Educational Development of Ashe County, North Carolina

Chapter I

Historical Sketch

Ashe County is located in the extreme northeastern part of North Carolina. It is bounded on the east by Allegheny and Wilkes counties, on the south by Wilkes and Watauga counties, on the west by Tennessee, and on the north by Virginia. The area of the county is 273,230 acres, or 427 square miles.¹ The county is situated between the crest of the Blue Ridge on the Southeast and that of the Stone mountain on the west. It is characterized by numerous nigh mountains, with steep slopes and hills, and narrow valleys intervening. The average elevation of to county is between 3,000 and 3,500 feet. The North Fork and South Fork of New River form two drainage basins which are separated by a water-shed extending irregularly through the county, from Bald Mountain to the junction of the forks, which is near the Virginia line. Owing to the elevation of Ashe County, the winters are usually severe. Frequent snowfalls often cover the ground fox several days at a time, and frosts which occur late in the spring and early in the fall often do considerable damage to the crops.

Very little is known concerning the early history of Ashe County-who the settlers were, whence they came, or whether any of their descendants are still living in the county. Hunters, no doubt, had passed through this territory during the first half of the eighteenth century, but the first visitors mentioned by authentic records were Bishop Spangenberg and his party. The following is a record of this visit:

As to the exact location of the camp and the survey to which the Bishop refers, Arthur, in his History of Watauga County, says that the three forks of the New River. near Boone, Grassy Creek, and the Old Fields at the mouth of Gap Creek, each has characteristics similar to those described by Bishop Spangenberg. It is generally conceded however, that the Old Fields at the mouth of Gap Creek, which is ten miles south of Jefferson, is where Spangenburg pitched camp and laid claim to the surrounding country.

Probably the most nearly authentic statements relating to the early conditions in Ashe County are found in the following letter written by T. McGimsey to T. Henderson, Editor of the Star, Raleigh, North Carolina. This letter was written May 3, 1811, in response to an inquiry sent to the various counties of the state in 1810, asking if a detailed account of the conditions in these counties for publication in the Star, and is as follows;

The statement in the above letter that the Indians had made no intrusion into the settlements since the late war appears to be sustained by the provisions of a treaty of which the following is an account:

The Northwestern Herald, published at Jefferson, North Carolina,in the issue of October 14,1923 gives the following information collected from various sources relative to the early history of Ashe county:

Colonel Benjamin Cleveland, who won renown in the battle of King's Mountain, was among the earliest landowners of the county, though he never lived there. Draper gives the following account:

As Draper relates, it was on a visit to Jesse Duncan, his tenant at the "Old Fields", in 1781, that Cleveland was captured by the Tories under the leadership of William Riddle, but was later recaptured by his friends at Riddles Knob-a name given the mountain from this incident.

As to the extraction of these early settlers in Ashe County, the Scotch Irish seem so have dominated. Roosevelt⁷ refers to the great number of immigrants who were moving into these mountains. He states that they were mostly Presbyterians from Scotland and Ireland. Only rarely did Catholics and Episcopalians settle in the mountain regions. It might be added that so far as the Catholics are concerned the fact still remains true, for, according to the information of the writer, there are no Catholics living in Ashe County to-day. There is probably no region in our entire country that contains less foreign blood-s fact explained by the inaccessibility of those regions and the desire of the foreigner to settle in the towns and cities. Roosevelt refers to the people of this section as being of the purest Anglo-Saxon blood.

As to legal formation, Ashe County was the second to be carved out of the territory best of the Blue Ridge, Buncombe being the first, the sot establishing the county of Ashe is the shortest on record.⁸ It was passed in 1799, and reads as follows: "All that part of the county of Wilkes lying west of the extreme height of the Appalachian mountains shall be, and the same is hereby erected into a separate and distinct county by the name of Ashe". There was a later act fixing permanently the dividing line between Ashe and Buncombe counties, the same to begin at the, "Yadkin Spring, and thence along the extreme height of the Blue Ridge to the head spring of the flat Top fork of Elk Creek, thence dawn the meanders of the said creek to the Tennessee line."⁹ Ashe County was named in honor of Samuel Ashe, who was a short time before the erection of this county governor of North Carolina. Samuel Ashe was born in 1725. He was an educated man. and a lawyer by profession. The proceedings of Committee of Safety and the Journals of the Provincial Congress from 1774 to 1776 attest his firmness and patriotism, He was eminently conspicuous in the Council and Cabinent in conducting the affairs of the state. He was ono of the first three Judges of the state, in 1777, and. governor in 1795.

A part of the original area of the county was cut off in 1849 in forming Watauga County, and in 1859 another part was separated and formed into Alleghany County.

The following explains the first provision for the erecting of public buildings in the recently created county:

The place for the erection of the courthouse was selected, and according the moat authentic information was named in honor of Thomas Jefferson, and not, as he might infer alter the commissioner who chanced to have the same name. The brat courthouse was erected of hewn logs, and is supposed to have bean located on what is now known as Main Street. The first fail was also built of lobs, and according to Arthur, was the second fail to be constructed west of the Blue Ridge. We have no records showing the extent to which this jail was used, but other methods of punishment besides confinement in prison were resorted to, as the following indicates:

The greatest undeveloped natural resource of Ashe County is the immense amount of magnetite iron ore on the waters of the North Fork of New River, and in Grassy Creek, Walnut Hill, Helton, and horse Creek townships, although. much tasting and prospecting has been done during the last thirty-five years to determine the quality and. amount of these ores, only recently have their economic value and importance been realized. The New diver or Ballou lend is an almost continuous solid ore vain for a distance of about twelve miles. Ore from this vein won first prize at the Paris Exposition.

The Ore Knob Copper Mine, which was worked extensively several years ago was reopened about 1915, but was soon closed, probably, because of transportation facilities--the nearest railroad being ten miles distance. While Ashe County possesses these valuable ore deposits, due to the lack of their development. the chief assets of the county are the fertile fields, and ideal climate, the latter of which is recently being capitalized. There are various mineral springs in this county, the most famous of which are the Bromide Arsenic, and Radium Springs. These are nationally known, and with the coming of gaol roads are drawing visitors from all part of the United States.

Until within recent years the Blue Ridge which forma the eastern boundary of the county all along the way from Glendale Springs to Deep Gap, has boon a barrier separating the county from the commonwealth to which it belongs. Most of the trade relations were with Virginia and Tennessee. Thus the cognomen, "Lost Province" applied. to sane by the people east of the Blue Ridge hued some truth to back its application.

A real effort to connect the county with the rest of the state was made aeon after tea advent of the twentieth century, In the memorable political campaign of 1900 when Charles B. Aycock rode a horse drawn vehicle across the Blue Ridge into Ashe, he saw the wonderful scenery, looked. upon the fertile valleys and grass clad hills, became acquainted with the fine citizenship, and pledged that upon his election the county should have a road letting her out to the commonwealth to which she belonged.

In the early years of his administration a bill was passed by the General Assembly to send convicts to help grade a road across the Blue Ridge. Stock was sold to citizens on both aides of the mountain. The Wilkesboro-Jefferson turnpike came into existence, which turned the people out in a fashion, and let a .few from the outside some in. But the flood of 1916 demonstrated more clearly than even the snows and mud of many winters had done that thin turnpike was not an all weather road. After the flood there was no turnpike, and Ashe was lost again.

The first railroad was built into the county in 1914. It came from Virginia, and placed the people more than ever in connection with the states to the north and west. However, during the road building program, began under the administration Governor Morrison, highway #68 was built across the Blue midge into Ashe, and the county was reclaimed. There are now three other state highways traversing the county, and furnishing an outlet into Virginia and Tennessee.

Beginning about 1920 the county undertook a road building program, during which approximately $1,500,000 in bonds were issued. Due to the high prices at which contracts were let for the construction of these roads, and the fact that most of tile county projects were later taken over by the stars as s part of her building program, only small retsina have been realized from the investment of this hugs sum, without any industries, and only 40.61 miles ox railroad valued at $1,012,000, there is little to tax except farms and homes. The tax rate in 1929 is $1.87 for the whole county, with the additional rata of 10 to 30 cents in the special school tax districts. The economy program which characterizes the whole state at this time appears to have unusual emphasis in Ashe County. The schools are suffering as a result of this economy program. Ashe County ranks 98th with the other counties of the state in the school expenditures per inhabitant, and 97th, in school efficiency. The school buildings era usually inadequate and poorly equipped, with little hope of immediate improvement.

Among the religious denominations in Ashe the Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Christians, Dunkards, and Lutherans dominate. Narrow sectarianism often prevail, the broader and more profound principles of religion frequently being subservient to narrow church dogma Many of the communities have too many churches, there should be a closer union of the denominations, less religious strife, and a united support. Under present conditions, the majority of the churches cannot, or at least, do not support their ministers, who having to speed much of their time making a living, have little opportunity left for ministering to the spiritual needs of the people. The solution of this situation appears to be in the organization of community churches which through a unity of effort and support would be able to maintain a better educated and efficient ministry.

A brief survey of the trend of population in Ashe County may be seen from the following: