Buncombe Back Country
Some people are of t lie* opinion that Ashe¬
ville is the only interesting plaee in Bun¬
combe County. They'll change their minds
if they take this trip which Mr. A be roe thy
describes.
ffi/ EDGAR ABI'RXETIIV
SOME time when you’re in
Asheville and want to make
a short drive which will take
you off the beaten track, you might
visit Paint Fork and Reems Creek.
It isn't more than fifty miles over
good roads, paved most of the
way.
Barnardsville is the jumping-oiT
place for Paint Fork. Any road map
will show you how to get there.
Paint Fork Church is located in a
rather lonesome spot hut has al¬
ways attracted large congrega¬
tions.
so I won’t give directions. Before
you reach this point, though, you
are likely to miss several unusual
things unless you know where to
look and what to look for.
For instance, there’s the little
village of Democrat. The name
dates back to 1843. when the first
Ktoffice between Asheville and
nsville was established here.
While the postmaster, the late
John A. Carter, was searching for
a name for the new postoffice, a
neighbor, Joseph McKinney, hap¬
pened by. Mr. McKinney, an ar¬
dent Whig, was still smarting from
a recent Democrat vietorv at the
polls.
"Oh. damn it!" he snapped, "call
it Democrat!" Democrat it became,
and Democrat it remains to this
day.
Democrat is the home of what
must be the oldest business in the
state continuously owned and
operated by the same family. The
Carter Mill was established in
1800 by Edward Carter, and ever
since that date has been owned
and operated by his descendants
You can buy old-fashioned water-
ground here if you wish.
Mr. John Brown’s store is near
Barnardsville. Mr. Brown manages
to pack an astonishing amount of
merchandise into the tiny frame
building, and much of it consists
of scarce items which are hard to
find today.
On one occasion, during the
period when cigarettes were al¬
most unobtainable, Mr. Brown had
half-a-dozen of the most popular
brands in stock.
"When everything was plenti¬
ful." he explained. "I always tried
to buy something, no matter how
little it might be. from every sales¬
man who called. Now that things
are scarce, they remember that,
and save things for me."
Just because he has something
for sale that you want doesn't
necessarily mean that you can buy
it. for he has a rationing system all
his own. Some time back a young
man wished to buy some candy.
"Single man. aren't you?" asked
the merchant. "Thought so. Sorry,
but I can’t let you have it."
His customer was somewhat be¬
wildered. "Why?" he demanded.
"Candy’s scarce." Mr. Brown
explained, "and I’m saving all
mine for children. Since you don’t
have any children. I can’t sell you
any candy."
If you want to visit a real old-
fashioned general store you might
stop at Mr. Lee Arrowood’s. Mere
you'll find just about everything
you’d expect to find in a city de¬
partment store. He doesn't have a
sign, but it’s the first store on the
left after you pass the Clark &
Ramsey establishment. Both of
these are between Stocksville and
Democrat, and the "Ramsey" of
the latter, is. of course, the lady
barber. Mrs. Lulu Ramsey, the
first and only female member of
the Asheville Barber’s Union.
At Barnardsville. turn sharply
to the right just after crossing the
bridge as you enter town, and pro¬
ceed toward and past the high
school building. This will put you
on the Paint Fork Road.
It was just last June when I
drove up this road, and entered
the long narrow trough between
two mountain ranges which is the
Paint Fork Valley. After a few
miles, my companion, Mr.
В.
H.
Dillingham, of Barnardsville.
Kin ted to a rough narrow road
iding steeply up the mountain¬
side to our left. "That’s the An¬
derson Cove road." he remarked.
From information given me
from time to time by local resi¬
dents it must have been at least
75 years ago when William Ander¬
son and his dusky consort. Jane
Russell, settled in this remote
One of the many pleasant views
that you get from the Reems Creek
section.
THE STATE December 15. 1945
