Tag: history

Is Blowing Rock Mitford? We here in Blowing Rock consider it to be Mitford because author Jan Karon lived here when she was inspired to write At Home in Mitford and other books in the series. Which Mitford sites correspond to actual Blowing Rock locations? *St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church is often considered to be the inspiration for The Lord’s Chapel, which is described as having “a fine Norman tower and showy gardens.” Anyone who sees St. Mary’s church recognizes it immediately in this description. In her acknowledgements for “At Home in Mitford,” Karon offers “warm thanks to Father James Harris, who inspired and encouraged me.” Jim Harris was the pastor at St. Mary of the Hills at the time the Mitford stories were published in the Blowing Rocket newspaper. Father Tim might even be a nod to this friend. *Miss Sadie’s House might very well be inspired by Flat Top Manor at Moses Cone Memorial Park, once the summer home of Moses and Bertha Cone. Seen to the north from almost any high spot in Blowing Rock, the manor overlooks Blowing Rock from the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is surrounded by 3600 acres of forest, meadow, and old apple orchards. You can find the Cone’s Apple Barn along the trails. Miss Sadie’s home, Fernbank, has “the most sweeping view” in Mitford, where “blue mountains rolled like waves” to the west. Visit the front porch at Flat Top and you’ll be transported to Miss Sadie’s. *Right in the middle of our downtown is Memorial Park, which could be considered the “town green.” A monument to those native sons who gave their lives defending our nation is prominently displayed at the front of the park. And our Town Hall is directly next to Memorial Park, just like in Mitford. *Mitford’s Grill, where all the locals eat, is reminiscent of Sonny’s Grill on Main Street. Sonny’s no longer stands, but is commemorated by a plaque at the former site next to Six Pence Pub. *Blowing Rock used to have two small grocers on Main Street. Craig’s, where Jan shopped for fresh Globe corn and other treats, now houses Windwood Antiques (note the original floors). Craig’s would have been a lot like The Local. More tidbits: *Many locals saw our beloved Jerry Burns, the long-time editor of The Blowing Rocket, in the character of J.C. Hogan, the editor of the Mitford Muse. Always armed with his camera to capture every community happening, large or small, Jerry was always eager to share scenes from life in Blowing Rock. *Laurel Lane intersects Main Street as one of the main routes to Blowing Rock neighborhoods. Maybe it is one reason Mitford is “where streets are named for flowers?” *Karon also thanks her doctor, Charles “Bucky” Davant, III, in the acknowledgements. She said he “also doctors all of Mitford.” The doctor in Mitford also has an interesting nickname: Hoppy. Blowing Rock hosted events called Mitford Days in 2007 and Return to Mitford in 2011**, where Mitford readers could come and enjoy the local atmosphere and imagine it as Mitford. On the event tour, fans also passed by the stone wall in the Mayview neighborhood, the hospital on the hill, and the offices of The Blowing Rocket newspaper, where the first Mitford stories were published.   Here is an excerpt from an interview with Jerry Burns, the late editor of The Blowing Rocket who published the stories in the local paper. He speaks about the history of The Mitford Years in The Blowing Rocket and his friendship with author Jan Karon. “Jan Karon wasn’t convinced there was a market for a book without sex, violence or vulgar language. She had her doubts even about the story being well received by her community of friends and neighbors, much less the world outside of her newly adopted home of Blowing Rock[…] After I read the first few chapters of The Mitford Years[…] I was hooked and the more I read the more I share Jan’s perception of the small town with the big heart. I am proud to say that in short order the Blowing Rocket began sharing the story of Mitford with our readers and for the next two years there wasn’t a person in the High Country that didn’t have a friend in Father Tim. Times were good for the Rocket, very good. […] As the popularity of Father Tim and Mitford grew, so did our list of subscribers. People that had never been to Blowing Rock knew it as Mitford. It was almost fighting words not to agree that Father Tim and all the other characters from Mitford were indeed patterned after real people in Blowing Rock. Despite every effort to leave Mitford in the imagination of the Jan Karon fan, Blowing Rock was Mitford, and Blowing Rock was a destination for Mitford fans. […] By the third week of running The Mitford Years, residents began associating characters from the weekly feature with friends and neighbors and Lord’s Chapel and Main Street Grill were real places in a real town. By the end of the first year running Jan’s weekly serial, our subscription list grew by leaps and bounds, and you can believe this or not, but one family actually subscribed to two copies each week. “I don’t want to wait until my daughter and husband read the paper,” said a wife. “I want my own copy to read as soon as I get it.” So popular was her Mitford that one week there was a major fire on Sunset Drive, totally destroying a business. Even with pictures of the fire plastered all over the front page, the rumblings for the whole week weren’t about the fire, but that Father Tim had met a young lad named Dooley. Those of you that know Jan Karon know that she is, indeed, the very person that would call Mitford home. She found a comfortable life in her Mitford, until… she became a best selling author! […]