Little Switzerland, North Carolina: Difference between revisions
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==History== |
==History== |
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On January 17, 1964, the Switzerland Company filed a suit against the construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/225/812/1872060/|title=Switzerland Company v. Udall, 225 F. Supp. 812 (W.D.N.C. 1964)|website=JUSTIA US law}}</ref> noting that it was seeking a right of way of 800 feet wide |
On January 17, 1964, the Switzerland Company filed a suit against the construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/225/812/1872060/|title=Switzerland Company v. Udall, 225 F. Supp. 812 (W.D.N.C. 1964)|website=JUSTIA US law}}</ref> noting that it was seeking a right of way of 800 feet wide through the resort and were not paying an adequate amount. The suit was settled with the Parkway getting 200 feet wide access and paying $25,000. It is now the narrowest point on the Parkway in North Carolina. The access to the Switzerland Inn is the only commercial access road on the parkway. There were other skirmishes between the resort and parkway including the parkway closing the road to Kilmichael (pronounced Kill-michael) Tower built by Little Switzerland atop Grassy Mountain. Little Switzerland lost the fight and the tower fell into disrepair. Its base is still visible.<ref>http://www.appalachianhistory.net/2010/06/little-switzerland-celebrates-100-years-part-2-of-2.html</ref> |
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The group got the [[Carolina, Clinchfield, and Ohio Railroad]] to locate a station approximately 4 miles from the community. They built a toll road to it - Etchoe (pronounced Et-chō) Pass Road. The tolls did not last long although the booths are still visible. It is now [[NC 226A]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mountainx.com/blogwire/2010/little_switzerland_celebrates_100_years |title=Archived copy |access-date=2010-06-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306015503/http://www.mountainx.com/blogwire/2010/little_switzerland_celebrates_100_years |archive-date=2012-03-06 |url-status=dead }}</ref> |
The group got the [[Carolina, Clinchfield, and Ohio Railroad]] to locate a station approximately 4 miles from the community. They built a toll road to it - Etchoe (pronounced Et-chō) Pass Road. The tolls did not last long although the booths are still visible. It is now [[NC 226A]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mountainx.com/blogwire/2010/little_switzerland_celebrates_100_years |title=Archived copy |access-date=2010-06-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306015503/http://www.mountainx.com/blogwire/2010/little_switzerland_celebrates_100_years |archive-date=2012-03-06 |url-status=dead }}</ref> |
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Revision as of 02:55, 3 July 2021
Little Switzerland, North Carolina | |
|---|---|
 Shops in downtown Little Switzerland. | |
  Little Switzerland  Little Switzerland | |
| Coordinates: 35°50′57″N 82°05′25″W / 35.84917°N 82.09028°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | North Carolina |
| Counties | McDowell, Mitchell |
| Founded | 1910[1] |
| Named for | Switzerland[1] |
| Elevation | 3,468 ft (1,057 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes | 28749[2] |
| Area code | 828 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1021241[3] |
Little Switzerland is an unincorporated community in McDowell and Mitchell counties of North Carolina, United States. It is located along North Carolina Highway 226A (NC 226A) off the Blue Ridge Parkway, directly north of Marion, North Carolina and south of Spruce Pine. Elevation is 3,468 feet (1,057 m) above sea level.
At this location, in 1909, the "Switzerland Company" was founded by North Carolina State Supreme Court Justice Heriot Clarkson to construct a resort village.[4] Covenants in the rules included no alcohol and one house per lot.
History
On January 17, 1964, the Switzerland Company filed a suit against the construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway[5] noting that it was seeking a right of way of 800 feet wide through the resort and were not paying an adequate amount. The suit was settled with the Parkway getting 200 feet wide access and paying $25,000. It is now the narrowest point on the Parkway in North Carolina. The access to the Switzerland Inn is the only commercial access road on the parkway. There were other skirmishes between the resort and parkway including the parkway closing the road to Kilmichael (pronounced Kill-michael) Tower built by Little Switzerland atop Grassy Mountain. Little Switzerland lost the fight and the tower fell into disrepair. Its base is still visible.[6]
The group got the Carolina, Clinchfield, and Ohio Railroad to locate a station approximately 4 miles from the community. They built a toll road to it - Etchoe (pronounced Et-chō) Pass Road. The tolls did not last long although the booths are still visible. It is now NC 226A.[7]
The original Switzerland Inn was razed in the 1960s and a modern motor court was built by William Cessna.[8]
Its naming illustrates the gradual change in meaning of the 19th century term little Switzerland from an area of limestone formations to one of mountainous appearance.[9][10]
The Church of the Resurrection was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.[11]
See also
References
- ^ a b "North Carolina Gazetteer". Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ^ "Little Switzerland Post Office". United States Postal Service. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ^ "Little Switzerland, North Carolina". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ^ M'Afee, Hoyt (Aug 15, 1937). "Little Switzerland is scenic wonderland of Blue Ridge Mountains". Herald-Journal. p. 9. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
- ^ "Switzerland Company v. Udall, 225 F. Supp. 812 (W.D.N.C. 1964)". JUSTIA US law.
- ^ http://www.appalachianhistory.net/2010/06/little-switzerland-celebrates-100-years-part-2-of-2.html
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-06. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ http://www.littleswitzerlandcentennial.com
- ^ Whitmire, Tim (2006-10-22). "Forgotten Forces Drove the Blue Ridge Parkway's Birth". The Washington Post. Associated Press. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
- ^ Whisnant, Anne Mitchell (2006). Super-Scenic Motorway: A Blue Ridge Parkway History. UNC Press. p. 76. ISBN 0-8078-3037-2.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
Further reading
- Louisa DeSaussure Duls, The Story Of Little Switzerland (1982)
- Pat Turner Mitchell, Lifted to the Shoulders of a Mountain (2007)
External links
Municipalities and communities of McDowell County, North Carolina, United States | ||
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| City |  | |
| Town | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
Municipalities and communities of Mitchell County, North Carolina, United States | ||
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| Towns |  | |
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
