Blowing Rock in the Archives

BY DEREK HALSEY

The Blowing Rock has been part of Watauga’s history since 1889. While the town is old, the Watauga Democrat is even older as the county’s newspaper of record since 1888. Here’s some excerpts and photos that show what Blowing Rock was like in its early days.

In the Aug. 1, 1889, edition of the Watauga Democrat newspaper, ads were geared toward tourism for Blowing Rock. It seems that a lot of the accommodations available for rent in Blowing Rock 134 years ago came in the form of boarding houses.

In one ad, the Moore Brothers, W.V. Moore and S.P. Moore, claimed to be “proprietors of a first-class boarding house for summer.” The siblings describe their place this way, “Visitors, Blowing Rock has a delightful climate, fresh air and pure water, charming mountain scenery, and Telegraphic Connection with the outside world.”

In other words, even back then, they advertised a visit where you could theoretically work remotely with a connection to the worldwide telegraph wire. This was a serious matter, and at the time, it seemed that this latest new technology was critical for a town to grow.

Another hint of this 19th century technological creep

Before it burned down in 1926, the Watauga Inn was surrounded by cot-

The only that remains is partially seen in this old photograph’s foreground, and is now the home of BRHS’ 1888 Museum. Several years after the hotel burned down, in 1939, the property was sold to the town of Blowing Rock.