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Cold Mountain Heritage Tour Sites – 2008

Cold Mountain Heritage Tour Day 1 – Saturday, July 5, 2008. 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Captain James Allen and Nancy Louisa Cathey Blaylock House

The original structure consisting of a two room cabin with upstairs sleeping loft was built in 1835. Civil War Captain of the Twenty-Fifth Regiment, Highlanders Company, James Allen Blaylock and Nancy Louisa conducted extensive additions to the cabin to create this combination Queen Anne/ Italian Villa style house, essentially completing one of the most eye-catching houses in Haywood County by 1890. Current owners Jerry and Nancy McFall have finished the third floor of this lavishly decorated, seven bedroom home, with an historically accurate bedroom, bath, and sitting room that have made the ghosts in the house quite comfortable. Abundant numbers of antiques in the house make this site a “must see.” Interesting stories emanating from the house including the one about the embalming episode, the casket stuck in the window, the possible murder, and lost treasure will hold the attention of tour goers as they listen to guides relay information about the five generations of Blaylocks who lived there.

Bethel Cemetery

Established in 1854 by Elijah Deaver, the cemetery features a picturesque panoramic view of Bethel Community that lies at the foot of Cold Mountain. One of the most popular sites on the Cold Mountain Heritage Tour, the cemetery features slave graves as well as the gravesite of Pinkney Inman, main character in Charles’s Frazier’s book and movie Cold Mountain. Tour guides relay the story of Inman’s demise on Big Stomp Mountain and his burial by his father. The details of the haunting story have been handed down as Inman family oral history since 1864 when Inman was killed.

Inman Chapel

Built by James Anderson Inman, brother of Pinkney Inman of Cold Mountain fame, Inman Chapel is considered unique because rather than the typical Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian Churches in the area, this church was the first Universalist Church in North Carolina. Tour guides are Inman family descendents who relay the history of Universalism in Haywood County as well as the history of Inman Chapel and its founder. Seeds of social activism in Haywood County began with this small church congregation that established the county’s first pre-school training program, first free public health clinic, first free adult education program, a lending library, and a ministry to African-American sawmill workers at Sunburst logging community. The church is currently being restored with historic accuracy to its former grandeur. Bethel Rural Community Organization sponsors The Cold Mountain Heritage Tour each year and has chosen Inman Chapel as the icon representing Bethel because of its historic significance to this community, Haywood County, and North Carolina.

James Anderson Inman and Polly Kirby Inman

Inman Chapel Cemetery

James Anderson Inman, builder of Inman Chapel as well as its Universalist minister, denounced his Confederate citizenship at the end of the Civil War, moved to Boston, and studied the religion of Universalism before returning south to reunite with his family and fulfill his dream of building a Universalist church. In addition to being a minister, Inman also operated a post office, a grist mill, a blacksmith shop, and a farm. In order to assure a resting place for church members and family he also established the nearby Inman Chapel cemetery. He his buried there as are the grandparents of Charles Frazier, author of Cold Mountain.

Shook-Smathers House Museum

In 1776, Jacob Shook was a member of General Griffith Rutherford’s expedition known as the Rutherford Trace, a military maneuver against the Cherokee. Shook returned to the area in the 1790’s to reside by the Pigeon River in an area known today as Clyde. He built a two and a half story house with a chapel on the third level. Francis Asbury, the first Methodist Bishop in America, spent the night at Jacob Shook’s house. Levi Smathers purchased the house by 1850, and he later conducted major renovations and additions. The date of the house has recently been estimated to be circa 1810-1820 and is considered to be the oldest frame house in Haywood County as well as the oldest structure west of the Blue Ridge. Current owner Dr. Joseph Shook Hall has meticulously restored the magnificent home in such a way that the various layers of history are visible. Those people interested in the history of Methodism must see this house-museum since its intriguing ties to the history of the Methodist Church in America will be discussed by docents. Rooms in the house are noted more for their architectural significance than for their furnishings. The third floor chapel is perhaps the most remarkable room in the house.

Truss Bridge #79

Truss bridges with their decorative supporting beams and finials were common at one time throughout the country. Today they are rare. Bethel Community is fortunate to have retained North Carolina’s oldest truss bridge still in use. Truss Bridge #79 is also Haywood County’s only 19th Century ornamental bridge. Manufactured in 1891 by the Phoenix Bridge Company, the crossway has been at its present site connecting Lake Logan Road to Chambers Farm Road since 1925, when men in the community transported it to its current site by horse-drawn wagons. Bethel Rural Community Organization has been instrumental in saving the bridge from decimation as well as in making its unique history available to the public. In the future, another bridge allowing for heavier traffic will be constructed nearby, but the current bridge will remain for pedestrian traffic.

Riverhouse Acres

Riverhouse Acres Campground is the location of the evening entertainment featuring traditional mountain dance and music. Situated alongside the beautiful Pigeon River near the site where the East and West forks of the river converge, the campground provides the perfect setting for visitors to appreciate the view while enjoying entertainment and fine food. The current campground was originally an 1800’s religious camp meeting site. Bethel Community took its name, meaning house of God, from these spiritual gatherings that often lasted for weeks. Visitors can relax and conclude the first day of the Cold Mountain Tour with complete meals prepared by Chefs Barbara and Steve Eaffaldano.

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Cold Mountain Heritage Tour Day 2 - Sunday, July 6, 2008 –1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Francis Mill

Dating to 1887, the Francis Mill was built by William Francis who came from Tennessee to North Carolina to seek his fortune. He married Polly Almond and received one square mile of land for a wedding present. In the middle of Francis Cove, Francis built his mill of yellow poplar harvested in the vicinity. In 1914, William’s son Monteville Pinkney Francis replaced the original wooden wheel with a Pennsylvania steel wheel. His son Dewey continued the milling tradition until his death in 1976. Dewey’s daughter Hester inherited the mill, and she dreamed of restoring the structure.
The task of restoring the mill to its original purpose, however, was left to Hester’s daughter Tanna Timbes and the Francis Mill Preservation Society. A several year restoration process funded from membership drives, fundraising events, and grants has enabled renovations to occur so that the third wheel in the mill’s history is ready to grind corn. A visit to Francis Mill during the Cold Mountain Heritage Tour will remind those attending of the long ago farmer who brought his grain to be ground, thus perpetuating the rural way of life prevalent in the mountains. The milling process provides a fascinating education about the industry that some historians consider the first industry in the mountains. Grist milling is among the oldest professions in the world.

Sulphur Springs Park and the Site of Last Shot of the Civil War East of the Mississippi

Few people living in Western North Carolina are aware that a significant historic skirmish that ended the Civil War east of the Mississippi occurred in Waynesville, North Carolina, on May 6, 1865. People living in Western North Carolina during the Civil War, rather than experiencing massive battles on their home turf, instead suffered the ill effects of constant raids, marauding, and terrorizing by both free range outlaws as well as by Union sanctioned troops led by General Kirk and General Stoneman. Confederate Colonel William Holland Thomas raised a large number of troops whose duty it was to patrol the mountains and assure the safety of civilians. Soldiers under the direction of Colonel Thomas came to be referred to as Highland Rangers, 69th Regiment, and most notably, Thomas’ Legion.
Many soldiers under Thomas’s command, however, were called away to perform war duties in other states. By the end of the war, however, the Legion’s soldiers, though greatly reduced in numbers, united again to protect the mountains. That final task of the Civil War resulted in the last shot, the last soldier killed, and the last land skirmish by sanctioned Union and Confederate troops east of the Mississippi. Tour guides detail the events leading to the last shot, the players involved, the unique psychological warfare methods employed by Colonel Thomas, and the final outcome. Learn these fascinating details about the last moments of the most studied event in American history: the Civil War.

White Sulphur Springs Park

Thousands of years prior to the Civil War, Native Americans discovered the healing and purgative powers of the mineral water in what would become Waynesville. These waters were rediscovered by Colonel Robert Love’s slave near his house at White Sulphur Springs (near the same location as the last shot of the Civil War east of the Mississippi would be fired). Colonel Love was the founder of Waynesville, North Carolina. In the location of the springs stood an elegant house, owned by Robert Love’s son, James Robert Love. James Robert Love’s home was a luxurious plantation-style home built before 1830. This Greek revival two-story house was expanded greatly by 1878 to become Waynesville’s first grand hotel: The White Sulphur Springs Hotel. Prompted by the healing mineral springs located on the premises, owner Colonel William Stringfield (key player in Thomas’ Legion and the last shot scenario), his wife Maria, and their son-in-law Benjamin Sloan, ran the establishment at which visitors could drink and bathe in the waters in order to experience healing of a number of ailments such as neuralgia, rheumatism, skin disorders, and lack of energy. The hotel catered to wealthy patrons who would come to Haywood County via train. The original hotel burned, and a larger, grander structure replaced it, and an additional annex was added in 1900. Extravagant gala affairs occurred regularly at the hotel. Haywood County’s first telephone and also her first encounter with electricity occurred at the White Sulphur Springs Hotel
During World War I the hotel was converted into a hospital for ailing soldiers who had contracted tuberculosis as well as veterans who had been gassed or wounded. After World War I ended, owners tried to restore the hotel to its original grandeur. Its luster was gone, however, and the hotel was dismantled in 1941. The only remaining structure associated with the once famous building is the Victorian style springhouse that stands approximately three hundred feet north of where the hotel was situated.

Shelton House Museum of North Carolina Handicrafts

Built in 1875, the entrance into Waynesville, North Carolina, is detailed with the dramatic Shelton House, listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Even though the house itself is of historic significance in its own right, the structure gains historic importance by housing an extensive collection of artwork from artists who have participated in the North Carolina State Fair’s Village of Yesterday. Hand- woven coverlets, quilts, sculptured porcelain, pottery masterpieces, and musical instruments are among the items on permanent display at the museum. Of particular value are the museum’s dolls and furniture as well as its Native American collection. The house was built by Stephen Jehu Shelton. His son, William Taylor Shelton, was founder of the Shiprock New Mexico Navajo Indian Reservation and School. Built in the style of a Charleston farmhouse, the mansion features a double veranda porch intercepted with stately columns, a central foyer leading into a dining hall, and a labyrinthine second floor layout. When not featured on the Cold Mountain Heritage tour, the Shelton House Museum of North Carolina Handicrafts hours of operation are 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday from May through October.

Smathers-Gautier House

Built about 1895 for Judge George Smathers, this house is Haywood County's best example of Victorian Queen Ann style. The house, servant's quarters, barn, and spring house as described by Janie Carson in the Mountaineer's tribute to black history month in February will be available for touring. Janie will be on hand along with the Dr. Virgil Messer family who has occupied the house since 1975. The Messers are currently pursuing National Register designation.