JUNE, 1961
THE PIEDMONITOR
PAGE THREE
Station Spotlight
Asheville "In the Land of the Sky"
Natural Beauty
Brings Visitors
Asheville and the hills around
it are full of many sights and
sounds, from outdoor drama to
the East’s highest mountain.
Famed as a resort city, each
year the area attracts thousands
of visitors from all parts of the
United States. They may come
to see the countryside, attend the
two nearby outdoor dramas—
“Unto These Hills” and “Horn
in the West”—or perhaps stay
just to get a whiff of the moun
tain air.
Attracts Industries
It has become a popular spot
for retirees, as well as industries
such as General Electric, duPont,
and Gerber Baby Foods which
have all recently built plants
near the city.
Perhaps the most outstanding
man-made attraction in the area
is the Biltmore House and Gar
dens, built in 1891-96 by the late
George Vanderbilt. Located near
Asheville, the estate originally
encompassed 100,000 acres. Mr
Vanderbilt was possibly one of
the few men in the country to
have his own mountain, since
Mt. Pisgah was part of those
original holdings.
The house and gardens are
now open to the public and part
of the acreage has been donated
to form Pisgah National Forest
The main residence has 365
rooms — one for each day in
the year — and is furnished with
rare antiques and objects d’art
Some of the more unusual furn
ishings include Caesar’s bathtub
Napoleon’s chess table and men
and huge medieval tapestries.
Beautiful Scenery
The area also has its share of
natural attractions. Over two
million people visit the sur
rounding national parks and for
ests each year. Mount Mitchell’
peak of 6,684 feet is the highest
east of the Mississippi, and is
part of the Black range in the
Southern Appalachians.
South of Asheville is Chimney
Rock, a hugh granite bolder sit
ting chimney-like on a moun
taintop. For a fee of two dollars
for adults and one dollar for
children, (plus a considerable
expenditure of energy) visitors
are allowed to climb to the top
of the rock. For less hearty souls
' there is an elevator available for
a quarter extra. Those who have
managed to make it say the view
of Lake Lure and Hickory Nut
Gorge is worth the effort.
The first settlers in this part
of the country were a rugged
breed who made most of their
own furniture, clothing, and
household goods. The handicraft
workers are still in evidence to
day, though of course now op
erating in a more commercial
vein than their predecessors.
Handicraft Guild
The Southern Highland
Handicraft Guild conducts tests
and maintains rigid standards to
keep high the quality of work
manship. Workers must submit
samples to a board of judges
and meet certain qualifications
before they can be admitted to
the Guild. At present the organ
ization has members in eight
states of the Southern Appala
chians.
Biltmore Industries features
another native art which has
found wide commercial accep
tance. Hand-woven wool fabric
is the product of the business
which was started in 1901 under
the sponsorship of Mrs. George
*tr'
IT *v — VkL> ^
New multi-million dollar airport is latest star in Asheville's Crown.
Vanderbilt. Today the material
is still carded, dyed, spun, and
woven by hand.
New Airport
One of the newest features on
the Asheville landscape is its
$2,200,000 airport. Since its com
pletion the area has had F-27
and night service for the first
time.
The 6,500 foot runway accom
modates the prop-jets, and there
is an 830 acre tract of land on
reserve which would allow the
addition of another 1,000 feet of
runway in future expansion.
The airport is currently served
with 15 Piedmont flights a day,
making it a busy stop for both
passengers and crews alike.
(Right) The Biltmore Estate, one of
the country's finest private homes.
The v/alis are Indiana Limestone
and the roof is slate. The house and
gardens took five years to build.
AVL station crew are proud of their
new quarters. (Right) Meet Reserva
tions lovelies Naomi McGuinn (left)
and Evon Whitacre.
Manning the Operations desk are
Gerald Baskett (left) and Eddie
Gabriel.
Dave Smith, Chief Agent
(Left) Julius Dean (left) and George
Gentry on duty at the nev/ ticket
counter.
■
Jack Gwennap, Station Manager
Asheville craftsmen practice arts handed down by their forefathers.
] (Above) Worker at the Biltmore Industries weaves handspun wool into
cloth famed for its color and sturdiness.