Ruins, pt 4

There is probably no better example of a place to talk about ruins than Lost Cove in Yancey County. No, I’ve never been there. I would like to visit one day.

This morning, I sat down and read a thesis written at the end of 2007 by Christy A. Smith. It’s entitled "Lost Cove, North Carolina: The Life and Death of a Thriving Community. (1864-1957) Avery County Historical Society chairman Cindy Peters informed me about the thesis not long ago. My past knowledge about the Lost Cove community had come from either Lloyd Bailey’s books, or from conversations with Jim Priestmeyer.

There are hundreds of topics that could be cover edabout what has been called "one of eastern America’s most legendary Ghost Towns." I’m sure, just like the railroad, we will return to many of them in the future. For now, let’s look at Lost Cove and how it become a ruin.

People lived In Lost Cove from the 1860s through the 1950s. The were many reason why they had to leave, the top few being a lack of employment and a lack of transportation. Once the timber in the area was depleted, there were no longer any jobs for local people. No jobs meant no way to purchased items not locally produced.

However, transportation was the biggest reason that Lost Cove became a ghost town. The rise of highways and automobiles brought an end to passenger service via railroads. The old Three C’s Railroad, the Clinchfield, was the main link between the outside world and Lost Cove. The residents of Lost Cove petitioned the governor to have a road built to Lost Cove, but the state government declined. Lost Cove was truly lost.

A fire in May 2007 destroyed all but three of the buildings in Lost Cove.

I found a web site recently called "Off the Beaten Path" There are photos of the Lost Cove area. Check it out.