Chestnut Flats Mine

Chestnut Flats Mine

Initial mining in Mitchell County, in the 1880s, was for mica, dug in a few large operations but also in small family mines which brought in extra money when men were not busy farming.  By the 20th century, however, the county was found to be rich in other minerals,...
CRANKING A MODEL T FORD

CRANKING A MODEL T FORD

Ford Motor Company produced 15 million Model T automobiles from October 1, 1908 through May 26, 1927.  They were sometimes referred to as “Tin Lizzies” or a “flivvers.”  Ford Model T’s relied on a removable hand crank in the front of the vehicle until 1920, when the...
What Mitchell County looked like in 1904

What Mitchell County looked like in 1904

Mitchell County was created in 1861. The original boundary of Mitchell County ran from the top of Grandfather Mountain to Bearwallow Gap at Little Switzerland, then to Three Knobs at the Yancey/McDowell border, turning down Crabtree Creek and continuing on to the...

The Young Bakersville Politician

Jacob Weaver Bowman, a young politician who was elected to represent Yancey County, introduced the bill in the State House of Commons. Bowman was a lawyer who was born in the Relief community and campaigned for the State House on the promise of creating Mitchell...