Historical marker for Yonaguska

Historical marker for Yonaguska

Farm buildings

Historical markers

Roads

Signs and signboards

An official sign from the NC highway historical marker program explaining Yonaguska stands next to what was known as Ferguson Field. The area is the site of Kituwah, the Cherokees’ first settlement, the Mother Town of the Cherokee, and is designated a National Historic Site. A ceremonial Cherokee mound, lying beyond the dairy buildings, was far more prominent in the 1940s and 1950s than it is today, although it is still readily discernible. 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

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

negatives (photographs)

eng

73201

Swain County (N.C.)

3.5" x 5.75"(dimension)

Picturing Appalachia