Hewitt on the route

Taking the Train: Hewitt

Swain County, N.C.
Altitude: 1,900 feet

Text excerpted from The Western North Carolina Section at a Glance, 1912 (p. 38):

"Dropping down into the valley of the Nantahala River, Hewitt is nearly two hundred feet lower in altitude than the station of Nantahala. While not important in population, it is the location of talc mines and china clay workings that are being developed rapidly. In the valley country surrounding the village are some of the best farming lands in this region. Here, as elsewhere along the line of this Division of the Southern Railway, considerable lumbering is done. The talc industry is large. From Hewitt the Railway follows the valley of the Nantahala River, crossing the stream four times within a distance of five miles. After crossing the Nantahala, 33.7 miles from Murphy, the Railway reaches Wesser Creek, a small station which takes its name from the tempestuous mountain stream at the confluence of which with the Nantahala the station is located. Wesser Creek has its source in Wesser Bald Mountain, and is one of the most charming mountain streams in this section of the State. It is fairly alive with mountain trout and fishermen come from far and near to cast their flies in its waters. Within a few hun­dred feet of the station the Railway again crosses Nantahala River, turning sharply to the North. Just a mile further along the Railway crosses the Nantahala a third time, 34.9 miles from Murphy. Running down the East side of the stream, through a valley of remarkable beauty, the Railway arrives at Almond, N.C."

Hewitt in the 1890s

To the West: Nantahala directions To the East: Almond

Hewitt in the 1930s


Return to the Southern Railway Map for the 1910s



Text excerpted from 1912 travel guide, The Western North Carolina Section at a Glance. Issued by the Passenger Traffic Department, Southern Railway, Premier Carrier of the South, Washington, D.C., 1912.

Sources & Readings

  • George, Michael. Southern Railway’s Murphy Branch. Collegedale, Tenn.: The College Press, 1996.
  • Huddleston, Dale, ed. Swain County, N.C., Centennial, 1871 – 1971: Official Souvenir Centennial History. Waynesville, N.C.: The Mountaineer, [1971].
  • Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society. The Heritage of Swain County, North Carolina, 1988. Bryson City, N.C.: Swain County Historical and Genealogical Society, 1988.