Bryson City, North Carolina
Encyclopedia
Bryson City is a town in Swain County
, North Carolina
in the United States
. The population was 1,353 as of 2009, a decrease of 4.1% since the 2000 census. It is the county seat
of Swain County.
in the Great Smoky Mountains
. After passing through Bryson City and flowing around the Bryson City Island Park
, the Tuckasegee flows southwestward for another 12 miles (19.3 km) before emptying into the Little Tennessee River
. Fontana Lake
, an impoundment
of the Little Tennessee, covers the lower 11 miles (17.7 km) of the Tuckasegee.
The town is surrounded on all sides by mountains. The Great Smoky Mountains rise to the north, the Cowee Mountains rise to the south, and the Plott Balsams
rise to the east. The boundary of the Nantahala National Forest
passes just south of the city, and the boundary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
passes just to the north. The Qualla Boundary
, which comprises the bulk of the reservation of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
, dominates the area to the east.
Bryson City is centered around the junction of Everett Street and Main Street. Main Street is part of U.S. Route 19
, which connects Bryson City to Cherokee
to the northeast and Murphy
to the southwest.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²), of which, 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (5.33%) is water.
of 2000, there were 1,411 people (1,353 in 2009), 588 households and 323 families residing in the town. The population density
was 663.5 people per square mile (255.8/km²). There were 713 housing units at an average density of 335.3 per square mile (129.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.93% White, 1.98% African American, 4.96% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.64% from other races
, and 1.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.70% of the population.
There were 588 households out of which 21.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% were married couples
living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.9% were non-families. 41.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.78.
In the town the population was spread out with 17.6% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 27.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 77.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $23,232, and the median income for a family was $31,875. Males had a median income of $26,528 versus $19,833 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $14,446. About 14.8% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.4% of those under age 18 and 21.0% of those age 65 or over.
have been living and hunting in the vicinity of what is now Bryson City for nearly 14,000 years. The village of Kituhwa
, which the Cherokee
believed to be their oldest village, was located along the Tuckasegee immediately upstream from Bryson City. In 1567, an orata (minor chief) from Kituhwa is believed to have met with Spanish explorer Juan Pardo
in the French Broad Valley
to the north. Although Kituhwa was burned by American soldiers in 1776, the Cherokee continued to hold annual ceremonial dances at the site throughout the 19th century.
Around 1818, a Cherokee chief known as Big Bear received a 640 acres (2.6 km²) reservation of land immediately west of the confluence of Deep Creek and the Tuckasegee River, which included most of what is now Bryson City. Big Bear sold part of his reservation to Darling Belk in 1819 and another part to John B. Love in 1824. Throughout the 1830s, Belk's heirs and Love fought an extended legal battle over control of the Big Bear reservation, with Love finally prevailing in 1840. The following year, Love sold part of the land to James and Diana Shular. The Shulars, in turn, sold off parts of their land to Colonel Thaddeus Bryson and merchant Alfred Cline. A small hamlet known as Bear Springs developed amidst what was once Big Bear's reservation.
Swain County was formed from parts of Jackson County
and Macon County
in 1871, and the new commissioners first met at Cline's store (now operated by Cline's widow, Lucy Ann) at Bear Springs. Lucy Ann Cline agreed to sell several lots of her land for the formation of a county seat for the new county. The county seat, initially known as Charleston, was laid out in a T-shape formed by what is now Main Street and Everett Street (the latter street was named for the county's first sheriff, Epp Everett). The first Swain County Courthouse was completed in 1874. In 1872, shortly after the completion of the new jail, a legendary jailbreak occurred at the Swain County jail when a gang led by Harvey Cooper stormed the jail and freed Tom Colvert, whom they deemed unjustly imprisoned for killing a rival at a saloon in Robbinsville
.
In 1889, the people of Charleston changed the city's name to "Bryson City" to acknowledge the many services rendered to the city by Thaddeus Bryson and to eliminate the confusion brought about by sharing a name with Charleston, South Carolina
. The Western North Carolina Railroad laid tracks through Bryson City in 1884, greatly easing transportation to the previously-remote area. The Bryson City Bank opened in 1904 and the current Swain County Courthouse was completed in 1908.
, an author and outdoors enthusiast who operated out of Bryson City for several years, was a key early proponent for the creation of the park. The Deep Creek section of the park, which is immediately north of Bryson City, is home to a large campground and multiple trailheads. The park's main eastern entrance is located just a few miles east of Bryson City at Cherokee. Cherokee is also home to the southern terminus of the Blue Ridge Parkway
.
The completion of Fontana Dam
in 1944 inundated the only highway connecting Bryson City with the remote area of the Smokies known as the North Shore. The U.S. government began constructing a new highway in 1948, although work on this highway (known as Lakeview Drive) was embarrassingly slow. By 1972, only 7 miles (11.3 km) had been completed. Environmental and financial issues stalled the project, and the road became known to locals as "The Road to Nowhere". In 2007, the National Park Service deemed the road's construction to be in violation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park's general management plan, and began working with Swain County to find an alternative.
The increasing popularity of the automobile led to a decline in railroad transportation, and Southern Railway (who had replaced the Western North Carolina Railroad
) dropped passenger service in 1948. After Norfolk Southern ended freight traffic on the railroad in 1985, the state of North Carolina purchased the tracks. In 1988, a scenic line known as the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
was established with its depot and departure point in Bryson City.
There is a federal building and federal courthouse in Bryson City, located at 50 Main Street. The courthouse is in the jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina
.
Swain County, North Carolina
Swain County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 12,968. Its county seat is Bryson City.Swain County is home of the Nantahala River . The Nantahala is one of the most popular whitewater rafting rivers in the nation...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,353 as of 2009, a decrease of 4.1% since the 2000 census. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Swain County.
Geography
Bryson City is located at 35°25′37"N 83°26′52"W (35.426982, -83.447681), just west of the confluence of the Tuckasegee River, which flows westward from its source in the mountains to the east, and Deep Creek, which flows south from its source near Newfound GapNewfound Gap
Newfound Gap is a mountain pass located near the center of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park of the southern Appalachian Mountains in the United States of America. Situated along the border of Tennessee and North Carolina, the state line crosses the gap, as does U.S...
in the Great Smoky Mountains
Great Smoky Mountains
The Great Smoky Mountains are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, and form part of the Blue Ridge Physiographic Province. The range is sometimes called the Smoky Mountains or the...
. After passing through Bryson City and flowing around the Bryson City Island Park
Bryson City Island Park
The Bryson City Island Park is a small island located in Bryson City, North Carolina. It is surrounded by the Tuckasegee River and rests at the mouth of historic Deep Creek of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.- Location :...
, the Tuckasegee flows southwestward for another 12 miles (19.3 km) before emptying into the Little Tennessee River
Little Tennessee River
The Little Tennessee River is a tributary of the Tennessee River, approximately 135 miles long, in the Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern United States.-Geography:...
. Fontana Lake
Fontana Lake
Fontana Lake is a reservoir impounded by Fontana Dam on the Little Tennessee River located in Graham and Swain counties in North Carolina. The lake forms part of the southern border of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the northern border of part of the Nantahala National Forest. Depending on...
, an impoundment
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
of the Little Tennessee, covers the lower 11 miles (17.7 km) of the Tuckasegee.
The town is surrounded on all sides by mountains. The Great Smoky Mountains rise to the north, the Cowee Mountains rise to the south, and the Plott Balsams
Plott Balsams
The Plott Balsams are a mountain range in western North Carolina, in the southeastern United States. They are part of the Blue Ridge Mountain Province of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. The Plott Balsams stretch from the city of Sylva in the Tuckasegee River valley to the southwest to Maggie...
rise to the east. The boundary of the Nantahala National Forest
Nantahala National Forest
The Nantahala National Forest, established in 1920, is a national forest located in the American state of North Carolina. The word "Nantahala" is a Cherokee word meaning "Land of the Noonday Sun." The name is appropriate as, in some spots, the sun only reaches the floors of the deep gorges of the...
passes just south of the city, and the boundary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a United States National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain. The border between Tennessee and North...
passes just to the north. The Qualla Boundary
Qualla Boundary
The Qualla Boundary is the territory where the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians reside in western North Carolina.-Location:...
, which comprises the bulk of the reservation of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians , is a federally recognized Native American tribe in the United States of America, who are descended from Cherokee who remained in the Eastern United States while others moved, or were forced to relocate, to the west in the 19th century. The history of the...
, dominates the area to the east.
Bryson City is centered around the junction of Everett Street and Main Street. Main Street is part of U.S. Route 19
U.S. Route 19
U.S. Route 19 is a north–south U.S. Highway. Despite encroaching Interstate Highways, the route has remained a long-haul route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico with Lake Erie....
, which connects Bryson City to Cherokee
Cherokee, North Carolina
Cherokee is a town in Swain County, North Carolina, USA, within the Qualla Boundary land trust. It is located in the Oconaluftee River Valley, near the intersection of U.S. Route 19 and U.S...
to the northeast and Murphy
Murphy, North Carolina
-Household Income:The median income for a household in the town was $24,952, and the median income for a family was $35,234. Males had a median income of $30,395 versus $16,908 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,926...
to the southwest.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²), of which, 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (5.33%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,411 people (1,353 in 2009), 588 households and 323 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 663.5 people per square mile (255.8/km²). There were 713 housing units at an average density of 335.3 per square mile (129.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.93% White, 1.98% African American, 4.96% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.64% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.70% of the population.
There were 588 households out of which 21.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.9% were non-families. 41.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.78.
In the town the population was spread out with 17.6% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 27.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 77.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $23,232, and the median income for a family was $31,875. Males had a median income of $26,528 versus $19,833 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $14,446. About 14.8% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.4% of those under age 18 and 21.0% of those age 65 or over.
History
Native AmericansNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
have been living and hunting in the vicinity of what is now Bryson City for nearly 14,000 years. The village of Kituhwa
Keetoowah
The Cherokee believe the ancient settlement of Kituwa or giduwa , on the Tuckasegee River is their original settlement and is one of the "seven mother towns" in the Southeast...
, which the Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
believed to be their oldest village, was located along the Tuckasegee immediately upstream from Bryson City. In 1567, an orata (minor chief) from Kituhwa is believed to have met with Spanish explorer Juan Pardo
Juan Pardo (explorer)
Juan Pardo was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who was active in the later half of the sixteenth century. He led a Spanish expedition through what is now North and South Carolina and into eastern Tennessee. He established Fort San Felipe, South Carolina , and the village of Santa Elena on...
in the French Broad Valley
French Broad River
The French Broad River flows from near the village of Rosman in Transylvania County, North Carolina, into the state of Tennessee. Its confluence with the Holston River at Knoxville is the beginning of the Tennessee River....
to the north. Although Kituhwa was burned by American soldiers in 1776, the Cherokee continued to hold annual ceremonial dances at the site throughout the 19th century.
Around 1818, a Cherokee chief known as Big Bear received a 640 acres (2.6 km²) reservation of land immediately west of the confluence of Deep Creek and the Tuckasegee River, which included most of what is now Bryson City. Big Bear sold part of his reservation to Darling Belk in 1819 and another part to John B. Love in 1824. Throughout the 1830s, Belk's heirs and Love fought an extended legal battle over control of the Big Bear reservation, with Love finally prevailing in 1840. The following year, Love sold part of the land to James and Diana Shular. The Shulars, in turn, sold off parts of their land to Colonel Thaddeus Bryson and merchant Alfred Cline. A small hamlet known as Bear Springs developed amidst what was once Big Bear's reservation.
Swain County was formed from parts of Jackson County
Jackson County, North Carolina
Jackson County is a county located in the southwest of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2010, the population was 40,271. Since 1913 its county seat has been Sylva, replacing Webster.-History:...
and Macon County
Macon County, North Carolina
- Geographic features :Of the in Macon County, are federal lands that lie within the Nantahala National Forest and are administered by the United States Forest Service. Of the of USFS land, lie in the Highlands Ranger District and the remaining lie in the Wayah Ranger District...
in 1871, and the new commissioners first met at Cline's store (now operated by Cline's widow, Lucy Ann) at Bear Springs. Lucy Ann Cline agreed to sell several lots of her land for the formation of a county seat for the new county. The county seat, initially known as Charleston, was laid out in a T-shape formed by what is now Main Street and Everett Street (the latter street was named for the county's first sheriff, Epp Everett). The first Swain County Courthouse was completed in 1874. In 1872, shortly after the completion of the new jail, a legendary jailbreak occurred at the Swain County jail when a gang led by Harvey Cooper stormed the jail and freed Tom Colvert, whom they deemed unjustly imprisoned for killing a rival at a saloon in Robbinsville
Robbinsville, North Carolina
Robbinsville is a town in Graham County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 747 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Graham County. Robbinsville High School is the only high school in Graham County...
.
In 1889, the people of Charleston changed the city's name to "Bryson City" to acknowledge the many services rendered to the city by Thaddeus Bryson and to eliminate the confusion brought about by sharing a name with Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
. The Western North Carolina Railroad laid tracks through Bryson City in 1884, greatly easing transportation to the previously-remote area. The Bryson City Bank opened in 1904 and the current Swain County Courthouse was completed in 1908.
Today
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which opened in 1933, provides a major source of revenue for Swain County. Horace KephartHorace Kephart
Horace Kephart was an American travel writer and librarian, best known as the author of Our Southern Highlanders, about his life in the Great Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina.-Biography:...
, an author and outdoors enthusiast who operated out of Bryson City for several years, was a key early proponent for the creation of the park. The Deep Creek section of the park, which is immediately north of Bryson City, is home to a large campground and multiple trailheads. The park's main eastern entrance is located just a few miles east of Bryson City at Cherokee. Cherokee is also home to the southern terminus of the Blue Ridge Parkway
Blue Ridge Parkway
The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. It runs for 469 miles , mostly along the famous Blue Ridge, a major mountain chain that is part of the Appalachian Mountains...
.
The completion of Fontana Dam
Fontana Dam
Fontana Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Little Tennessee River in Swain and Graham counties, North Carolina, USA. The dam is operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the early 1940s to accommodate the skyrocketing electricity demands in the Tennessee Valley at the...
in 1944 inundated the only highway connecting Bryson City with the remote area of the Smokies known as the North Shore. The U.S. government began constructing a new highway in 1948, although work on this highway (known as Lakeview Drive) was embarrassingly slow. By 1972, only 7 miles (11.3 km) had been completed. Environmental and financial issues stalled the project, and the road became known to locals as "The Road to Nowhere". In 2007, the National Park Service deemed the road's construction to be in violation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park's general management plan, and began working with Swain County to find an alternative.
The increasing popularity of the automobile led to a decline in railroad transportation, and Southern Railway (who had replaced the Western North Carolina Railroad
Western North Carolina Railroad
The Western North Carolina Railroad was a 19th century railroad that ran from Salisbury to Murphy, North Carolina.Future American Civil War officer Samuel McDowell Tate was instrumental in planning and sponsoring the construction of the first leg of the railroad in 1855, then in managing it in the...
) dropped passenger service in 1948. After Norfolk Southern ended freight traffic on the railroad in 1985, the state of North Carolina purchased the tracks. In 1988, a scenic line known as the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad is a freight and heritage railroad in North Carolina with a depot in Bryson City. The railroad operates over the western leg of the "Murphy Branch", a former branch line of the Southern Railway....
was established with its depot and departure point in Bryson City.
There is a federal building and federal courthouse in Bryson City, located at 50 Main Street. The courthouse is in the jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina
United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina
The United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina is a Federal district court which covers the western third of North Carolina....
.
Notable people
- Heath ShulerHeath ShulerJoseph Heath Shuler is a businessman, a former NFL quarterback, and the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
- Former quarterback for the University of Tennessee (1990-'93), New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders, and Washington Redskins. He is also a congressman representing North Carolina's 11th congressional district. (2006–present)
- The Inspirations, one of Southern Gospel Music's leading and most enduring quartets, was founded in Bryson City in 1964, and still makes its home there today.