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Then and now
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The home of E.L. and Gertrude Dills McKee (top photo) was located on the corner of Main and Landis streets where First Baptist Church (lower photo) stands today. One of Jackson County’s prominent civic and industrial leaders, E.L. McKee was instrumental in the formation of Mead Corp. (now Jackson Paper). His greatest legacy in Jackson County is probably High Hampton Inn in Cashiers, which is now owned and operated by his grandson Will McKee. Gertrude Dills McKee, daughter of Dillsboro founder William Allen Dills, was the first woman elected to serve in the N.C. Senate. Western Carolina University’s McKee Building, which was originally constructed as an elementary and high school for Cullowhee students, is named in her honor. The top photograph was likely taken in 1952, when First Baptist bought the property from the McKee family. Baptists in 1958 constructed an educational building behind the McKee home before the house was demolished to make way for the sanctuary, which was completed in 1965. The large copper beech, which is prominent in the recent image, is also visible in the top photo. – Herald file photo (top) and Herald photo by Nick Breedlove |
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