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Building on a Legacy
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Banner Elk and Lees-McRae College: Building on a Legacy Together
By Karen Rieley
The historic Mill Pond, where Shawneehaw Creek and Elk River join Mill Pond
Rev. Edgar Tufts gathered a small group of young girls in his parlor 122 years ago to supplement the local school that only met in the summer. That represented the beginning of what is today LeesMcRae College, a four-year college that offers 25 majors and eight minors on its main campus in Banner Elk, NC, to nearly 700 students from 35 states and 24 countries. Now it aims to not only continue, but also top its long list of accomplishments in the next 100 years.
The college’s legacy intertwines with that of the Town of Banner Elk in forecasting a vibrant, bustling and yet tranquil small-town community for residents, Lees-McRae College students, visitors and those people living in the surrounding communities.
“Colleges that thrive have a unique market niche, are surrounded by a supportive community and consistently look toward the future with a strategic eye— Lees-McRae is thriving because all of these elements are in place,” said Dr. Herbert L. King Jr., president of Lees-McRae College.
“We share with Lees-McRae a long history of working together to support a community that is welcoming of others and a place to not just be visited or attend school, but also for many to call home,” said Rick Owen, Banner Elk’s town manager. “While the college has provided the educational opportunity and an unmatched learning setting, the town has provided the needed infrastructure for the community to grow outside of the campus and a community that students and families can feel connected to.”
Two recent announcements and other plans for the future portend major growth for Lees-McRae and the greater Banner Elk community. The purchase of the Grandfather Home property next to the college more than doubles its land holdings, from 460 to 940 acres, and the award of a $30 million Community Facilities Direct Loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development agency to renovate and construct buildings on the campus will allow the student body to grow from 700 to 1,000.
“Few colleges have the opportunity to literally double their real estate footprint overnight,” said King. “This acquisition of our new South Campus at Grandfather Home allows us ready-to-use space to continue to grow. It gives us the ability to strategically plan without limit as we position the college for a century-long trajectory of continued academic and student life excellence.”
The growth will benefit Banner Elk as well. The Grandfather Home purchase includes Wildcat Lake, a premier community asset and resource known as the local “swimming hole,” located on Hickory Nut Gap Road about one mile from Highway 184. The 13-acre lake boasts a beach, two picnic shelters, play areas and a bath house.
“We’ll continue to make the lake available to the community while using it for our students to conduct research studies on aquatic health in the High Country,” said Blaine Hansen, Lees-McRae’s vice president for planning and external relations.
“We also want to preserve the ridge along the south side of Hickory Nut Gap Road for the study of wildlife and our outdoor recreation programs,” Hansen added.
“The pending sale of the Grandfather Home property brought so many questions about the future of Banner Elk,” Owen remarked. “The property being purchased by the college returned an unknown future to the foundation of its past and another opportunity for ties to our history.”
The Grandfather Home property will also provide affordable housing for college employees. That, in turn, reduces the overall need for housing in the High Country.
The college recently began dredging the historic Mill Pond located off Highway 184 (Tynecastle Highway) to return it to its original depth. The pond, which is located where the Shawneehaw Creek and Elk River join, is one of the first sights visitors notice as they drive into the downtown. Residents, students and visitors alike enjoy feeding the ducks, picnicking, fishing, and viewing the waterfall that is a short walk back from the main road.
“The dredging will not only help the health of the pond in Banner Elk, but also
Wildcat Lake The Waterfall at Mill Pond dam
The North Carolina Building Today
Historic Image of the North Carolina Building
Elk River downstream,” Hansen explained.
The Elk River is a tributary to the Watauga River and begins on the northwestern slope of Peak Mountain in Avery County. It flows west/northwest through the towns of Banner Elk and Elk Park, and just before the river crosses into Tennessee, it drops 40 feet over Big Falls (also known as Elk Falls).
Preserving the college’s architecture is important as well. Three of the oldest buildings on campus built in the early 1920s are included in the renovation and restoration project funded in part by the USDA loan.
The ‘North Carolina’ building will house administrative and admissions offices, meeting and conference space, a fitness center and the campus “living room” available for the community as well as visitors to the college. The campus’s original dining hall, The Pinnacle Room, will be reimagined with updated bathrooms and kitchen so that it becomes a new gathering place, along with The Summit, both of which are open to the community as dining options.
The ‘Tennessee’ and ‘Virginia’ resident halls will be completely renovated inside with the newest technology and private baths, as well as safety and ADA code updates, while maintaining the original stonework.
Living out its motto, “In the Mountains, Of the Mountains, For the Mountains,” Lees-McRae focuses on health, wellness and conservation. The League of American Bicyclists, which advocates for better bicycling and protecting the rights of people who bike, gave Lees-McRae College a Gold-level Bicycle Friendly University award to recognize the institution’s achievements in promoting and enabling safe, accessible bicycling on campus.
“Our goal is to partner with the Town of Banner Elk to improve bicycle safety and expand our connection with the Greenway Trail for the whole community,” Hansen said.
Banner Elk has approximately 1.1 miles of greenway trails. The trail that loops onethird of a mile around the grounds begins at Tate-Evans Park downtown.
The greenway trails head in two directions from the park. The lower portion goes southward, loops around just outside the park and continues along Shawneehaw Creek and the eastern edge of Lees-McRae College. Just past the Mill Pond, a footbridge leads pedestrians across Elk River. The upper portion of the greenway follows the Shawneehaw Creek north from TateEvans Park and runs parallel with Main Street until ending at Dogwood Road.
Looking toward the future with a strategic eye certainly characterized Rev. Edgar Tufts, Lees-McRae College’s founder.
From educating a small group of girls, known as Lees-McRae’s Class of 1900, Tufts founded a boarding school for the girls of the mountain region, called The Elizabeth McRae Institute. Next, he added a boys boarding school named for Susanna P. Lees, who had been a generous benefactor. The Lees-McRae Institute was chartered by the state in 1907.
Lees-McRae Institute became LeesMcRae College in 1931, an accredited, coeducational junior college. In 1990, the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools granted Lees-McRae status as a senior (four-year) college.
Edgar Tufts was also the founder of Banner Elk Presbyterian Church, Cannon Memorial Hospital and Grandfather Home for Children and was instrumental in the beginnings of Avery County (once part of Watauga). He helped to establish a bank and even brought electricity to the village. Tufts’ vision for a progressive community—one that provides young people with vast educational options and residents with an elevated quality of life—extends today, with support from college and community leaders and the many people who call these mountains “home.”
Photos courtesy of Lees-McRae College.
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Lovill House Inn:
Building a Sustainable Future While Honoring Its Past
By Julie Farthing
Carport with solar panels
Less than a mile from the bustle of King Street in downtown Boone, NC, an historic inn with eleven acres of sloping gardens, a waterfall, and even a bear cave hides behind a stand of evergreens. Between these trees, a white swinging door opens up into a peaceful property that could easily pass as a scene from Currier and Ives. The Lovill House Inn, built in 1875 by Captain E.F. Lovill, is an oasis of luxury, sustainability and history. It was where the original state charter for what is now Appalachian State University was typed by William Lovill, under the direction of his father, Capt. E.F. Lovill, and the Dougherty brothers.
In 2021, the Inn was purchased by Joel and Tonje Olsen after a year of sitting vacant. The Olsens renovated the two story farmhouse from floor to roof to become a model of sustainable efficiency while paying homage to its 150 year history. I recently sat down with innkeeper Ann Alexander inside the dining room where guests enjoy breakfast, coffee and tea. Ann, also a graphic designer and chef, practices sustainability in the kitchen. Lovill House offers a farm-to-table, organic breakfast every morning. The daily menu may include a variety of locally grown produce, sweet or savory baked goods, a variety of egg dishes, and fresh cooked breakfast meats.
The Inn utilizes the High Country Food Hub, a mere half block down the road. The Hub offers the freshest produce, meats, eggs, breads, and dairy products from over 90 farms in the High Country. “I tell our guests the Food Hub is a great asset to us so that I don’t have to run around to all the farms,” says Ann. “The freshest produce and meats are right there in one place.”
Outside guests can cozy up to the fire pit, or have a moment of zen in the meditation garden. The original barn is also being renovated for extra event space in addition to areas on the grounds that are perfect for small weddings.
Plans are in the making to rebuild the chicken house and plant fresh herb gardens along with the flowers. Ann and two other of the Inn’s current employees just finished the Master Gardner program. “The previous owners were avid gardeners and there must be over 75 different varieties of Dahlias on the property. I envision an English garden look with texture variations. That’s the artist in me,” she adds.
Speaking of art, Lovill House recently hosted The Watauga County Arts Council and ‘Plein Air’ artists for breakfast and a day of painting. The Inn also doubles as an art gallery, as paintings in the common areas and guest rooms are for sale.
Each guest room features stylish modern farmhouse decor with amenities such as glass water bottles instead of plastic, and local chocolates. The bathrooms have refillable shampoo, conditioner and soap dispensers that are vegan and non-toxic from a company in Durham, NC.
Lovill House Inn is the first luxury commercial property in Boone that is able to operate independently from the electric grid (off-grid) using solar, batteries, energy efficiency and even micro-hydro power. The Inn has received the highest rating from the North Carolina Green Travel Association and was awarded the Sustainable Energy Project of the Year from the NC Sustainable Energy Association.
The Inn’s owner, Joel Olsen, introduced me to the power house, where the energy from the carport and guest cabin solar panels comes in as DC electricity, is changed by the inverters to AC electricity, and then used on the entire property.
“When there is so much sun that it powers more than what the property takes, [the system] dumps power into six tesla batteries that are totally quiet,” says Joel. “At nighttime, the batteries provide enough electricity—they’re still running off solar, but it’s stored solar,” he adds. The batteries also supply energy for electric vehicles that can be parked under the carport.
Joel went on to emphasize the uniqueness of the Lovill House Inn. “From the ground up we looked at how we could take a luxury property and make it more sustainable but at the same time more comfortable, and that’s the project we embarked on here. We talk about sustainability but the truth is that there are few houses in Boone that have sustained themselves since 1875. The whole property is a symbol of resilience and sustainability just in the fact that it’s still here. But now we’ve added these features that expose our guests to a higher level of comfort and luxury while showing them sustainability in things they can do when they go home, as well.”
For more information on booking rooms and special events such as onsite weddings, cooking classes and weekend packages visit lovilhouseinn.com or call (828) 270-0831.
Thomas Rowell setting wildlife camera trap
Where Are They Now?
Revisiting a Visual Storyteller
By Trimella Chaney
In an earlier issue, Valle Crucis native and wildlife filmmaker and photographer Thomas Rowell was featured as his work with Wildlife SOS of India was in progress. Since that time, Rowell’s focus has shifted a bit to include the “human animal” as well. His visual storytelling is one way he asks the hard questions; his goal is to reshape the dominant (and destructive) narrative into a more just and equitable story to help man’s survival and to protect the planet.
During the pandemic, Rowell became interested in exploring the solitude humans were experiencing and what it means to be alone. “I encountered solitude as I’ve never done before,” he explains. One of his latest projects includes 14 photographic compositions examining what he finds to be the most interesting species, people. The inspired work is now on display as a part of PhotoVille in Brooklyn, New York. Rowell entered the contest with nine submissions from which the judges could choose. He was thrilled when all nine photos were selected initially, and ecstatic when they later chose to print all 14 finished compositions from the growing body of work for display.
The process for Rowell’s inspiring work was to meet each individual in their own space, set up a camera to work automatically, and walk away. The camera could remain in place for 30 minutes or three days. Rowell liked the idea of his subjects being alone with the camera—he did not choose the shots that were taken. Later he retrieved the camera, sifted through the photos to see what happened in front of the camera and created a unique visual poem.
Speaking with this passionate young artist, one can readily see his commitment to the human condition and the current problematic state of the environment. Rowell maintains that his wildlife work is all related to people and how we coexist on the planet together. Working from Boone as his home base, he plans to create some work in collaboration with the North Carolina Zoo to study the relationship between the wildlife of the Appalachian Mountains and local people.
Coming from a theatre background and armed with a degree from the University of North Carolina’s School of the Arts, Rowell is skilled in many art forms and he enjoys using a full range of creativity to express his message of man’s relationship and responsibility to the planet and its many inhabitants. His work should be not only viewed and applauded, but considered important information for building a better future.
View Thomas Rowell’s work at https://photoville. nyc/exhibition/alone-together/, and www. brothermountain.com/alala
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