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Show HEARTH FLAME KEPT KEPTGLOWING KEPTGLOWINB GLOWING 147 YEARSAged YEARS YEARSAged Aged Man Last of Family Familyto to Tend Unusual Fire . Hendersonville Hendersonvl11e N CIn C -In In - In a tmy tiny tmymountain tinymountain tinymountain mountain cabin near here aloneexcept a10ne alone a10neexcept aloneexcept except for his dog Robert Morris Morrisseventy Morrisseventy Morrisseventy seventy seven years old o1d faithfully faithfullytends faithfullytends faithfullytends tends a fire started by members of ofhis ofhis his family five generations ago and andhopes andhopes hopes that before his death arrange arrangemeets arrangements ments meets will WII1 be made to keep ahve alive ahveforever aliveforever aliveforever forever the flame that has been beenburnrng beenburning beenburning burnrng burning for 147 yearsThe yearsThe years yearsThe The aged mountaineer mountameer is the last lastof lastof lastof of the Morns Morris family fam1y ! descendants descendantsof of a brother broth"r brothr " of William WllUam Morris who whodurmg whoduring whoduring durmg during the Revolutionary war gave gaveall gaveall gaveall all his wealth to the colonies colomes and anddied anddied anddied died in 111 a pauper s prison He has hasnever hasnever hasnever never married and knows that when whenhe whenhe whenhe he d es there will be no son or other otherre1atlve otherrelative otherrelative re1atlve relative to take over the task of ofkeepmg ofkeeping ofkeeping keepmg keeping the fire burning burnmg burnmgThat burningThat burningThat That task fell feU to him more than20 than 20 years ago whep whel when " his mother dIed dIedHer diedHer diedHer Her deathbed exhortation was tokeep tokeep to tokeep keep the fire going and he has hascarrIed hascarried hascarried carrIed out the wIshPIoneers wishPioneers wish wishPioneers Pioneers in Great SmokiesAncestors SmokiesAncestors Smokies SmokiesAncestors Ancestors of Rus.ns Rusns rv.rlS rvrlS ib.e.ris ibe.ris iberis . " . were among amongthe amongthe amongthe the firsthlte first \ white \\hlte hlte settlers of this Grea Greas GreasSmoky GreatSmoky Smoky mount mountain am region Matches Matcheswere Matcheswere Matcheswere were unknown and the building bwldmg of ofa ofa ofa a fireu fire \ was \\u u \ a laborious process prQcess prgcess ac acI accomplished accomplished accomphshed I complished only by rubb ng two twost twoit twost st it cks together or by use of filnt flint filntand flintand flintand and steel stee1 Once a fire was kindledit kmdledit kmdled kindled it was carefully guarded and not notal10wed notallowed notallowed al10wed allowed to go outAs outAs out outAs As members of the Morris family familymarried familymarried familymarried married andestabhshed andestablished and established estabhshed the r own ownhomes ownhomes ownhomes homes they carried embers from fromthe fromthe fromthe the family hearth to start their theU ' own ownflres ownfires ownfires flres fires Thus when the parents of ofWill ofWill ofWill Will am \ Morr 1\Iorr 1 Iorr s moved to their eab cab eabin cabIn cabm in in Holbert Cove near Hender Hendersonvllle Hendersonville Hendersonville sonvllle sonville they carried embers from fromtheIr fromtheir fromtheir theIr parents fire to the log hut but butwhere hutwhere where \ here it now burnsNecessIty burnsNecessity burns burnsNecessity Necessity kept the fire burnmg burning burnmgfor burningfor burningfor for many years and by the tune time tunemodern timemodern tunemodern modern habits-and habits and habits - and matches-had matches had matcheshadbeen matcheshadbeen matches - hadbeen been accepted in m the moun mountains tams the thefire thefire thefire fire had become a tradition to be becarefully becarefully becarefully carefully guardedThe guardedThe guarded guardedThe The blaze burns in 111 a granite gramte fire firep1ace fireplace fireplace p1ace place in m the 1 ttle cabin The fire fireplace fireplace fireplace place bears the date 1879 but it was wasbwlt wasbuilt wasbuilt bwlt built espec ally for the fire 10ng long 10ngafter longafter longafter after the cab n itself was construct constructed ed Banked carefully careful1y during dur1l1g the theday theday theday day dayVh wh \Vh Vh \ Ie le its aged guardian is tend tendIng tendlag tending Ing lag his live stock and a few chIck chIckens chickens chickens ens the blaze is allowed to flame flameup flameup flameup up brightly at n ghtTall ght ghtTall Tall TaU and spare W 11 II am Morns MorriS ISa isa is a typical cit Clt zen of the mountam mountain mountamregIOn mountainregion mountainregion regIOn regIOnhere \ where \\here here \ he has spent his entIre entIrel entirelife entirelife l life e His educat on was limited hmlted to toabout toabout toabout about ten months m 111 a tiny nearby nearbychurch nearbychurch nearbychurch church but among 0-itsiders 0 itsiders o.ltslders oltslders outsiders . - he IS ISqu isqu isqu qu et and d gnified gmfied He speaks with witha a low firm voice and appears re reserved reserved reserved served except w \ ith nth h s mounta n nfriends nfriends nfriends nfriendsAn friends friendsAn An amb lion tion of his youth to leave leavethe leavethe leavethe the mounta rnounta n country for good soon soonvamshed soonvanished soonvanished vamshed vanished and he has never re remamed remanned remained mamed manned away from his cabin cabm for forany forany forany any length of time tune He went to New NewYork NewYork NewYork York last year to appear on a radio radioprogram radioprogram radioprogram program and the visit resulted 111 in 111the inthe inthe the one concession to modern ty to tobe tobe tobe be found in m the cab n-a n a n - a rad o 0 re rece1Vmg recerving receivmg ce1Vmg cerving setPlans setPlans set setPlans Plans of md red viduals vlduals and organ za zatIons zations zations tIons to preserve the fire after tpe the tpedeath thedeath thedeath death ot of its last ancestral keeper keepernlready keeperalready keeperalready nlready already have crystallized in m a let letter letter letter ter by the North Carolna Carol na Ch-ipterof Ch ipterof Ch'lpterof Ch'lpter Chlpter Chipter Ch ' - ipter ipterof of the Daughters of the LlJe AmerIcan AmerIcanRevolution AmericanRevolution AmericanRevolution Revolution to the mU mu&oum muoum museum & eum AmerIcanI d vIsion vIsionof visionof visionof I of the na nat t onal ona1 park service The TheI TheD TheD TheD I D A R has asked nsked that the fire b bd bdmoved bemoved movcd moved o 0 the Great Smoky moun mown mountams mowntarns mountains , tams tarns national park and preserved preservedas as a memorial withVAl with \ Will \VAl VAl am Morris Morrisas preservedI I as carehJrer caretaker careti er as long as he hves lives hvesMter livesAfter livesAfter Mter After his death another caretaker caretakerwould caretakerwould caretakerwould would be appointed |