Hurricane Helene: Appalachian History

Skip down the Yellow Brick Road with author and historian Tim Hollis as you uncover the history of this beloved mountaintop attraction.

In 1966, North Carolina tourism moguls Grover, Harry, and Spencer Robbins began exploring ways to utilize their new ski facilities atop Beech Mountain during the summer. They brought in their associate Jack Pentes to come up with an idea. As a long-time fan of The Wizard of Oz, Pentes planned and developed the Land of Oz theme park, opening in June 1970. The park did not resemble the famous 1939 MGM movie or the Oz as depicted in L. Frank Baum's book. Instead, Pentes interpreted his own vision of Oz, with a comical Wicked Witch and a wizard who did not turn out to be a fake. The Land of Oz closed after its 1980 operating season and was left to deteriorate. Since 1990, however, its remnants have been secured and restored. The property is now available for special events, and a giant Oz celebration takes place each autumn.

The Plott bear hound, a dog originally from Germany and developed in the North Carolina mountains, is known as one of the world's best hunting dog breeds.

Recognized now as one of the premier hunting dogs in America, the Plott bear hound is unique among hunting dog breeds because it descends from Germanic stock rather than the traditional English foxhound. The breed's story began when its original breeder, Johannes Plott, and his brother Enoch left Germany in 1750 with their prized hunting dogs. This trip across the Atlantic began the two-hundred-year journey that would culminate in the North Carolina mountains with the development of what is now arguably the world's finest breed of hunting dog. This fascinating story of the Plott family and the Plott hound is a classic American tale of adventurers and underdogs--a story that Bob Plott, the great-great-great-grandson of Johannes Plott, is uniquely qualified to tell.

In the wake of a love affair and a mysterious chain of events, Tom Dooley was convicted and hanged for the murder of Laura Foster.

At the conclusion of the Civil War, Wilkes County, North Carolina, was the site of this nationally publicized crime of passion, the nation's first. This notorious crime became an inspiration for musicians, writers and storytellers ever since, creating a mystery of mythic proportions. Through newspaper articles, trial documents and public records, Dr. John E. Fletcher brings this dramatic case to life, providing the long-awaited factual account of the legendary murder. Join the investigation into one of the country's most enduring thrillers.

From timber to preservation and tourism, this is the story of this unique Western North Carolina County.

Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, Transylvania County is proud of its beautiful natural setting. Clear waters cascade from lofty heights in a county with over 200 waterfalls. Lush and rare vegetation hosts bountiful wildlife. Established in 1861 from Henderson and Jackson Counties, Transylvania County preserves almost half of its acreage in national and state forests. Since the county's inception, tourism has been a steady source of revenue. When the railroad arrived in 1895, it paved the way for the timber business and provided the first means of outside employment to local families. Tanning and extract companies followed. Today, Transylvania County continues to be a prime destination for outdoor enthusiasts.

Explore the international headlines and the little-known crimes, the solved and the wrongly solved, in these tales of the North Carolina mountains.

Western North Carolina is known for mountain vistas and wild, rocky rivers, but remote wilderness and quaint small towns can have a dark side. Learn the truth behind the famous murder ballad Tom Dooley. Delve into the criminal history of moonshine, and the tales of two unexpected bombers in idyllic Mayberry.

Crime writer Cathy Pickens brings a novelist’s eye to Western North Carolina’s crime stories that define the sinister—and quirky—side of the mountains.

Prior to its formation in 1849, Watauga County was a hunting ground for the Cherokee and part of the trail blazed by frontiersman Daniel Boone, for whom the county seat was later named. Primarily settled by whites after the Revolutionary War, many of the county's earliest families came to the Appalachians from the Piedmont region of North Carolina and, prior to that, from the North—New England, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. These settlers were mainly of European extraction—English, German, Scottish, Irish, Swiss, and Welsh—along with a smaller African representation. Nestled in the panoramic Blue Ridge Mountains and unimaginable by its early agrarian inhabitants, Watauga would become one of North Carolina's premier tourist destinations and home to Appalachian State University.

Join Civil War historian Michael C. Hardy as he reveals Watauga County's Civil War sacrifices and heroism, both on and off the battlefield.

Some say that Watauga County's name comes from a word meaning beautiful waters, yet during the Civil War, events in this rugged western North Carolina region were far from beautiful. Hundreds of the county's sons left to fight gloriously for the Confederacy. This left the area open to hordes of plundering rogues from East Tennessee, including George W. Kirk's notorious band of thieves. While no large-scale battles took place there, Boone was the scene of the beginning of Stoneman's 1865 raid. The infamous Keith and Malinda Blalock called Watauga County home, leading escaped POWs and dissidents from Blowing Rock to Banner Elk. The four brutal years of conflict, followed by the more brutal Reconstruction, changed the county forever.

Perched near the eastern edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Waynesville is an attractive destination with stunning vistas, cool mountain air, and small-town charm.

For centuries, the Cherokee lived and hunted in what is now western North Carolina, and after the Revolutionary War, white settlers moved into the area from all directions to farm and build a new life on the frontier. By the end of the 18th century, families had established a small community known as Mount Prospect. In 1810, the town was renamed Waynesville after the Revolutionary War general Mad Anthony Wayne. With the coming of the railroad in the 1880s, Waynesville blossomed as a summer retreat for guests who came to stay at numerous boarding houses and hotels. By the early 1900s, Waynesville's neighboring town, Hazelwood, became a hotbed of industrial growth with lumber mills and assorted factories producing furniture, leather goods, and rubber products, and the town would eventually merge with Waynesville in 1995.

Discover the wicked and sordid history of Asheville, North Carolina in this volume by author and Asheville native Marla Hardee Milling.

Asheville is a wonderfully strange city, but it has a few shadows in its past. Teenager Helen Clevenger was brutally murdered at the luxurious Battery Park Hotel in 1936. William Dudley Pelley called himself America's Hitler and founded his Silver Legion in Asheville. He stirred up enough anti war propaganda to go to prison. A desperado named Will Harris came into town on a cold night in November 1906 and left a trail of dead bodies and panic among Asheville citizens. Mayor Gallatin Roberts killed himself in the wake of collapsing banks. Asheville native Marla Hardee Milling delves into wicked stories of murder, sedition, corruption, arson and disease.

Told through the lens of vintage images, discover the rich and storied past of Wilkes County, North Carolina.

Hardy pioneers settled this area of the North Carolina backcountry in the 18th century. Perhaps best known for illegal whiskey and stock car racing, Wilkes County heritage also lies in agriculture and industry. Farmers toiled the land while industrialists and merchants built houses, businesses, railroads, and services in the county's three municipalities: Wilkesboro, North Wilkesboro, and Ronda. Major corporations Lowe's and Holly Farms were born here. Americana music is a staple of local culture, with popular festivals like MerleFest drawing international acclaim to the area. The enduring folkways and down-home values of this rural community have long made Wilkes County a place where the roots of family and history run deep.

The biggest meteor shower of the century filled the sky in the winter of 1833, and Yancey County came into being that December.

It is a place of fierce independence, astounding natural beauty, and civic pride. Nestled amidst the Black Mountains, the county boasts 19 peaks above 6,000 feet, including Mount Mitchell, the tallest peak in the Eastern United States. Archaeological excavations trace human history in Yancey County as far back as the Paleo-Indian period, 9000 to 10,000 BC, based on regional dates. Families have flourished for many generations along the Cane and Toe Rivers in a mineral-rich land dotted with fresh springs and free-flowing creeks. Named for statesman and orator Bartlett Yancey, the county is characterized by streets and areas with delightful names, such as Barking Dog, Bee Log, and Merry Bear Lane. The citizens are descended from ancestors who fought on both sides of the War between the States. Working the county's land of plenty has given them ginseng, galax, tobacco, ramps, and a cornucopia of fine foods.