Bridge in Cullowhee destroyed by 1940 flood

Bridge in Cullowhee destroyed by 1940 flood

Bridges

Flood damage

A close-up of the bridge damaged by debris during the flood of 1940. Written on the negative is “D. 80 Highway Bridge Cullowhee, N.C. 107 © 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

72300

https://southernappalachiandigitalcollections.org/object/72300

Cullowhee (N.C.)

Jackson County (N.C.)

3.5" x 5.75"(dimension)

Picturing Appalachia