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About
Us |
The
Land Trust for the
Little Tennessee
88 East Main Street
P. O. Box 1148
Franklin, NC 28744-1148
Phone: 828-524-2711
Fax: 828-524-4741
Email: LTLT
 |
The
Franklin Press February 13 , 2007 |
| Historical
Interpretation By Colin McCandless, Staff writer
A crowd of more than 25 people gathered at Cowee-West's Mill National Historic District Thursday off West Mill Road as local organizations officially dedicated the new Cowee interpretive kiosk. The site features a historical marker detailing the 1,400 years of human habitation and the arrival of the first European settlers to the area in the 1800s along with maps and a self-guided driving tour of the Cowee West's Mill Historic District. At 370 acres, West's Mill is the largest registered national historical district in terms of area in western North Carolina. The project is a collaborative endeavor between the Cowee Community Development Organization and the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee. Associate director of the LTLT Brent Martin, who coordinated the effort to land the kiosk, addressed the crowd. "This is such a rich historical district," Martin said. "We are lucky to have this in our community." Martin said the kiosk would not have been possible without matching grant funding from Friends of Mountain History and acknowledged the efforts of their executive director Kaye Myers. Vice president of the CCDO Beth Moberg who cut the ribbon in the official ceremony, called the Friends of Mountain History "instrumental" in making the project come to fruition. Martin expressed gratitude towards John Mead Jr., who owns the tract of land where the kiosk stands. "He is very interested in protecting this land," Martin said of Mead who lives in Florida and could not attend the dedication. Martin commented that Mead has a strong interest in historic preservation and is working to see that the entire area and its historic structures are protected. Mead owns the West's Mill Post Office (ca. 1925) adjacent to the kiosk. Martin said the next priority in the historic district would be the restoration of this building. He also thanked District 119 representative Phil Haire-(D) for offering his support and for putting in strong words of encouragement concerning the project and Goshen Timber Frames of Franklin who donated the timber frame and construction for the kiosk. Martin said he got the idea for a historical kiosk from the Cherokee Heritage Trail markers. "To me this is the beginning, I hope of something that will be much bigger," Martin said. Martin added that perhaps it would foster a greater historical appreciation for the area and lead to more historical preservation in Macon County. "It's really about building community awareness," Martin said. CCDO member Eric Moberg, whose company the Moberg Group will be donating picnic tables to the historical site, said that they are also seeking to erect a smaller version of the kiosk on Highway 28 near Mason Gem Mine and the Fish Weir to help guide people to West's Mill. CCDO has allocated funding for the additional historical marker. Some highlights of the self-guided historical driving tour include the Cowee Mound (ca. 600 a.d), once the center of a large Cherokee village, the Pleasant Hill Church and Cemetery, formerly the worship place of a thriving African-American community and the James and Emmeline Bryson Farm, the oldest home in the Historic District. For more information on Cowee history and the Cowee Community Development Organization, visit their website www.coweenc.com. |
