Avery County

As George and I drove through Avery County in October 2009, we stopped and visited Crossnore School in the town of Crossnore. I'd been there a couple of times before, actually. The first time, I had a job interview after college, and another time, some years ago, I visited the weavers there and bought some placemats in the "Looper" weave pattern. It was nice to return and see that Crossnore School looked clean and inviting for the children there. It would have been a nice place to work, I'm sure.

George and I enjoyed spending some time in the Sloop Chapel there, and we also stopped in the campus store, where a couple of weavers were working as well. It was interesting to watch them working on their looms, though I didn't see anything in the Looper pattern this time.

After our drive through the campus and a couple of stops, we had lunch in the town of Crossnore. I've forgotten the name of the restaurant, but it was country cooking. :)

Avery County is in the western part of the state (it shares a border with Tennessee), and the tourist attraction Grandfather Mountain is split between Avery and Watauga Counties.

Avery County, formed in 1911, was the 100th (and last) county formed in North Carolina. It was named for Waightstill Avery, a colonel in the Revolutionary War, and first Attorny General of North Carolina. The town of Newland is the county seat.