Linville

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STEPHEN B, WEEKS

CL4S5 OF 1686; PHD THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSFTY

OF THE

UMVERSiriiY OF N«l CAROUM
ME WEEKS COLUECTION

OF

^o^ii.^ - n i^

UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL

00032739029 -

THE NORTH CAROLINA COLLECTION

THIS TITLE HAS BEEN MICROFILMED

THiS ircM ,; .

ONTHEGai--

1

i

FOREST SCENE,

K)

ntrodaetory.

In future, Linville will depend for advertising, mainly
upon its intrinsic merits as seen by the public.

But. as at tlie Battle of Lexington. "The first shot
that was heard around the world," had to he fired, so
this pamphlet is sent forth as an introduction.

EMMONS AND GRANDFATHER MOUNTAINS FROM BELOW LiNV/ILLE.

EXPLANATORY.

Since 1SS7, the Linville IMPRo^•EME^■T Company, a corporation composed of capitalists from
Boston, ^-e^v York, Philadelpliia, North and South Carolina. .Missouri and Kansas, has been selecting
the lands, perfecting titles, making surveys, and doing the preliminary ^v,;,rk necessary in planning a
resort for health and pleasure.

Theseleclionofaplace was the most important step. .Mr. .S. T. Kelsey. an experienced town-
builder, after making a thorough examination and study of the mountains of Western North Carolina,
became satisfied that on the headwaters of theLin\-ille River, in Mitchell County, was a location peculiarly
adapted to the contemplated enterprise.

I pon his recommendation this site was chosen, and the place was naturally and appropriately
named Liwille, from the river on which it was located.

Sufficient land wa5 bought so that there would be no obstacle in the way of laying out the ground
to the best advantage and in the most appro\ed manner.

The Enterprise is oi such magnitude that the Company find it advisable to devote their entire
attention to improving the property ; and believe that the best means of doing this is by concentrating
their efforts in making good streets, avenues and roads, in such manner as to be of the greatest
permanent benefit t.j the place. It will be their endeavor to retain the beautiful natural features, and
sj to utilize them, that Liwille will be unique and unrivaled.

■\\ e believe that the public will appreciate the effort and understand the situation. On reaching
Li.wiLLE. therefore, do not expect to find a finished tjwn, A foundation is being laid with care and
skill, and those coming in are expected to help build the superstructure.

WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

has already a ^vide reputation for healthfulness, and for the beautv of its scenerv

,, "™ .^°"^' S°"'^ E^«' ^nd ^^est thousands visit the section summer and winter- hotels are
filled the entire year, and railroad travel is continuous.

are - nenT '^1 " J' """""u' '^'' '^' ''°'°" "'""'^ ^"'^ ^'^'"h"" -^"^ S-thern resorts, where hotels
are open for only a few months each season.

it and to!n"r?'" °'""'°" '" """' ""'^" "^' ^^""^ "'^ ^"^ ^'--^- '"''' '-- -^^out seeking
It, ana towns are growmg mto cities. ^>-<viiig

Railroads which have heretofore avoided the mountain ranges, because of expense now see
then- importance, and in many directions are preparing to penetrate them

and .f^"^™^^^'^ Carolina, with its valuable forests, rich soil, promising mineral resources pure water
and fine climate, has now entered an era of great progress,

LINVILLE.

In many respects Linville is essentially different from any enterprise ^•et started in North Carolina
ana, as lar as we know, in this countrv.

Its points of distinction will commend it. They are due in part to natural advantages not obtain-
able elsewhere, and in part to the fact, that it has been laid out for a large place,- everv necessitvand
requirement tor the future has been considered and, as far as practicable, provided for in' the be^innin"

I he usual custom of choosing a railroad crossing for a town site, has been departed fron? "

i he site ha.s been chosen independently, upon the merits of the location, and will command rail-
road iaciitics as they become necessary ; surrounding gaps rendering it easilv accessible

I he tract, with litde grading, is sufiiciently level for fine streets, and at 'the same time is undulatin-.
enough for thorough drainage. "'luuiatin^

At various levels, upon different slopes, every protection from and exposure to sun and wind can
be found, so that persons locating for summer, winter or permanent homes, can select building
sites t'"i suit their tastes and needs.

The principal avenues are laid out loo feet wide ; streets, 75 feet; allevs, 25 feet: blocks, 325 feet
square: regular lots 25x150 feet each.

Outside of the town site proper, a large boundary is being laid off so that each part will be applied
to the purpose to which it seems best adapted. Here the roads are being arranged with the idea
of securing the combined advantages of town and rural life : while communicating directly with the
centre, many of them, however large the town may grow, need not become business thoroughfares,
and we can conceive of no contingencies that would tempt public or private interests to make
anything of them but rural grounds. Along these roads, suburban lots will be sold of dimensions
to suit the lay of the land and the wants of purchasers.

Two avenues, with a strip of forest between, which will be left as a park, extend northward
along each side of the Linville river to its source.

In the plans, out-door games have been provided for — tennis, archery, ball and cricket ; and
suitable grounds have been reserved for fair-grounds and a trotting course.

Linville being situated about latitude 36° and longitude 82° and having an elevation ranging
from 3,800 feet at the town site, to about 6,000 feet, the highest peak of the Grandfather mountain,
has a remarkable

CLIMATE.

The atmosphere is pure and invigorating. In summer the air is cool, the thermometer seldom,
going above So°, with an average o[ about 65°. The winters are short and, unlike those of the North,
are not continuous. Occasionally the mercury falls below zero, and sometimes the grouiid will be
frozen or covered with snow fc>r two or three weeks, but usuallv the farmer can work in the ground
much cif the time, and the invalid finds but few davs uncomfortablv cold for out-door exercise.

?&:.

\\uh lempL'iate winters and cool summers, pure air and water, and fine climate
THE HEALTHFULNESS
of Linville is assured. For many years past tired, nerv,.,us people, and those sufferin- fi-,.m malarial
poison and thn.at and lun- troubles, ha^•e frequented this region and have, we beiie\-e,\een invariabl\-
benefited.

While Linville lias an e.xxellent outlook as a business centre, its chief claim is as a pleasure and
health resort.

Health and recreation go naturally together : and where, in the United States, can a place be
found with summer and winter climate so equable, or with finer air or purer water .= a place where
nature does more toward reUeying the cares and ills of man, or where one can locate with a better
assurance of good health and long life.'

Literary people and brain-workers, especially, wWl find Linville suited t..i their wants. The alti-
tude gives an in\igorating atmosphere which acts as a tonic and goes far toward overcomino- fatio-ue
and making lile profitable and pleasant. ° °

SCENERY.
Prominent among the points ..f interest in the vicinity are Table Rock, Hawk.s-bill (the Towers
ot Linville), Grandmother :»Iountain, Blowing Rock, The Pinnacles, Lost Cove Clift" Yellow Roan
and Sugar .Mountain.s. Bynums Blutf and Linville Falls; but undoubtedlv the greatest attraction in
this region, in fact in North Carolina, is the

GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN.

It has a ruggedness and grandeur not possessed by any other peak in the Eastern States.
Toward the summit, e.-vcej.t where broken bv sharp peaks and precipitous cliffs, it is covered
with a growth o( spruce and balsam. gi\ing it a dark, sombrj appearance.

Being the highest point in the Blue Ridge, it is the pinnacle of the great water-shed east of the

GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIh.

Mississippi. From its slopes streams flow in all directions, some finding their wav into the Peedee
and Santee Ri\ers and thence into the Atlantic Ocean ; others running into the Tennessee and
Great Kanawha, and through them to the Gulf of Mexico.

Towering high above the surrounding peaks the Grandfather alfbrds a magnificent view
From its top can be seen the great ranges and cross ranges of the Apalachian chain for more than
one hundred and fifty miles : the peaks of Otter, in Virginia ; the Cumberland Mountains, of Ken-
tucky and Tennessee: the great bald-headed Roan; the Lin\ille Towers: the lofty Blacks, and lesser
ranges, peaks and hills innumerable. Between the mountain ranges lie beautiful, quiet vallevs,
dotted with farms and traversed by sparkling streams. To the East and South-east the I'lmt-hills
recede in wavy undulations until the vision is lost in the plains of the Atlantic slope.

The Grandfather ^Mountain has been reser\-ed as an extensive park, where the natural features of
mountain and forest will be protected. Here, high above human habitation, is a supplv of cold,

PURE WATER.

sufficient to meet all future demands. Hurrying d.:iwn from the steep slopes, through dense, co'il
forests, the numerous branches of the Linville unite, to form a stream of rare beautv, which, after
running for fourteen miles, with gradual fall, through a gentlv rcilling valle^■, plunges suddenlv
into a narrow gorge, among rugged, precipitous cliffs, forming the Lixville F.\lls : whence, after
resdng for a moment in a deep, clear pool, it rushes as a turbulent, boisterous torrent into the
distant lowlands.

ROADS.

To the Parks and all points of interest, drives and bridle paths are being laid out with care to
secure easy grade; running o\er smooth, level lands, through dense forests, almost shutting out

FROM GRArSDFAThER MOUNTAIN AT DAYBREAK

the Iisht iif day, along the crests i:if narrow ridges givins

extensive views, around steep mountain sides,

..\er mountain torrents, amid o\erhanging rocks and rugged clifls, this s}stem of roads will stand
unrivaied^ Here, at difterent elevations, the naturalist will find in close proximity the

FAUNA AND FLORA,

found in the lowlands only by traveling , ,ver 1,500 to 2,000 miles of latitude.

Birds that do not summer in the low countrv, except in the extreme north, remain here the
year rouml, while those comnKin to the country farther south, are regular summer visitors

Within a half day's ramble one may meet with bal.sam, spruce, beech, birch, maple, ash . .ak
poplar, lin. buckeye, gum. magnolia and most other trees common t.j the nortliern and central
States, \vith others native unl}- to the South. Nowhere else have we seen such a ^■ariet^- ami ].rofusion
of wild llowers. ..x such a continuation ...f uni'olding beauty, from the opening of the Arbutus and
and Claytonia to the fading of the Aster and the Golden Rod.

THE GEOLOGICAL FORMATIONS

are among the oldest, and being highly crystalline afford an mteresting and profitable field for invest! .
gation and enterprise.

Here, in Mitchell county, are the richest mines of •■ Xorth Carolina :\Iica " — known as the stand-
ard and within ten miles are the noted Cranberrv irc>n mines.

Good building stone is plentiful and easily obtained. Clay, suitable for bricks of best qualit^■, is
found and is being developed, Slate is abundant, and. though untested, seems to be of excel'ent
qualitw

KALMIA AND RHODODENDRON,

THE SURROUNDING LANDS

All gram crops grown in the northern States do well and fruits nn,l .^.r.r.M^ - ■

Aluch of the land i^ -fill r- it, ■ \egetables grou- to perfection

value. ° reasonable figures and will rapidly appreciate in

Lin\ille is the natural

BUSINESS CENTRE
for a large fertile section of countrv, which will be rapidlv .«tled and h.. n- ■
distribudng r.oint ' Le lapian settled and has nu important t.

'wn as

Ihere is sufficient oak and hemlock hnrV t , ^r,-!, i ■ ■ ,

nemiuck haik t,. supple a large tanning industry for many years.

ARTISANS.

an and impure water. nawn js ia.\cLi m oaa

:ow,:,rl7''" " "" P'^"^^"^^^^ '^"- -J"^- ™-^ -'-shing sleep, a better appetite or feels better able

TROUT FISHING IN THE LINUILLE

BUSINESS SITES

and suburban lots ^viU be sold to all wishing to locate, engage in business or interest themselves in
Linville. at such figures that they can realize a good profit on their investments.
Prices will be given on application

CHURCHES, SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES.

Several of the leadmg Christian denominations have already stated their determination to erect
houses of worship in Linville. Some of them will doubtless build the coming season.

Linville, because of its healthful location, is peculiarlv suited for an educational centre, and the
Lnpr.:.vement Company will aid liberally m the establishment of first-class institutions of learning,
libraries, museums and whatever else is practicable and desirable for the welfare of the community

HOTEL.

A comfortable, well-furnished hotel is now open for the accommodation of guests, at reasonable rates.
Visitors to this section will also find accommodation at Cranberry, Blowing Rock, Cloudland,
Linville Falls and Grandfather INLountain.

FISHING.
Within a radius of three miles, the Grandlather ^Liiuntain being the centre, are the head-waters of
eight stream^ : the Watauga, Boone Fork, Linville, West Fork, Grandmother Fork, Wilson's Creek,
Banners Elk and North Toe Rivers.

Bein- well stocked with mountain trout, they furnish, in proper season, excellent sport.

MOUNTAIN TROUT FROM THE LINUILLE.

Microfilmed
SOLINET/ASERL PROJECT

RAILROADS.

Linville is so situated tliat the extension of several railroads, now being built and in contempla-
tion, will pass ihroug-h the town site. ■ The Southern and Western Air Line, being built from Shelby
to Cranberry, will pass through Linville when completed.

At present the terminus of the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad, is ten miles
distant at Cranberry, that of the Chester and Lenoir thirty miles distant, at Lenoir. The Atlanta. Ashe-
ville and Baltimore, and branches from the Charleston, Cincinnati and Chicago, the Atlantic and
Danville, and the Norfolk and Western, are being talked of and are among the possibilities.

HOW TO COME.

The best way, at present, is via, the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad to Johnson
City, Tenn. (through Pullman cars): thence via. the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina
Railroad, through very fine scenery, to Cranberry Hotel or Elk Park, whence conveyance can be had
to Linville.

Parties from the South can come to Cranberry: or to Lenoir, and thence by wav of Blowing Rock:
or to Morganton, and thence by Piedmont Springs to Linville.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. ADDRESS

LinVillg lAPi^oVe^ieNT (0.,

Linville, Mitcliell Co., '

NORTH CAROLINA.

MAP

OF COUNTRY SURROUNDING
LIN VILLE.

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