Published: Sunday, February 27, 2005 at 4:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, February 27, 2005 at 12:00 a.m.
The region of Polk County known since 1881 as Saluda derives its name from the Cherokee word su-lu u-we-yv (Corn River). Called "Pace's Gap" by white herdsmen in the early 1800s, Saluda was then simply a crossroads of Winding Stair and Howard Gap roads where drovers herded livestock for trade from western towns. Spreading over seven hills 1,000 feet above Tryon, Saluda once prospered as a railroad town drawing vacationers and the infirm from far and wide.
A wealth of railroad history
Though trains no longer clamber up a precipitous grade and through Saluda, the town's notables and many citizens lobby for a tourist run through downtown. Here early railroad culture is evident, beginning with the relocated -- though historically accurate -- "stick-style" depot at the northwest end of town.
Shortly after the Civil War, Captain Charles William Pearson surveyed this region for the Norfolk Southern Railroad's route between Salisbury and Asheville and Asheville to Murphy. As groundwater precluded a rail system through Howard Gap, Pearson selected the grade up Saluda Mountain. At great expense -- including that of human lives -- ties were laid and rails were spiked along what became known as the steepest mainline standard-gauge grade in the United States. The railway was completed in 1878 and on July 4, 1879, the first train chugged up the three-mile grade from Melrose to Pace's Gap. Ultimately, eight passenger trains passed through daily. Six of those were the Carolina Special routed between Charleston and Cincinnati with whistle stops at Columbia, Spartanburg, Tryon, Saluda, Hendersonville and Asheville. Writers F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and Dorothy Dix counted among celebrity passengers.
A northbound locomotive required a pusher engine, or what locals called the "Helper," to push the last car of a passenger-train as it lurched up the grade to Saluda from Melrose Junction. Nonetheless, trains experienced wrecks, runaways and the peril of traversing 50 hairpin turns -- among them "Slaughterhouse Curve."
Alongside the now-quiet tracks, the visitor enjoys fine shops and galleries in the old depot and its neighboring Summer House, which purveys home-and-garden accents, antiques and gifts. The expanse between the two buildings and an old caboose provides acoustical excellence and is known as Saluda's "open-air listening room." Here local musicians perform in concert from late February through September.
A walk down Saluda's Main Street is a stroll through the past, with antique and modern temptations. From the sidewalk, produce and hardware goods beckon the shopper as they did in days of old. Artworks, gifts and antiques tantalize from the windows. Fragrant aromas waft from restaurants, and in warmer weather, a potter throws clay on her wheel, curbside on a tree-shaded sidewalk. Drop into any of the galleries, shops or restaurants as a treat for the senses, and to experience the friendly atmosphere of this old railroad town.
Beyond downtown, tour the cross streets to discover Victorian homes, some of them bed-and-breakfast inns. Find and admire the Carpenter Gothic-style Presbyterian Church, the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration and the John Howard Johnson house and farm.
Saluda once boasted 37 inns and hotels, having become a popular resort, as seasonal visitors flocked to this town for its clean mountain air and a hopeful cure for TB. In addition to the now defunct tuberculosis sanatoriums, Saluda boasted a baby hospital, opened in 1914 by Dr. David Lesesne Smith of Spartanburg.
Today Saluda is home to 565 residents, among them artists, craftspeople and musicians. The population mushrooms to more than 3,000 during the summer months.
Time for a break?
Take a respite from touring in any of Saluda's excellent eateries. Assuredly, you will not find franchises here, but instead the likes of Front Porch Coffee Bar housed in a 19th-century caboose. And there's the Purple Onion, serving the best desserts in town. Top off your lunch of pizza, sandwich, salad or quesadilla with a fresh berry cobbler or chocolate confection. When the clime permits, pass under the grape arbor and enjoy the café's flower-bedecked patio. For dinner, try green curried chicken, braised lamb shanks, or peppercorn-herb-and-sea-salt-encrusted rib eye -- and sample another of those incredible desserts. The Purple Onion offers beer and wine, as the owners discovered their building's historical designation provided a loophole in the dry county of Polk.
Down the street, Saluda Grade Café features gourmet salads and excellent seafood: roasted oysters on the half-shell, Low Country shrimp and grits, cornmeal-fried or sage-grilled mountain trout, crab cakes and salmon. Classic meatloaf, steaks, pork chops and chicken grace the menu, as do pasta dishes. Enjoy wine with your meal? Bring your own bottle and the server will provide wineglasses.
For an old-fashioned soda-fountain-style lunch, drop into Ward's Grill for grilled cheese or burgers, or Tosh's Whistle Stop Café for amazingly fresh wraps, croissant sandwiches, pulled BBQ pork, chili, soups and salads. Complement your meal at either of these diners with a malt, shake or sundae.
If hospitality is an art in Western North Carolina, then Saludans have perfected this notion to the state of masterpiece -- whether restaurant personnel, merchants, or the gatekeeper at Pearson's Falls Glen.
More intimate than Pisgah or Dupont forests, the 259-acre site known as Pearson's Falls Glen serves as a wonderland for nature enthusiasts, bird-watchers, hikers and picnickers alike.
Park in the shade of a noble forest and prepare for an unprecedented one-quarter mile hike. Passing between moss-enrobed boulders and stones, note delicate flora shaded by hemlock and rhododendron. In springtime, look closely to find Huger's red trillium (Trillium Hugeri) and walking ferns -- but two of the more-than-200 genera that grace this gorge. Dripping ledges and grottos harbor in their crevices spleenwort, liverwort and fern; filtering light renders these delicacies a sweeping spectrum of green.
Along the way, to your right, white water splashes and swirls through Colt Creek; then suddenly before you appears the source: one of the most breathtaking falls in Western North Carolina.
In the mid-1850s, engineer Charles Pearson happened upon this glen and falls and later purchased hundreds of the surrounding acres. The Tryon Garden Club has owned and maintained the glen since 1928. The botanical tract, drawing botanists and bird fanciers worldwide, is also a Natural Heritage Site, wildlife preserve and outdoor laboratory for botany departments of nearby colleges and universities.
To access this hidden treasure, drive round the bend at the southeast end of town; turn right -- past the Wildflour Bakery -- on Pearson's Falls Road and roll slowly along the unpaved track until it forks. Pass through the graffitied tunnel and proceed until reaching the entrance to Pearson's Falls on the right, where stand a gatehouse and tollbooth.
Though Saluda is big as a minute, the village and its environs offer much for the day-tripper. Enjoy!
A string of pearls
Saluda shops and galleries: Caroline's Gifts, Duck Alley, Gardener's Cottage, Heartwood Gallery, Keith's Triathlon Shop, Morning Glory Florist, Saluda Mountain Crafts, Stamp Peddler
Antiques: Biddie's, Brass Latch, Frozen Clock, Ryan & Boyle, Sweet Earth Mountain
Dining and coffee: Front Porch Coffee Bar, Green River BBQ, Orchard Inn, Purple Onion Café and Coffeehouse, Saluda Grade Café, Tosh's Whistle Stop Café, Ward's Grill, Wildflour Bakery
Lodging: Cabin Fever, Charles Street Garden Suite, The Oaks B&B, Orchard Inn, Spring Pond Cabin, Wood House
Events and sites
Second Annual Saluda Arts Festival: Saturday, May 21, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Main Street, concert follows. Call 749-2581 for more information.
Coon Dog Day: Saturday, July 9. Run, 7 a.m., parade, 11 a.m., street dance, 8 p.m. to midnight. Call 749-2581 for more information.
Front Porch Musical Concerts: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, no charge -- donations accepted. For schedule, visit http//www.saluda.com /frontporchcoffee/calendar.htm or call Front Porch Coffee Bar/Frank & Amy's Place, 749-3252.
Pearson's Falls Glen: Open March 1 to Oct. 31, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Nov. 1 through Feb. 28: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Tues. Closed Mon. except holidays year-round. Adults: $2, children ages 6 to 12: 50˘, children under 6 admitted at no charge.
Recently awarded a position on the National Historic Register, Saluda is a time capsule of 19- and early-20th-century architecture. The 5.2-acre historic commercial district includes:
Library (donated by Nolan D. Pace, Sr.),
City Hall/Police Department (once the Carolina State Bank)
M.A. Pace Store
The Robertson Store ("pebble-dash" style)
The Nelson Building (formerly the Princess Theatre)
The 1910 Post Office (currently occupied by the Saluda Mountain Telephone Company)
Though I-26 will get you to Saluda expeditiously, opt for the scenic route. Along U.S. 176 -- with Hendersonville 20 miles behind you -- Saluda proposes an excellent view from the "High Bridge" over the tracks. From this approach, one can appreciate the queue of brick and plaster storefronts.
For more information, visit www.saluda.com.
Guest columnist Terry Ruscin is author of Dining & Whining, Los Duendes: A Nostalgic Journey through Spain, Taste for Travel and Mission Memoirs.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.
Comments are currently unavailable on this article