Chapter Eighteen

February 23, 1939

Thermal City Hotel was built in the fall of 1892 and 1893. Congressman Thomas D. Johnson, of Asheville was the promoter of this hotel. Mr. Johnson served in the forty-ninth and fiftieth Congresses of the United States. He served from March 4, 1885 to March 3, 1889 and was defeated for reelection in 1888 by Hamilton G. Ewart. Mr. Johnson was elected as a Democrat.

Mr. Barney A. Baber of Sunshine had the contract to do the work in the erection of this hotel building. Jim and Charles Whisnant of Rock Hill, S. C., who were saw milling and operating a planer in the neighborhood at that time, had the contract to furnish lumber for this building. The carpenters who worked for Mr. Baber were E. B. (Lige) Baber, James K. Roberson, John G. Baber and R. K. Hollifield, of Sunshine, and Jim Barns and Bob Barnes of near Thermal City. Burt Upton did the masonry work and Mack Brooks and John Kendrick Jones of Ellenboro did the painting.

Most of us would very often go home on Saturdays. At that time it was difficult to thumb a ride, so we would walk to Sunshine, a distance of fifteen miles.There were a number of us who worked on this building who boarded with Mr. J. K. (Kit) Carpenter. Mr. Carpenter lived in a small house and did not have room for all of us to sleep in the house, so Mr. Brooks and Mr. Jones slept in the express office in the depot. At the time this hotel was built the name of the post office was Pescud and the railroad station was Weavers.

The depot was located near Mr. Henderson Weaver’s home, hence it was named Weavers. Sometime after the hotel was built the name of the post office and the railroad station were both changed to Thermal City. The hotel was never a success.

Most of us would very often go home on Saturdays. At that time it was difficult to thumb a ride, so we would walk to Sunshine, a distance of fifteen miles.

Mr. E. B. Baber married while we were building this hotel. He married Miss Winnie Weaver, the daughter of Mr. Jim Weaver.