Tar Heel Towns
Bv Chris Robinson
West Jefferson
This small Ashe County town has undergone a gradual
transformation over the years.
few of the bigger retailers left the down¬
town area.
It was about this time that West
Jefferson became a destination of a dif¬
ferent sort. No longer were its visitors
wear)' tiain travelers, but instead they
were tourists who came to enjoy the
small-town atmosphere. Ashe County
Cheese, a fixture on Main Street, made
the decision to market itself as a tourist
destination. As North Carolina’s only
cheese plant, the decision was a natural,
but with it came a new opportunity for
the people of West Jefferson.
High atop the Blue Ridge
Mountains in northwestern
North Carolina. West Jefferson
is reminiscent of a bygone era, a time
when life was a bit slower and people a
bit friendlier Passcrsby still take time to
greet neighbors and strangers alike,
shopkeepers have a smile for everyone
who enters their stores, and the lx-st cup
of cofTee is still available at the drugstore.
Of course. West Jefferson wasn't always
a throwback. In the post-YVorld Wat II
era, the town bustled with activity. For
thousands of Ashe Countians. as well as
those in neighboring Virginia and
Tennessee, “going to town" meant only
one thing — a trip to West Jefferson. On
Saturday morning, the sidewalks would
be crammed with people and parking
was nearly impossible to find. Parking
was actually a moneymaker for the town;
the town police force included a meter
maid who rode around in a little cart
(still used by the town's maintenance
department) ticketing those folks whose
meters had expired.
West Jefferson, with a population of a
little more than 1.000. owes its existence
to the railroad. Starting in 1914. the
Virginia-Carolina Railroad made regular
stops in Ashe County. A year later, in
1915, West Jeffenon was officially char¬
tered hv the General Assembly. Over the
next half-century, the “Virginia Creeper,"
as the railroad was called, picked up
loads of lumber, agricultural products
and iron ore and dropped oil merchan¬
dise from such far-off places as Raleigh
and Charlotte. In short order. West
Jefferson became the commercial center
of the surrounding area.
Shortly after the Creeper made its
inaugural run. West Jefferson raced past
Jefferson (the county scat and hereto¬
Dnumtown West Jefferson
fore the primary town in Ashe County)
in population. A hotel was built on Main
Street, and several stores and restaurants
sprang up to sene the railroad popula¬
tion. A movie theater was built a hit later,
featuring a stage where live perfor¬
mances could lx* held. Bill Monroe was
among the performers who found their
way to the stage of the Parkway Theater.
And people from miles around “went to
town- on Saturday morning.
But in the late 1970s the railroad
pulled out of West Jefferson. Roads into
the area had improved, so more and
more gcxxls were trucked out of the
mountains. Thus, the railroad's decision
to shut down the West Jefferson depot
and pull up its tracks was one that many
people had expected hut few wanted to
believe would actually occur.
Though some may have thought the
town would wither away without the
Creeper, the truth was actually quite dif¬
ferent. Ashe County had become less
dependent on agriculture, and so too
had West Jefferson. Two furniture plants
thrived within the city limits, as did many
of the smaller retailers and service busi¬
nesses. Ashe Countians, long accus¬
tomed to "going to town,” continued to
do business in West Jefferson even after a
The result is now on dis¬
play each day in town. Of
course, most shoppers
continue to be local folks
— "going to town" still
means only one tiling —
hut there are more than a
smattering of Floridians
and "downstaters" in the
mix. Jefferson Avenue, the
primary street through
town, has a wide array of
shops, from fine clothing
stores tc» arts and crafts
galleries and many other things in
between.
Tlie shops are complemented by a
handsome city park, located across from
some of the beautiful old houses built in
the early part of the century. On Main
Street. Ashe County Cheese continues to
lx* a major attraction. The Ashe Arts
Center — located in a stone building
built in the 1930s by Franklin Delano
Roosevelt's Works Progress
Administration — was opened two years
ago and Ls quickly establishing itself as
one of the premiere galleries in the area.
A new exhibit is featured each month.
Just outside of town, one can visit St.
Mary’s Episcopal Church, one ol two
Ashe County churches that arc home to
some of the most significant fresco art
(compliments ol Statesville native Ben
Long) in the United States.
Though West Jefferson has undergone
a gradual transformation , iLs character
hasn't changed much. At heart, it's still a
railroad town greeting weary travelers
with a smile and welcoming others on
their weekly "trip to town.”
^ ?
Chris Robinson is a freelance uniter living
in Clifton, North Carolina.
Ию*. •»
|»m
The Stutc/June 1995
10
