People
Honoring Mitchell County’s WWII Heroes: Arthur Ray Buchanan
Speaking of Ray Buchanan, folks will say admiringly with a shudder, “Oh, yes, he was a survivor of that awful Bataan Death March.” This does not come close to what 17-year-old Arthur Ray endured for 3 and a half incredibly brutal years. Ray was born in the Clarissa...
George Rufus Dale Built an Ideal Community
On June 17, 1940, an article appeared in the Asheville Citizen entitled “Mitchell County Farmer Uses Own Family to Build an Ideal Community.” The piece, written by Mrs. Romulus (Constance Jolley) Duncan of Spruce Pine, a frequent contributor to local and regional...
Seven Harrell Children, Seven College Graduates
Harrell Hill Farm Family See Seven Children Graduate from College Despite numerous hardships, residents of the Toe River Valley have long placed great value on education; this is exemplified by a family from Mitchell County’s Harrell Hill community. “The life-long...
The School Beneath the Roan
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Mitchell High School class of 2020 took part in a historic graduation at Lavonia Crest. As they rolled through their parade on their way to becoming alumni of MHS, the graduates may have noticed the old gray building on the...
Clarissa Baker Buchanan – The Epitome of A Strong, Courageous, Mountain Woman
Driving up Cane Creek Road in eastern Mitchell County there is a community called Clarissa. (Most people may pronounce it “Claircey”.) The story of how the name of this settlement came about dates back to the era of the Civil War. Clarissa Baker, daughter of Senator...
“One of our most cherished teachers” ~ James B. Blevins
The 1963 Senior Class of Bowman High School dedicated their annual to “one of our most cherished teachers, James B. Blevins.” Until his untimely death at 37 from complications of multiple sclerosis that year, which attacked him only 2 years before his passing, he was...
Nathan Garland and the Old Bloody Sock
Nathan Garland was born in Bakersville on January 15, 1857. He was the son of Stephen Garland and Elizabeth Forbes. Nathan married Cordelia “Celia” Hopson in 1879. Nathan and Celia lived in the Fork Mountain township and raised ten children together as follows:...
The First Electric Lights for Bakersville and Toecane
Bill Masters is credited with bringing the first electric lights to Toecane and Bakersville from energy generated by his water wheel in a 3-story mill in Toecane. According to living relatives, Bill was a voracious reader with a table in his home piled with stacks of...
Charlie B. and Margaret Willis Norman and Their Large Family
Recently discovered in the news clippings collection at the office of Mitchell County Historical Society was this photo from the Tri-County News of 2/28/1974. The family was likely photographed 1905-1910 based on the number and ages of the children. The article’s...
The Spruce Pine Minerals Entertained Local Residents
Spruce Pine sported two “semi-pro” teams from the 1930’s through the 1950’s in both baseball and basketball. These teams provided entertainment for not only Spruce Pine, but for the surrounding counties as well. The teams played at Deyton Field, which is now Spruce...