Crumley, Cy (Charles Grover), 1886-1978
Dates
- Existence: 1886 - 1978
Biography
Charles Grover (Cy) Crumley was born in 1886 in Elizabethton, Tennessee. Crumley worked on the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (ET&WNC) as a brakeman and conductor for fifty-four years, from 1906 until 1960. During this time he served as the conductor of the daily passenger train from Johnson City, Tennessee to Boone, North Carolina. Cy Crumley was a compassionate man, dedicated to the railroad. The tickets used by ET&WNC were validated with a heart-shaped punch designed by Crumley to signify the spirit and service provided by the railroad. Crumley was known to do shopping for mountain residents and allow passengers to ride for free during the Great Depression. Crumley and the ET&WNC were featured in the 1938 film “Tennessee Tweetsie.” Cy Crumley died in 1978.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Kenneth Riddle Collection of Cy Crumley Photographs
The collection consists of images scanned from photographs that belonged to former East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad conductor Cy Crumley. There are also printouts from the website "The Cy Crumley Scrapbook” created by Ken Riddle. The images were also used in the book Cy Crumley's Tweetsie: Ninety Years on the Narrow Gauge, compiled by Kenneth Riddle.
