Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

Western Carolina University (20) View all

View from Silers Bald

  • hl_mss21-02_14_neg_1175.jpg
  • Mountain view looking east from Silers Bald across the upper end of the Forney Creek drainage. Clingmans Dome is just out of the photo to the left. Andrews Bald pokes out above the top of Loggy Ridge at left center. Further to the right, underneath the cloud, the peak in the background is Coburn Knob. The rightmost peak in the background is Kelly Bennett Peak. The photographer, “Doc” Kelly Bennett (1890-1974), was a prominent pharmacist in Swain County, NC. Owner of the Bryson City Drug Company, Bennett served as alderman and mayor of Bryson City, on the Swain County Board of Education, as well as several terms as NC State Senator and NC State Representative. He participated in numerous other initiatives and organizations. Known as the “Apostle of the Smokies,” Bennett was an instrumental figure in the movement to create the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He was also an avid photographer, skillfully documenting a wide variety of people, places, and events in Swain County and the surrounding area.