Chetolah
Most Highlanders are familiar with the name Bascom. After all, it is attached to one of the finest art institutions in North Carolina – the Bascom: Center for the Visual Arts. The history of the name may be more unfamiliar to most, however.
One of the earliest and most successful businesses in Highlands was a hardware store built by H.M. Bascom in 1883 which was originally located at the corner of 4th and Main Streets where Sotheby’s Realty is currently located.
A widower from New York, Henry Bascom came to Highlands at age 28, with only one lung, seeking a restorative climate in which he could regain his health. His plan obviously worked – he did not die until 1942 at the age of 88 – having become one of the most influential citizens that Highlands has ever known.
Though he arrived humbly with his young daughter, Louise, only $300 in his pocket and the tinsmith tools of his chosen trade, Bascom quickly built a two-story business with a tin roof which became one of the first general merchandise stores in town. Dubbed “Bascom’s Hardware,” it also carried drugs, candy, meat and “just about anything you could put in a barrel.”
During the first month of operation, Will Duncan moved his boot and shoe repair shop into one corner and James Knight opened his barber shop in another corner – making it Highlands’ first mall of sorts. Bascom took great pride in the fact that no one could ask for anything that he didn’t carry.
The upper floor of his store was originally meant to be used as an armory, but he eventually rented it out to Mary Amanda Davis and her niece, Amanda Florence Coffin, which was a true serendipity for Bascom. The two women eventually played an integral part in Bascom’s life as he married Florence in 1887 and later built a large and beautiful inn for Mrs. Davis in 1889, which came to be known as the Davis House – one of the very finest inns in the South. The hotel was sold in 1923 and eventually became known as Lee’s Inn before being destroyed by a fire in 1982.
Henry and Louise Bascom
Bascom also became one of the first Highlands’ residents to build on Satulah Mountain when he constructed a beautiful two-story home on the ridge facing Whiteside Mountain in 1892. The Italianate style home was called “Chetolah” meaning “place of rest” in Cherokee and it still provides rest for its owners today. Over time, Bascom owned and developed much of the real estate in downtown Highlands. When he wasn’t pursuing his business interests, he took on the role as Highlands’ mayor, serving four non-consecutive terms for a total of more than seventeen years. Bascom’s Hardware Store lasted for over forty years until he sold it to George Marett in 1925.
Bascom passed away in 1942, leaving behind his wife, daughter and son-in-law, Watson Barrat. He left his mark on Highlands in many ways – not the least of which was the Bascom-Louise Gallery which was originally a room within the new Hudson Library to honor both Bascom and his daughter, Louise, as directed in the will of Barrat when he passed. That one room eventually blossomed into The Bascom: Center for the Visual Arts which many residents and visitors enjoy today.
A simple man who once came to Highlands for his health and rejuvenation, Henry M. Bascom left a legacy that will last for generations to come.
The story of Henry Bascom, and others like it, are told at the Highlands Historic Village which is open Thursdays through Saturdays, 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., and Sundays 1:00 to 4:00 P.M. The Historic Village remains open for the season through November 23, and admission is free. The story of Bascom’s Hardware and 16 other historical buildings in Highlands can be discovered on the newly created Highlands Buildings Audio Tour, celebrating the 150th Anniversary of Highlands’ founding. Visit the Historical Society website at highlandshistory.com for more information about the tour and the Historic Village.
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