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Magical History Tour
Written By: Donna Rhodes | Issue: 2018/09 - September
It’s easy to get Highlanded. The region’s beauty snaps people up. Once a visitor takes a downtown tour, a hike to any falls, a drive through a covered bridge, or a trek to the historical museum, he/she is suddenly, willingly, and often permanently planted in paradise.
There are volumes of fascinating tales about the Plateau’s lure. From the Cherokee, to pioneers, to early settlers, to the visitors of today, the Highlands experience continues its draw. You can thank Ran Shaffner, author, historian, keeper of the region’s legends and archives for providing the inspiration for my monthly
historical accounts.
September’s magical history tour takes us back to the 1960s when Reeves and Highlands Hardware were the building materials’ HQs. There was no guarantee you’d get what you wanted there, but if courtesy were the stuff of which homes were made, you could build a mansion.
One day Dusty Rogers was purchasing something at Reeves’ check-out. A customer rolled in, mistook Dusty for a sales person, and announced he needed half a stovepipe. Dusty raised an eyebrow, but in the spirit of goodwill he headed to the back of the store yelling, “Hey, Joe! Some fool out front wants half a stovepipe!” He suddenly realized that fool had followed him to the office. Without dropping a beat, Dusty continued, “And this fine gentleman wants the other half!”
Shaffner shares another story about Jimmy Crawford, a real estate salesman/barber. One of the local brokers said, “No wonder he outsells us. He goes out and shows a piece of property, and then he offers the prospective buyer a free shave. When he’s got the razor right over the man’s Adam’s apple, he says, “You’re gonna buy, aren’t you?”
Shaffner’s got a zillion of ‘em, interspersed with 800 pages of maps, photos, documents, reports, legends, tales, biographical accounts, and more in his book, “Heart of the Blue Ridge.” Stop by the Highlands Historical Museum, Shakespeare & Co., or The Toy Store to buy your own copy and get Highlanded in
the process.
Visit highlandshistory.com, email [email protected], or check out The Highlands Historical Museum, 524 North Fourth Street.
