A Year-Round Guide to Franklin and Nantahala

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Rosemary and Goat Cheese Strata

[cool-timeline based="default" category="90th-anniversary" layout="compact" compact-ele-pos="main-date" designs="design-2" skin="light" date-format="Y" pagination="ajax_load_more" filters="no" icons="NO" animations="none" show-posts="70" story-content="full" order="ASC"] PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS HANNANT, NORTH CAROLINA COLLECTION, WILSON LIBRARY, UNC CHAPEL HILL, GETTY IMAGES, STATE

The Life & Times of Our State Magazine

Carl Goerch
Carl Goerch

Born in Tarrytown, New York, our founder lands in North Carolina in 1913 and never leaves. After working as a newspaper reporter and publisher in eastern North Carolina, Carl Goerch starts The State in Raleigh in 1933, intending it to be the first statewide publication dedicated to the appreciation of his adopted — and beloved — home. In the first issue, he writes: “I do not believe that there is any other state in the Union of which the people are in as close and intimate touch with one another as they are here. The people in the Coastal Plain are interested in what the folks up in the mountains are doing and vice versa.”

Location, Location, Location
Location, Location, Location

The first The State office lives in the heart of downtown Raleigh on Salisbury Street — you can find editors and writers cranking out a weekly magazine in The Lawyers Building, which also serves as the entrance and lobby into the famed State Theatre. The building was constructed in the 1920s, and the tops of the walls are lined with intricate scroll carvings.

Volume 1, Number 1
Volume 1, Number 1

June 3, 1933: The first issue launches, giving readers 24 pages that foretell our spirit of editorial celebration. Positive stories delve into the state’s robust strawberry market — “The market at Chadbourn has shipped a total of 180,000 crates” — and the expected summer crowds at Atlantic Beach — “The casino contains an excellent dance floor, which will enable dancers to enjoy themselves at all hours of the day and night.” Full-page advertisers include Duke Power Company, Wachovia Bank and Trust, and Carolina Telephone & Telegraph.

North Carolina Is Coming Back

Newly elected Gov. J.C.B. Ehringhaus pens an editorial called “North Carolina Is Coming Back.” It sets a tone of optimism during tumultuous economic times.

 

“As Governor of our great state … it is my opinion that so far as North Carolina is concerned, we have already crossed the dangerous seas of business depression and are once more sailing in smooth waters and in a safe bay.”

The Lost Colony Premieres
The Lost Colony Premieres

On the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the landing of the first English colonists, we write: “It is not often that a place the size and scope of Roanoke Island is called upon to entertain a President of the United States and to have in its midst a playwright and author of the eminence of Paul Green of Chapel Hill, who is now putting all of his time and effort on a new pageant-drama, The Lost Colony, which will be presented for the first time on the sandy shore near Fort Raleigh where the first English settlers landed in the wilderness of a New World three centuries ago.”

At the World’s Fair
At the World’s Fair

A note from Gov. Clyde Hoey appears in this special edition, announcing that copies of the magazine will be distributed in the North Carolina building during the New York World’s Fair. “Many of these copies will undoubtedly fall into the hands of people who have comparatively little knowledge of our great state. They will not be disappointed in the cordial hospitality which they will find awaiting them.”

A Mountain-Top Declaration
A Mountain-Top Declaration

President Roosevelt makes a visit to the Tennessee-North Carolina boundary at Newfound Gap to dedicate the Great Smoky Mountains National Park “for the permanent enjoyment of the people.” Under the headline “Now Go See the Park,” Goerch writes: “We believe the citizens of North Carolina will take a greater pride in and will have a greater love for their state after they have seen the scenic wonders of the mountains.”

In the Army Now

In a four-page feature, Carl Goerch relays his awe over visiting Fayetteville and Fort Bragg: “You can’t even begin to imagine what a bustling place it is. What two months ago was a densely wooded tract of land is now a tented city, honeycombed with roads, electric light lines, water mains, telephone facilities, mess halls, and other utilities essential to an army division.”

Gertrude Carraway
Gertrude Carraway

The magazine never has an official military correspondent, but Gertrude Carraway comes close. The New Bern native files weekly stories about life at Army training camps, Tar Heel war leaders, and the USO at Christmastime.

Watching Washington

The United States enters World War II, and a column called “Watching Washington: News from the National Capital of Interest to Carolinians” becomes a prominent weekly feature. In our December 20, 1941, issue, a writer reflects on how “overnight the war wrought an electrifying change … When Hitler marched into the Rhineland and got away with it, this writer began to fear the worst. The worst has come to pass.”

The War is Over
The War is Over

“Merely a Woman’s Opinion” is a column written by the publishers’ wives, each adopting the pseudonym “Carol Dare.” At war’s end, the column congratulates war organizations, merchants, and food dealers for “the really grand job they have done for us during the emergency. I think the dairymen of North Carolina need an extra pat on the back for keeping milk on our doorsteps without rationing or cessation for the duration. It was a signal triumph.”

Burning Rubber

A nationwide “Victory Speed Limit” of 35 miles per hour, instated in an effort to conserve gasoline and rubber during the war, ends in August 1945. One month later, in his column “Random Shots,” John G. Bragaw speculates: “By the time this is set in type, Governor Gregg Cherry may have proclaimed a change in the legal speed limit for automobiles in North Carolina. He may have upped it to 45 miles per hour, or 50, or 60. I hope not … In any event, I think I shall stick to the 35-mile limit.”

West to East
West to East

Bill Sharpe joins Carl Goerch as copublisher, bringing with him his “Manteo to Murphy” column, in which he documents his travels across North Carolina. The name changes to “Murphy to Manteo.” Goerch explains that “the change is not made to improve euphony, but when you read from left to right, as most people do, you read from west to east.”

Our First-Annual Vacation Guides

This year, we present our first annual mountain and coastal vacation guides. These collections of activities are for North Carolinians, or out-of-towners, who want to plan their own trip to the “highlands” or beaches. Craggy Gardens, Lake Waccamaw, Roan Mountain, and Kitty Hawk are just a few of the places we cover — something tells us this will be a series that is fruitful for many years to come.

NC Nationwide

In 1954, The State reaches subscribers in every state. We tell readers that “every so often, we have to write up a report for the post office, showing destinations of the magazines we mail. Last year, all the state blanks were filled in. There are 33 overseas subscribers.”

A New View
A New View

The National Parks Service takes over the Linville Falls area, and Chester Davis describes the falls and trail built with a new vantage point: “You can look down into this wild place from a dozen vantage points above. But when it is seen from above, the immediacy of its wildness is lost. In the gorge, at the foot of the falls where the roar of the falling water is loud, all the wildness is there and you are a part of it.”

Ready to Roll
Ready to Roll

The “Vacation Issue” introduces readers to North Carolina travel opportunities as, in the past five years, new roads have “opened entirely new possibilities for the vacationist — single, couples, or families. There are brand-new resorts; modern hotels and motels; a large, large improvement in food and service. More mountaintops, waterfalls, fishing streams, lakes, beaches, piers, and historic points have been made available.”

Coastal Comeback

Folks are eager to spend time on the coast, even after Hurricane Hazel. We advise readers to “make arrangements for cottages as early as possible.” In fact, “reservations, rentals, and bids on beach property were brisker than at any time [businessmen] remembered. People who never come to the beach were showing up in droves.” As one observer notes, “People still like to dangle their feet in the Atlantic Ocean.”

Tweetsie’s Home Track

In our November 5, 1955 issue, we highlight how Tweetsie “may come home after all,” thanks to Grover Robbins Jr. of Blowing Rock. We note that Robbins purchased the train from Gene Autry, who briefly owned it for a film, and plans to build a track “somewhere in the mountains” for tourist-friendly scenic excursions.

Tryon Palace, Renewed
Tryon Palace, Renewed

A sneak peek at Tryon Palace’s reopening appears in the “Trip of the Week” column. “At historic New Bern ‘the most beautiful building in Colonial America’ has risen like a phoenix from its charred foundations and will be open to the public on April 10.”

Building Higher
Building Higher

A recurring section, “Construction in North Carolina,” and column, “Strictly Constructive,” report on the state’s newest buildings, businesses, and infrastructure. A 1960 issue highlights High Point’s “sleek new furniture plaza,” ongoing construction in Durham’s Research Triangle Park, and the completion of the “highest construction project in Eastern America” — the new observation tower on the crest of Mount Mitchell.

100 Milestones

We think that 1960 is the best travel year yet thanks to a record-breaking tobacco crop, a new level of industrial expansion, and rising incomes. Leaders in each county, from woodworkers to garment makers, answer this question in our 100 Milestones issue: “What were the most encouraging developments in your county this year?”

Upward Slopes

In the February 2, 1963, issue, The State heralds the arrival of skiing — with resorts at Blowing Rock and Cataloochee Ranch — as a “new industry.” “North Carolina’s first experiments in the winter sports resort business are getting along all right. They’d get along a lot better with more appropriate weather.”

Geometry & Geography
Geometry & Geography

What exactly is the Triangle? In 1963, editors of The State aren’t totally sure, so they ask an expert to report in “Triangle Explained.” A sidebar to the story reads, “Not long ago, one of our subscribers asked these questions: ‘Who owns the Research Triangle?’ ‘Who runs it?’ ‘What does it do?’ We found ourselves about as foggy as the subscriber.”

High Voltage

Bill Sharpe reports on Duke Power’s facilities on the shores of the newly created Lake Norman: “A billion-dollar gamble on North Carolina’s future not only has paid off. The power industry is already betting another billion that industrial growth of this state will continue and be accelerated in the decade ahead.”

Longing for Lighthouses

People are traveling just up the road, making day-long trips, and taking vacations to visit North Carolina’s lighthouses. Whaleshead Light in Currituck is on the April 1966 cover, and Carteret County’s Cape Lookout is featured in April 1967. Bill Sharpe writes, “Millions of people who have never even heard of Cape Lookout Lighthouse will be visiting it in the years to come.”

Crossing Into a New Decade
Crossing Into a New Decade

After more than three years of construction, the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge opens to traffic in October 1969. One month later, photographer Hugh Morton’s photo of the new gateway to Wilmington makes our cover. The modern bridge serves as an icon of the fast-growing city, a connection to the rest of the state, and a promise of big things to come.

A Call for Cleanliness

One “Merely a Woman’s Opinion” column suggests an idea for improvement in the new decade: “All over North Carolina there is a revival of interest in arts and in crafts of all kinds … new concepts of landscaping are seen everywhere. But who wants to drive through trash up to the hubcaps to get to see these beauties? My hope for this decade of the ’70s in North Carolina is cleanliness, which is said to be next to godliness.”

Now Monthly

Originally released weekly, The State now changes from a biweekly to a monthly publication.

Falling in Love With the Mountains

We feature Col. Mitchell Wolfson, a protector of Beaverdam Valley, in a story about love and preservation, a sentiment captured in the opening line: “Mountain men fall in love with their mountains. Sometimes their love centers on a great peak or significant valley. They mother and protect it, even fight for it when necessary.”

Parks Emerge
Parks Emerge

Moyock resident A.B. Coleman donates 1,065 acres of Gates County land to create Merchants Millpond State Park. The State reports on the event, calling the new park “a fairyland of beauty you’ll soon be able to visit.” Coleman believes that “we must save [the land] for future generations to see, study, and enjoy. A state park would preserve the area in its natural state, protecting it from overdevelopment and commercialization.”

The New Zoo
The New Zoo

The first phase of construction of the 1,371-acre North Carolina Zoo in Randolph County is complete. The land where the facility sits, initially known as Purgatory Mountain, welcomes animal additions often. The State introduces North Carolinians to a few new residents, including an 8-month-old giraffe, a 250-pound African gorilla, and a female rhinoceros from Kenya.

Protector of the Woodpeckers

In the February 1977 issue, we detail the story of Barbara Lee, a woman who spends her early mornings and late nights in Uwharrie National Forest looking for red-cockaded woodpecker nesting holes. She has traveled over 40,000 acres of land solo, inspecting short-leaf pines and marking nesting trees — her dedication to this practice enables tree-cutters to avoid nesting sites.

Preserving Weymouth
Preserving Weymouth

One of our most celebrated cultural centers, the Weymouth estate, is nearly lost when it’s willed to a local community college in 1974. “Just when it seemed that James Boyd’s homeplace was to go under the bulldozers, a group of interested Sandhills citizens was galvanized into action.” The Friends of Weymouth, Inc., forms and purchases the home and grounds to restore the property to its original glory. The nonprofit maintains Weymouth’s park trails and facilities and continues to promote conservation.

Where ’Cue is King
Where ’Cue is King

In North Carolina, barbecue isn’t just a method of cooking. In March, we write that our state is “the only state in the union where barbecue is a noun,” meaning “pork, pit-cooked over coals and delicately seasoned with that unique sauce — and some of the best comes from Goldsboro.” Our “Knife and Fork” column proclaims that Wilber’s Barbecue “is crowded at mealtimes and sometimes in between, and the quiet is not nearly as golden as the hush puppies.”

Save the Lighthouse!
Save the Lighthouse!

The image of Cape Hatteras Light on the cover of a 1981 issue shows how “swirling seas on the south side, immediately in front of the historic structure, have cut to within 100 feet of the lighthouse’s foundation.” A campaign to raise $1 million to move the lighthouse begins in late 1980; the project concludes in 1999 at a total cost of $11.8 million.

Hollywood East
Hollywood East

Wilmington gains its reputation as a movie city when the production of the movie Firestarter, starring 7-year-old Drew Barrymore, comes to town. We detail how Wimingtonians navigate traffic during filming days, and how the movie studio is set to be the second largest in the country. Many years later, Philip Gerad writes about “Hollywood East” in his decades series. Check it out here.

Painting NC
Painting NC

In a cabin turned studio in Lexington, the prolific artist Bob Timberlake captures the natural beauty of our state on canvas. Two of his paintings become covers of The State in the ’80s. We reflect on how “his realistic paintings are composed of intricate details and warm textures that seem to strike common chords in viewers. Though drawn from a distinctly rural North Carolina, the paintings’ appeal extends far beyond the state’s boundaries.”

The Parkway is Complete
The Parkway is Complete

Photographer Hugh Morton shoots the image of the iconic Linn Cove Viaduct that appears on the cover of The State to celebrate the completion of the final section of the Blue Ridge Parkway. “The Linn Cove Viaduct curves for 1,243 feet, hugging the sides of Grandfather Mountain, scarcely scratching its ancient rocks and forests. An engineering marvel, shaped by computers and lasers, it is the crowning jewel of the Blue Ridge Parkway’s final link.”

Wilmington, Meet Barstow

A decade of exciting changes for North Carolina — and this magazine — opens with a reaffirmation of our reputation as “the Good Roads State.” Wilmington, freshly minted as the eastern terminus of Interstate 40, sends a delegation to its western counterpart in Barstow, California, carrying a letter from Gov. James G. Martin, a license plate, and “other Tar Heel memorabilia.” Reporting on the visit, we write, “Who says friendships can’t be forged over 2,000 miles?” Meanwhile, our February 1990 issue recognizes a milestone on the western end of the state: The Blue Ridge Parkway welcomes its 500-millionth visitor.

Planting Seeds

Green-thumbed readers rejoice to find a new column: “Tar Heel Gardener” by L.A. Jackson. From the first entry — on saving seeds from this year’s harvest for next year’s garden — “Tar Heel Gardener” is a hit, and it continues to run for 20 years. Jackson joins a growing chorus of beloved voices, including longtime contributor Billy Arthur, food columnist Edie Low, and quiz author Alan Hodge, then a reference assistant for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Library. “Like the dozens of people he helps every day,” we write, introducing Hodge in February 1991, “we’ve found him to be a walking fountain of information.”

A New Chapter
A New Chapter

Several months after purchasing The State in April, Publisher Bernie Mann makes a big announcement:

 

“For 63 years this magazine has told wonderful stories about people and places that make up our state. We thought, therefore, that a more fitting and descriptive title for this magazine would be Our State. This small change may not mean much to longtime readers who often just call this ‘State Magazine.’ But Our State is a much warmer and friendlier title that says without any confusion what this magazine is about.”

The Faces Behind the Pages

In the June 1996 issue, Our State begins putting a stronger emphasis on photography and on highlighting the writers who bring “real personality to their prose.” This provides a chance for readers to get to know the people who make the magazine possible.

In Living Color
In Living Color

In the mid-’90s, the black-and-white pages of the magazine burst into color, gradually devoting more real estate to the visual storytelling that becomes a hallmark of Our State. An eight-page “photographic essay” on wildflowers provides an early blueprint for the lush 20-page photo essays eventually featured in every issue. Why the change? As then-editor Scott Smith puts it in October 1996, it’s all about bringing our passion for North Carolina to the page. “No longer is it going to be done largely through words,” he writes. “The pictures will provide an equal partner.”

A Veteran Revisits USS North Carolina
A Veteran Revisits USS North Carolina

The September 11 terrorist attacks remind us of our patriotic debt to those who have fought for our freedom aboard ships like the USS North Carolina. We feature one man’s connection with the warship: “Charles Paty’s eyes grow soft when he talks about the ship and how much it means to him. ‘I love the old thing. It was a safe home and got me back from the war.’”

Heroes of North Carolina

This special edition profiles 13 North Carolina heroes, celebrating their courage, kindness, and creativity. The first story details a 9-year-old girl from Charlotte who raised more than $8,500 for victims of the September 11 tragedies by setting up a curbside stand stocked with drinks and cookies in exchange for a donation to the American Red Cross.

Road to Equality
Road to Equality

Charlotte attorney Julius Chambers is one of many North Carolinians who, since the 1960s, have devoted their lives to civil rights. We write that “he attended mass rallies at churches and watched how those meetings incubated strength and leadership, enabling wronged people to assert their rights. Since then, Chambers has tirelessly argued civil rights cases in every county of the state. He has watched attitudes soften and people change.”

Gone to Carolina
Gone to Carolina

Andy Griffth picked up the phone for this feature — it would’ve been in-person, but he made the call from Hawaii. The headline fondly refers to him as “North Carolina’s favorite son,” and the Mount Airy native talks about how a part of him always wishes he was back home, no matter where he is in the world. As the story states, “You can take the boy out of North Carolina but not for too long a stretch. And don’t even think about taking North Carolina out of the boy.”

Lives on the Line
Lives on the Line

We pay tribute to generations of North Carolina soldiers whose sacrifices have allowed all of us to live free and peacefully: “Leaving behind the farmland of Stokes and Randolph counties, the fields of Four Oaks, civilian life in Raleigh, and school in Chapel Hill and Lumberton, Tar Heel men and women quietly left their homes for the battlefield. They carried fragments of home and memories of friends and family.”

Global Connections
Global Connections

We publish stories on immigrants who become proud North Carolinians, including a once “small Chinese boy dressed in an exact replica of the uniform of a United States Marine. Back in the late 1940s … neither the child … nor the Marines who befriended him could’ve predicted that Charlie would someday stand as a newly minted American citizen under Carolina blue skies.”

Carolina Kitchen
Carolina Kitchen

Community cookbook recipes appear in the “Carolina Cooking” section for the first time. “Our State magazine wants your church’s, organization’s, or family’s cookbooks. Gail Cauble Gurley sent us her cookbook and stirred memories with her vintage family recipes.” The cookbook series runs for three years and becomes beloved by readers.

Civil War Series
Civil War Series

Philip Gerard’s Civil War series debuts in 2011 and runs the exact length of the real-life conflict.

Becoming a Regular

Susan Stafford Kelly begins making regular contributions to Our State with personal essays and feature stories.

A Few of Your Favorites

In 2015, we introduce “Field Trips,” Drew Perry’s column about exploring the state with his sons, and “Ramblin’ Man,” in which T. Edward Nickens waxes poetic on the Carolina countryside.

Welcome Home
Welcome Home

Our “City Portrait” series examines North Carolina communities through the lens of a local icon, starting with Wilmington’s famed Spanish moss: “For many Wilmington residents, the beauty of sunlight through Spanish moss is simply part of a Market Street commute.” The portraits evolve into a series of downtown guides in February 2018, highlighting noteworthy places to eat, shop, and explore within a given neighborhood.

What’s for Dinner?

Our trusty recipe developer, Lynn Wells, makes her first appearance in November 2015. As a personal chef with more than 20 years of experience in the food industry, her themed recipe packages become a staple of the magazine.

Decades Series
Decades Series

Philip Gerard’s Decades series kicks off in 2018, delving into the history of the state from the 1940s through the 1980s.

2020s & Beyond

As we look ahead, Our State will continue to celebrate the landscapes, towns, foods, and people of North Carolina, while also preserving our history. Many beloved stories and recipes from years past can be found in special collections, anthologies, and collectors’ editions. Nine decades wouldn’t have been possible without the connection we have with you, our readers. We sincerely thank you.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS HANNANT, NORTH CAROLINA COLLECTION, WILSON LIBRARY, UNC CHAPEL HILL, GETTY IMAGES, STATE ARCHIVES OF NORTH CAROLINA, CHRIS COUNCIL, TOM MOORS, © STAR NEWS – USA TODAY NETWORK, NORTH CAROLINA ZOO, ANNA ROUTH BARZIN, TRAVIS DOVE, FAITH TEASLEY, JERRY WOLFORD & SCOTT MUTHERSBAUGH, STEVEN MCBRIDE, BRYAN REGAN, MATT HULSMAN, JEFF JANOWSKI, CAPE FEAR MUSEUM

This story was published on May 31, 2023

Our State Staff

Since 1933, Our State has shared stories about North Carolina with readers both in state and around the world. We celebrate the people and places that make this state great. From the mountains to the coast, we feature North Carolina travel, history, food, and beautiful scenic photography.