Glimpses of Fonta Flora

An NC Society of Historians award winner in 2012. For over a century and a half, the community of Fonta Flora (once known as Linville) lay snugly at the mouth of Burke County's rugged Linville Gorge. After Lake James was built in the early 20th century, the name disappeared from local maps. Interest was revived in the 1960s, and much lore sprang up about its natural beauty, fertility, racial harmony and mysterious origins. A compelling, if somewhat vague, oral tradition has existed ever since, with specific information hard to come by. With this book, we finally have a resource based on primary and secondary sources. The lore is tackled with a new eye. The book explores the evocative name, the nature of the African American influences, the truth behind the long-rumored "theft" of the land by the power company, and also provides glimpses into the residents' lives. The historic Yellow Mountain Road once ran directly through Fonta Flora on its way to the frontier beyond the mountains but has since also faded into myth. Its specific route was lost to history but has now been resurrected based on a thorough study of the early land grants. Included are 4 maps, 17 pages of photographs, and both genealogical and general indexes. By the same authors: Yellow Mountain Road - From Kings Mountain to the Civil War and Beyond (2014) and In The Web - The Crisp & Woodard Families of 19th Century Burke County (2019).