by mcncdmin | Jun 22, 2020 | Economics, Icons
Two of the oldest stores in Spruce Pine shared an intertwined history during their existence. Robert Shell (R.S.) along with his wife Annie McCall opened his first store in 1914, moving to several locations before settling downtown in the Peterson Building. In 1928,...
by mcncdmin | Apr 20, 2020 | Economics
The structure known as the Gunter Building, on the corner of Oak Avenue and Topaz Street, was erected about 1941; Spruce Pine was in the midst of a commercial boom based on the mining industry, which had greatly expanded in the first 2 decades of the 20th century and...
by mcncdmin | Mar 18, 2020 | Economics, People
When the Carnation Dairy receiving station opened in Spruce Pine on September 4, 1941, the Asheville Citizen reported that a large crowd was in attendance to hear speeches by state and corporate officials. An open house was held prior to the speechmaking, and “iced...
by mcncdmin | Dec 27, 2019 | Economics
In 2005 the Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) was adopted as the official state Christmas tree of North Carolina. The idea came from eighth-graders in Mr. Chris Hollifield’s North Carolina History Class at Spruce Pine’s Harris Middle School who petitioned legislators...
by mcncdmin | Aug 13, 2019 | Economics, People
This article features recollections of Gary Forbes of Mocksville, NC, the son of Paul and Elsie Burleson Forbes. He was born in 1948 in Spruce Pine at Williams Clinic. My earliest memories are of living in the Hamme Tungsten Queen Mine Camp in Vance County, NC,...
by mcncdmin | Aug 6, 2019 | Economics, History
On June 17, 1955, the Museum of NC Minerals was officially opened at Gillespie Gap with North Carolina Governor Luther Hodges presenting the museum to United States National Park Service Director Conrad L. Wirth. The museum was a joint project between the state of...
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