people
famous By Jill Jones
Contributing Writer
of the
swannanoa valley
T
he Swannanoa Valley has been both home and retreat for numerous famous people whose lives and businesses have impacted the people and the Valley for nearly two centuries. One of the most famous of all Valley residents is the Rev. Billy Graham, who married Ruth McCue Bell, daughter of missionary Dr. L. Nelson Bell, of Montreat, in 1943. The Grahams first lived in a modest cottage across from Ruth’s parents, but in 1954 they purchased 200 acres on a mountaintop in Montreat on which they built an informal country-style house that has served as a place of retreat as well as home for the evangelist and his family. Frontiersman and hero of the Alamo Davy Crockett visited Elizabeth Patton, the widow of a friend, in Swannanoa in 1815. He was also recently widowed. Having five children between them, they decided to wed and join their families. Three more children were born to them during their years in Tennessee and Texas. Descendants of Davy and Elizabeth reside today in the Swannanoa Valley. A pioneer in the field of electricity, Franklin Terry was a contemporary and a competitor of Thomas Edison and eventually became a vice-president of Edison’s company, General Electric. In 1921, he bought land in Black Knitting, Mountain and built “In The Oaks,” a 24,755 square foot summer home for his second wife, Lilliam Slocumb Emerson. The home is second in size only to Crocheting, Biltmore House in the state and is styled as an English manor house. Spinning, “In The Oaks” is now owned by Montreat College and serves as its Black Mountain campus. Weaving & Singer Roberta Flack was born in Swannanoa in 1939. She is perhaps Felting best known for her hit song, “Killing Me Softly.” The Martin family of musicians is famous among fans of mountain music, and are also known for their wood carvings and dulcimers. Billy Edd Wheeler, of Swannanoa, is the author of numerous songs that have been recorded by such stars as Johnny Cash, Kenny Rogers, Nancy Sinatra, and Lee Greenwood. Local & international yarns, Two sports figures of renown are from the Swannanoa Valley. Football classes, supplies & accessories. great Brad Johnson, a graduate of Owen High School, led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl victory in 2004. He recently retired from the NFL. Brad Daugherty, former University of North Carolina and Cleveland Cavalier basketball star, is also from Black Mountain. For more information on these individuals and the history of the Swannanoa Valley, visit the Swannanoa Valley Museum, located at 223 203-A West State Street Black Mountain, NC 28711 West State Street in Black Mountain. 828-669-7570 For more information about the museum, call (828) 669-9655 or visit www.blackmountainyarnshop.com www.swannanoavalleymuseum.org.
Featuring
10 Fall & Winter 2012
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