Saluda Train Tales - Third Friday of Month
March-December 7pm
Saluda Train Tales is a free monthly event to educate the community about the importance of Saluda's railroad history and the Saluda Grade. These events are held at the Saluda Historic Depot, 32 W Main Street, Saluda, NC 28773.
Stephen R. Little, Esq Mayor of Marion Nc tells how convict labor built the railroad loops at Old Fort NC and the tunnels that went through the mountains of Western NC
Ralph Mayer, Photographer and active volunteer at Saluda Historic Depot gives a presentation about the how-to’s of Photography, Railroad History, and stories about the Saluda Historic Depot Night at the Museum.
Presented on April 19,2024
Pearlie Mae Suber Harris, daughter of a Baptist minister who grew up in Saluda NC in the 1940's. Amid racial segregation, Harris moved with her family to Saluda in 1940 and grew up near the railroad tracks. During this time, the Saluda Depot had a Black and a White waiting room. Segregation, as in most of the South, was prevalent. Mrs. Harris describes life in the town of Saluda well before the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. Education, although rare for young Black women in the 40’s and 50’s, was a powerful theme throughout Pearlie Mae’s life. She graduated high school in 1953 and left Saluda to find work in Greenville. At that time, she was given the opportunity by Mrs. Simpson (of the Belks-Simpson department store chain) to attend Barber-Scotia College. Pearlie would go on to become a beloved teacher in the community for the next 39 years. She earned her Masters degree from Furman University, where she also later receive an honorary doctorate. In 2020, Pearlie was also honored as the subject of a large-scale mural in downtown Greenville, celebrating diversity and education.
Presented March 15, 2024
John Pezzano was born in NYC and graduated with a degree in Electronic Engineering. He later got a Masters Degree in EE while serving in the Air Force. He spent 12 years in the USAF doing research in New Mexico. He then worked for Hewlett Packard as a Field Consultant in El Paso. He retired in 2002 as a Computer & Network Consultant for HP in Atlanta and moved to Hendersonville.
While in Atlanta and for a time in Hendersonville, he volunteered at the Southeastern RR Museum where he did everything from docent to helping with engine and car restoration to conductor on train rides. He also volunteered with them at the Blue Ridge Scenic RR. In 2014 until 2023, John was in the Apple Valley Model RR Club. He has been a Volunteer firefighter (in NM), Sheriff's Department Volunteer, Red Cross Disaster Team Member, Mineral Museum Docent and more since living in Hendersonville.
John is currently a docent and volunteer at the Saluda Historic Depot.
Presented July 28, 2023. This video details the history of women telegraphers in the United States. Presented by Tom Jepson. Tom Jepsen is a retired information technology professional and a historian of technology, with a focus on the telegraph industry and women in technology. He maintains a website on telegraph history at http://www.the-telegrapher.com/
Presented April 21, 2023. This is the story of early Saluda, focusing on history long before 1881 when Saluda became chartered and even before 1878 when the first railroad locomotive crested the steep gorge known as the Saluda Grade. In those very early years, this region was called Pace’s Gap, named after the Pace family who were among the early settlers. In addition to the Pace family, families with surnames such as Metcalf, Guice, Staton, Thompson and Morris molded the mountains into a community of trading posts, churches, farms and mills. Metcalf, a direct descendant of many of these early pioneer families, will share their stories, including local tales of the battles of the American Revolution and Civil War, along with other challenges and triumphs of the early settlers that led to the founding of Saluda, NC.
James Metcalf, a member of the Fork Creek community of Saluda, has been a board member of the Polk County Historical Association for many years and is chief docent at the Polk County Historical Museum located in Columbus, NC. Metcalf has also been a local radio announcer for 20 years, currently at WWQT 1160 and is a Western NC musician and songwriter. He has been the music director of Fork Creek Baptist Church for several decades.
A Free Community Event funded by Polk County Community Foundation was held on Friday, Oct. 21, 2022. The event features locals portraying significant characters from the history of Saluda, NC. Portrayals of historical characters were relate to the town and the Saluda Grade. Railroad history in this important rail town is also significant.
Railfan Ed Painter explores with Drayton Blackgrove of Delay In Block Productions the immense collection of rail videos and still photos dating from the 1960's through 1996 when the rails stopped coming through Saluda. These videos and stills that have been remastered and are in superb condition. It is a must view for rail enthusiasts.
Those knowledgeable about trains and Saluda geography will note some places in this video where the conversation is not synced to the video. We apologize for that. For more detailed discussion about locomotives and Saluda Geography, please follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhaYsdW-tps&t=1138s
“Resurrecting Rail Service” - Oct. 15, 2021- Ray Rap is a historian, retired Dean of the Adult and Continuing Education Program at Mars Hill University; a five- term member of the North Carolina House of Representatives; 3- term Mayor of Mars Hill and 2- Term Town Alderman. He co-chaired two NC General Assembly Special Committees on Improving and Expanding Rail Service in North Carolina and curated the exhibition.
Saluda Train Tales focuses on the current passenger rail study the NC DOT Rail Division is conducting to determine interest in Asheville as a destination as well as AMTRAK's proposed service to Asheville from Salisbury.
Past Saluda Train Tales
How "The Southern" Served the South November 15, 2019—Raymond “Bo” Brown from Greenville, SC presented an in depth look at the history of Southern Railway Dining Car Service including, china patterns, silver hollowware, silver flatware, linens, menus, all things used in the dining car during their 84 years of Southern Railway passenger car service.
"Thunder on Saluda” - Bill Schafer, retired from Norfolk-Southern and co-founder of the Southern Railway Historical Association (SRHA) presents the last days of steam on Saluda grade and how the diesel changed everything."
“Pistol-Toter” Forrest Jarrett shared stories of his 37 years of being a law officer for Southern Railroad and Norfolk-Southern.
Nettie Sweet, VeeVee Blackshear, and Clara Carter share stories of the Infants and Children's Sanitarium and Baby Hospital started by their Grandparents, Dr. D. Lesesne Smith and wife, Nettie Smith in 1914.
Frank Thompson, author and film historian shares his research about the silent film era in NC.
Larry Morton, President of Apple Valley Model Railroad Club, Hendersonville, NC tells the mishaps and adventures going up and down the Saluda Grade.
Raymond "Bo" Brown, writer and collector of Southern Railway dining experiences and artifacts presents the history of dining cars from the late 1800's to 1979.
Mike Lassiter and Scott Galloway presented "Our Vanishing Americana" through the book and PBS documentary.
Lucas Safrit, Historical Interpreter from the NC Transportation Museum describes the museum and all of the many different railroad locomotives and when they were built.
Bob Loehne, railroad enthusiasts and video producer of the "611 on the Saluda Grade" presents at the Saluda Tain Tales on March 17, 2017. Videographer by Bob Keeton.
View The September Saluda Train Tales with Rodger Stroup from the SC State Museum will present: South Carolina's Railroad Heritage: What's Gone, What's Still Here.
August Saluda Train Tales
August 19, 2016, 7pm - Saluda Inns, Hotels & Boarding Houses
Produced by Bob Keeton
Hotel Charles in Saluda
The coming of the railroad to Saluda is why Saluda is existence today. After topping the grade, it would take another year before the tracks were laid to Hendersonville. Travelers from the low country of South Carolina, escaping from their marshy plantations to cooler and healthier elevations, would disembark in Saluda and travel by wagon or stages further north. This was enough time for a fledgling mercantile community to grow to accommodate these disembarking travelers and the families who worked on the railroad.
This was the start of Saluda’s tourist industry and the first hotel, The Mountain House, was established in 1879 by Colonel Andrew Tanner. Colonel Tanner was the overseer of the chain gangs of convicts who worked the road and became Saluda’s first mayor in 1882.
At one time, there were as many as 37 inns, hotels, and boarding homes in Saluda. At the Saluda Train Tales on August 19, 7pm, you will learn about these inns, who started them, and if and how they are still in use today.
Join Greaton Sellers, Martha Ashley, and Charlene Pace as they reveal the stories of the people who built these places to accommodate Saluda’s summer people and railroad workers.
Train Tales: Charles Hearon, Growing Up in Saluda - Sept. 2017
His grandfather designed the railway bridges in Cuba and his family had a presence in Saluda since the late 1800's. David Twiggs talked about his family's history at the Saluda Historic Depot.
At Train Tales (5/18/18), R. Clark Thompson recounted several stories about growing up in Saluda, NC. Some were taken from, "Whangdoodles on Diaper Hill: My Childhood in Saluda" (2018).
At Train Tales (5/18/18), R. Clark Thompson recounted several stories about growing up in Saluda, NC. Some were taken from, "Whangdoodles on Diaper Hill: My Childhood in Saluda", published in 2018 .
The Carburetors music and mapping from google earth offers an historical trip down what was the nation's steepest, Class-1, mainline railroad grade. It ran 3-miles from Saluda, NC to Melrose then Tryon, NC.
