Chetola

Chetola. . The beautiful Chetola Resort of today started more modestly. In 1884, Lot Estes purchased 100 acres including a horse stable and freight way station for the grand price of a nickel per acre. He built a family home that his son expanded and used as a high-end boarding house for early tourists. Silverlake was added, and it became a premier trout fishing spot and the village's source for winter ice to stock its ice houses. In 1892, William Stringfellow purchased the estate and turned it into one of the most beautiful private dwellings in the area. The mountain air helped restore Stringfellow's health, and he renamed his estate Chetola, a Cherokee word for “haven of rest.” William and his wife Susie entertained lavishly and gave to the community quite generously. They paid for our first library, rebuilt the Blowing Rock Episcopal Church, established our first Boy Scout troop, and generally helped the needy. In 1926, Luther Snyder, the “Coca Cola King of the Carolinas,” purchased Chetola and continued the tradition of generously inviting the entire village to his beautiful parties and celebrations. Remarkably, Chetola has had a number of owners, but all who owned this mountain wonderland have worked for the betterment of our community. , Caption: Chetola and Silver Lake