The mayor of nearby Banner Elk is quoted at a celebration of the E.T. & W.N.C Railroad finally making its way to Boone in 1918…"I remember when the only way a person could get to Boone was to be born there." Tweetsie, as she was known to the locals, opened up a whole new world for the town.
Daniel Boone, the town’s namesake, used a series of hunting cabins in the area as he was exploring and blazing a trail for others to follow across the mountain in the 1700s. You can still experience the time of ol’ Dan’l in the cabins at the Hickory Ridge Living History Museum.
The Mast Store in Downtown Boone resides in two buildings constructed in the early years of the 20th century. Many a memory was made and shared in the old Hunt’s Department Store, which is the main part of the Boone location. Its Y-shaped staircase has carried thousands of footsteps upstairs to find overalls and footwear. Today, it’s hard to find the old drain pipes for the sinks in the beauty shop once located inside, but what you will find is eager people ready to help you locate just what you are looking for and to share some helpful hints along the way.
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We Arrived on April 30, 1980
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On a cool spring day in 1980, April 30 to be exact, a young family arrived in the mountains of North Carolina. After a long drive from Florida in a UHaul and a pickup truck, they were about to begin their lives' work in an old general store. In this short video blog, you'll hear what their first impressions were ... in Faye's own words. -
Boredom Buster #3
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Who's ready for another diversion or two? By now, our new routines are, well, routine. Get up, make coffee, fix breakfast, send the students to school in one corner of the living room and set up the office on the kitchen table. We don't know about you, but it sure is hard to get the 250 steps per hour now because the coffee pot is a lot closer (and so is the restroom). This week's Boredom Busters will revisit a skill that many of us have let slip in the days of GPS (but it's still important), offer up a few podcasts for your enjoyment, and send a jigsaw puzzle or two your way. -
Grab a Bite at the Store
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Back 40 years ago, you couldn't grab a bite to eat in the Valle. It meant a drive to Boone or to Banner Elk or to Mountain City over in Tennessee. That is until John and Faye Cooper decided to open the Mast Store Deli. Sandwiches and soups were served in the back of the store. Here's a little of that story, including a bit of it in Faye's own words. -
Mast Store Memories: A Look Back at 1980
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What were you doing 40 years ago? The year was 1980, and the country was in the middle of the hostage crisis in Iran, facing a recession, and trying to solve the mystery of who shot J. R. Ewing. That’s the big picture, but what was happening in Valle Crucis, NC? Maybe it was a little magic. We’re stepping into our time machine and turning back the clock for a look at the rebirth of the Mast General Store.
