Two views of the Meadow, which though high up in the mountains are remindful of English moors.
Ogle Meadow
II is
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of llio most lio.inlifiil spots in
Western INorfli Carolina lint, because It's
off the beaten path, is know n only to a few
people.
By UIGAIS AlfiKKiNimiY
MITCH of our very finest moun¬
tain scenery, lying somewhat
•»fT the beaten trark, is virtually
unknown outside the immediate sur¬
rounding territory. it‘s extremely un¬
likely that you have ever heard of
Ogle Meadow, yet there are very few
.«pots in Western North Carolina
which can !*.• compared to it for eeenio
beauty.
Imagine, if you will, a wide, sweep¬
ing meadow several hundred acres in
extent ; an immense, smooth lawn a
mile high, dotted with grazing cattle,
bordered with gnarled old oaks and
uorgeotis purple rhododendron, and
surrounded by some of the most
magnificent mountain scenery in East¬
ern America.
How to Get There
Ogle Meadow may he reached from
Burnsville over a gravel road, N. 0.
107, hut you'll probably find the fol¬
lowing route more convenient : Take
U. S. No. 19-23 out of Asheville ; four
mile- beyond Wceverville, just beyond
Stocksvillc, turn sharply to the right
on the paved road leading to Barn-
ardsville. I don’t believe it’s num¬
bered, but there’s a Craggy Gardens
marker there. At Barnardsville, yon
leave the pavement, and follow a
gravel road, N. 107, up the North
Ivy River valley. For several miles
the road is almost straight, hut soon
the mountain walls begin to close in.
and you begin to climb in easy curves.
At one point you cross the same stream
twice; the two bridges aren't a hun¬
dred feet apart. At the top of the
grade, on the Vaney-Buncomhe line,
there’s a narrow road to the left,
which will take you a few hundred
yards farther. There’s just about
room enough at the end to turn around
and park your ear.
Just liefore you reach the parking
place, you will notice three graves in
the pasture beside the road. Two of
them are marked only by field stones;
the other hears the following inscrip¬
tion:
John II. Wheeler
Со. В
29th N.C. Inf.
C. S. A.
No dates are given.
This remote spot seems rather a
curious place for a cemetery, hut
there’s a reason for it. It seems that
Mr. Wheeler in his lifetime had lived
in l»»th Buncombe and Yancey coun¬
ties. When he felt that the end was
drawing near, he couldn’t quite make
up his mind in which county he wanted
to be buried. Finally lie found the
solution to his dilemma. “Bury me,"
lie told his family, “on the line be¬
tween Buncombe and Yancey coun¬
ties." Just why this particular spot
was chosen I cannot say, as lie never
lived in the immediate vicinity; hut,
anyway, here he lies, with his head in
Buncombe County, and his feet in
Yancey. The graves besides his are
those of his two children.
It’s about a mile from the parking
place to the mountain top. It is said
that many years ago a hardy moun¬
taineer drove his Model-T all the way
to the top. If so, it was quite a feat,
for the road is steep. Take vour time,
though, and you will reach the top
eventually. As you climb, you keep
catching tantalizing glimpses of tow¬
ering mountain peaks through the
surrounding trees. You won’t see
much until you’re nearly up, though.
Used as a Pasture
Near the top you cross a pasture
fence by means of a stile. The entire
mountain top, which belongs to Mr.
Walter Haynes, of Asheville, is used
as a pasture in the summer months.
This accounts for its beautiful park-
like appearance. Seventy-five cows
keep the grass as smooth os a lawn,
and the groves of ancient trees free
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