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As part of Jackson County's Centennial Celebration in September 1951, several men in the county grew beards and joined the "Brothers of the Brush."
They signed the following pledge, "Being a good civic-minded citizen of Jackson County, I do hereby agree to do my civic duty and grow a moustache, full beard, goatee or sideburns as part of the celebration to be held in September 1951 in honor of the pioneers who founded the great county that we now enjoy."
An editorial in the Sept. 13, 1951, Sylva Herald proclaimed, "If there was any one thing that contributed the most to the starting of our very successful Centennial celebration, it was the growing of beards by the men of the county."
Wimpy Hyatt loaned this photograph of several Brothers of the Brush for The Sylva Herald to use during this sesquicentennial celebration. To the best of Hyatt's recollection, the men are identified, from left, as (kneeling) Dillard Woods, Weston Ensley, Joe Wallin, and Hugh Monteith, (standing) L.H. Higdon, Albert McMahan, George Sherrill, Ed Nicholson, Frank Fricks, Wimpy Hyatt, Velt Wilson, Thad Stiles, Bennie Reese, Nelson Tathum, Jake Bales and Jack Cooper.
Hyatt said all are deceased but him and Stiles. Wilson was chairman of the Beard Growing Committee and announced that all men competing for prizes must march together in the Sept. 3 parade.
Due to a mix-up in times, the final round of judging was not completed until Sept. 7, and those winning awards were Dud Parris, full beard; Bob Terrell, trimmed beard; John Parris Sr., shaggy beard; Crawford Shelton, mustache; Boyd Sossamon, goatee; Jack Alexander, sideburns; John Henson and Chunk Morgan, mustache and goatee; and Cicero Bryson, sideburns and mustache.
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