Onward to Southwestern North Carolina

…continuing with our short exploration of North Georgia and Southwestern North Carolina.  As you may remember, we were accompanied by Laurie’s sister Bonnie and Bonnie’s husband Bill…

As we cruised north on US Hwy 441/23 through the community of Rabun Gap, toward the North Carolina State Line, I spotted a railway depot and more, alongside of the highway.  S I turned around and pulled into a partially overgrown parking area.  The first thing that I checked out was this set of railcar ‘trucks’ or wheels.  The sign proclaimed that they came from a boxcar that was part of the “Great Locomotive Chase”, a well-known event from the American Civil War.  It also stated that the boxcar was to be restored and put on display.  

Rabun Gap was named for the mountain pass where it’s located.  This unincorporated community is located 3 miles south of North Carolina and it was once served by the Tallulah Falls Railway.  Rabun Gap was sometimes referred to as “Head of Tennessee” as it’s located on the Little Tennessee River…

Next I checked out the two buildings as shown above.  The first was the old depot…except that I learned that it wasn’t old, but rather a handsome replica that had been built in 2001 by the students of the Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School…which is located on the other side of the highway.  Apparently the depot/museum is no longer in operation.  Exhibits included Tallulah Falls Railroad artifacts as well as a full-size two-foot gauge locomotive and train…all of which were constructed by Rabun Gap-Nacoochee school students.

I found this old photo of the Rabun Gap replica railway depot on line.  It looked like quite a nice operation.  Sad that it's no longer in business...

The Tallulah Falls Railroad was a 58 mile long ‘short line’ railroad.  It was called the Rabun Gap Route.  It ran from Cornelia Georgia to Franklin North Carolina and it was eventually completed in 1907.  The line crossed 42 wooden-truss trestles and although it was slow, it did open up this remote mountainous area of Georgia and North Carolina.  For some time, it was the only sensible way to gain access to the region.  It ceased all operations in 1961.

Back to those boxcar ‘trucks’.  The old TF (Tallulah Falls) railroad was the location for filming Walt Disney’s 1965 movie, “The Great Locomotive Chase” starring Fess Parker and Slim Pickens.  Apparently the trucks were part of the train used for the film.

The Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School was founded in 1903 and it seems like a great place to learn.  This private institution serves grades 6 through 12, includes both day students and boarding students. (USA and international) From what I read, scholarships are readily available.  To learn more about this school, go to https://www.rabungap.org/.

As you can see the scenery in this mountainous area isn’t too hard on the eyes… As we had plenty of time for sightseeing, we took GA Hwy 246 and NC Hwy 106 to the town of Highlands North Carolina. 

This is the Highlands Inn.  It is situated at the corner of 4^th and Main Streets in Highlands.  The core of this 31-room hotel is a 3-story Victorian structure that was built in 1880.  This is one of the oldest continuously-operating hotels in the highlands of North Carolina.  It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.  Despite the obvious wealth in the area, the rates at the Inn are not sky high.  I looked at their website and, depending on the season, a room or suite can be had for between $139.00 and $259.00 a night.  Website: http://www.highlandsinn-nc.com/highlandsInnIntro.html.

The town of Highlands was actually founded in 1875 by two men who drew a line on the map from Chicago to Savannah and from New York City to New Orleans.  They decided that where the lines met would become a great trading center and commercial crossroad. 

This is the Church of the Incarnation.  This historic Victorian Carpenter Gothic Style Episcopal Church is located at 111 North 5^th Street in Highlands.  It was built in 1896 and it is listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

The first photo shows the original church structure…now the chapel.  The second photo is of the new sanctuary which was built in 220 apparently to reflect a similar style of architecture.  The website for this church is at https://incarnationwnc.org/.

Highlands is situated at 4,118 feet above sea level, one of the highest incorporated towns above sea level in the eastern USA.  Much of the town’s and area’s growth has been the result of its mild summer climate.  In the 1930s, professional golfer and celebrity, Bobby Jones and a few of his friends founded the Highlands Country Club…and the area became a golfing mecca. 

This second church is even older than the Church of the Incarnation.  The First Presbyterian Church, located at 471 Main Street, was completed in 1885.  Surrounded by a period picket fence, it occupies a prominent site in downtown Highlands.  Built by a local master builder, it is an interpretation of Italianate architecture…shown most clearly in its belfry tower which features a flared roof with extended bracketed eaves.  This church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.  The website for the First Presbyterian Church is at https://www.fpchighlands.org/.

Given that Highlands’ permanent population is just a little over 1,000 residents, it offers a surprising plethora of services not normally found in a town of this size.  There are antique dealers, an auction house, no less than 6 restaurants that have won awards from “Wine Spectator” Magazine, plus 4 theaters an art center and many, many shopping opportunities.

At one point, I took us on a local street or road up the hill from the downtown area.  It was cool, a little foggy and quite beautiful…and at this altitude in April…spring was still getting started. 

OK…these aren’t typical homes and Highlands and the surrounding area is beyond our ‘pay grade’.  The second home was just being completed.  The one across the valley was just huge.  Consider this, with a year around census of just over 1,000 in Highlands, there are 1,713 housing units in the town.  Beyond that, in addition to the Homes built at the Highlands Country Club, there are no less than 6 other successful residential golfing communities in the immediate area.  Therein lies the reason that all those services exist in Highlands North Carolina.

Moving north from Highlands to our overnight destination in Franklin North Carolina, we headed on up US Hwy 64.  This is a winding and interesting route for sure…

This portion of US Hwy 64 is known at the Mountain Waters Scenic Byway.  This waterfall conveniently located right next to the road is named “Bridal Veil Falls”.  Much of this area is surrounded by the Nantahala National Forest.  As you can see, given the comparison of Laurie, Bill and Bonnie to the waterfall, it is higher than visitor’s initial impression. 

I’m always fascinated by tiny little micro-gardens or natures creations in the most unlikely spots.  In this case I took several photos of a variety of small plants clinging to the cliff near the waterfall.  I liked this photo better than the others.

The Nantahala National Forest, with its 531,270 acres, is the largest National Forest in North Carolina.  Second only to the Northwestern USA, the Nantahala is the wettest region in the country.  “Nantahala” is a Cherokee derived word meaning “Land of the Noonday Sun”.  In some spots, the sun reaches the floors of deep gorges only when it is high overhead at midday.  For more information about this National Forest, go to https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/nfsnc/recarea/?recid=48634.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave