History
The Spanish Flu Epidemic of 1918
A lot of older folks recall their parents and grandparents telling stories about the deadly “grip” that many Mitchell County families suffered 100 years ago. “They said that some took sick and died in two or three days. It was pretty bad.” Little did they know that...
Brummetts Creek School
It’s back to school time! These days public schools have consolidated, with only 2 high schools, 2 middle schools, 2 elementary schools, and 1 primary school in Mitchell County. A century ago, however, each community had a small school with most grades attending...
Celebrating 106 years of the Bakersville Barber Shop Building
The earliest photograph of Bakersville that shows the property on which the Barber Shop building sits today was taken after the 1901 May Flood. It’s shown here beside the first Post Office and the J W Bailey Store which was sold in 1912 to George Young. At this time,...
Mitchell County Historical Society’s 2018 Christmas Ornament Commemorates The Cloudland Hotel
In 1885 Civil War general Thomas Wilder constructed a grand resort hotel atop Roan Mountain near a hunting lodge he had built after he came to the area following the war. The Cloudland Hotel opened to great fanfare with plans to make Roan Mountain a destination for...
Baptism at Pigeon Roost
Baptisms in a creek or river were once the rule rather than the exception for Appalachian Christians. Even if they hadn’t believed immersion in an outside body of water was appropriate, it was some time before indoor plumbing would have made a baptistery inside a...
The Roan may become Sun Valley of the South
Don’t go looking for your skis just yet; however, this idea has an interesting history going back at least to 1920. It is well known that General John Wilder had a smaller retreat constructed on the Roan in 1877 and then in 1885 built the iconic Cloudland Hotel, which...
Building the “Scenic”
On November 16, 1933, the Blue Ridge Parkway project received approval from Congress. After much debate in Washington, the Virginia – North Carolina route won out, completely leaving out the state of Tennessee. Had the Tennessee route been included, the road would...
Singing School at McKinney Cove Baptist Church
Singing Schools such as the one pictured here at McKinney Cove Baptist Church were once common in the Appalachian South. Churches often could not afford or did not approve of musical instruments as part of worship, so the congregation learned to sing a cappella. ...
Mitchell County’s World War I Deaths
Mitchell County was fortunate to have lost only four soldiers in what has been called the “Great War” or the “War to End All Wars.” However, the memory of those four young men is a reminder of the tragic loss of life suffered across the state and nation. It also...
The Man Behind Spruce Pine’s Logo
Jim Jones had no idea that the photograph which appeared on the front page of the December 26, 1946 Tri-County Newswould later become the iconic symbol for the Town of Spruce Pine. The tree graced the yard of the English Inn, and Mrs. Isaac English encouraged that it...