Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

Western Carolina University (20) View all

Greetings from Asheville, N.C. Along the French Broad River.

  • wcu_travel-34.jp2
  • In this scene railroad tracks are seen curving away into the distance and paralleling the French Broad River. This card was cancelled at Asheville, N.C., on August 28, 1908. The 1916 guide book Road Maps and Tour Book of Western North Carolina, published by the North Carolina Good Roads Association (Raleigh, N.C.), commented that, 'Buncombe county is served by the Southern Railway, four lines radiating from Asheville in as many different directions, connecting with all parts of the country. Its passenger and freight service is unexcelled perhaps by any city in the country of twice its size. It has through Pullman service from New York, St. Louis, Memphis, New Orleans, Mobile, Jacksonville, Savannah, and immediate points.' The guide book also noted the extent of the road system in the county, and indicated, 'There are about 150 miles of paved macadam and sand clay roads in the county, with a total of more than 700 miles of permanent graded roads. An eight-mile stretch of asphalt-macadam road between Asheville and Weaverville was completed in March, 1916, this being the first hard-surfaced road built by county authorities.'