Notes from the Archives · Highlands Nature Center · May 2025
Tabled for 80 YearsThe Mystery of the Table and Chairs in the Nature Center – Solved
1942Delivered to the Museum2023Found in the basement
Begin readingA Historical Jigsaw Puzzle
Exploring the Reinke Archives at the Highlands Biological Station (HBS) often feels like assembling a historical jigsaw puzzle—where even the smallest, seemingly insignificant pieces can eventually unlock a compelling story. One such piece emerged in the form of a dated receipt tucked within the Ralph Sargent papers, offering a surprising clue to a long-standing mystery.
The Receipt
Dated March 12, 1942, the receipt was issued to the Highlands Museum by the Highlands Woodwork Shop, operated by Louis A. Edwards. It recorded the delivery of a table—signed by Mrs. L.A. Edwards—on February 8, 1942, for the amount of $12.00. Remarkably, this very table was discovered in 2023 in the basement of the Nature Center (formerly the Highlands Museum), and thanks to the skilled restoration work of our Facilities Manager, Mike McMahan, it has been beautifully brought back to life. (Pictured at the bottom of the article.)
Twelve dollars, paid by check
Select a number on the receipt to read that part of it.
- Highlands Museum, Mr. Ralph Sargent. The bill went to the Museum, care of Ralph Sargent, who sat on the committee that ordered the furniture.
- Highlands Woodwork Shop, Louis A. Edwards. Cabinet work, furniture built to order, homes designed and built. Look closely: the printer set “Owner” as “Onwer.”
- 1 Table. Delivered to Museum Feb 8.
- $12.00
- Received payment by check, March 12, 1942. Signed Mrs. L. A. Edwards.
- Mailed from the Highlands Woodwork Shop to Mr. Ralph Sargent at Haverford College, Haverford, Pa., in March 1942.
- 2023.004.0008, the number written along the left edge when the receipt was catalogued in the Reinke Archives.
The Minute Book
Digging deeper, a new layer of the story surfaced in the HBS Minute Book dated August 21, 1941. A committee, including Ralph M. Sargent and Margaret Cannon Howell, had been tasked with furnishing the newly opened Museum Building, which had held its grand opening just two months earlier on June 20.
The committee wanted one large table, one long bench and one dozen chairs for the new building. The table and bench were designed by Edwards “to the specifications of the director, Miss Laura M. Bragg . . . to be constructed from chestnut lumber in the basement of the building. . . .The lumber to be used has not yet been properly seasoned. Mr. Edwards agreed to season it and build in time for use at the opening of the building for the summer season of 1942.”
Report to the Trustees of the Highlands Museum and Biological Laboratory, by the Committee appointed to arrange for furniture in the new Museum Building.
Your committee has arranged for the procuring of one large table, one long bench, and one dozen chairs for the new Museum building. The table and bench, to stand in the main entrance hall of the building, have been designed by Mr. Louis Edwards of Highlands, to the specifications of the director of the Museum, Miss Laura M. Bragg. These two articles are to be constructed from chestnut lumber now in the basement of the building, and they will conform to the general architectural scheme and appearance of the building. The lumber to be used has not yet been properly seasoned. Mr. Edwards has agreed to season this lumber, and to build the table and bench, in time for their use at the opening of the building for the summer season of 1942.
Your committee had one dozen chairs (8 straight back, and 4 curve back) constructed by Mr. E. D. Watson of Norton, N. C. These are made of ash, with split oak cane bottoms. When the ash is lightly stained, it will approximate the color and grain of the chestnut used in the building. These chairs (unstained) are now in use in the building. Mr. Edwards has contracted to stain them properly before next season.
Expenses entailed for the foregoing items of furniture will be borne by your committee.
Signed, Ralph M. Sargent · Margaret C. Howell
Highlands, N. C. · 21 August 1941
One table, one bench, twelve chairs
- A large table Designed and built by Louis Edwards, of chestnut Delivered February 8, 1942 · Found in 2023 and restored
- A long bench Designed and built by Louis Edwards, of chestnut Ordered for the main entrance hall
- A dozen chairs Made by E. D. Watson of Norton, N. C., of ash with split oak bottoms In use by August 1941 · One found in 2023
The Chairs
Then another important puzzle piece was given. “Your committee had one dozen chairs (8 straight back and 4 curve back) constructed by Mr. E. D. Watson of Norton, N. C. . . . made of ash with split oak cane bottoms. . . .The ash will be stained the color and grain of the chestnut in the building. The chairs (unstained) are now in use in the building.” Edwards would stain before the next season. Indeed the photograph of Laura Bragg, shows one of the chairs in the background.
Find the chair
Miss Bragg directed the museum that summer. Behind her, against the stone wall, stands one of Mr. Watson’s new chairs, still unstained.
When staff surveyed the Nature Center in 2023, they discovered just one remaining chair fitting this description. That rare piece is now preserved in the Reinke Library Archives.
A dozen chairs
Made in 1941 for the new museum: 8 straight back and 4 curve back.
About the Craftsmen
Enis Dewey Watson
Enis Dewey Watson (1900–1977) was born in Jackson County and spent much of his life in Haywood County, N.C. He married Lassie Lavida Kilby in 1920, and the couple had five children—three sons and a daughter, with two sons surviving into adulthood. Watson’s craftsmanship lives on in the ash chairs that once graced the museum’s halls.
Louis Alexander Edwards
Louis Alexander Edwards (1915–1999), son of James Grover and Minnie Zoellner Edwards, had deep roots in Highlands. After James’s passing, Minnie married Louis’s great-uncle William Wyatt Edwards, and together they purchased The Central House hotel, later expanding and renaming it the Old Edwards Inn in 1935.
Louis Sr. opened his woodworking shop in Highlands in 1932 and earned a degree in architecture from Clemson College in 1937. He married Elizabeth Swain in 1938, and their son, Louis Swain Edwards, was born in 1939. Elizabeth later opened The Condiment Shop in 1945, and according to historian Randolph Shaffner, was known for her environmental convictions—including once chaining herself to an oak tree to prevent its removal.
Louis Sr. supervised the construction of the Highlands Museum from 1940 to 1941, served in the U.S. Army during WWII, and returned home in 1946 to become Highlands’ Building Inspector. By 1950, he had opened his own hardware store in town. Louis, Elizabeth, and their son are all buried at Highlands Memorial Park Cemetery.
The craftsmen’s years
Select a dot to read about that year.
1941: Watson’s chairs are in use, and Edwards has designed the table and bench.
- Enis Dewey Watson: born 1900 in Jackson County; married Lassie Lavida Kilby in 1920; made twelve chairs for the museum in 1941; died 1977.
- Louis Alexander Edwards: born 1915; opened his woodworking shop in 1932; architecture degree from Clemson College in 1937; married Elizabeth Swain in 1938; son Louis Swain Edwards born 1939; supervised the museum’s construction 1940 to 1941; delivered the table in 1942; returned from the Army in 1946 to become Building Inspector; opened a hardware store by 1950; died 1999.
The Table, Restored
Bryding Adams, Volunteer Archivist, May 2025