William Arthur (Bill) Wilson - Engineer

In November of 1926, Bill and Sue Wilson, and their two young daughters, Kathleen, three years old and Doris (Dottie), three weeks old, moved from Laurens County, South Carolina to Rosman, North Carolina.

Mr. Wilson was employed, as an engineer, by Mr. Joseph Silversteen to work in his lumber business. One of his duties was to "cruise" timber.  This was an important component in the lumber business. "Cruising" timber allowed the trained engineer to make a fair estimate concerning the number of boards to be cut from particular logs.  Mr. Wilson was very successful in this endeavor.  His education at Wofford College and University of Georgia had prepared him well for this position.  Bill Wilson enjoyed six years as an employee of Mr. Silversteen.

In 1932, the Wilsons moved to Brevard, an opportunity had been offered to Bill which captured his interest, so the family moved into a small house on Maple Street.  Mr. Wilson became Superintendent of the Works Progress Administration, which was known as the W.P.A.  This was part of the "New Deal" which was established after Mr. Roosevelt became President, this appointment gave Bill Wilson the job overseeing the construction of outlying roads in Transylvania County.  This was a very demanding position due to the poor condition of many mountain roads. Mr. Wilson was dedicated to his new job and appreciated the confidence placed in him.

There were other projects, over the years, which were very rewarding to Bill Wilson. One of these, in which he took a lot of pride, was the construction of the historic river rock wall located on the campus of Brevard College.  That wall stands today as a testament to the engineering ability of Bill Wilson and to the masonry talents of the Wright brothers.  They were indeed master masons and several rock or granite houses remain in Brevard as their legacy.

Another project, on which Bill Wilson was the construction engineer, was the building of the municipal swimming pool.  After the pool was completed and filled with water, there was a joyful time for the Wilson girls.  They were allowed to try the pool out before it was opened to the public!  Kat Wilson, Dottie Wilson and a few friends were thrilled to have a city swimming pool and to be able to be the first kids to get to go swimming there.  Summers were not as hot back then but a pool was a welcomed attraction and replaced the cold Davidson River as the favorite summer gathering place for the youth of Brevard.

Mr. Wilson was very active politically, as a democrat, he became chairman of the Democratic Party in Transylvania County and attended state and national conventions. The connection to the national party afforded him the opportunity to serve the county as "Welfare" Officer during very difficult economic times.  He was able to direct and implement financial aid to many needy citizens during this time.

When WWII came in 1941, Bill Wilson served his country, using his engineering skills, working on government projects at the shipyards in Norfolk, Virginia. After the war Mr. Wilson returned to Brevard and joined his wife, Sue Wilson, in her real estate and insurance business ( that's another story of historic interest).  Bill continued to work in this capacity until his death from pancreatic cancer in 1951.

W. A. (Bill) Wilson was a pioneer engineer in Transylvania County. He has been remembered by many for his contributions to the county he adopted as his home. A county he truly loved.

               
                       William (Bill) Arthur Wilson
                       Student at Wofford College             

  William (Bill) Arthur Wilson
Pioneer Engineer
Circa 1945

Submitted by his daughter, Doris (Dottie) Wilson Tinsley
March 2011