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Long Time Between Drinks
Written By: Donna Rhodes | Issue: 2017/06 - June
When the governors of North and South Carolina got together to discuss the route of Highway 107 through Cashiers, a barrel of brandy and a keg of white lightnin’ juiced-up their judgment …for better or for worse.
Highway 107 had been known as the Winding Stairs Turnpike Road from Tamassee, South Carolina. This road across the Blue Ridge was built in the late 1850s just before the Civil War. Col. William M. Sloan oversaw its South Carolina construction, and William H. “Will” Thomas supervised the North Carolina extension.
As roadwork neared Cashiers, a debate arose. Should it turn east toward Sapphire, ultimately Brevard, or north over Cullowhee Mountain and down the Tuckasegee River? When things got heated, the governors stepped in. And what better way to discuss business than over a golden, butter-fried chicken dinner at the McKinneys’, followed by a few mugs of Mr. Mc’s mountain dew?
As the night wore on the governors sipped and made their cases. North Carolina’s governor wanted the road to follow the Tuckaseegee to link with Thomas’ Oconalufty Tunpike over the Smokies and into Tennessee. South Carolina’s governor said expansion of commerce would benefit his state if the road veered toward Brevard and the French Broad Valley.
But North Carolina’s governor was making the winning argument. He got the best of his opponent, who turned his face to the wall. That was code language for a challenge to a duel. Pressure was building. South Carolina’s governor was intransigent. North Carolina’s governor finally broke the silence by saying, “It’s a helluva long time between drinks.” They both broke into a burst of laughter, and all was forgiven.
Legend has it this was the beginning of the famous saying, “What did the governor of North Carolina say to the governor of South Carolina?
To learn more about the highways and byways of the region, visit highlandshistory.com, email [email protected] or stop by the Highlands Historical Society, 524 North Fourth Street.
