The Early Years In Bryson City

By:

Andrew Watkins

Josh Sauer

Casey Gross

The Beginning

First Years

• Formed in 1871

• From Macon and Jackson counties

• Once named Bear’s Town

• The name Charleston was selected on June 26, 1871

• After 1889 Charleston was changed to Bryson City

Transportation

First Kinds of Transportation

• All first cars were Fords

• First Motor Company was established by W.M. Hughes and Robert Abbott

First Automobile

• Owned by A. E. Elmore

• 1914

Kelly E. Bennett

• Owned second automobile

• Served 14 years as mayor

• 4 years as alderman

• 20 years on board of education

• Chairman of National Park Development Commission

Train Systems

• Train started in 1884

• Before railroad all travel was stage, wagons, or horseback

• Before long it extended through Nantahala gorge to Murphy

• 4 passenger trains to each way

First Logging Railroad

• Built 1901

• Along Big Pigeon River

Religion

Churches

• Among first buildings in county

• Some served as schools

• The first Baptist Church was build in 1877

Schools

Start of Schools

• First Schools subscription, held in church buildings

• First building solely for schools, erected after the Civil War

• Tom Chambers hired for teaching(first teacher)

High Schools

• First high school 1907• One high school served all county• 1911 graduated first class from 3 year high

school• Named changed to swain county high school

in 1930• From 1944 through 1970’s all students

attended same school

Cont.

• 1978 new high school built

Jobs and Businesses

Doctors and Lawyers

• Doctor West first resident physician

• First 3 Lawyers were Fred Fisher, R.L. Leatherwood, A.M. Fry

First Telephone System

• R.L. Sandridge and Joel Gibson developed first telephone system in 1906

• In 1928 they sold the company to Western Carolina Telephone Company

• The early days of the company there was a toll line to Needmore, Almond, and Bushnell

Carolina Wood Turning

• Started in a small building in 1903

• Produced wood pumps, porch columns and other wood products

• Continued for 83 years and provided jobs for Swain County

Fun and Activities

Things To Do

• Being that Swain County is in a rural area there were not many things to do

Thus Ends The Show

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