THE RICH
HISTORY OF BEECH MOUNTAIN
By Rebecca L. Tuten
The first known inhabitants of Beech Mountain
were the Cherokee Indians. They called Beech Mountain "Klonteska",
or the "Pheasant". It was a favorite hunting
ground due to the deer, bear and elk found living here.
Arrowheads and pottery shards have been found along the rivers of
Beech Mountain Township, the Meadows area of Beech Mountain, and
along the ridges of the northern side of Beech.
Local legend tells of a battle between two
Indian tribes on Beech. One Chief had lost so many young men
during the fight, he hanged himself in despair from the top of
the rock pinnacles on Beech.
The Great Trading Path which originated in
Virginia and stretched across the Carolinas to George is said to
have crossed Beech Mountain. Evidence of this is an old knotted
tree marker on top of Beech. Indians would knot a young sapling
to point in the direction of their camps to aid other Indians in
travel. The Beech Mountain tree marker is one of the very few
still in existence in the United States. It has grown to over a
foot in diameter with a thirty foot trunk spread.
Originally, the Great Trading Path was an old
animal trail that Indians used, and then later white settlers
adapted it to their needs. A number of major cities throughout
the South have grown up along these old trails since these were
the places pioneers stopped and finally settled. The Beech
Mountain Marker very likely helped settlers to find and settle
the Watauga and Elk River areas.
In 1774, the first white settler to our area
was Samuel Bright. Bright helped guide pioneer families from the
Yadkin and Catawba River valleys into the early Watauga
settlements. They crossed the Yellow Mountains on the old Indian
Trail that later became known as "Bright’s Trace".
Samuel Hix and his son-in-law, James Holtsclaw,
settled on the Watauga River near Valle Crucis. They were only 40
miles from Bright’s Settlement yet probably never knew of
each other’s existence.
In 1825, Delilah Baird, daughter of Col. Bedent
Baird of Valle Crucis, came to the Big Bottoms of Elk, a mile
below Banner Elk (approximately the site of the Elk River Airport
today). At the time though, she thought she was in Kentucky.
Delilah was only 18 when she met and married Deacon John
Holtsclaw. The Deacon, father of seven, convinced the young
Delilah to elope with him to a cabin he had built in Kentucky.
She agreed, and for days they traveled over mountains and through
valleys. Delilah never realized they were only moving inn
circles. Finally, they reached the small cabin.
Delilah was happy in her new home in
"Kentucky", and often dug ginseng on what was actually
Beech Mountain. One fall day, she heard a familiar sounding bell
and upon searching, found a cow that resembled one her father
owned. As she searched further, she found her parents’ farm,
only eight miles as the crow flies from her own on the Elk River.
John and Delilah’s first child, born in 1826, was named
Alfred B. Baird. He is said to be the first white child born in
what is today, Banner Elk.
Banner Elk was originally called
"Banner’s Elk". Martin Luther Banner moved to the
area in 1845 from the Piedmont region. The town was named to
describe one side, or Banner’s side of the Elk River. It
wasn’t until the postal service requested the change that it
became Banner Elk.
During the Civil War, Banner Elk was a stopping
point for men who wished to reach Union lines in Tennessee. They
would meet in Blowing Rock and move through Shulls Mill, Dutch
Creek and Banner Elk to Shell Creek, Tennessee, where Dan Ellis,
known as "Red Fox", would take them in charge.
In 1864, the Battle of Beech Mountain was
fought. A squad of men from Tennessee claiming to be Confederate
Soldiers raided the area, stealing horses and shooting residents.
Major Bingham, officer of the Confederate Home Guard, made a
retaliatory raid. He took a Union soldier prisoner at Heaton, and
recaptured the stolen horses. Later they passed through Banner
Elk and camped about one-half mile outside the town on Beech
Mountain near Balm. Jim Hartley, a Union Scout, was guarding the
trail that led from Blowing Rock to Shulls Mill and saw the
campfires. He met with Polly Aldridge who lived on Beech Mountain
above the campsite. Together, they worked out a plan.
When Bingham broke camp, Polly walked through
the group of marching soldiers asking if any of them had seen her
spotted cow. After surveying the situation, she ran down the path
(now Highway 194) to Bower’s Gap and reported that Bingham
had taken an alternative route. Hartley pursued and took over the
marching column and a battle then raged that claimed two lives.
It has been known since that time as "Battle of Beech".
In 1895, Edgar Tufts first came to the small
village of Banner Elk, and history was forever altered by this
great man. Not only the founder of Lees McRae College, but also
Grace Hospital (now Cannon Memorial), and the Grandfather Home
for Children. The beauty of the stone buildings in Banner Elk
stand as a tribute to this hard-working, wise man.
Another great citizen of Banner Elk was
Shepherd M. Dugger, author of "The Balsam Groves of
Grandfather Mountain" and "The War Trails of the
Blue Ridge". Mr. Dugger loved Beech Mountain dearly, and
spent many hours hiking its trails.
In 1911, Avery County was formed. Previously
all of Beech Mountain had been part of Watauga County. A need for
a County Seat was established and it was decided it would be
chosen from the towns of Elk Park, Montezuma, Minneapolis, or the
Old Fields of Toe. The Old Fields of Toe had previously been a
muster or militia ground before the Civil War. Here men would
meet and train in military maneuvers. Thus, it was called the
"old fields" of the Toe River. Elk Park was a
"Boom Town" at this time. A major station of the East
Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad, Elk Park had major
hotels and a telephone service. Since "Tweetsie"
stopped here often, it was the main trading center for the area.
Surreys ran the eight miles from Elk Park to Banner Elk. Everyone
felt sure Elk Park would be chosen as the new County Seat.
The election was held July 1, 1911, and Old
Fields of Toe won. The name was changed to Newland after Lt.
Governor William C. Newland. Today, it is still the highest
county seat east of the Mississippi River.
Beech Mountain at this time was an important
lumbering area. Small cabins were built where the men lived
during the week. On weekends, they would go home to their
families and farms. Ruins of these lumber camps can still be
found in some areas of Beech.
The first account of skiing on Beech Mountain
was in the 1930’s. Mr. Clinger, the head of the Department
of Industrial Education at Lees McRae College introduced the idea
of skiing to his students. The students, who probably had never
been skiing before, reacted with enthusiasm. The woodshop at the
college was soon producing skis and Beech Mountain had its first
novice skiers.
The news media was surprised at the idea of
skiing in North Carolina and flocked to cover the novel concept.
The Lees McRae students even established their own ski
organization, the Skiing Zero Club.
In 1936 and 1942, huge snow storms hit the
area. Over 30" of snow fell in a matter of hours. Snow
drifts measured over 30’ deep. Probably the most uncanny
weather occurrence was on June 1, 1909, when a two minute flurry
of large snowflakes fell on a relatively normal June day.
In 1941, it was noted that bears were still
prevalent on Beech Mountain. Many people claim to have spotted
bear tracks in very recent years. (Bears and their cubs have been
seen in the town of Beech Mountain over the past several years.)
According to some Banner Elk residents, silver
and gold were also found on Beech Mountain during the
1940’s. Two men lumbering on Beech happened upon some silver
nuggets. Legend has it that the two men had an Indian worker who
found out about their discovery. Fearful that the Indian might
return and rob them of their treasure, they murdered the Indian
on their way to Elk Park. After the murder, no silver was ever
found on Beech Mountain again.
In 1961, a dentist from Birmingham, AL, named
Thomas Brigham, purchased a large tract of Beech Mountain land.
He planned a ski resort development on the top of the mountain.
Brigham became involved with politics and sold the land to the
Robbins brothers in 1962.
Grover Robbins was originally in the
sawmill/lumber business and became interested in land development
after his success with Tweetsie Railroad in 1955. Grover, joined
by his brother, Harry (who was the Postmaster at Blowing Rock at
the time), planned and developed Hound Ears. After purchasing the
tract of Beech Mountain from Dr. Brigham in 1962, they joined
with other investors and created Carolina Caribbean Corporation
in 1965. (Grover’s daughter, Jan Robbins Elder lives in
Woodland Meadows on Beech Mountain.)
The Land of Oz theme park opened in the spring
of 1970, closed in 1981. But……with death comes life;
for in that same year, the Town of Beech Mountain was
incorporated and became Eastern America’s highest town.
The history of Beech Mountain stretches far
back into the past with the Cherokee Indians’ choice as a
favorite hunting ground. The spirit of the Native American can
still be found today in the people who have chosen it as their
home. It is a love of nature and peace that abounds in the hearts
of those who come from other places and then choose to remain.
Most who have set foot on Beech Mountain have come from somewhere
else, that does not make it any less important. It is still home
to us!
