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There is a little piece of Spruce Pine in almost every home and business in America. Known as the Mineral City, Spruce Pine is the hub of mining activity in the mineral-rich Toe River valley, which provides mica, feldspar, and ultra-pure quartz for computer chips and other electronic components. Images of America: Spruce Pine is the story of a town with two main streets that was started by the arrival of the railroad. This volume includes the characters, events, tragedies, triumphs, and memories shared by town residents. From catastrophic fires, ravaging floods, and economic turmoil, to visits by U.S. presidents and the Carolina Barn Dance, it is all right here.
This is the place. As Heriot Clarkson sat on his mule atop Grassy Mountain in June 1909, he looked out over a sea of mountains extending to the horizon in every direction, his dreams before him. Here was the spot for a retreat from the summer heat of the piedmont and coastal plain where simple living and nature's beauty would combine to create an idyllic community. But the story doesn't begin there. Hardy Scotch-Irish settlers moved into these same mountains some two centuries earlier, admiring the same views and putting down permanent roots. Images of America: Little Switzerland documents the unique interactions between native and summer residents in working together to build this remarkable community. The social, economic, historical, and spiritual fabric that makes Little Switzerland unique among resort communities is presented, along with the personalities and places that provide its character.
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Nestled in the mountains of western North Carolina, Mitchell County was created in 1861 and was named for Dr. Elisha Mitchell, a University of North Carolina professor who died in 1857 while remeasuring the mountain that now bears his name. Although the appropriately named mountain lies in adjacent Yancey County, Mitchell County has no shortage of claims to fame; it is well known for the Clinchfield Railroad, the Carolina Theater, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Penland School, and the infamous Frankie and Charlie Silver murder case. There is also much more to Mitchell County than its best-known sites and figures. Mica and feldspar mining, the orchard at Altapass, churches, the Wing Academy, Bakersville, and Spruce Pine all have their own unique histories. Within the pages of this book are images of the famous and the ordinary, the routine and the remarkable, the lasting and the transitory. The photographs come from all over Mitchell County and celebrate the area's unique Appalachian culture.
V.1 Newspaper directory.--v.2 Magazine directory.--v.3 TV and radio directory.--v.4 Feature writer and photographer directory.--v.5 Internal publications directory.
The highest peak in the eastern United States, Mount Mitchell towers 6,684 feet over its home in Yancey County, North Carolina. It has borne silent witness to great scientific and personal achievements, tragic loss of life, heated debates, and a host of controversies both great and small. Once considered forbidding and remote, it claimed the life of its namesake, Elisha Mitchell, when he fell to his death in an attempt to firmly establish the mountain's height. In the early 1900s, entrepreneurs constructed a railroad, opening its old-growth forests to massive deforestation. This devastation stirred some of the earliest notions of environmentalism that led to Mount Mitchell's establishment as North Carolina's first state park. Today, it is a playground for tourists from around the world, offering some of the best hiking and views in the nation. Mount Mitchell showcases the rich history of the mountain along with the events and colorful characters that have shaped its story.
Short line mountain railroads are often miracles of construction. Built primarily for shipping logs, the Mount Mitchell Railroad was no exception. Within a span of 21 miles, the road climbed 3,500 feet, but utilized only three trestles and nine switchbacks, while maintaining a grade of five and a half percent. In this richly illustrated work the author brings to life a time when Mount Mitchell was dressed in virgin timber. Access to the mountain, located in Western North Carolina, was slow and difficult; but after completion of the railroad, a timbering industry was born. The railroad also provided tourists with scenic trips along its rugged contours.
The biggest meteor shower of the century filled the sky in the winter of 1833, and Yancey County came into being that December. It is a place of fierce independence, astounding natural beauty, and civic pride. Nestled amidst the Black Mountains, the county boasts 19 peaks above 6,000 feet, including Mount Mitchell, the tallest peak in the Eastern United States. Archaeological excavations trace human history in Yancey County as far back as the Paleo-Indian period, 9000 to 10,000 BC, based on regional dates. Families have flourished for many generations along the Cane and Toe Rivers in a mineral-rich land dotted with fresh springs and free-flowing creeks. Named for statesman and orator Bartlett Yancey, the county is characterized by streets and areas with delightful names, such as Barking Dog, Bee Log, and Merry Bear Lane. The citizens are descended from ancestors who fought on both sides of the War between the States. Working the county's land of plenty has given them ginseng, galax, tobacco, ramps, and a cornucopia of fine foods.
Mysterious nighttime lights near Brown Mountain in North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest have intrigued locals and visitors for more than a century. The result of a three year investigation, this book identifies both manmade and natural light sources--including some unexpected ones--behind North Carolina's most famous ghost story. History, science and human nature are each found to play a role in the understanding and interpretation of the lights people see.