Blowing Rock in Watauga County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Opicherhoka

Ca. 1899

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 24, 2023

1. Opicherhoka Marker

Inscription. This house was built in the Arts and Crafts style as a summer home for Rev. Charles Graves Vardell, founding president of Flora MacDonald College, & wife Linda Rumple Vardell, dean of the conservatory. The name Opicherhoka is derived from the types of wood used in its construction. Almost all of the house is in its original and unaltered condition. It is Blowing Rock's oldest summer home continuously occupied by the same family.

In recognition of this property's significance, this marker is placed by the
Blowing Rock Historical Society and the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum

Erected 2023 by Blowing Rock Historical Society • Blowing Rock Art and History Museum.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Education • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1899.

Location. 36° 7.56′ N, 81° 40.697′ W. Marker is in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, in Watauga County. It is at the intersection of Grandfather Street and Chestnut Circle, on the left when traveling east on Grandfather Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this

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postal address: 222 Grandfather St, Blowing Rock NC 28605, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s and he Mountains in the High Country. It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Craig Cottage / Knitters Rest (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Gibbons Residence (about 700 feet away); Sunset Manor (about 700 feet away); Maymont (approx. 0.2 miles away); Blowing Rock Methodist Church (approx. ¼ mile away); Springhaven Inn (approx. ¼ mile away); Edgewood Cottage (approx. 0.3 miles away); a different marker also named Edgewood Cottage (approx. 0.3 miles away).

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 24, 2023

2. Opicherhoka Marker

Touch for a list and map of all markers in Blowing Rock.

Regarding Opicherhoka. The woods used in its construction were Oak, pine, chestnut, rhododendron, and kalmia. It and three other family-related cottages nearby – Hemlock Cottage, The Shoe and Gage Cottage – are on the National Register of Historic Places as the Vardell Family Cottages Historic District.

Also see . . . Vardell Family Cottages Historic District (PDF). National Register nomination for the district, which was listed in 2001. (National Archives) (Submitted on July 22, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

James Rumple via Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), April 13, 2013

3. Opicherhoka

Credits. This page was last revised on July 22, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 22, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 374 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 22, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.