Yadkin • Valley PEOPLE North Wilkesboro Depot has a New Life

WRITER Mary Bohlen

Jeff Gould, the new Depot Man in North Wilkesboro says,“We are here to preserve the history. When I bought this building, I was thinking, we could make this the best depot in the State!”

Growing up in Hendersonville, NC Jeff often passed the old depot there but did not give much attention until one day his daughter said hey, Dad, come with me I want to show you something. It was the Saturday morning farmer’s market at the restored depot. Wow, says Jeff, this is a really good idea. Much to his surprise he ran into a dozen or more people he had not seen in years. The depot had become a gathering place, it drew people. He was impressed and the seed was planted. Time went by and on a recent business endeavor Jeff visited North Wilkesboro and passed by the empty depot. He said, “I was already thinking way out of the box.”

On a rainy spring day I drove by the depot and saw the OPEN sign and an open door. That was all I needed to pull in and meet a most interesting man that I call the Depot Man. He loves history and trains. I do too. Sitting at his favorite spot in the depot waiting room around the wood stove Jeff shared his vision for the future of the North Wilkesboro Train Depot. “This place is perfect, Think about it! People from North Wilkesboro and Wilkesboro, and all around – can gather – have events – experience their own history. Here, we are hometown.”

Jeff is thrilled about the response he has received from so many. People have stopped by to see the inside and asked what is going on, some want to share stories about the depot or donate items for display. When they see that the inside is just as it was years ago they all say, ‘Keep it like it is’. “That’s just what we are going to do. People ask me what are you going to do here? Is going to be a restaurant, antique shop? No, no, we want people see the hundred year old exposed truss beams, original plank floors, walls of brick that were made just down the street. It will all be open.”

Two things that identify Wilkes County and North Wilkesboro are Trains and Moonshine. The railroad was vital. This was how commerce and people moved. Here we are part of the blue ridge mountains where herbs and roots were gathered and brought to market. Trains shipped out apples, dried herbs, produce, leather, and furniture. Likewise it shipped in car loads of sugar for making the recipe. This was the moonshine capital. Trains and moonshine go together. They are a huge part of the Wilkes story and then with moonshine came Junior Johnson and the birth of racing. Trains and moonshine will be the focus of Jeff’s entrepreneurial venture. With hands pointing to different directions in the freight section of the depot, Jeff explained, “We have an apothecary venue which ties into the herbal story. We will have train memorabilia and train related merchandise. There will be a bottling room for moonshine. Mike Cox, our photographer, and the one that keeps me grounded and takes care of events and will be here to take vintage photos. Visitors can pose in the 1900s buggy or the beautiful Christmas sleigh. Mike is also writing a book about the depot that will be out soon, Moonlight, Moonshine and Trains. There will be open space for meetings, parties, dancing and weddings. We even have a butcher shop and grill so you can have your own personalized steak. On the open covered deck there is plenty of room for music and entertaining.”

A depot cannot be without a train so to solve that, Jeff has ordered a 1913 steam locomotive out of Fort Lauderdale to one day sit on the tracks by the station. This is a massive effort and will take some time to get everything ready. With a grin Jeff reminds us... “when it gets here, it will be on time.”

Visitors can come in from Charlotte, Greensboro, Winston, and Asheville to see the depot. “This will make a nice day trip. After they see everything here we will provide them with a map for a walking tour around town to see the old hardware store, dispensary, antique shops, the Record, gift shops and restaurants. It’s going to be a great opportunity for everybody.” “The people in Wilkes are genuine and that means a lot. We want to keep the town’s train history alive with the opening of the depot. It’s already started to be a gathering place. Stop by to see us.”

Yadkin • Valley PEOPLE

Shaped By Nature

as told by Heather Pressley

Shaped By Nature started in 2018. “Our goal was to bring nature’s beauty to people’s homes with artwork. We stumbled onto pottery through a pottery class at Missions Pottery. Owner Tommy Davis was so kind to encourage me to continue pottery by offering me a job at his pottery studio. He’s been such a big influence and has such a giving heart.”

After that Heather was hooked, one of her favorite things was being able to paint her art onto pottery. “I feel it’s such a great way to express myself. I eventually decided to purchase a building and try pottery on my own.”

One of Heather’s first students was her husband Chon Carlile and he fell in love with it just as quickly as she did! Their studio is located behind their home where they create and host one on one classes. They also have a web page (https://www.shaped-by-nature.com/) that they blog and showcase their work. “We get our inspiration from nature and want to encourage our love for the outdoors.”

The couple likes to donate and support foundations that support nature. A few of their favorites are Happy Roots and Three Rivers land trust. Their work is available for purchase on their web page, and you can also find it at Missions Pottery in Lexington, NC and at Seagrove Pottery in Seagrove, NC.

“Our plan for our little pottery business is to not only make a difference but to bring nature into people’s everyday life. We get so busy we sometimes forget to stop and appreciate the colorful beautiful world around us. Our goal is to inspire and expand our business. We are all about family and would love to build something to pass down to our two boys Aaron (14) and Austin (11) and of course, our little dog Red.

I was always taught we leave this world better than we found it and we aim to do just that one pottery piece at a time.”