Mar
17
Fire at Tweetsie
March 17, 2008 | Subscribe to this post
Posted by Elizabeth Hull in Grandfather Mountain, Landmarks & Attractions, Tourism & Development
The first thing I heard this morning was the announcer on my clock-radio saying that the building housing the museum and gift shop at Tweetsie Railroad had been destroyed in a fire over the weekend. This awful news gives me a pang of sad nostalgia, as I grew up within earshot of the Tweetsie whistle—close enough that we could stand on our deck and watch the fireworks on the 4th of July. We went to Tweetsie pretty often (I specifically remember performing an excellent Ghostbusters-themed routine at the Palace Saloon with my tap dance class). The smell of railroad tar always reminds me of those childhood visits.
The good news is that only one building was lost; the bad news is that it was one of the original depot buildings, and contained pieces of irreplaceable memorabilia including railroad timetables and lanterns, photographs, and the boots, saddle, Stetson, holster, and shirt worn by singing cowboy Fred Kirby during his 30-year career portraying Tweetsie’s marshal. The Morton images below show Kirby in 1959, his first year in the role.
In the image below, the boy at center (in the tube socks) is Jim Morton, Hugh Morton’s son.
This last image, a cropped version of the original, shows Hugh Morton posing with Kirby (in his trademark red shirt with white fringe) at Grandfather Mountain in about 1963. The photographer is unknown.
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Links
- ArchivesNext - Blog examining archives and technology
- Biographical Conversations with . . . Hugh Morton - An episode from the UNC TV program featuring a one-on-one conversation with Hugh Morton
- Grandfather Mountain - Scenic attraction and nature preserve in Linville, NC owned by Morton from 1952 until his death in 2006
- Morton Biography from Grandfather Mountain website
- NC Collection Photographic Archives
- NC Miscellany Blog - Blog of the North Carolina Collection, Wilson Library, UNC-CH
- Posterity Project - Blog related to archives, history, civic responsibility, and open access to public records in Tennessee
- Southern Short Course in News Photography - America’s longest running photojournalism seminar, of which Morton was a founder
- UNC Libraries
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Cathy Cole from Tweetsie says they will open for the season on May 2 as scheduled. They’ve posted a statement and photos of the damage here.
Great info, i appreciate your kind way of knowledge sharing
Thanks, you provided here a an excellent info
Thankyou
Have they started teh rebuilding process yet?
Cathy Cole from Tweetsie says: “We have several very nice temporary buildings in place with the essential functions (First Aid, Stroller Rental and Restrooms); the roof, porch and Wild West façade which unite them are still under construction. Plans for the permanent replacement for the Depot are still in the early conceptual stage. We won’t be devoting any substantial time to planning until after the temporary buildings are completed and we are open fulltime. Construction of the permanent building will probably start immediately after the end of the 2008 season.”