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“It has been a long time coming.”

Those were the words of Avery Historical Society President Michael Hardy as he addressed a crowd of dignitaries, visitors and local residents during the dedication ceremony for the Old Linville Depot at Avery Historical Museum on Sunday, May 29.

After nine long years, even the rain couldn’t dampen the dedication ceremony that represents almost a decade of hard work and fundraising to not only get the depot literally off the ground, but to render the necessary repairs to restore it to its former glory days.

“The depot is not entirely complete. There are still more things to go into the depot, but we just ran out of time,” Tense Banks, vice president of Avery Historical Society, said. “We have more displays to go into the depot of the mines and lumber companies, and we are working on getting a video of the mines.”

The restoration of the depot wasn’t easy, and it took myriad people who had the heart for this project to make it successful. Mike and Susan Brown of Linville donated the depot building to the Avery Museum in 2007, and it took five weeks to raise the $14,000 needed to transport it from Grape Street in Linville to its current location adjacent to the Avery Historical Museum with its unmistakable caboose. In addition, prior to moving the depot, the Avery Historical Society had to secure permission from both NCDOT and Avery County Commissioners to place the building near the historical museum location, which was the former Avery County Jail from 1913 to 1972.

“As you can tell, there are not many places in Avery County to park a depot,” Jerry Turbyfill, vice president of ET&WNC Historical Society, said. “Our society has donated $44,000 to this project, along with other grants to make it become a reality.“

A number of dignitaries were on hand to take part in the festivities, including District Court Judge Rebecca Eggers-Gryder and U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, along with many descendants of family members who once worked the old railroad that served the area until 1937, with a flood washing out the rails only three years later.

Ralph Lynch, professor with the department of history at Appalachian State University, delivered the ceremony’s invocation, following by remarks from Hardy. Rep. Foxx, born and raised in nearby Crossnore, spoke to the crowd as raindrops saturated the ceremony, remarking of her close ties and love of Avery County and its history. Turbyfill took the stage to discuss the importance of those individuals who contributed time and finances to the make the day possible, but passed away before seeing the project come to fruition, individuals including Jim Bowers, lead architect at the start of the project, and dentist Jim Thompson, who donated time and finances to the effort. Turbyfill also recognized the efforts of Neal Stewart, whose health has been in decline and could not attend the ceremony and was represented at the event by his wife, Sharon.

Tense Banks addressed the gathering about the significance of the Old Linville Depot, and the purpose for the society’s tireless efforts to make the day a reality.

“This depot is to all the men and women of Avery County who worked on the railroad, all the people we have heard about who spent their lives working for the railroad, people who worked in the mines, lumber companies and tourist industries who made Avery County what it was in those days, and to the descendants of their people today who made it the greatest place in the world to live,” Banks said to the crowd.

Avery Historical Museum operates primarily from its sale of memberships, allotted county funds and donations from the public. All donations are tax-deductible. The society’s next project includes the restoration of its caboose, “The 505,” the last original Tweetsie rail car known to be in existence. The cost for the upcoming restoration is estimated at $50,000, and the AHS is selling walkway bricks at a cost of $50 each as a fundraiser for the project.

The Avery Historical Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and volunteers are welcome to assist as tour guides. To donate, or for more information, visit the Avery Historical Museum, located next to Avery County Courthouse, call (828) 733-7111 or click to www.averymuseum.com.

http://www.averyjournal.com/avery/old-linville-depot-dedication-ceremony-draws-large-crowd/article_5d9323c1-4f3c-599d-ba87-c1b8f8b88684.html