Skip to content

The Watauga County, North Carolina Directory — 1883

Population in 1880 8,160
   White 7,746
   Colored 414
Value of real estate, 1882 $ 470,562.00
Value of personal property $ 134,545.00
Tax on Real Estate $ 273.35
Tax on Personal Property $ 183.54
County Levy $ 3,860.56
County Levy for Schools $ 2,395.08

Watauga county was formed in 1849, from Ashe, Caldwell, Wilkes and Yancey counties, and bears the name given to a river by the Indians, which has its source in this county, and signifies the “River of Islands.”

It belongs to the Western Division, lying in the northwestern portion of the State, and bounded on the west by the Tennessee line, and the counties of Ashe on the north, Caldwell on the south, and Wilkes on the east. It has an area of 300 square miles (192,374 acres), and the land has an average assessed value of $2.30 per acre.

Boone, the county seat, is about 240 miles from Raleigh, and was called in honor of Daniel Boone, who once lived on the Yadkin river. Population, 167.

Surface: Mountainous, with rich loamy soil.
Products: Corn, wheat, rye, oats, buckwheat, potatoes, and fine vegetables.
Fruits: Apples, peaches, pears, berries, cherries, and all fruits of this climate.
Timbers: Oak, chestnut, poplar, pine, sugar maple, cherry, walnut.

Minerals: Iron, gold, mica, plumbago, silver, copper, with mineral springs.

Post Offices

County Officers

Clerk of Superior Court: J. B. Todd
Commissioners: D. B. Dougherty, W. S. Farthing
Coroner: C. J. Cottrell
Register of Deeds: W. W. Presnell
Sheriff: D. F. Baird
Solicitor: J. S. Adams
Surveyor: L. W. Farthing
Standard Keeper: John Culler
Superintendent of Public Instruction: John L. Lippard
Treasurer: John Ragan

Courts

Superior Court meets on the second Monday after the fourth Monday in March and September

Judge: A. C. Avery

Clerk: J. B. Todd

Magistrates

B. Wagner
W. H. Crowder
J. R. Hodges
J. T. Calloway
A. F. Davis
H. A. Dobin
F. Blackburn
W. E. Shell
W. H. Dugger
John McGuire
Isaac Dougherty
D. Farthing
Benjamin Greer
H. Taylor
George Shook
G. W. Dugger
J. J. T. Reece
W. W. Sherrille
Jordan Cook
J. B. Robbins

Attorneys at Law

Council, W. B., Jr. – Boone
Greene, L. L. – Boone
Morphew, J. F. – Boone

Blacksmiths and Wheelwrights

Amos, J. F. – Boone
Baird, Benjamin – Watauga Falls
Cook, L. H. – Dark Ridge
Council, J. W. – Boone
Floyd, J. W. – Boone
Greene, L. W. – Stony Fork
Greene, Lee – Stony Fork
Greer, R. G. – Pinetop
Hartley, John – Bamboo
Huggins, H. L. – Boone

Boarding Houses

Council, W. B., Dr. – Boone

Carpenters and Builders

Critcher, G. A. – Bamboo
Critcher, W. P. – Bamboo
Idol, J. N. – Pinetop
Luther, J. E. – Stony Fork
McGuire, B. F. – Dark Ridge
Winkler, John C. – Stony Fork

Cattle Dealers

Brown, B. – Pinetop
Coffey, T. J. & Bro. – Boone
Horton & Walsh – Stony Fork
Shearer, Milton – Watauga Falls
Shearer, Robert – Boone
Thomas, Alexander – Watauga Falls
Vaney, William – Bamboo

Coopers

Baird, A. J. – Watauga Falls
Church, Henry – Stony Fork
Church, Jordan, Jr. – Stony Fork

Distillers – Brandy

Baird, William – Watauga Falls

Druggists

Horton & Walsh – Stony Fork
Morphew, J. F. & Bro. – Boone

General Merchants

Banner, Lute – Banner’s Elk
Boyden, S. W. – Boone
Brown, G. W. – Dark Ridge
Bryan, W. L. – Boone
Clarke, W. H. – Shull’s Mills
Clarke & Estes – Blowing Rock
Coffey, C. J. – Shull’s Mills
Coffey, T. J. & Bro. – Boone
Cook, Jordan – Bamboo
Crowder, W. M. – Pinetop
Dougherty, E. H. – McBride’s Mill
Farthing, R. & Son – Watauga Falls
Farthing & McBride – Sweet Water
Finley, G. W. – Blowing Rock
Holesclow, B. L. – McBride’s Mill
Horton & Walsh – Stony Fork
Hulcher, W. C. – Elk X Roads
Morris, J. & Son – Soda Hill
Morton & Walsh – Stony Fork
Phillips, J. B. – Watauga Falls
Ragan, J. – Soda Hill
Shearer, M. G. – Watauga Falls
Shell & Mash – McBrides’ Mill
Shull, J. C. – Shull’s Mills
Spainhour & Hulcher – Elk X Roads
Taylor, Henry – Valley Crucis
Trivett, John – Dark Ridge

Hotels

Bryan, W. L. – Boone
Coffey, T. J. & Bro. – Boone

Insurance Agents

Crowder, W. M. – Pinetop

Lumber Dealers

Alexander & Co. – Banner’s Elk
Green, Lemuel – Sweet Water
McGuire, R. F. – Dark Ridge
Miller, John B. & Son – Sugar Grove

Mills – Flour & Grist

J. F. Amos – Boone
Samuel Banner – Banner’s Elk
E. Brown – Boone
Larkin & A. C. Calloway – Shull’s Mills
Wm. C. Coffey – Shull’s Mills
D. B. Doughtery – Boone
S. M. Dugger – Banner’s Elk
L. W. Estes – Blowing Rock
Joseph Howell – Stony Fork
John McGuire – Church
Wm. Miller & Son – Church
A. J. Moretz – Soda Hill
Elijah Mast – Watauga Falls
Joel Trivett _ Dark Ridge
Jackson Baird – Watauga Falls
W. W. Lenoir – Shull’s Mills
H. Taylor – Valley Crucis
D. B, Wagner – Stony Fork
Calvin Ward – Watauga Falls
J. Wineberger – Soda Hill
J. Winkler – Boone
Eli Wolf – Boone

Mills – Saw

Beech Mountain – Wm. Mast & Co. – Watauga Falls
Calloway’s, Larkin & A. C. Calloway – Shull’s Mill
Coffey’s, William C. Coffey – Shull’s Mills
Critcher Bros. & Shull – Boone
James Howell – Boone
Joseph Howell – Stony Fork
Rodgers & Co. – Bamboo
Stonewall – W. W. Lenoir – Shull’s Mills

Mills – Woolen

Trivett, F. P. – Boone

Millwrights

Green, J. E. – Boone
Townsend, A. & Son – Valley Crucis
Winebarger, J. – Soda Hill
Winkler, John C. – Stony Fork

Mines – Copper

Elk Knob, Wagner & Co. – Boone

Mines – Gold

Hardin’s, H. W. Hardin – Boone

Mines – Silver

Poga – Dr. Stewart – Beech Creek

Nurserymen

Wellborn, _________, – Stony Fork

Painters – House & Sign

Amos, J. F. – Boone
Councill, J. C. – Boone

Physicians

Bullard, G. W. – Soda Hill
Councill, J. B. – Boone
Councill, W. B., Sr. – Boone
Phillips, E. Roy – Boone
Phillips, J. B. – Sugar Grove
Phillips, Jordan – Watauga Falls
Rivers, J. J. – Boone

Real Estate Agents

Dougherty, A. M. – Trade, Tenn
Morphew, J. F. – Boone

Schools

Boone High – Boone
Poga – Dark Ridge

Tanners

Coffey, T. B. & Bro. – Boone
Cook, J. H. – Boone
Greer, Marshall – Watauga Falls
Hardin, H. W. – Boone
Walker, John – Watauga Falls

Watchmaker and Jewelers

Councill, J. C. – Boone

Principal Farmers

Bamboo – T. D. Cook, John Brown, J. R. Brown, Samuel Brown, John Cook, G. L. Vandike, William Vannoy, G. H. Blair, C. J. Cottrell, J. E. Kearley, John Lay, G. W. Canler

Boone – Robert Shearer, Joshua Winkler, John Elrod, Joseph Hayes, W. L. Bryan, B. J. Councill, Jr., George H. Blair, N. W. Vannoy, J. C. Tay, A. J. Critcher, Joseph Hardin, John Gragg, W. H. Hardin, E. F. Lovill, THomas Greer, T. J. Coffey, & Bro.

Dark Ridge – Jacob Younce, G. W. McGuire, J. F. McBride, Philip Church, D. J. McGuire, James Trivett, L. W. McGuire, A. Cannon, G. W. McGuire, Jr., G. W. Brown, J. R. Gryder, Joel Trivett, Samuel Trivett, John Trivett, D. F. Greer, W. M. Loughary, Thomas Smith, Ervin Greene, M. T. Harman, A. B. Franklin, Jacob Ivens, James Church, W. M. Chruch, William Cannon, Lazarus Trivett

Pinetop – Joseph Brown, Sr., J. R. Norris, J. N. Idol, J. T. Clawson, B. Brown, J. T. Bingham

Shull’s Mills – Elkannah Lusk, A. B. Johnson, J. C. Shull, S. P. Shull, J. C. Coffey, Wm. C. Coffey, Eli Johnson, Perry Johnson, J. Hubbard Brown, Henderson Calloway, Harrison Calloway, A. J. Mast, Calvin White, Noah Winkler, George W. Austin, W. W. Lenow, James Church, William Pennell

Stony Fork – D. B. Wagner, W. E. Greene, Joseph Howell, L. P. Watson, Thomas Watson, George W. Watson, Isaac S. Watson, W. S. Greene, Riley Greene, Thomas R. Greene, S. R. Greene, S. Greene, S. J. Bishop, E. Greene, J. F. Eller, Alexander Greene, George Greene, C. C. Miller, Larkin Mikeal

Watauga Falls – Simon Ward, Adam Hix, Calvin Harman, Whitfield Farthing, Wily Herman, Eli Herman, Jones Greer, R. E. Greer, James Thomas, A. Thomas, Philmore Walker