Start of the Adventure: May 22, 2012

          Today, we went to the town of Marshall, NC. Marshall is a quiet, quaint little town nestled next to the French Broad River. We started by checking out the Marshall Depot. Here, every Friday night there is local music and the public is invited to come and watch or even dance. Then we walked along the streets of downtown and basically window shopped. It was really nice, too! I’ve been in the area my whole life and didn’t even know some of the shops were there.

            After window shopping, we went and checked out the Madison County Courthouse. From what I’ve heard, it is a local historical icon. The Courthouse seemed to have a warm, antique feel to it. A sign told us that the road we were on used to be the main road that connected North Carolina and Tennessee a long time ago. We also saw the house where The Salt Raids started. During the Civil War, salt was worth more than money and people in the county fought over it; this incident lead to the Shelton Laurel Massacre, where thirteen men were killed. I have been in the area for quite a while and never knew that house had anything to do with the Civil War. Madison County is not only rich with culture, but history as well!

Close up of a barn quilt

            By chance, we found a brochure about things to do in Madison County and saw a beautiful barn quilt driving tour. There were four quilts in Marshall and four in Mars Hill. Since we were in downtown Marshall, we decided to see the four that were located around Marshall. To see the barn quilts check out our page on Facebook, www.facebook.com/appalachia2. We didn’t realize it at the time, but the tour made a loop back to Downtown Marshall. Along the way, there were many sights to take in; mountains, flowers (wild and domestic), cattle farms, goat farms, and beautiful mountain homes.

            Today was just the start! I wonder what else we will find on this great adventure?