Ashley Fetner Fine Art Photography

Oak Ridge North Carolina

 Guilford Mill is a fully operational water-powered 18^th century grist mill listed on the United States National Register of Historical Places.  The mill was founded in 1767 by Daniel Dillon to grind grain for the early settlers.  Daniel built a small tub mill on Beaver Creek in what is now Guilford County.   In 1781 during the Revolutionary War, it is said that General Cornwallis used the mill to grind grain for his soldiers before the Battle of Guilford Courthouse.  In 1819 Joel Sanders purchased the mill and moved it downstream.  The tub mill was the most primitive and less productive of mills, so Joel replaced it with an overshot wheel.  In 1913, K.L. Hendrix purchased the mill and converted it to a roller mill and replaced the water wheel with a turbine.  In 1932 Highway 68 was built between the dam and the mill so to keep the mill running some changes had to be made.  The overhead wooden flume that carried the water from the dam to the mill was replaced with a steel pipe that ran under the new road.  Clarence E. Bailes purchased the mill in 1954 and removed the roller wheel and replaced the turbine with an overshot wheel that continues to operate today.  Charles and Heidi Parnell purchased the mill in 1977 and ran it for thirty years. Thanks to Amy Klug, the new owner, the Old Mill continues to grind grain as it has done for the past 250 years. It is a great place to visit and you can purchase some of their all natural products that include stone ground grits, cornmeal, a variety of flours, Scottish scone, shortbread and gingerbread mixes as well as a variety of muffin, waffle, pancake and cookie mixes —   Yum!

Kay

Asheboro, North Carolina

I have posted this blog before with the outside image of the Country Store -

When Ashley was photographing this unique country store and gas station he thought it had been located here since the 1930’s but actually it was built in 1977 by a man who is a collector and restorer of things past.

All the building materials were either salvaged or collected at auctions from homes or buildings that were either being demolished or restored.  The beams were from an old ammunitions plant in the county.   The siding was retrieved from an older home and the front doors came from a barn.  The flooring, windows and beaded ceiling are from a building that was being demolished.  The columns for the foundation as well as the steps are Mount Airy Granite from an old home in Asheboro.  The counters inside the store were purchased at auction in Seagrove, North Carolina.

When Darrell had collected enough materials he designed and built the store from photographs as well as old stores and gas stations that he visited through the years.

All the gas pumps and signs outside the store as well as the contents inside are all original there are no reproductions.

Inside, the woodstove is a US Army Cannon Heater that was found beside a railroad tract the burns coal or wood.  There are Coco Cola posters from 1947 that were found under a linoleum rug in a home that was being remolded, a kerosene pump circa 1900 from the Brower Pump Company as well as an 1898 patent glass dome for a gas pump.  There are bank ledgers that were purchased at a warehouse sale in Franklinville, NC dating back to 1899 from the Bank of Randolph, the first bank in Randolph County.

This is just a small sample of antiques and memorabilia that line the shelves and counters of this country store.  Here you are taken back in time when enjoying a game of checkers and swapping stories was the way to spend and afternoon-

Kay

Barred Owl

 In the middle of North Carolina at the foot of the Uwharrie Mountains, near Asheboro, is 500 acres that have been developed into one of the largest “natural habitat” zoos in the United States.  Enclosures for the animals have been built to resemble their natural habitat.  So instead of cages they are free to roam.  All the animals in the zoo are from Africa and North America. As you travel the five mile trail through the zoo you will see over 1,100 animals and 40,000 plants. One of the many species of birds you will see is the Barred Owl, who is also known  as the Northern Barred Owl, Swamp Owl, Striped Owl, Hoot Owl, Eight Hooter, Round-headed Owl, Wood Owl, Rain Owl and Le Chat-huant du Nord-French for the Hooting Cat of the North. Barred Owls like deep moist forests, wooded swamps and woodlands near waterways. They can be found in most of the eastern half of the continent from Florida northward to southern Canada. Their spread westward is causing concern as they may compete with the endangered Spotted Owl.

 Living in the woods –I hear that familiar “hoot” in the early morning or late evening—what a treat!

Kay

The world famous Skyline Drive runs the full length of the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and connects directly to the 469 mile Blue Ridge Parkway. Construction began even before the park was begun. President Herbert Hoover brought the drive about as a drought relief measure and it was completed in 1939 during President Roosevelt’s administration.  The Big Meadow area lies approximately in the middle of the park along Skyline Drive.  It was early morning as we were walking through the meadow and we saw this doe and her fawn—

Kay

In the concrete high-rise city of New York, in upper Manhattan, is a green oasis that is entirely man-made – Central Park. The history of the park began in 1844 when the Evening Post editor, William Cullen Bryant, called for a creation of a large public park. Along with landscape gardener, Andrew Jackson Downing, they continued to push the board of commissioners to set aside land for a park. Between 1853 and 1856 the commissioners paid more than five million dollars for land from 59th to 106 streets between fifth and eight avenues. The commissioners also sponsored a public competition to design the new Central Park. The plans submitted by Frederick Law Olmstead, an engineer and superintendent of the park work crews, along with British architect Clavert Vaux were chosen. They both were considered to be the founders of professional landscape architecture in America. The Central Park Conservatory and the city of New York have invested more than 450 million dollars into maintaining the park and making it a model for urban parks world wide. The park has been declared a National Historical Landmark and in 1974 it was named New York City’s First Scenic Landmark. Through the parks history many projects and restoration have occurred and now with long-term planning from the city and the Central Park Conservatory, this 843 acre park will remain a green oasis. This view is in the early fall.

Kay

The New River, a rough white water river flowing northward through North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia, is one of the oldest rivers on the continent. In fact, some say it is second only to the Nile River in age. Much of the river that runs through West Virginia has been designated as the New River Gorge National River and Sandstone Falls is part of this area. Spanning 1,500 feet across the river with drops of 15 to 20 feet, these falls are considered one of the 7 Natural Wonders in West Virginia. This view is above the falls from West Virginia Highway 20.

Kay

The Oak Island Lighthouse, completed in 1958, was the last lighthouse to be built in North Carolina. The aluminum lantern room has four 1000-watt aerobeam lights that had to be installed by Marine helicopters. The lighthouse has 2.5 million candle power lights flashing intermittently and is visible 24 miles out to sea. The Oak Island Lighthouse is one of the most powerful lighthouses in existence today.

Kay

Gibbon Falls, in Yellowstone National Park, is located on the Gibbon River between Madison Junction and the Norris Geyser Basin. The falls mark the point where the Gibbon River flows off Yellowstone’s northern escarpment and drops into the parks volcanic caldera region. William Henry Jackson and John Merle Coulter of the second Hayden survey discovered these falls on the Gibbon River in 1872. There is no historic reference as to the naming of the falls, but in some of the early park maps the name “First Canon Falls” was used. By the 1880’s the falls were referred to as Gibbon Falls.

Kay

Sitting on the Utah and Arizona border, Monument Valley is a small part of the 16 million acre Navajo Reservation. The valley itself is 9,696 acres of wide flat desert with rich red buttes, mesas and canyons. The rock formations that stand-alone and rise hundreds of feet are the last remnants of the sandstone layers that once covered the region. This is a view of Big Indian Butte located in the Sentinel Mesa area of the Navajo Tribal Park.
Kay

If you travel South Carolina Highway # 9 to Myrtle Beach you will pass through the small town of Clio South Carolina.  In fact Highway # 9 is Clio’s Main Street.  We have driven this route for years and as long as I can remember this wonderful red barn has been standing on the road side just as you leave Clio.  I have always been curious about its history.   It was built in the late 1800’s and was used as a mule barn. Through history it has survived three “known” tornadoes as well as Hurricane Hugo with no sustained damage—that says a great deal about the material and the men who constructed the barn! It is not in use at this time and is part of the Marion Wright Estate.
Kay