John and Laura Dorsey home

John and Laura Dorsey home

The house to the left was built by the John and Laura Dorsey, who owned the building next door, J. H. Dorsey. Their son, Al Dorsey (1893-1982) lived here after serving jailtime in the 1920s. The building on the right housed wholesale distributor Slayden-Fakes. The almost bare hill on the right is Bennett Hill and the photograph is taken from near the NE corner of the Presbyterian Church. B 384 is written on the negative. 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.

Bennett, Kelly, 1890-1974

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/

negatives (photographs)

eng

71035

Swain County (N.C.)

3.5" x 5.75"(dimension)

Picturing Appalachia