Branson’s North Carolina Business Directory
Watauga County, North Carolina – 1890
Area – 460 Square Miles
Population 8,160: White 7,751, Colored 409
Watauga County was formed in 1849 from Ashe, Caldwell and Yancey counties, and derives its name from the river that runs through it, which is an Indian name and signifies “the River of Islands.”
Boone, the county seat, is 200 miles northwest of Raleigh, and was called in honor of the celebrated Daniel Boone, who once lived near Holeman’s Ford on the Yadkin river. Population estimated at 425.
Surface: Mountainous, interspersed with beautiful streams; splendid water- power; soil rich, scenery rarely surpassed for beauty and grandeur.
Staples: Wheat, corn, rye, oats, Irish Potatoes, fruits in great abundance, and medicinal herbs
Fruits: Apples, peaches, pears, berries, cherries and a variety of small fruits
Timbers: Oak, chestnut, poplar, white and yellow pine, sugar maple, wild cherry and walnut.
Minerals: Iron, gold, mica, plumbago, silver, copper, with several mineral springs
| Town | Population |
|---|---|
| Aho | – |
| Amantha | – |
| Banner’s Elk | 50 |
| Beech Creek | 50 |
| Blowing Rock | 100 |
| Boone | 425 |
| Dark Ridge | 25 |
| Deerfield | – |
| Foscoe | – |
| Horton | 75 |
| Mast | – |
| Meat Camp | 25 |
| Middle Cane | 50 |
| Moretz Mills | 50 |
| Norris | 60 |
| Penley | – |
| Rely | – |
| Rutherwood | 50 |
| Saint Jude | 50 |
| Sands | 25 |
| Shull’s Mills | 50 |
| Soda Hill | 60 |
| Solo | – |
| Stony Fork | – |
| Sugar Grove | 150 |
| Sweet Water | 110 |
| Triplett | 50 |
| Valle Crucis | 90 |
| Vilas | 30 |
| Virgil | – |
| Watauga Falls | – |
| Zionville | – |
County Officers
Clerk of Superior Court: J. B. Todd
Commissioners: J. E. Finley, J. H. Mast, W. W. Presnell
Coroner: J. H. Brame
Register of Deeds: Manly B. Blackburn
Sheriff: James L. Hayes
Solicitor, Tenth Dist.: W. H. Bower
Standard Keeper: John Culler
Surveyor: L. H. Michael
Treasurer: L. A. Greene
Superintendent of Public Schools: I. W. Thomas
County Board of Education: T. J. Coffey, J. M. Brown, T. J. Adams
Courts
Superior Court meets second Monday after the fourth Monday in March and first Monday before the first Monday in September
Townships and Magistrates
Bald Mountain – John J. L. Church, A. F. Davis, W. C. L. Halcher
Beaver Dam – H. H. Farthing, W. H. Farthing, J. B. Greene
Blowing Rock – Nathan Harrison, Joe B. Clark, Wm. E. Elrod, R. K. Hartley
Blue Ridge – Jordan Cook, Thomas L. Day, C. J. Cottrell, J. B. Robbins
Boone – D. B. Dougherty, J. H. Presnell, T. L. Critcher, L. H. Michael
Cove Creek – Wm. B. Harbin, Jehiel E. Eggers, Solomon Younce, N. L. Mast, W. N. Thomas
Elk Creek – John R. Hodge, Isham Calloway
Laurel Creek – Benjamin Grier, E. M. Grier, L. W. Farthing, John Harman
Meat Camp – James H. Taylor, Thos. J. Ingram, John H. Norris, W. H. Norris, J. T. Tugman, J. H. Brown
Shawneehaw – Geo. W. Dugger, Geo. W. Brown, Philip Church, William M. Michael
Stony Fork – D. B. Wagner, L. G. Maxwell, William E. Green, C. A. Grible, J. J. Marlitz
Watauga – Henry Taylor, Charles D. Taylor, Joseph Phipps, Alex Townsend, G. W. Skeak
| Name | Post Office | Pastor | Denomination |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banner’s Elk | Banner’s Elk | –Hunt | Meth. |
| Blackburn’s Chapel | Elk Cross Roads | — Hunt | Meth. |
| Boone Chapel | Boone | — Hunt | Meth. |
| Center | Valle Crucis | — Hunt | Meth. |
| Henson’s Chapel | Mast | — Hunt | Meth. |
| Hopewell | Soda Hill | — Hunt | Meth. |
| Morris Chapel | Blowing Rock | — Hunt | Meth. |
| Antioch | Watauga Falls | D. C. Harman | Bap. |
| Beaver Dam | Sugar Grove | A. C. Farthing | Bap. |
| Brushy Fork | Boone | Rev. Mr. Sherwood | Bap. |
| Church | Boone | Frank Jones | Bap. |
| Cove Creek | Sugar Grove | Rev. Mr. Sherwood | Bap. |
| Ebenezer | Trade, Tenn. | Frank Jones | Bap. |
| Flat Top | Blowing Rock | I. W. Thomas | Bap. |
| Meat Camp | Moretz Mills | Rev. Mr. Canter | Bap. |
| Mt. Ephraim | Boone | L. Pipes | Bap. |
| Mt. Vernon | Boone | David Greene | Bap. |
| Poplar Grove | Boone | I. W. Eller | Bap. |
| Three Forks | Boone | Frank Jones | Bap. |
| South Fork | Boone | I. W. Thomas | Bapt. |
| Stony Fork | Stony Fork | I. W. Eller | Bap. |
| Church | Boone | G. H. Bell | Episcopal |
| Church | Valle Crucis | C. Moretz | Lutheran |
| Mt. Pleasant | Moretz Mills | C. Moretz | Lutheran |
| Name | Post Office | Denomination |
|---|---|---|
| Blackburn, H. B. | Boone | Meth. |
| Combs, W. C. | Boone | Meth. |
| Hunt, —— | Boone | Meth. |
| Osborn, G. W. | McBride’s Mill | Meth |
| Watney, James | Aho | N. Meth. |
| Farthing, A. C. | Sweetwater | Bap. |
| Farthing, R. P. | Sweetwater | Bapt. |
| Farthing, J. H. | Sweetwater | Bapt. |
| Jones, Frank | Zionville | Bapt. |
| Monroe, Gragg | Foscoe | Bapt. |
| Sherwood, J. J. L. | Vilas | Bapt. |
| Moretz, C. | Moretz Mills | Lutheran |
| West, Hiram | Blowing Rock | Adventist |
Hotels and Boarding Houses
Boarding – Boone – Dr. W. B. Council
Fairview Hotel – Blowing Rock – Wm. Clark
Grandfather Hotel – Foscoe – S. M. Dugger
Hotel – Boone – W. L. Bryan
Hotel – Boone – T. J. Coffey & Bro.
Hotel – Elk Cross Roads (Ashe Co.) – W. C. L. Hulcher
Morris House – Blowing Rock – W. M. Morris
Silver Lake Hotel – Blowing Rock – L. W. Estes
Lawyers
Council, W. B., Jr. – Boone
Green, L. L. – Boone
Lovell, E. F. & Son – Boone
Morphew, J. F. – Boone
| Kinds | Post Office | Proprietor |
|---|---|---|
| Blacksmith | Boone | John T. Sanders |
| Blacksmith | Boone | J. Council |
| Blacksmith | Boone | H. L. Huggins |
| Blacksmith | Watauga Falls | Benj. Baird |
| Blacksmith | Dark Ridge | L. H. Cook |
| Blacksmith | Stony Fork | L. W. Greene |
| Blacksmith | Stony Fork | Lee Greene |
| Blacksmith | Bamboo | John Hartley |
| Building and Contracting | Bamboo | G. A. Critcher |
| Building and Contracting | Bamboo | W. P. Critcher |
| Building and Contracting | Stony Fork | J. C. Winkler |
| Building and Contracting | Boone | Councill Brothers |
| Building and Contracting | Rutherwood | C. A. Grubbs |
| Building and Contracting | Boone | J. L. Kincaid |
| Coopering | Watauga Falls | A. J. Baird |
| Coopering | Stony Fork | Henry Church |
| Coopering | Stony Fork | J. Church, Jr. |
| Distillery (brandy) | Watauga Falls | Wm. Baird |
| Millwright | Blowing Rock | J. E. Greene |
| Millwright | Valle Crucis | A. Townsend & Son |
| Millwright | Stony Fork | J. C. Winkler |
| Saddles & Harness | Boone | T. J. Coffey |
| Spokes, shingles, &C. | Boone | J. A. Critcher & Co. |
| Tannery | Boone | T. J. Coffey & Bro. |
| Tannery | Boone | J. H. Cook |
| Tannery | Boone | H. W. Hardin |
| Tannery | Watauga Falls | Marshall Greer |
| Tannery | Watauga Falls | John Walker |
| Wagons | Boone | J. D. Council |
| Wagons | McBride’s Mills | – |
| Wagons, furniture, etc. | Beaver Dam | George Sherill |
| Wool-carding | Boone | Mrs. R. Norris |
| Wool-carding | Stony Fork | F. P. Trivett |
| Wool-carding | McBride’s Mill | Bingham & Co. |
| Wool-carding | Moretz Mill | A. Moretz |
Merchants and Tradesmen
Bamboo
Critcher, T. A. – Livestock
Vanoy, William N. – Livestock
Blowing Rock
Clarke, J. B. – General Store
Moose Bros. – General Store
Morris, W. M. – General Store
Boone
Bryan, W. L. – Livestock and General Store
Coffey, T. J. & Bro. Livestock and General Store
Shearer, Robert – Livestock
Dark Ridge
Brown, G. W. – Lumber
Hauser, J. P. – General Store
McGuire, R. F. – Lumber
Elk Cross Roads (Ashe Co.)
Hulcher, W. C. – General Store
Mast
Dougherty, E. H. – General Store
Dougherty, Harvey – General Store
Jones, J. C. – General Store
Shell & Marsh – General Store
Moretz Mills
Moretz & Miller – General Store
Penley
Robbins, Myra & Bros. – General Store
Shull’s Mills
Robbins Bros.
Soda Hill
Hodges & Adams – General Store
Stony Fork
Walker & McNeil – General Store
Welborn, Andrew – Nurseryman
Sugar Grove
Millivan, J. T. – Paints
Sweetwater
Greene, Lemuel – Lumber
Valle Crucis
Taylor, C. D. & Bro. – General Store
Watauga Falls
Phillips, J. B. – General Store
Thomas, Alex – Livestock
| Kinds | Post Office | Proprietor |
|---|---|---|
| Copper | Elk Cross Roads (Ashe Co.) | R. C. Rhea & Co. |
| Copper | Elk Cross Roads (Ashe Co.) | J. B. Miller |
| Gold | Boone | J. P. Connell |
| Copper | Elk Knob | Wagner & Co. |
| Flexible Sandstone | Stony Fork | J. R. Hodges & Co. |
| Gold | Boone | John Gragg |
| Gold | Boone | H. W. Hardin |
| Iron | Boone | D. B. Dougherty & Co. |
| Iron | Boone | James McGhee |
| Mica | Elk Cross Roads (Ashe Co.) | L. Ray & Co. |
| Mica | Valle Crucis | W. Voncannon |
| Silver | Beech Creek | Dr. Stewart |
| Silver | Taylorsville, Tenn. | Wagner & Co. |
| Silver | Middle Cane | J. R. Hodges |
| Kinds | Post Office | Proprietor |
|---|---|---|
| Corn & Flour | Penley | A. W. Penley |
| Corn & Flour | Triplett | Eli Wolf |
| Corn & Flour | Boone | J. Winkler |
| Corn & Flour | Stony Fork | D. B. Wagner |
| Corn & Flour | Valle Crucis | H. Taylor |
| Corn & Flour | Dark Ridge | Joel Trivett |
| Corn & Flour | Boone | J. F. Amos |
| Corn & Flour | Boone | W. J. Crutcher & Son |
| Corn & Flour | Boone | D. B. Dougherty |
| Corn & Flour | Blowing Rock | L. W. Estes |
| Corn & Flour | Mast | John McGuire |
| Corn & Flour | Mast | William Miller & Son |
| Corn & Flour | Soda Hill | A. J. Moretz |
| Corn & Flour | Meat Camp | Hosea Winebarger |
| Corn & Flour | Watauga Falls | Elijah Mast |
| Corn & Flour | Watauga Falls | Jackson Baird |
| Corn & Flour | Watauga Falls | Calvin Ward |
| Corn, flour & saw | Shull’s Mills | – |
| Corn, flour & saw | Stony Fork | A. J. Moretz |
| Corn, flour & Saw | Shull’s Mills | Larkin Calloway |
| Corn, flour & Saw | Shull’s Mills | W. C. Coffey |
| Saw | Boone | — Critcher |
| Saw | Watauga Falls | William Mast & Co. |
| Saw | Bamboo | Rogers & Co. |
Physicians
Bingham, ______, Amantha
Council, W. B., Sr. – Boone
Phillips, J. B. – Sugar Grove
Reeves, _____, Boone
Schools
Cove Creek School, Cove Creek, E. J. Blackburn
High School, Boone, J. W. Thomas
High School, Valle Crucis, M. S. Trivett
New River Academy – Horton – William Spainhour
Skyland Academy – Blowing Rock – Miss Pender
Valle Crucis School – Valle Crucis – W. M. Frankum
Teachers
Blackburn, E. J. –
Frankum, W. M. – Valle Crucis
Pender, Miss _______ – Blowing Rock
Rivers, Nannie J. – Boone
Spainhour, W. – Horton
Thomas, J. W. – Boone
Trivett, M. S. – Valle Crucis
Lodges
Elk Lodge, No. 373 A.F.& A.M., Elk Cross Roads (Ashe Co.); time of meeting, Friday evening after each full moon.
Snow Lodge, No. 363 A.F.& A.M., Sugar Grove; time of meeting, Friday evening after full moon, and June 24th and December 27th
Watauga Lodge, No. 273, A.F. & A.M., Boone; time of meeting, first Friday evening on or before full moon, and June 24th and December 27th.
Farmers
Bamboo – Hix Allen, G. H. Blair, John Brown, J. R. Brown, Samuel Brown, G. W. Carter, W. D. Cook, R. R. Cook, Jordan Cook, T. D. Cook, John Cook, C. J. Cottrell, T. A. Critcher, Jesse D. Harrison, Jerry Harrison, J. E. Keasley, John Lay, Willam Vannoy, G. L. Vandike
Boone – W. L. Bryan, T. J. Coffey & Bro., A. J. Critcher, R. J. Council, Jr., W. H. Edmunson, Jno. Elrod, John Gragg, Joseph Hardin, Mrs. John Hardin, W. H. Hardin, Joseph Hays, W. E. F. Lovell, J. C. Ray, Robert Shearer, W. W. Vannoy, Joshua Winkler
Beaver Dam – T. A. Cable, G. W. Cable, W. Scott Farthing, W. H. Farthing, C. S. Farthing, Elvert Farthing, H. H. Farthing, Dempsey Gragg, Adam Green, Lem. Green, J. B. Green, Adam Green, Larkin Green, Hugh Hagaman, Jasper Hagaman, J. K. Perry, J. J. T. Reece, Alex. Wilson, Walton Wilson
Blowing Rock – I. N. Coperning, Wm. Elrod, D. W. Estes, C. A. L. Holtzhauser, L. W. Estes, John S. Ford, Tho. F. Greer, Richard A. Green, J. E. Green, Jacob Klutts, Hight More
Dark Ridge – G. W. Brown, William Cannon, A. Cannon, Philip Church, Jas. Church, M. W. Church, A. B. Franklin, M. T. Harman, Ayor Hartly, D. F. Greer, Erwin Green, J. R. Gryder, Jacob Irvins, J. F. McBride, J. J. McGuire, L. W. McGuire, G. W. McGuire, Jr., G. W. McGuire, Sr., W. M. Laughary, Thomas Smith, Lazarus Trivett, Samuel Trivett, Joel Trivett, Joel Trivett, John Trivett, Jacob Younce
Shull’s Mills – Pleasant Andrews, J. H. Brown, Harrison Calloway, E. Calloway, Calvin White, James Church, W. Coffey, J. C. Coffey, W. C. Coffee, Wm. M. Hodges, Eli Johnson, Perry Johnson, A. B. Johnson, W. W. Lenoir, A. J. Mast, W. W. Sherill, J. C. Shull, John P. Smith, Noah Winkler
Stony Fork – S. J. Bishop, R. T. Brickles, Joseph Bunn, Bart. Bunn, T. R. Green, L. Green, W. S. Green, Riley Green, W. E. Green, E. Green, Alex. Green, George Green, C. C. Miller, Levi Morphew, A. J. Moretz, Isaac Norris, J. T. Solemns, D. B. Wagner, L. C. Watson, Thomas Watson, G. W. Watson, I. L. Watson
Valle Crucis – Silas Adams, B. F. Baird, W. B. Baird, Mrs. D. F. Davis, Joe. Cornell, Calvin Church, A. Hately, J. L. Hayes, A. B. Mast, Jim M. Shull, Alex. Thomas & Sons, Henry Taylor, J. W. Woodring
Watauga Falls – W. Farthing, L. W. Farthing, Jones Greer, R. E. Greer, Calvin Harman, Wiley Harman, Eli Harman, J. W. Harman, Adam Hicks, J. V. Reece, John Reece, S. P. Shull, James Thomas, A. Thomas, Filmore Walker, Simon Ward