New bridge in Cullowhee after 1940 flood

New bridge in Cullowhee after 1940 flood

Automobiles

Bridges

Flood damage

A temporary bridge has been put in place after the 1940 flood. In the background a pile of debris has pushed up the old bridge. People are standing around and walking. Automobiles have crossed and are about to cross the new bridge. Written on the negative is “D. 76 Highway Bridge Cullowhee, NC © K. E. Bennett 1940.” 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

Kelly Bennett Collection

1940

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

negatives (photographs)

StillImage

72299

https://southernappalachiandigitalcollections.org/object/72299

Cullowhee (N.C.)

Jackson County (N.C.)

3.5" x 5.75"(dimension)

Picturing Appalachia