LOCAL HISTORY PROJECT

In this picture, the blacksmith shop has become the Tollhouse Garage. With the invention and use of cars, the blacksmith shop ceased dealing with horses and became a garage to deal with motor vehicles. The garage is on the right, to it's left is the gas station and behind that is the store. The store has a giant "Tollhouse" painted on it's roof for airplane identification. Before aviation maps, roof tops helped airplanes navigate. Note the car in the foreground, one of the garage's jobs.
circa: 1928

The Tollhouse Garage of the present. Instead of being surrounded with wagons and parts it is surrounded by autos. It still functions as a garage today.

circa: 1992

Looking west through Tollhouse in the present. The Yancey Cash Store site is on the right behind the greenery. The cafe-livery barn site is on the left with the hotel site behind that. The rock monument standing in front of the hotel site is E. Clampus Vitus' tribute to old Tollhouse. It is sitting where the hotel oak tree used to stand. The cars on the right are in front of the garage.

circa: 1992

This picture is of the old Tollhouse Store and gas station just before they were torn down. On the right is the gas station with the store behind it. Note the sag in the store's porch. On the right end of the store are stools for people eating at the store's lunch counter.

circa: 1956

This picture is a horse and rider and two buggies on the old Tollhouse Grade. The grade was mostly single lane and all dirt. In good weather the roadbed would become thick dust and a danger to big wagons and later cars slipping off the edge. In bad weather and mud or snow it was impossible to travel it. The grade was originally built in 1866 by John Humphreys and the Woods brothers as a toll road to haul shakes and lumber to market.

circa: 1885

This is the start of the Tollhouse to Pine Ridge car race . The race was held every year from 1910 to about 1935. Pine Ridge was then considered to be the Armstrong Store at what is called today the Shaver Ranch, one mile above Cressman's. Cars ran individually against each others' times because the grade was too dangerous to try to all run at once. The picture is in Tollhouse with the livery barn and hotel on the left and the store on the right.

circa: 1915

This is a race car chugging up Tollhouse Grade in the Tollhouse to Pine Ridge race. Each car had two people in it, a driver and a timer. Note the spectators lining the sides of the grade. The race was very popular and drew many people from the valley.

circa: 1919

This picture is a race car coming right at the photographer in the Tollhouse to Pine Ridge race. Spectators are visible in the background. Cars had difficulty with overheating and often had to stop and cool off. A good time for the 8 mile route was one and a half hours.

circa: 1920

Several arrive at Armstrong's Store at Pine Ridge. Some of the cars are Tollhouse race participants while others are spectators. Due to safety reasons, cars only raced up Tollhouse Grade, never down it.

circa: 1920

The Tollhouse to Pine Ridge race cars lined up after the finish of the race at Armstrong's Store at Pine Ridge. The store is recognizable by it's A-frame type roof used to weather heavy snowfalls.

Note the number banners draped over the cars and number two on the right with the number painted on the radiator. The race stopped with the completion of the "new" or tollhouse grade of the present in the 1930's.

circa: 1925