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Posts Tagged ‘mcdowell county’

The Cherokee in McDowell

Posted in Cherokee, Lydia Birchfield Story, Revolutionary War, _Interviewee: Anne Swann, tagged , , on February 25, 2011 |

In her book Heart Pine, McDowell County historian Anne Swann writes of the Cherokee people’s ancestors,  ”…it was they who were the first to climb the peaks and drink from the streams that still exist here. It was their feet that found their way into this magical little place, their eyes which first looked upon [...]

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Albert Joyner, Hero in the Effort to Desegregate Old Fort Elementary School

Posted in Civil Rights, _Interviewee: Albert Joyner, tagged , , on February 7, 2011 |

One Sunday in September of 1950, the residents of Old Fort were startled to see dozens of African-American children marching down the main street of town carrying signs saying “We Want Our School Back” and “What Happened to Our School”. The young students were protesting the decision to close the all-black Catawba View Grammar School [...]

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Max Woody: Sixth-Generation Chair Maker

Posted in Arts & Crafts, _Interviewee: Max Woody, tagged , , on October 24, 2009 |

On a typical day, hundreds of cars whizz past Woody’s Chair Shop, located  a few steps away from Highway 70 West just outside of Marion.  The building appears nondescript, and it is understandable why many speed right on by.  For decades however, seekers of old-fashioned handmade chairs- as well as seekers of a warm welcome and a [...]

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The Civil War: Hard Times on the Home Front

Posted in Burgins, Civil War, _Interviewee: Peggy Silvers, tagged , , , on September 22, 2009 |

The Burgin family looms large in McDowell County history as well as in the history of our nation.  Along with the Greenlees, Carsons, and McDowells, they were among the first settlers of what is now McDowell County. Phillip Burgin arrived in America in 1677, and his son Benjamin “Pioneer Ben” Burgin made his way to the Old [...]

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The Flood of 1916

Posted in Flood of 1916, North Cove, Orchard at Altapass, _Interviewee: Bill Carson, tagged , on September 20, 2009 |

If you’ve ever taken a drive up Highway 221 North from Marion toward Linville Falls, you’ve probably noticed the large rocks and boulders that dot the fields and pastures on both sides of the road. All those tons of rock tumbled down the mountainside and to their current resting place during the cataclysmic flood of [...]

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The View From Graphite

Posted in Depression Years, Everyday life, Flood of 1916, Trains, _Interviewee: Mildred Kelly, tagged , , , on September 12, 2009 |

The McDowell community of Graphite, or Graphiteville, is located just down the mountain from Ridgecrest and takes its name from the mining activity that took place there around 1900. Mildred Kelly has lived in Graphite her entire life,  as did her mother and grandmother before her. Her home is located just across the yard from [...]

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Lake Tahoma Steak House: Bear Suppers, $1.50 Buffet, and Cornflakes for Tommy Dorsey

Posted in Everyday life, _Interviewee: Pete Gibbs, tagged , , on September 12, 2009 |

For decades, a major draw for visitors to McDowell County was the Lake Tahoma Steak House and adjacent cabins. Before the interstate was built, this spot at the junction of Highways 70 and 80 was a hot spot for locals and tourists alike. The restaurant offered one of the first buffets around and the cabins were considered [...]

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Women’s Work

Posted in Arts & Crafts, Carsons/Carson House, Everyday life, _Interviewee: James Haney, tagged , , on September 12, 2009 |

We’ve all heard the old saying “A woman’s work is never done”, and that was especially true on a farm or plantation in the old days. Dr. James Haney of the historic Carson House takes us on a tour of an exhibit in one of the upper rooms of the home devoted to “women’s work”.  [...]

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Growing Up on Crooked Creek

Posted in Depression Years, Everyday life, Farming, World War II, _Interviewee: Willard Burgin, tagged , , on September 11, 2009 |

Willard Burgin makes his home on land originally cleared by his great-grandfather in the upper reaches  of the Crooked Creek community, barely this side of the Buncombe County line.  He’s just up the road from the old Mount Hebron Bible Institute where his parents met and where he briefly went to school himself.  Nestled peacefully at the foot of [...]

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Depression Era Programs Benefit McDowell: The WPA and CCC

Posted in Depression Years, Everyday life, _Interviewee: Terrell Finley, tagged , , on September 11, 2009 |

When Franklin Roosevelt became President in 1933, nearly one-fourth of Americans were unemployed. FDR set about immediately establishing the programs of the “New Deal” to address this critical problem. Two of the most successful were the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps). The WPA put men to work constructing public buildings, [...]

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“They lived happily ever after…for three weeks”: A Tale of the Overmountain Men

Posted in Orchard at Altapass, Revolutionary War, _Interviewee: Bill Carson, tagged , , , , on September 8, 2009 |

Former rocket scientist (no kidding) and master storyteller Bill Carson of the Orchard at Altapass spins a yarn about romance, destiny, and the Overmountain Men- culminating  in McDowell County’s pivotal role in the Battle of King’s Mountain and the Revolutionary War.

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North Cove Conversation

Posted in Civil War, Depression Years, Everyday life, Farming, North Cove, Trains, _Interviewee: Clara McCall, _Interviewee: Freddie Brown, tagged , , on September 1, 2009 |

The view from Freddie Brown’s front porch Due to the rugged terrain and distance from the closest towns, the North Cove and Ashford communities in the northern tip of McDowell County remained relatively isolated until the mid- twentieth century. Electricity didn’t arrive until 1947, and telephones were rare until about 1960.  Nearly everyone farmed and the community was [...]

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