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Wind Topples Iconic Grandfather Mountain Sign

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Architect Charles Hartman stands at the iconic Linville sign he designed for Grandfather Mountain. Hartman also designed the Mile High Swinging Bridge. Photo by Hugh Morton | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation.

April 1, 2014. The iconic Grandfather Mountain sign that served as a Linville landmark for nearly 60 years was leveled Sunday morning by high winds.

The large wooden sign, located at the intersection of U.S. 221 and N.C. 105, was constructed in the late 1950s and was designed by architect Charles Hartman, who also designed the Mile High Swinging Bridge. The pond surrounding the sign was built at the same time.

Charles Hartman (photographed), the architect who designed the Mile High Swinging Bridge also designed this sign for the Mountain. Photo by Hugh Morton
Charles Hartman (photographed), the architect who designed the Mile High Swinging Bridge also designed this sign for the Mountain. Photo by Hugh Morton

The dated structure fell early Sunday, March 30, as high winds struck the High Country. A weather station at the Mile High Swinging Bridge recorded hurricane-force winds throughout the night with gusts as high as 92.5 mph.

“The sign was an icon in North Carolina’s travel industry,” said Harris Prevost, vice president of Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation. “It was pure Americana — 1950s all the way. We are sorry to see this piece of history lost forever.

“On the other hand, the sign was old and fragile. Many of the wooden boards were rotting. It was a matter of time before it would have had to come down.”

For more than half a century, the sign pointed visitors to “Carolina’s Top Scenic Attraction,” a tagline coined by the late Hugh Morton, who owned Grandfather Mountain from 1952 to 2006.

Originally painted in vivid yellow and green, the sign was repainted in 2006 in tan and brown to better coordinate with the color scheme of the Linville Golf Club and Eseeola Lodge.

The land where the sign sat is owned by Linville Resorts, with Grandfather Mountain responsible for the sign upkeep and mowing.

The entities had discussed replacing the sign for several years, said Catherine Morton, secretary of the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation Board of Directors.

Morton said Linville Resorts planned to replace the structure with a different design directing motorists to various Linville destinations, including the golf club, lodge and Grandfather Mountain. The sign was tentatively scheduled to be replaced in 2015, she said.

A Facebook group formed Sunday called “Rebuild Iconic Grandfather Mountain Sign,” suggesting that the structure be rebuilt exactly as it was.

While Morton said she liked the concept of the 1950s sign, she said she knew reconstruction of an exact replica was not likely a consideration.

“I think retro is fun — and we want people to think that coming to Grandfather Mountain is going to be fun — but it’s not our property, and it’s not our sign to design or build,” she said.

Grandfather Mountain plans to keep and maintain a similar sign at the Tynecastle intersection of N.C. 184 and N.C. 105 for as long as possible. That structure is in better condition because it is more protected from the wind and elements.

The Mountain will remove the fallen sign as soon as possible.

“We are touched by the outpouring of sympathy about our losing the sign,” Prevost said. “For many, many people, the Linville sign is all they have known at that intersection. There is a lot of nostalgia associated with the sign.”

The Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation established to preserve Grandfather Mountain, operate the nature park in the public interest and participate in educational research activities. For more information, call 800-468-7325 or plan a trip at www.grandfather.com.

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Grandfather Mountain staff members said the sign was still standing when they traveled to the Mountain on Sunday, but it had fallen by mid-morning. Photo by Kellen Short | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation.

 

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The Grandfather Mountain sign outlived many of the surrounding structures in Linville. Photo by Hugh Morton | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation.