THE WAY IT IS WITH
COLLECTORS
A couple of years ago Marvin
Scholl, a millwright by trade, was com¬
fortably settled in Hilliard. Ohio; and
he probably would have been there
yet. instead of in the North Carolina
mountains, had it not been for his
hobby.
Scholl is a collector, and especially
a collector of railroad lanterns. Since
1946 he has gathered them from rail¬
road companies, from antique shops,
from other collectors, and from wher¬
ever they could be found. Many were
the limes, he says, he'd go out for
groceries and come back with a lan¬
tern instead.
By 1965 he had assembled the larg¬
est collection of railroad lanterns in
Ohio — maybe the largest in the coun¬
try — representing several hundred dif¬
ferent old or existing railroad lines.
He also had accumulated many other
rare items of early railroadiana.
But what do you do with such a
collection? After you have wire-
brushed. repainted, polished, identi¬
fied, indexed, and catalogued it. that
is?
Scholl's Ambition
What Scholl wanted to do was put
them on display for the public, so
other people could share his interest
and knowledge of early railroads. He
wanted to start a museum. And that is
where North Carolina came into the
picture.
Scholl had investigated and rejected
offers to make an attraction of his
collection in several large population
centers of the East. Then lie noticed
an advertisement which Bob Powell
had placed in a collector's magazine.
Powell, a lumberman in Mocksvillc.
is no mean collector himself, having
assembled a notable collection of
steam traction engines (sec The
State. Vol. 27. No. 3). For the past
year or so he had been exhibiting the
engines to summer visitors at a loca¬
tion in the scenic valley between Boone
and Blowing Rock (adjacent to Twcct-
sic Railroad), which he acquired and
named Frontier Village. Now he wanted
another hobbyist — one as dedicated
as he is — to join him in the enterprise.
Marvin Scholl was the man. After
one trip to sec Powell and the moun¬
tains. he went back to Ohio to get his
family.
And let it be recorded that every
collector ought to have a family like
that of Marvin Scholl. All five of them
arc in the act. Son Donald, for in¬
stance, has an amazing collection of
old watch fobs and a good assortment
of watches to go with them. Son Ray¬
mond specializes in restoring the ex¬
tensive Scholl collection of early gaso¬
line engines. Wife Viola collects and
refinishes antique furniture.
Small daughter Joan was serving as
greeter, guide and promoter when
we visited at Frontier Village early this
season.
Scholl’s lanterns are only a frac¬
tion of the collection exhibited. Don
and Ray. reflecting their father's in¬
terest in railroads, have built the most
elaborate system of model railroads
ever seen in this area — ten different
"HO Gauge" electric outfits built into
a miniature mountain village setting
with amazing detail.
Wandering through the museum
buildings we spotted such assorted
items as an old Stanly steam engine
(vintage 1909). a White Lily washing
machine (about 1907). a Jaeger
cement mixer (early '20's), a hot air-
powered water pump, a "hit-and-
miss" gasoline engine, an ancient Mc¬
Cormick reaper, and a White touring
bus which was last used in the Yel¬
lowstone Park in 1919.
Many of the long-dead engines have
sputtered back to life after being pati¬
ently worked over by the expert team
of Scholl and sons.
In sheds at one side of the village
are Powell's ancient steam engines and
tractors, dating back to the early days
of the century. Occasionally he starts
one up and gives youngsters a ride
around the grounds.
Then, there is the old log cabin,
built about 1X34 near Lenoir, now
reassembled and refurnished at Fron¬
tier Village; and the 19th century grist
mill, now resurrected and grinding
flour or meal for visitors.
There is something here, as Scholl
says, to interest the whole family; and
at least one family, namely the
Scholls, was having a ball when we
visited there.
Marvin Scholl may have been a
little vague when we asked him
about the money-making potential of
Frontier Village. But perhaps dyed-in-
the-wool collectors arc funny that way.
W'c figure he would rather have one
interested customer than two with a
buck to spend.
Mofrin Scholl ond hi» lontemi
THE STATE. August 1. 1967
17