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Robert Lee Madison (1867–1954), the school's founder, served as first president of Cullowhee High School, later Cullowhee Normal and Industrial School, from 1889-1912 and also 1920-1923.

This portrait shot of Robert Lee Madison (1867 - 1954) was taken by the studio of Lindsey & Brown, South Court Place, Asheville, N.C. Madison, a native of Virginia, came to western North Carolina in 1886 to teach at a school in Quallatown. He later moved to nearby Sylva, N.C., and from January through December of 1889 he was editor of the 'Tuckaseige Democrat ' newspaper. In August 1889 Madison took a position as principal of the Cullowhee High School, in Cullowhee, N.C., while continuing as the newspaper's editor for several months. He served as principal of Cullowhee High School until 1905. In 1905 the school was renamed Cullowhee Normal & Industrial School, and Madison continued his service in the capacity of president of the institution from 1905 - 1912 and again from 1920 - 1923. The institution is now know as Western Carolina University.

Hall Station, also known as Hall Siding, was located between the communities of Addie and Willets, N.C. This photographic postcard by Thomas H. Lindsey and Edward E. Brown, entitled 'Hall Station, Murphy R.R. 809,' was mentioned in Lindsey's 1890 book, 'Lindsey's Guide Book to Western North Carolina.' In 1897 the 'Sylva Sentinel' (Sylva, N.C.) newspaper listed Hall as one of six railway stations in Jackson County, along with Balsam, Addie, Sylva, Dillsboro, and Wilmot.

The photographic studio of Lindsey & Brown, in Asheville, N.C., published this postcard showing a wagon, which they captioned a 'Prairie Schooner.' On the left side of the card is a general heading for the set of 'Western North Carolina Views' available from the studio. At the bottom center of the card is a note that this view was part of the studio's 'Character Series.'

Thomas H. Lindsey was a 19th century photographer based out of Asheville, North Carolina. He was one of the earliest commercial photographers to make scenic images of the region. This series of 5” x 8” prints were mounted to heavy card stock and labeled, “Views of Western North Carolina.” Many of the cards also carried the caption “The Land of the Sky,” a term popular around the turn of the 20th century. Recently constructed rail lines opened the region to visitation and many of Lindsey’s photographs included a portion of a railroad track as if to encourage visitation. He also produced “Lindsey's Guide Book to Western North Carolina” in 1890. Apparently, Lindsey was a prolific photographer as an advertisement for his studio on South Court Place in Asheville invited the public to see “more than one thousand views on exhibition.”