Ruins, pt. 2

In 1906, North Carolina state geologist Joseph H. Pratt introduced the idea of a scenic toll road, the "Crest of the Blue Ridge Highway," through the Blue Ridge Mountains, from Marion, Virginia, to Tallulah, Georgia. Surveying was done in 1911, and the Appalachian Highway Company was charted in 1914. Construction began on the section of the road from Pineola to Altapass, in Mitchell County. The road was to be twenty-four feet wide, with a sand-clay or gravel surface.

Earlier this week, I went out and walked what I believe is part of the old "Crest of the Blue Ridge Highway." If you are traveling south on the Parkway, once you pass Chestoa View, start looking to your right. Every so often, you can catch a glimpse of a old road bed, up on the side of the mountain. The road bed continues on just past mile marker 324. It went around the mountain, but there were several downed trees and I had my six-year-old son with me.

The roadbed fit the description, about twenty feet in width. I could not see any sand, but there were quite a few pieces of mica-encrusted granite.

I’ve enclosed a couple of photographs showing the old road bed.

So am I right? Is this the remnants of the old "Crest of the Blue Ridge Highway"?

ruined buildings

British novelist Rose Macaulay once wrote that "there are, above and under the earth, far more ruined than unruined buildings." While the Toe River Valley has never been the height of population, there are plenty of ruined things both above and below the ground. I thought for the next serval days, we would talk about just a few of them.

A couple of years ago, I hiked out to Roaring Fork Falls in southern Yancey County. It was a beautiful, warm fall day and the falls themselves were beautiful. They are located off Hwy. 80 and I encourage you to visit them.

Along the way you come across a couple of steel-reinforced concrete structures. One guide book says that they were "once used to store explosives." Another sources states that "At one time, they had "Danger" and "Explosives" warning signs on them. Years ago, the forest service used these buildings to store the explosives used to build the roads through the mountains."

Hmm, probably true. But I also wonder, maybe it was connected to the construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway? There are a lot of tunnels in the general area. Or, maybe one of the many mining operations in the area?

Carolina Theatre

This morning, I spent some time exploring the web page for the Carolina Theatre Preservation Association, located in downtown Spruce Pine. I have long been fascinated with old time music. When I was younger, that fascination revolved around Civil War music, war songs like the "Bonnie Blue Flag," "the Homespun Dress," and "All Quiet Along the Potomac"; and ballads, like "Lorena," and "Sweet Evelina." As I have grown older, that fascination has stayed, but changed. Now, I have a possibly unhealthy fascination with murder ballads: "Banks of the Ohio," "Pretty Polly," and the "Knoxville Girl."

A couple of years ago, I was working on my collection of essays on Avery County history. One of those essays deals with Lulu Belle and Scotty. They too have become a fascination.

The Carolina Theatre was built in 1937 in a booming downtown Spruce Pine. Thne in the late 1940s, the building had evolved, and now held the nationally broadcasted Carolina Barn Dance. According to the web site, the Carolina Barn Dance attracted both locally and nationally known acts. Some of those national acts to visit the area included Bill Monroe, Patsy Cline, Hank Snow, Kitty Wells, Chet Atkins, and Lulu Belle and Scotty. I’m quite sure that I’ve come across info on Lulu Belle and Soctty at the Carolina Barn Dance in my research. I’ll need to go back through my notes to make sure.

While the most famous, at one time being broadcast on over 500 stations, the Carolina Barn Dance was not the only venue for local music. There was the Wiseman Memorial Park, the Music Barn in Crossnore, Youngs Mountain Music in Yancey County, and the Apple Orchard in Alta Pass. You can still catch local musicians at some of these venues.

The Carolina Theatre Preservation Association needs your help. They want to preserve the theatre and open it up as a destination site in western North Carolina. Check out the web page here to see what you can do to help.

Mountain Heritage Trout City

There were articles recently in both of Avery County’s newspapers about the designation of Newland as a "Mountain Heritage Trout City." Legislation, sponsored by our own Joe Sam Queen, was passed last year and Newland, along with a one-mile section of the Toe River, is one of the first of five pilot programs in the state. Queen, quoted by the Avery Journal-Times, said that: "Avery County has great waters to fish, and this program will help give identity of destination to the mountains. This program is going to be very family oriented and will celebrate our mountain heritage."

It is nice to see things being done to "celebrate our mountain heritage." More needs to be done.

I wonder where the other four areas are?

Penland

Welcome to the new Toe River Valley blog

Why a new blog? The Toe River Valley is full of history. From de Soto to the Parkway Play House, the Toe River Valley is packed with events that have both changed people’s lives, and have changed life in America. Over the next few years, I hope to talk about a few of them.

What is the Toe River Valley? The area is composed of Yancey, Mitchell, about half of Avery County, and a little part of Madison County, North Carolina. The crest of the Blue Ridge (along the Blue Ridge Parkway) bounds the area on the south side. To the west is the Walnut Mountain range, and to its south, a series of peaks: Cold Knob, Chestnut Mountain, Sam Doane Mountain, and Sally Mountain. To the east is the Continental Divide - running through Montezuma. To the north, you have Roan Mountain, and the Bald Mountains, and the Unaka Mountains. The Toe River is made up of the North Toe, which begins in Avery County, and the South Toe, which forms in the Black Mountains. They become the Nolichucky River near Peterson.

Who am I? I’m Michael. I live in the Toe River Valley area. I also write about the Toe River Valley. To date, I’ve written three books about the area: a pictorial history of Avery County; a collection of essays on Avery County; and a history of the McElroy House in Burnsville. I’ve also written five other books, histories of Watauga County, Caldwell County, and three Civil War books. I am currently working on a book about the 58th North Carolina Troops, a Confederate regiment made up of men mostly from the Toe River area. I also have two other projects in the works that deal with the Toe River Area. I’m a past vice president/president of the Yancey Historical Association and current Vice-Chair of the Avery County Historical Society and Museum. I also work with the Mitchell County Historical Society. I’ve taught classes on local history at Mayland Community College, where I also serve on the library board. And, I’m the worship leader (and on the finance committee) at Aaron Baptist Church, located in Montezuma, just barely in the Toe River area. Finally, I’m a charter member of the Col. John B. Palmer Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, which meets the third Tuesday of each month at the town center in Burnsville.

Did I have ancestors in the Toe River area? Ancestors, no. Cousins, a lot. My North Carolina ancestors first settled in the Yadkin River Valley in the 1750s. They lived in what would become Watauga County for a couple of generations before migrating to east Kentucky. They include the Proffitts, Hamptons, and Laws. Recognize those names? You’ll find them in the Toe River Valley.
I’ll try and post a several times a week. Sometimes, they will be deep, thought-provoking posts. Others will be announcements; a few will be photographs of the area.

Got something interesting on your mind? Drop me a line and tell me about it. Maybe we can work out a guest post for you.