Photo by Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy
On July 18, the Orchard at Altapass, located at mile marker 328.3 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, will present a program on Lost Cove, a ghost town deep in the Yancey County region of the Pisgah National Forest.
Once a sustainable town, Lost Cove is now a graveyard of abandoned homes and crumbling gravestones. It has been said that the town was established around the Civil War and was a thriving agricultural community. In the early 20th century logging replaced farming, and the railroad brought workers. Lost Cove was off the beaten path, almost hidden in the forest, with no electricity or running water, but it was just this remoteness and because the town lay on the North Carolina/Tennessee border that an equally thriving moonshine industry began. Neither state agreed on jurisdiction to collect tax revenues, so none were, creating a haven for illegal spirits.
Eventually, the timber thinned and railroad service that brought passenger trains through the area stopped, leaving Lost Cove residents even more isolated. It was an arduous eight-mile walk just for basic supplies. Rough or non-existent roads led to shortages and the final exodus. The last known resident purportedly left in 1957.
Fire in 2007 destroyed most of what still stood, but some structures, memories, and history remain for the intrepid hiker, using trails that remain the only route of access.
The program features Elaine Dellinger, a researcher who has spent the decades researching Yancey County history. Dellinger’s discussion runs from 5-6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 18, at the Orchard at Altapass, located at 1025 Orchard Road, Spruce Pine. A $5 donation is suggested, but all are welcome. The talk is part of a series called Heritage Thursday. For more information, visit www.altapassorchard.org or call 828-765-9531.