Swannanoa / Anne E. Chesky Smith for the Swannanoa Valley Museum.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Smith, Anne E. Chesky., Author.

Series:

Images of America.

Images of America

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Buncombe County (N.C.)--History, Local--Pictorial works.

Buncombe County (N.C.).

Swannanoa (N.C.)--History--Pictorial works.

Swannanoa (N.C.).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (127 pages) : chiefly illustrations.

Place of Publication:

Charleston, SC : Arcadia Pub., [2013]

Summary:

The name Swannanoa derives from a Cherokee word meaning "beautiful river." The beauty and abundance created by the river and surrounding mountains drew Native Americans for hunting. In the 19th century, the Davidson and Alexander families developed Swannanoa’s infrastructure, establishing farmsteads, gristmills, lumber mills, and general stores. Families soon flocked to the area, traveling west from the coast and piedmont to escape the sweltering summer heat. The arrival of the railroad in 1879 funneled tourists and permanent residents into the town. One of these, E.W. Grove, who built the well-known Grove Park Inn in nearby Asheville, also designed America’s first planned community, Grovemont-on-Swannanoa. Industry came as well; the Beacon Blanket Manufacturing Company was built in 1925. The mill was the center of community in Swannanoa, providing employee housing and many other amenities as well as sponsoring sports teams, music gatherings, and holiday celebrations for over 75 years. Swannanoa showcases the rich history of this North Carolina mountain town; it truly is the "land of the sky."

Contents:

Settling Swannanoa : the founding families

Community foundations : education and religion

Escaping the heat : the tourists arrive

Daylight enters Buncombe County : the railroad brings business

The model town : Grovemont-on-Swannanoa

Beacon blankets make warm friends : industry moves to the mountains

Mr. Owen's mill community : businesses, services, and recreation

The end of an era : beacon burns

About the Swannanoa Valley Museum.

OCLC:

885209915