THE PITTSBURGH FOUNDER OF TRYON:
In the summer of 1869, Lemuel Wilcox, a young civil engineer, and his father-in-law traveled from Pittsburgh to Polk County in search of a healthier climate for their families. At the time, the largest landowner, and founder of the county had been in self-imposed exile since the end of the Civil War.
By the end of August, Dr. Columbus Mills agreed to sell his 3,880 acres to Wilcox for a total of $15,000. The property stretched from Tryon Mountain to Hogback Mountain in South Carolina. When he purchased the land, the future route of the railroad connecting north and south was not known, but it would clearly be through this property.
While his father-in-law, Rev. Leland R. McAboy, converted Mills' plantation home into a resort hotel, Wilcox began visioning the potential of the property. Spending the next seven years surveying the land and working with the railroad, Wilcox laid out the future town and, in May, 1876, granted the necessary right of way to the railroad who immediately began construction, opening the railroad from the south in 1877.
The town itself was not chartered by the state of North Carolina for another eight years. First named, "The Town of Tryon City", the town was re-charted in 1891 as simply, the "Town of Tryon". Wilcox continued to sell the lots he laid out in 1877, allowing commerce to flourish as the railroad began bringing people through the town in greater numbers.
The McAboy House greeted travelers with unparalleled warmth and hospitality, beginning a tradition which continues in the town to this day. Lemuel Wilcox was modest and generous, donating land for civic purposes until his death in the fall of 1900.
(the town of Tryon just celebrated its 150 anniversary of founding)
Contributor: genieresearcher (47587598)
In the summer of 1869, Lemuel Wilcox, a young civil engineer, and his father-in-law traveled from Pittsburgh to Polk County in search of a healthier climate for their families. At the time, the largest landowner, and founder of the county had been in self-imposed exile since the end of the Civil War.
By the end of August, Dr. Columbus Mills agreed to sell his 3,880 acres to Wilcox for a total of $15,000. The property stretched from Tryon Mountain to Hogback Mountain in South Carolina. When he purchased the land, the future route of the railroad connecting north and south was not known, but it would clearly be through this property.
While his father-in-law, Rev. Leland R. McAboy, converted Mills' plantation home into a resort hotel, Wilcox began visioning the potential of the property. Spending the next seven years surveying the land and working with the railroad, Wilcox laid out the future town and, in May, 1876, granted the necessary right of way to the railroad who immediately began construction, opening the railroad from the south in 1877.
The town itself was not chartered by the state of North Carolina for another eight years. First named, "The Town of Tryon City", the town was re-charted in 1891 as simply, the "Town of Tryon". Wilcox continued to sell the lots he laid out in 1877, allowing commerce to flourish as the railroad began bringing people through the town in greater numbers.
The McAboy House greeted travelers with unparalleled warmth and hospitality, beginning a tradition which continues in the town to this day. Lemuel Wilcox was modest and generous, donating land for civic purposes until his death in the fall of 1900.
(the town of Tryon just celebrated its 150 anniversary of founding)
Contributor: genieresearcher (47587598)
THE PITTSBURGH FOUNDER OF TRYON:
In the summer of 1869, Lemuel Wilcox, a young civil engineer, and his father-in-law traveled from Pittsburgh to Polk County in search of a healthier climate for their families. At the time, the largest landowner, and founder of the county had been in self-imposed exile since the end of the Civil War.
By the end of August, Dr. Columbus Mills agreed to sell his 3,880 acres to Wilcox for a total of $15,000. The property stretched from Tryon Mountain to Hogback Mountain in South Carolina. When he purchased the land, the future route of the railroad connecting north and south was not known, but it would clearly be through this property.
While his father-in-law, Rev. Leland R. McAboy, converted Mills' plantation home into a resort hotel, Wilcox began visioning the potential of the property. Spending the next seven years surveying the land and working with the railroad, Wilcox laid out the future town and, in May, 1876, granted the necessary right of way to the railroad who immediately began construction, opening the railroad from the south in 1877.
The town itself was not chartered by the state of North Carolina for another eight years. First named, "The Town of Tryon City", the town was re-charted in 1891 as simply, the "Town of Tryon". Wilcox continued to sell the lots he laid out in 1877, allowing commerce to flourish as the railroad began bringing people through the town in greater numbers.
The McAboy House greeted travelers with unparalleled warmth and hospitality, beginning a tradition which continues in the town to this day. Lemuel Wilcox was modest and generous, donating land for civic purposes until his death in the fall of 1900.
(the town of Tryon just celebrated its 150 anniversary of founding)
Contributor: genieresearcher (47587598)
In the summer of 1869, Lemuel Wilcox, a young civil engineer, and his father-in-law traveled from Pittsburgh to Polk County in search of a healthier climate for their families. At the time, the largest landowner, and founder of the county had been in self-imposed exile since the end of the Civil War.
By the end of August, Dr. Columbus Mills agreed to sell his 3,880 acres to Wilcox for a total of $15,000. The property stretched from Tryon Mountain to Hogback Mountain in South Carolina. When he purchased the land, the future route of the railroad connecting north and south was not known, but it would clearly be through this property.
While his father-in-law, Rev. Leland R. McAboy, converted Mills' plantation home into a resort hotel, Wilcox began visioning the potential of the property. Spending the next seven years surveying the land and working with the railroad, Wilcox laid out the future town and, in May, 1876, granted the necessary right of way to the railroad who immediately began construction, opening the railroad from the south in 1877.
The town itself was not chartered by the state of North Carolina for another eight years. First named, "The Town of Tryon City", the town was re-charted in 1891 as simply, the "Town of Tryon". Wilcox continued to sell the lots he laid out in 1877, allowing commerce to flourish as the railroad began bringing people through the town in greater numbers.
The McAboy House greeted travelers with unparalleled warmth and hospitality, beginning a tradition which continues in the town to this day. Lemuel Wilcox was modest and generous, donating land for civic purposes until his death in the fall of 1900.
(the town of Tryon just celebrated its 150 anniversary of founding)
Contributor: genieresearcher (47587598)
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