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Catch the Spirit's dream of permanent home comes true
By Carey King
If there was a turkey at the first Thanksgiving, it certainly wasn't bought at Ingles. And if there was pumpkin pie, it didn't come from Wal-Mart.
To youngsters accustomed more to modern conveniences than the age-old cycle of planting, growing and harvesting, that idea may seem strange. This Thanksgiving, however, leaders of an area non-profit are giving thanks for a $250,000 donation that will help them bring Jackson County's agricultural past back to the future.
Catch the Spirit of Appalachia board members, from left, Vera Guise, Ray Menze, Terry Michelson, Doreyl Cain, Irene Hooper, Niall Michelson and Amy Garza, are celebrating a $250,000 grant that will allow the non-profit heritage group to purchase a 50-acre tract on Tilley Creek that will be operated as a working farm and showcase for the group's mountain history and culture efforts. The 50 acres is part of a farm that once belonged to Guise's family; she and Hooper are holding a painting of the old homeplace that was done by Guise's mother, Britta Holland. The gift is especially significant in that in comes during the year of the group's 15th anniversary, giving Catch the Spirit of Appalachia's board another reason to celebrate,Garza said. Herald photo by Carey King
"We're going to have an actual living farm, with a real cow to milk, so that kids know milk comes from cows and not from cartons," said Vera Guise, one of the main forces behind the planned Appalachian Homestead Farm and Preserve.
Guise's family first came to Jackson County seven generations ago, as did the family of Amy Garza and Doreyl Cain, founders of the heritage group Catch the Spirit of Appalachia. Guise is chairman of Catch the Spirit's board, and together, the three have been working to make the idea of a functioning historical farm a reality.
For years, Guise has been thinking that no place could be better for that farm a place to grow heirloom plants and flowers, to house mountain artwork, to show kids how to plow a field and lead a horse than the land her family first settled in the early 1800s.
Vera Guise has collected historical documents including the original 1836 land grant pertaining to her family's former homeplace on Tilley Creek. A $250,000 anonymous donation will allow Guise to buy back 50 acres of her family's former land to create a working farm that will serve as a permanent home for Catch the Spirit of Appalachia's heritage initiatives. Herald photo by Carey King
Back in 1836, the Kirbys and the Bennetts got a land grant from the governor of North Carolina for 100 acres on the crest between what are now Jackson and Macon counties. Over the years, the farm near Kirby Knob grew to 225 acres, with some land acquired through a treaty with the Cherokee. It was all, however, sold off by the mid-20th century.
"In 1952, my grandmother sold 100 acres for $300 and a cow," said Guise. "Can you believe that?"
The $250,000 gift that came in two weeks ago from a conservation-minded donor who wishes to remain anonymous will allow Appalachian Homestead to buy back 50 acres at the head of Tilley Creek that was once part of that original farm.
"Now the challenge will be to raise money to create a farm in the bottom and to actively take care of the land," Guise said.
The donation comes with the stipulation that the property be placed in a conservation easement, a requirement the women say fits in line with Catch the Spirit's goals.
"That's part of what we do, too," said Garza. "We want to save our environment and preserve the ridgelines."
"Whatever we do will lie lightly on the land," said Guise, adding that adjoining property owner Kathy Ivey has also agreed to put her land in the easement.
While Catch the Spirit has worked to bring the project this far, the separate Appalachian Homestead non-profit will be formed to govern the farm. In many cases, the two groups will work together, as the farm will host Catch the Spirit's heritage and art workshops and showcase Cain's mountain murals.
The Homestead group will eventually hire Jeff Gibbs, Guise's son, to serve as caretaker of its programs.
While all that remains now of the original homestead is a chimney, Guise has a building floor plan that her mother once sketched out on a napkin. Once the home is rebuilt, Gibbs will live on the property permanently.
"He's got some of Vera's tenacity," Garza said.
The farm's barn, made of wormy chestnut, still stands. Plans call for construction of an amphitheater and maybe, a bigger barn.
"We want a big barn," said Catch the Spirit board member Irene Hooper.
"A huge barn," said Guise.
"So we can have a barn dance," Garza said.
If they can raise enough money for tents, the Homestead may hold its first youth camp next summer. For more information or to contribute funds, contact Guise by mail at 3446 Tilley Creek Road, Cullowhee, N.C. 28723, by phone at 293-1013, or by e-mail at aphomesteadfarm@aol.com. Garza may be reached at 631-4587.
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