Alarka School in Swain County

Alarka School in Swain County

Roads

School buildings

This photograph showing Alarka School in Swain County has written on the negative “Alarka Creek, Highway, School building and grounds. A W.P.A. project, No. 1477-31-63-3560.” And “C-17 C. Bennett 1938” The building continued operating as an elementary school up through the 1960s. There are no electric power or telephone poles in the photo as Alarka got electric power in 1947. This building continued to serve the Alarka community until it was destroyed by fire on January 19, 1985." 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

1938

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

negatives (photographs)

eng

StillImage

73159

https://southernappalachiandigitalcollections.org/object/73159

Alarka (N.C.)

Swain County (N.C.)

3.5" x 5.75"(dimension)

Picturing Appalachia