Dillsboro, North Carolina
Encyclopedia
Dillsboro is a town in Jackson County
, North Carolina
, United States
. The town is a popular tourist location, at which visitors tend to stop on their way into the Great Smoky Mountains
. The town of Sylva
is located just one mile (1.6 km) east of Dillsboro and is the county seat. The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
begins in Dillsboro and follows the historic "Murphy Branch
" constructed in the 1880s. The population was 232 at the 2010 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 205 people, 111 households, and 45 families residing in the town. The population density
was 516.1 people per square mile (197.9/km²). There were 126 housing units at an average density of 317.2 per square mile (121.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.68% White, 0.98% African American, 3.41% Asian, and 2.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.98% of the population.
There were 111 households out of which 15.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.3% were married couples
living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 58.6% were non-families. 54.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 34.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.85 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the town the population was spread out with 16.6% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 31.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females there were 66.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 59.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $18,750, and the median income for a family was $27,188. Males had a median income of $20,000 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $14,365. About 12.8% of families and 22.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under the age of eighteen and 30.9% of those sixty five or over.
crushing plant, a chestnut pole yard, a chestnut corkwood yard, two livery stables, six general stores, a large hotel, and a shoemaker.
A rivalry existed between Sylva and Dillsboro in their early days, as the efforts of one town were matched by the other, and the two towns were very much alike, and the same distance from the then-county seat of Webster. But a flood in 1894 ended the milling operations of the Blue Ridge Lumber Company, and near the turn of the century, two back-to-back floods at a tannery
construction site in Dillsboro caused C.J. Harris, the owner, to move the factory to the present site of the Jackson Paper Plant in Sylva. This is why Sylva is the more powerful town today.
Dillsboro's population has declined over the years, mostly due to little new housing being built in the town limits and the fact that many homes are now shops in the downtown area. Since 1975, when Wade W. Wilson became mayor due to many write-in votes, Dillsboro has made a successful effort to restore many older buildings in the town to their original appearance. Unfortunately, several historic buildings were lost in the decades preceding this effort, including several homes, store buildings, the Depot, and a very substantial structure that once served as the town's school, Town Hall, and Masonic Lodge, though the school later moved in the early 1900s to a frame building that served as a school until 1951 in a residential area, of which little remains, which was located across Scotts Creek from downtown.
Recently, the historic Dillsboro Dam and Powerhouse were lost to restore the Tuckasegee River's ecosystem, though there has been little change in the river except it now flows over a stone ledge rather than concrete dam. Today Dillsboro is very much alive, even with the downturn of the economy and the departure of the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. The town is looking to be revitalized and it will surely change the face and identity of this town for the future, including addition of more parks along the river, new construction in the downtown area, and perhaps a more varied economy rather than the town's historic tourist-driven economy.
starring Harrison Ford
and Tommy Lee Jones
was filmed in Off The Rip along the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
. The wreckage set can still be viewed on eastbound train excursions from Bryson City
.
The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad was also used in the filming of the 1996 comedy My Fellow Americans
starring Jack Lemmon
and James Garner
when they stumble on to a charter train full of UNC-Chapel Hill fans headed for the NCAA Final Four.
The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad offers excursions that depart the historic Bryson City depot and travel to Off The Rip. This 4 hour, 32 miles (51.5 km) round trip travels along the Tuckasegee River, through the historic Cowee Tunnel and arrives in Dillsboro for a 1½ hour layover for shopping and dining.
Jackson County, North Carolina
Jackson County is a county located in the southwest of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2010, the population was 40,271. Since 1913 its county seat has been Sylva, replacing Webster.-History:...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The town is a popular tourist location, at which visitors tend to stop on their way into the Great Smoky Mountains
Great Smoky Mountains
The Great Smoky Mountains are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, and form part of the Blue Ridge Physiographic Province. The range is sometimes called the Smoky Mountains or the...
. The town of Sylva
Sylva, North Carolina
Sylva is an incorporated town located in central Jackson County, in the Great Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina, United States of America. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 2,588. It is the county seat, having taken over from nearby Webster in 1913.-Geography:Sylva...
is located just one mile (1.6 km) east of Dillsboro and is the county seat. The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad is a freight and heritage railroad in North Carolina with a depot in Bryson City. The railroad operates over the western leg of the "Murphy Branch", a former branch line of the Southern Railway....
begins in Dillsboro and follows the historic "Murphy Branch
Murphy Branch
The historically important Murphy Branch is the western most part of what was the Western North Carolina Railroad, later the Richmond and Danville, Southern Railway and today the Norfolk Southern Railway. The branch runs between Asheville, North Carolina in the east and Andrews in the west. It...
" constructed in the 1880s. The population was 232 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Dillsboro is located at 35°22′11"N 83°15′4"W (35.369671, -83.251114). The town's altitude above sea level is 1,975 feet (602 meters.)According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 205 people, 111 households, and 45 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 516.1 people per square mile (197.9/km²). There were 126 housing units at an average density of 317.2 per square mile (121.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.68% White, 0.98% African American, 3.41% Asian, and 2.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.98% of the population.
There were 111 households out of which 15.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.3% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 58.6% were non-families. 54.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 34.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.85 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the town the population was spread out with 16.6% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 31.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females there were 66.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 59.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $18,750, and the median income for a family was $27,188. Males had a median income of $20,000 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $14,365. About 12.8% of families and 22.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under the age of eighteen and 30.9% of those sixty five or over.
History
Dillsboro was founded when the Murphy Branch Railroad came to the area in the 1880s. In 1882, the first post office in the area opened. Called the Tunnel Post Office, it was named after the nearby Cowee Tunnel. In 1882, the postmaster, William Allen Dills, built a large home on a hill overlooking the Tuckasegee River, later the home of C.J. Harris and now The Riverwood Shops. The unincorporated village was called Depot, New Webster, and Webster Station until the state legislature had its name officially changed to Dillsboro when the village was incorporated as a town in 1889 to honor William Allen Dills, the town's founder. One of the oldest buildings in the town dates to the 1870s, before the town was officially founded, now serving as a barber shop. The building is one floor and was built on Front Street when the town was largely farmland. In a relatively short time period, Dillsboro became a thriving town; by 1888, it was the most important town on the Murphy Branch of the Southern Railway in the areas of Industry, with two sawmills, two clay mines, a locust pin company, a corundumCorundum
Corundum is a crystalline form of aluminium oxide with traces of iron, titanium and chromium. It is a rock-forming mineral. It is one of the naturally clear transparent materials, but can have different colors when impurities are present. Transparent specimens are used as gems, called ruby if red...
crushing plant, a chestnut pole yard, a chestnut corkwood yard, two livery stables, six general stores, a large hotel, and a shoemaker.
A rivalry existed between Sylva and Dillsboro in their early days, as the efforts of one town were matched by the other, and the two towns were very much alike, and the same distance from the then-county seat of Webster. But a flood in 1894 ended the milling operations of the Blue Ridge Lumber Company, and near the turn of the century, two back-to-back floods at a tannery
Tannery
Tannery may refer to:* Tannery , a facility where the tanning process is applied to hide to produce leather* Paul Tannery , a French mathematician and historian of mathematics...
construction site in Dillsboro caused C.J. Harris, the owner, to move the factory to the present site of the Jackson Paper Plant in Sylva. This is why Sylva is the more powerful town today.
Dillsboro's population has declined over the years, mostly due to little new housing being built in the town limits and the fact that many homes are now shops in the downtown area. Since 1975, when Wade W. Wilson became mayor due to many write-in votes, Dillsboro has made a successful effort to restore many older buildings in the town to their original appearance. Unfortunately, several historic buildings were lost in the decades preceding this effort, including several homes, store buildings, the Depot, and a very substantial structure that once served as the town's school, Town Hall, and Masonic Lodge, though the school later moved in the early 1900s to a frame building that served as a school until 1951 in a residential area, of which little remains, which was located across Scotts Creek from downtown.
Recently, the historic Dillsboro Dam and Powerhouse were lost to restore the Tuckasegee River's ecosystem, though there has been little change in the river except it now flows over a stone ledge rather than concrete dam. Today Dillsboro is very much alive, even with the downturn of the economy and the departure of the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. The town is looking to be revitalized and it will surely change the face and identity of this town for the future, including addition of more parks along the river, new construction in the downtown area, and perhaps a more varied economy rather than the town's historic tourist-driven economy.
Popular culture
The train wreck scene in the 1993 blockbuster movie The FugitiveThe Fugitive (1993 film)
The Fugitive is a 1993 American thriller film based on the television series of the same name. The film was directed by Andrew Davis and stars Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. The film was one of the few movies associated with a television series to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best...
starring Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...
and Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones is an American actor and film director. He has received three Academy Award nominations, winning one as Best Supporting Actor for the 1993 thriller film The Fugitive....
was filmed in Off The Rip along the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad is a freight and heritage railroad in North Carolina with a depot in Bryson City. The railroad operates over the western leg of the "Murphy Branch", a former branch line of the Southern Railway....
. The wreckage set can still be viewed on eastbound train excursions from Bryson City
Bryson City, North Carolina
Bryson City is a town in Swain County, North Carolina in the United States. The population was 1,353 as of 2009, a decrease of 4.1% since the 2000 census...
.
The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad was also used in the filming of the 1996 comedy My Fellow Americans
My Fellow Americans
My Fellow Americans is a 1996 American comedy film starring Jack Lemmon, Dan Aykroyd and James Garner as feuding ex-presidents. Lauren Bacall, Esther Rolle, John Heard, Wilford Brimley, Bradley Whitford and Jeff Yagher also appear in supporting performances...
starring Jack Lemmon
Jack Lemmon
John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III was an American actor and musician. He starred in more than 60 films including Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Mister Roberts , Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Race, Irma la Douce, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III (February 8, 1925June...
and James Garner
James Garner
James Garner is an American film and television actor, one of the first Hollywood actors to excel in both media. He has starred in several television series spanning a career of more than five decades...
when they stumble on to a charter train full of UNC-Chapel Hill fans headed for the NCAA Final Four.
The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad offers excursions that depart the historic Bryson City depot and travel to Off The Rip. This 4 hour, 32 miles (51.5 km) round trip travels along the Tuckasegee River, through the historic Cowee Tunnel and arrives in Dillsboro for a 1½ hour layover for shopping and dining.
External links
- Town of Dillsboro
- Visitdillsboro.org, Dillsboro Merchants Association
- Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
- Jackson County Travel & Tourism