Jackson County, North Carolina



Jarrett House, Dillsboro

George and I visited Jackson County, North Carolina, together, on October 28, 2010. It was part of a delightful, nearly weeklong vacation in the North Carolina mountains,  which included visiting six different counties!
The Jarrett House in Dillsboro is a historic bed and breakfast, established in 1884. The food there is supposed to be good, but George and I were too early for lunch.



Dogwood Crafters, Dillsboro

Dogwood Crafters in Dillsboro looked like a charming store, and I wish we'd taken the time to go inside!



Near Train Depot in Dillsboro

The railroad used to play a big role in Dillsboro. Now there are lots of little shops, several of them dedicated to mountain arts and crafts, it seems,



Old Jackson County Courthouse, Sylva

Downtown Sylva

Downtown Sylva

This is the old Jackson County Courthouse, in the county seat of Sylva. It's pretty majestic looking, especially with the steps leading up to the big white building. One of interesting things about the building is that it's been renovated to become part of the Jackson County Public Library Complex. When we were there last October (when this picture was taken), it was still a work in progress. It was finished earlier this year and dedicated last month. I'd love to do back and see it sometime.

This was my first sighting of downtown Sylva, very charming! As you can see, it was a beautiful fall day!

Jackson County was formed in 1851 from parts of Macon County and Haywood County. It was named for President Andrew Jackson. Sylva became the county seat in 1913.

Another shot of downtown Sylva, once we parked the car.

By the way, some scenes from the movies The Fugitive and Deliverence were filmed in/near Sylva.




While George and I were talking outloud about where to eat lunch, a woman on the sidewalk pointed out Pixie's, a local place right across the street. It used to be a barbershop!

We had a delightful time visiting Jackson County! I'd recommend it highly. Check out my Flickr set of Jackson County for the rest of the stop.

Haywood County, North Carolina

George and I visited Waynesville, the county seat of Haywood County, on October 28, 2010. It was a beautiful fall day, and the first time to Waynesville for both of us. We found the newer Haywood County Courthouse first, but I was especially charmed by the OLD Haywood County Courthouse, so you'll find a couple of pictures of it below!

Haywood County was part of Buncombe County until 1808, and was named after former State (NC) Treasurer John Haywood.

If you've read the book Cold Mountain, by Charles Frazier, or seen the movie based on the book, you'll like knowing that there is a real Cold Mountain, and it's in Haywood County. George and I didn't go there, but here's a webcam of Cold Mountain.

I wonder what Wayneville's like in the spring! I'm ready to go back, but in the mean time, the rest of my Haywood County pictures are here!

Old Haywood County Courthouse



Old Haywood County Courthouse




Downtown Waynesville from Front of Old Courthouse

 

NC Education Association Started in Haywood County



Mural of Mountains Across the Seasons

"Old Time Music" in Downtown Waynesville

Macon County, North Carolina



Macon County Line
















George and I visited Macon County on October 27, 2010, after spending the morning and part of the afternoon in neighboring Clay County. At this elevation, and thanks to the rainfall that week, the fall leaves were disappearing from the trees, but we did see beautiful leaves in other places throughout the week.

Macon County was formed in 1828, and was named for Nathanial Macon, who served North Carolina in both the US House of Representatives and the US Senate in the 1800s.



Macon County Confederate Army Memorial




This is the Macon County Confederate Army Memorial in Rankin Square, Franklin. It was erected in 1909, and is a surprisingly imposing statue. I also noticed a couple of North Carolina Civil War Trail signs in Franklin.















Rose in Franklin Square


















This is one of my favorite pictures from this day trip, even though it isn't particularly unique to the North Carolina mountains, much less Franklin. I'm not a gardener, so I was surprised to see rosebuds in October, and my little point-and-shoot digital camera captured the raindrops on the bud quite nicely, I think. We saw many raindrops earlier this day in Hayesville (Clay County), and I was glad to capture a few of them sticking around on this rosebud in Franklin. 

Franklin Town Clock

The Franklin Town Clock is in a charming little area of downtown Franklin. It has the feel of a mountain town here, doesn't it?!

Downtown Franklin

Franklin is known as the "Gem Capital of the World," and is also known for having lots of outdoor activities in the area, including whitewater rafting on the Nantahala River.



Macon County Courthouse



The Macon County Courthouse is in Franklin, the county seat. I love how the area surrounding the sign is decorated for fall!

Bridal Veil Falls

Our last stop in Macon County was at Bridal Veil Falls. It is on Highway 64 between Franklin and Highlands, and is the only waterfall in North Carolina that you can drive a car under! To give you a little perspective on the waterfall's size, you can barely see George in this photo; he is on the left side of the waterfall, on the road between the falling water and the rock, taking pictures. (You may have to click on the picture to make it bigger to see him a little better.)

I really enjoyed our visit to Macon County! My one regret is not making it to Highlands. Another trip!

See the rest of my Macon County photos on Flickr.

Cherokee County, NC

The last week of October, George and I drove to Murphy, NC, our vacationing home base for a few days. We were excited to see a new (to us) part of the state, as well as a town where most people from home replied, "Murphy, where's that?!"

We stayed in a nice Holiday Inn Express, a place George and I would both recommend to others. It had nice amenities for the price (including an indoor swimming pool and hot tub, as well as a hardy complimentary breakfast.) The staff was very helpful and courteous, to boot, and we enjoyed getting new tourist ideas from them every morning over breakfast. The weather while we were there was mostly overcast, with rain sometimes, but we still had a great time! The fall leaves at the lower elevations were about at their peak.

Murphy's the county seat of Cherokee County, and is the westernmost county seat in the state. Wikipedia tells me that Murphy is closer to the capitals of six other states than it is to our own state capital of Raleigh! (Can you guess which states?) Murphy is named for Archibald Murphey, a North Carolina politician. Murphy was incorporated as the county seat of Cherokee County in 1851, but it already had a rich history by then, especially with the Cherokee Nation. Parts of Qualla Boundary are located in Cherokee County. This area was part of the Trail of Tears.

One small claim to fame for Murphy is that Eric Rudolph, the Atlanta Olympics bomber, was arrested in Murphy after being in hiding for about five years!

Murphy and Cherokee County have many postive things going for it, though, and we have an amazing time in the area! George and I visited six North Carolina counties during our stay in Murphy, and I'll be writing about all of them soon. I'm starting with our host county of Cherokee.

Hiwassee Dam



One of the first places we visited in Cherokee County was Hiwassee Dam, a dam that's part of the Tennessee Valley Authority or TVA. I thought it was very cool to see, as well as to drive over (on North Carolina State Highway 1314). Construction on Hiwassee Dam began in 1936, and it opened in 1940.

Lenderman Cemetery, Cherokee  County

Speaking of driving over Hiwassee Dam, George talked me into driving beyond Hiwassee Dam on the two-lane road, and with his eagle eyes spotted this cemetery sign while I was watching the curvy mountain road. Now, George wasn't looking for this cemetery, and neither was I, but he encouraged me to turn around and check it out. Turns out I'm related to the Lendermans in this Lenderman Cemetery!

Fields of the Wood

On the way back from Hiwassee Dam, we stopped at Fields of the Wood. In the photo on the left, you see the Ten Commandments on the side of the mountain. There are several other religious momuments in this "Bible park" near Murphy. Admission is free, and it is definitely something to see if you're in the area. When we were there, it seemed pretty run down and sad looking, physically. There were signs around, telling about the park's history and development, which made it more interesting. Otherwise, it looked kind of gaudy in a simple way (big religious monuments, but no neon lights). All of this really made me think about religion and "spreading the Word." Fields of the Wood has been a question/answer on "Jeopardy" because of the big Ten Commandments on the hillside.

Cherokee County Courthouse

Here's the top of the Cherokee County Courthouse. Renovation and expansion of the Cherokee County Courthouse started a couple of weeks before we arrived. It was constructed of marble quarried from the community of Marble, right there in Cherokee County. Murphy also made "Jeopardy" because it's one of only three towns to have an all-marble courthouse (but the only one where the marble came from the same county!).




Cherokee County Historical Museum

 George and I also enjoyed touring the nearby Cherokee County Historical Museum. I enjoyed talking with the docent, a Cherokee County native. The museum included a lot about the Cherokee Nation and a model of the inside of an old log cabin.



Harshaw Chapel and Cemetery, Murphy

Being the taphophile that I am, I couldn't leave Murphy without stopping by the Harshaw Chapel and Cemetery. It's been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1984.

Joseph C. Campbell Folk School

In the eastern part of Cherokee County, we visited the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown. We didn't explore the campus much, but we did enjoy browsing around in the Craft Shop, where we were verrry tempted by some of the crafts!

I took many more pictures of Cherokee County, which I've posted to my Flickr account here. Enjoy!

Cherokee County is a gem in North Carolina, with a rich history, beautiful scenery, and interesting things to do! We're already talking about going back!