The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1883-12-22
A HIGH SEAT
IN THE SYNAGOGUE WHERE SIT
THE BOOMING TOWNS
Is Claimed by LenOir, which Gives Rec
son why she should Sit There-.-An
Interesting Letter about the Western
Counties.
!specta, Correspondence of the Chronicle.

son why she should Sit There---An
Interesting Letter about the Western
Counties.
Special Correspondence n the Chronicle.
LENOIR, y. c., Dec. 18.-THE CERON-
ICLE is making famous all the progressive
towns in the State. and think the turn Of
LenOir the ''Western Athens should
come In our grandfathers' days this beau
tiful town with its pretty French name
was one Of the important Western villages,
because it was al the junction OF the old
State road from Salisbury to Asheville and
the great turnpike from Lincolntor, across
the Blue Ridge at Blowing Rock Gap to
Abingdon. Va. When the Western North
Carolina Railroad was built this situation
at the cross roads lost its advantage and
the little town becoming isolated, lost it's
commercial preeminence and based her
claims for reputation upon being seat OF
learning; for here have always tlourished
some OF the best schools, male and female,
In the State, governed by ripe scholars and
leading educators. This fact has contrib
uted much toward the formation Of re-
fined society which has made Lenoir some
what more distinguished than her other
advantages might justly claim for her.
In the old days the stage coach was the
institution and the stage driver "a bigger
man than old Grant, Stage drivers, if
there are any now, why, what are they
more than the drivers OF buses? more
wonderful driver than he is following along
the same road from Lincolnton to Lenoir,
up the turnpike and over to Abingdon,
Va.-prosaic steam Steam is not prosaic,
however, but let that pass The railroad
is coming And that is what causes Le-
| noir to forget that the classic shade Of
academic groves is more fit for the retreat
Of dignifed philosophy than the invasion
OF bOisterOus enthusiasm. She does forget
| it and she reaches out for the old time su-
premacy. Living in hope of the railroad,
| she has for more than year been growing
and booming, and widening her phylac-
te res and bidding for business and trade,
and her enterprising merchants are max
ing her now rival OF all her sister towns
| on the w. N. G. r. r.
This railroad that is coming is the Ches-
ter and Lenoir Narrow Gauge, 10 miles
long, and will be completed on the 21st of
! March next. It extends from LenOir, a
town set in the midst Of one of the finest
| fruit, grain and tobacco sections of the
| State and at the Southern terminus of the
great Blowing Rock turnpike which is an
outlet for Watauga and Ashe counties, the
finest grazing counties in North Carolina
and the home of the apple and market
| trucks. The other end of the road, Ches-
ter, is in cotton country. The South
CarOlinians want our grain, lumber, ap-
pies, cabbage, horses, cattle, mules, bacon,
etc, and we want their money. The COM
| this fair exchange, which is no robbery,
an easy matter. That is the thing i'll a
nutshell
I said that the railroad was slowly fol-
lowing in the track of the cid stage coach
and that it will eventually cross the noun
tains | believe and so do great many 9TH
ers who have looked into the matter. In
| deed, already, before the road has reached
| LenOir. the Tennessee papers and the en-
| terpristng manufacturers at johnson City,
| Tenn, on the E. T., Va. and GA. r. r.
are asserting that they only await the adj
vent of the railroad to Lenoir to secure a
charter for a road from LenOir over the
Ridge at Grandmother Gap to Cranberry,
the Southern terminus Of a narrow gauge
road thirty-t two miles long from johnson
City. Their reasons for desiring this con-
nection is the great advantage of reaching
ing the seacoast by direct Southern
route. which will do away with the circuit
Gus winding in and out at present forced
upon the iron manufacturers of Cranberry
and johnson City. Another certain ex-
tension--after $50 long a time,'' that is
will be that across the Ridge at Cooks
Gap, Eastward from Blowing Rock by
way OF Boone, Watauga county, down the
Watauga river to Elizabethtown, Tenn.
The ultimate terminus OF this road, which
has charter and board of directors, OF
which DR.. w. B. Council. of Boone, is
President. is Wise county, Va, where are
situated rich coal mines. The owners OF
these mines, az we'll as the Cranberry
manufacturers are impressed with the ne
cessity for short, straight Southern out
let and have consolidated a charter they
possess in Tennessee and Virginia with
DR.. COuncill's road anu propose to build
as soon as possible. Built it will be, but
think it rather a question of time.
Why, then, should not Lenoir take on
some airs and walk boldly up to chief
seat in the synagogue, where sit the boom
ing towns of the State?
But, had almost forgotten to tell you a
few things [ know about these two great
counties of Watauga and Ashe. I have
just been over them, and In passing, will
| state that wherever you go you will fine
THE CHRONICLE. Well, our friends in
Ashe, while they have county rich in
minerals, and some mines in successful
operation, Ore Knob Copper Mine nota
bly,, are for the present not looking for 6
railroad. They are chiefly interested in 6
turnpike road across the Ridge through
Wilkes to Statesville. You cannot vel
! appreciate how much they are interested
in this question of roads unless you art
aware that the old Estate roads, tina
once crossed the mountains from Wilkes
have been allowed to go down, and are NJ
better than the common county roads. Ii
this they are not as fortunate as the Wa
tauga people, who have the best road il
2 the State, the Blowing Rock turnpike, o
, which that most progressive citizen, Hon
j. c. Parker, ex-member of Congress il
l this district, is president. Ask the East
! ern folks. who spend the summer a
!, Blowing Rock, of this turnpike is not tn
best road in the State.
! But, although the people of Ashe an
Watauga do not expect a railroad to b.
built through their counties Immediately
they have an abiding faith, and believe il
railroads, and think they will get one, 8
they will, ultimately. Therefore you ma
n tell the Republican who told you sin con
8 fidence'' that if his party would come ou
!, with railroad commission plank in thei
Is platform next year that they may just q
O well stay away from these counties wit
}, that doctrine, if by ''commission plank