December 23, 2015
Banner Elk My Hometown
Page 11
BE Historic School The Banner Elk Historic School is back in session, and while it will no longer functions as a place of learning for elementary-aged children, the building will still play an important role for townspeople in its retirement. Purchased from Avery County in September 2014 by the town of Banner Elk, the old school property is well on its way to becoming an important community center. Currently in the midst of extensive renovations, Banner Elk Historic School was built by the Works Progress Administration in 1939 and served as an elementary school for 71 years. The town purchased the property in an effort to preserve the historic site, as well as to provide parking for ever expanding downtown businesses. The town also anticipates that the school will “promote and sustain its tourism economy by providing a convenient and beautiful central area for festivals, fairs and other cultural events, while enhancing the appearance and character of downtown Banner Elk.” If the school’s impact stopped there, it would still be impressive, but thanks to the attentive work of a variety of volunteers and concerned citizens, it is much more. The school’s grounds, a 5.9-acre plot in the center of downtown
Banner Elk, plays host to a long list of town functions, including the huge annual crush of visitors that comprise the Woolly Worm Festival, Trunk-or-Treat, the farmer’s market and a variety of arts and crafts shows. According to the town, functions such as these are responsible for “bringing the community together on a social and business level,” which has far-reaching implications outside of the festival grounds. In addition to the school’s ample grounds, the building itself has huge potential for Banner Elk’s future. The town has already entered into an agreement with Mayland Community College, which is using three of the classrooms to expand its offerings. In addition to Mayland and several offices that have moved into the building, the Historic School is now host to the Banner Elk Historic School Book Exchange. The “take one, leave one” library is the flagship of the renovation project at the school and already boasts an inventory of more than 5,000 books. While essentially in the infancy of its new life, the Historic School is already making an impact for Banner Elk residents that only promises to increase as the renovations continue.
PHOTO CURTESY MICHAEL HARDY
The Weaving Room was abuzz with activity at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk in the early 20th century.
Banner Elk boasts rich history While New York state lays claim to the motto “Excelsior,” the high-minded phrase meaning upwards must have been on the minds of early High Country settlers. From the fertile valleys and river bottoms of North Carolina’s Piedmont, the settlers chose instead to ascend the Blue Ridge and adopt the hardscrabble life of a mountaineer. The first Anglo settlers of Banner Elk were no exception. First explored by the Cherokees, the Banner Elk area, part of the Elk River valley, was likely used as a hunting ground as opposed to a permanent settlement by the tribe. The first white settlers to come to the area were John Holtsclaw and Delilah Baird, who laid claim to 480 acres in 1825. The Banner family, from which the town now derives its name, would arrive some 25 years later. Like many Appalachian towns, Banner Elk’s common family names are much the same as they were at the
town’s founding. Along with Banners are names such as Moody, Dugger, Von Canon, Keller, Smith, Lineback and Foster. While at the time Avery County remained a part of a region since termed “the lost provinces” because of its logistical and geographic separation from the rest of the state, the foundation of a hotel in 1892 spurred the tourism industry upon which the town now depends. Banner Elk would officially be incorporated as a town in 1911, the same year Avery County was birthed as North Carolina’s 100th and final county. Today, the town of Banner Elk is flourishing. Home to Lees-McRae College, wellestablished winter sports areas and ample opportunity for myriad outdoor activities, the town is a must for anyone visiting the High Country.
828-898-9550
394 Shawneehaw Ave, Downtown Banner Elk