The Town of Andrews, NC in Cherokee County

The town now known as Andrews, North Carolina has quite a history as to how it has been referred to over the years. Long before the white man settled down in this area, the Cherokee people referred to what is now called Valley River as Gunahita (meaning long) which basically describes the river. In the early 1800's there was a Cherokee settlement by the name of Toonatla and later shown as Guanhita like the river.

Around the early 1800's white settlers started to move into the area and called it Jamesville. In 1837 an Indian Trading Post was operating in the area that became known as Valley Town. In 1838 as portions of the Cherokee Indians were collected to march on the Trail of Tears, the area was known a Konehetee (meaning valley) by the Cherokee. Even though most of the Indians were moved to reservations to the west, there were a small portion that remained and continue to thrive in this area.

The area experienced gradual development and the Richmond & Danville Railroad had a portion of a line leading to Valley Town. In the late 1880's Col. A.B. Andrews (photo on the right of Col. A.B. Andrews as a 2nd Lt.) was directed to purchase 50 acres of land for which he paid $1,200. The land was used as a commissary for the Nantahala construction camp workers. The 50 acres of land purchased by Col. Andrews was later divided up and most of it sold in 1890. This lead to the first merchant and dwelling in the town of Andrews, NC(named for Col. Andrews).

1897 saw the apparance of the lumber operation known as Kanawha Hardwood Co. 1898 had the F. P. Cover & Son's Tannery establishing it's presence. In 1903 the Cherokee Tanning Extract Co. officially had it's business in Andrews.

Andrews, North Carolina incorporated in 1905. That year Snowbird Valley Railroad was constructed between Andrews and Snowbird Valley. E. C. Campbell of Andrews Lumber Co., located in Pennsylvania, actually built a large band sawmill in Andrews, North Carolina in 1911. There was also a standard gauge railroad that ran to Rainbow Springs until 1930. Railroads played a major role in the area. Peavine Railroad was a line serving the Andrews and Hayesville NC area from 1920 until 1951.

Of course highways, interstates and automobiles stepped in and changed many things in life. Fortunately not all the railroad lines disappeared. In 1988 North Carolina purchased 67 miles of railroad tracks between Dillsboro, North Carolina and Murphy, North Carolina. The Great Smoky Mountain Railway then leased 67 miles of the line from the state. This lead to the company purchasing the section that had been leased. The Great Smoky Mountain Railroad was purchased in 1999 by American Heritage Railways. The company continues to run the railroad tours that The Great Smoky Mountain Railroad had started. If the schedule is checked, the train makes periodic visits to Andrews as the photo on the left shows. Such a trip gives the riders a chance to experience what it must have been like to use railroads for major transportation to and from Andrews, NC.

This is just a short summary of the major events that occurred in and around Andrews, NC. Of course there is much more to learn and of course visiting Andrews allows travelers an opportunity to learn of the friendliness and helpfulness this area has to offer. The people lived here years ago were strong and determined and the heritage continues to this day.

The Andrews Community Radio Station wishes to thank Randy Hogsed and Elizabeth Eddy for the photos used on this page.