught me little songs and jingles. When I was old enough he taught me ABC's and numbers. I loved him dearly. My father, Lawrence Cowan, grew up in the fur­niture shop with grandpa and learned to design and make furniture. He did not follow this field because by the time he was grown furniture stores were opening in Sylva , Waynesville, and Franklin. Instead he turned to building and finally to finished carpenter work such as decorative doors, mantles, stairways, and cabinets. For several years he worked with L. W. Hill Construction Com­pany of Asheville and Miami. He would usually be the last man on the job. My father did make much of the furniture in our home. We have a hutch, a couch called a "fainting couch," a high backed bed and several tables and a pic­ture frames; also the farm house had no bathrooms for several years and Father made wash stands for each bedroom with a ceramic bowl and pitcher for water. He did finish work in several Bilt­more Forest houses, the Asheville City Hall and the Buncombe County Court­house. He also helped to build several apartment houses in Asheville. In one apartment house folding beds were in­stalled that disappeared into the wall by day. He came home one evening laughing and somewhat bruised; a bed he was installed had folded on him. Members of the present day Webster Baptist Church can see evidence of my father's work each service. The wood­work over the altar was designed by him. He also designed, made, and donated the pulpit which is a piece of art. In Miami during the winter months the L. W. Hill Com­pany worked mostly on Miami Beach building hotels and business buildings. My father enjoyed his work there. In Florida he could eat all the sea food he desired which was very scarce in Western Carolina in the 1920s.