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Learn about Ashe County.An Overview of Our History, Past and Present The Early Days It is generally believed that the earliest inhabitants of present-day Ashe County were the Cherokees, the Creeks, and the Shawnee. At Old Fields and other sites a few artifacts found indicate their presence, but there is no evidence that any of them were long-term residents. We do know that wars were fought among the three Indian nations for control of the area as a hunting ground. Among the earliest records of exploration by white people are those of the surveyor Major Abraham Wood. Major Wood led a survey party ranging west into the Virginia wilderness about 1740. Among other things, they found a river running north that no one had ever heard of before. The party named the discovery 'Wood River'. Later, for reasons now unknown, the name was changed to 'New River'. The most complete record of early exploration is contained in the the writings and diary accounts of Bishop Augustus Gottlieb Spangenberg who traveled extensively through present day Ashe County in 1752. Bishop Spangenberg was the leader of a Moravian party charged with the task of locating a suitable area of 100,000 acres to relocate the brethren from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The quit rent contract offered by the Earl of Granville specified the site was to be in North Carolina. But, there was a problem with Ashe County as a site. The French and English agreed that lands draining into the Mississippi were French and those draining east were English. Therefore, the Ashe County site was considered outside the Earl of Granville's lands and was, in fact, claimed by the French. The Moravian settlement eventually was established near what is now Winston-Salem. The Moravian Church has carefully preserved Bishop Spangenberg's writings and interested researchers are referred there for specific information. The Early Settlers Ashe County forms the northwest corner of North Carolina. Paths into the area generally followed the river valleys because these afforded the easiest access for walking or horseback travelers. Without question a majority of immigrants used the "Great Wagon Road" through the Shenandoah Valley and on into North Carolina through valleys that run northeast and southwest and the "Upper Pennsylvania Road." These early settlers were primarily of English, German, and Scotch extraction. The first dwellings began to be built about 1770. First were hunting cabins built by David Helton, William Walling, and William McLain. Hunting and fishing were excellent on Helton Creek and Walling Creek. So much so, that the men returned in 1771 and built their homes in the area. They are the first recorded homeowners in the area. Stout loyalists all, they encountered difficulties after the Revolutionary War and eventually pushed west into Kentucky by following the "Daniel Boone Trail." Daniel Boone provided leadership and inspiration in the area from about 1769 to 1790. He brought family into the area and settled them near Obids on the South Fork of the New River. The portion of then Ashe County that contained the trail blazed by Daniel Boone was subsequently severed to establish Watauga County. The Watauga County seat was named for Boone and markers of the trail have been established by the Daughters of the American Revolution. An interesting footnote to history is the short-lived State of Franklin. Made up of northwest North Carolina and counties in east Tennessee, the State of Franklin extended west from the crest of the Blue Ridge and must have included most of the present Ashe County area. This area was so far removed from government centers and travel so difficult that citizens received little benefit or assistance from their home states (North Carolina and Territory of Tennessee.) When the federal government called for states to cede their undeveloped western lands for establishment of new states it seemed a ready made solution to the citizens of this area. The North Carolina General Assembly approved cession in April 1784 provided that the Congress accept cession within 12 months. Unexpectedly, the NC General Assembly repealed this cession act in October 1784. Freeholders of what is now Ashe, Alleghany, and Watauga counties in North Carolina and the present counties of Washington, Hawkins, Sullivan, and Greene in Tennessee felt that the General Assembly had acted in bad faith by repealing the cession act before the year allowed for action had expired. But, they felt their cause just and right. The freeholders set up the State of Franklin on December 14, 1784 at a constitutional convention in Jonesborough. The convention adopted a constitution based upon the North Carolina Constitution and subsequently elected John Sevier governor in March 1785. A second Act of Cession was passed by the North Carolina General Assembly of 1789. This new act moved the western border of North Carolina from the crest of the Blue Ridge west to the crest of the Stone Mountain range. People in what is presently Ashe, Alleghany, and Watauga counties were left in limbo with no county affiliation. Eventually they applied for, and received, re-annexation to Wilkes County, North Carolina. The battle for statehood was abandoned by the remaining Franklinites in 1789 and their land area finally absorbed into the new State of Tennessee established by the Congress on June 1, 1796. The Changing Shape of Ashe County The present-day Ashe County has changed through the decades in significant ways. During its development, citizens have been claimed by four counties (Anson-original), (Rowan-1753), (Surry-1771), and (Wilkes-1777.) Also by two states (North Carolina-original and final) and (State of Franklin-1784-1789) and one foreign country (France.) Subsequent to re-annexation by Wilkes County in 1792, Ashe County was created by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1799. The county was named for Samuel Ashe, Revolutionary War patriot who had served as Superior Court Judge for three terms and had been elected Governor in 1795, 1796, and 1797. Many smaller boundary changes were made over the years but these details are beyond the scope of this overview. When created Ashe County covered 977 square miles including all of what is now Ashe County, Alleghany County, and Watauga County. Presently, Ashe County covers 428 square miles. top The Towns of Ashe County The Act which created Ashe County in 1799 contained requirements that a site be established for a county seat in the approximate center of the county land area. This was found in the town of Jefferson. A Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions was also required to be established together with the necessary public buildings. In November of 1800, the present site, a tract of 50 acres, was purchased for $100.00 from the farm of Adam Bowers. The Charter for the Town of Jefferson was granted in 1803, and for some reason unknown, again in 1854, 1915, and 1917. The Town of West Jefferson was chartered in 1915 and laid out around the new railway depot. Other towns followed along the path of the railway; Lansing in 1928, Todd in 1936. Warrensville and Smethport also around 1936. Other stations began to grow into villages with stores and other facilities during the same period. The Lost Provinces The idea of getting state aid in building roads took hold in 1887. Up to that time citizens worked on the roads on a rotating basis. A road out of the county to meet the Wilkes road system was impractical at that time because of sheer difficulty and cost of such a road. Therefore, it was decided that, with the help of state convicts, a road would be built from Jefferson, past Healing Springs, to the nearest railway terminal which was situated at Marion, Virginia. Trade relations and business contacts were established between Ashe, Alleghany, and Watauga counties and Virginia instead of other North Carolina locales. Hence the designation "Lost Provinces," a term still heard today in various contexts. Ashe County Today The people of Ashe County are still largely the hardy breed who walked into the mountains with a rifle, an axe, and a thirst for freedom. A self-reliant people; quick to offer help to a neighbor, slow to ask for it. Quiet and dignified, they respect the privacy of others and expect the same in return. Young folk leave Ashe County to earn their fortune so they can return to live among their families. Their heritage is important to them and is kept alive by tradition and story-telling. Some 23,411 people live in Ashe County today. This works out to a population density of about 55 persons per square mile (about one third of the density across North Carolina.) The median age of Ashe County residents is 42.6 years. The population comprises 11,359 males and 12,052 females. Our people are justly proud of our schools. We spend more per student than the North Carolina average. Our eight schools enroll some 3,400 students and maintain a low drop out rate. Our combined SAT scores recently totaled 1,009 compared to a North Carolina average of 975 and a national average of 1,013. This has been achieved with a per capita personal income rate of some 81-percent of the state-wide average. Some 38-percent of county land is in farms, towns, etc. The remaining land, 62-percent, is in forest land. Of forest lands some 98-percent is privately owned. If you would like more information, send us an E-Mail.We'll be more than happy to send you some informative material. |
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