Little Switzerland, North Carolina
Encyclopedia
McDowell County, North Carolina
-Cities and towns:*Marion *Old Fort-Unincorporated places:*West Marion*Little Switzerland*Nebo*Glenwood*Pleasant Gardens*North Cove-Education:The following is a list of schools located in McDowell County:*Marion Elementary School...
and Mitchell
Mitchell County, North Carolina
-National protected areas:* Blue Ridge Parkway * Pisgah National Forest -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 15,687 people, 6,551 households, and 4,736 families residing in the county. The population density was 71 people per square mile . There were 7,919 housing units at an...
counties of 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is located along NC 226A off 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...
, directly north of Marion, North Carolina
Marion, North Carolina
Marion is a city in McDowell County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 7,943 at the 2008 estimated census. It is the county seat of McDowell County.-Geography:Marion is located at ....
and south of Spruce Pine
Spruce Pine, North Carolina
Spruce Pine is a town in Mitchell County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,175 at the 2010 census.-History:Spruce Pine was founded in 1907 when the Clinchfield Railroad made its way up the North Toe River from Erwin, Tennessee...
.
At this location, in 1909, on eleven hundred acres surveyed from the top of Grassy Mountain, the "Switzerland Company" was founded by North Carolina State Supreme Court Justice Heriot Clarkson. Covenants in the rules included no alcohol and one house per lot.
The group filed a suit against the construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway noting that it was seeking a right of way of 800 feet wide and through the resort and were not paying an adequate amount. The suit was settled with the Parkway getting 200 feet wide access and paying $25,000. It is now the narrowest point on the Parkway in North Carolina. The access to the Switzerland Inn is the only commercial access road on the parkway. There were other skirmishes between the resort and parkway including the parkway closing the road to Kilmichael Tower built by Little Switzerland atop Grassy Mountain. Little Switzerland lost the fight and the tower fell into disrepair. Its base is still visible.
The group got the Carolina, Clinchfield, and Ohio Railroad to locate a station approximately 4 miles from the community. They built a toll road to it Etchoe Pass Road. The tolls did not last long although the booths are still visible. It is now NC 226A.
The original Switzerland Inn was razed in the 1960s and a modern motor court was built by William Cessna.
Its naming illustrates the gradual change in meaning of the 19th century term little Switzerland
Little Switzerland (landscape)
A little Switzerland or Schweiz is a landscape, often of wooded hills. This Romantic aesthetic term is not a geographic category, but was widely used in the 19th century to connote dramatic natural scenic features that would be of interest to tourists...
from an area of limestone formations to one of mountainous appearance.
Famous oboist John Mack
John Mack (musician)
John Mack was a renowned American oboist.Born in Somerville, New Jersey, Mack attended the Juilliard School of Music, studying oboe with Harold Gomberg and Bruno Labate and then at the Curtis Institute of Music with Marcel Tabuteau, the longtime principal oboe of the Philadelphia Orchestra.His...
used to hold an annual "John Mack Oboe Camp" in the community before his death in 2006.
Further reading
- Louisa DeSaussure Duls, The Story Of Little Switzerland (1982)