Wed 3/6 – 4-9 PM – Our $6 pour of a peach brandy – A further exploration of brandy is the spirit flavored and the spirit distilled. Paul Masson Grand Amber Peach Brandy captures the Peachy flavor in its extra ripe sweet juicy peaches – sweet but not cloying. Compare this with a brandy that has been distilled from peaches: Catoctin Creek Peach Brandy, made from local Loudoun peaches and distilled, aged and bottled – the nose is a nice blend of peachy heat with a natural, not artificial, peach finish.
Thurs 3/7 – 4-9 PM – Where is Naples? This section of Henderson County has changed so dramatically and maybe rather haphazardly than its neighbors of Fletcher and Mills River. Naples community lies to the north end of the county between Mountain Home and the overhead bridge for I-26 with its truck stops, fast food chains, GB Shoes and other commercial enterprises lining US Highway 25. It was not until 1851 that much of today’s Fletcher and Hooper’s Creek were ceded to Henderson County from Buncombe County. Naples is bordered to the east by Hooper’s Creek and Clear Creek, to the north by Fletcher, to the west by Mills River, and to the south by Mountain Home. Also Mud Creek, a majority tributary of the French Broad River, flows through Naples’ valley and it is here that Mud Creek enters the French Broad River near the River Stone Development. Much of this community along US Hwy 25 is in the floodplain of Mud Creek and its tributaries where you can often view standing water in its low-lying areas. Along the east side of Balfour runs the railroad tracks that now terminate at the I-26 right of way but at one time there was a small depot to accommodate residents and businesses.
In 1827 the first Post Office was established to serve the Northeast section of Henderson County in Naples and between 1901 and 1905, the post office was re-established on the railroad that remains along its eastern boundary. The Post Office was intermittently closed until 1915 when William Thomas Smith opened the post office at the site of his general store near the railroad depot. There remains an old two-story building located at the intersection of Naples Road and the railroad tracks that continued to be used as a Post Office by the Byers’ family. The ridge and mountain now separated by I-26 was named Byers Mountain. The first school for Fletcher was in a log cabin deeded by the Byers’ family in 1847 but in existence prior to that time. In 1910 members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church arrived in Henderson County and bought land on Howard Gap Road in Naples and built a church, school, and health care facilities (named Mountain Sanitarium and Hospital at the time) The hospital arm was relocated to the west side of Howard Gap and renamed Park Ridge Hospital and today known as Advent Health. Possibly someone from this group came up with the name Naples since there is a reference that a local resident said the frequent flooding of Mud Creek reminded them of the Bay of Naples, according to the “N.C. Gazetteer” by William S. Powell.
In 1923, there was a small manufacturing plant at Naples operated by the Christian Life Calendar Co. that closed in 1930 due to the Great Depression. In 1943, Dave Kemp purchased this plant for the Diamond Brand Canvas Co. that focused on supporting WWII. After the war, Diamond Brand focused on making tents and backpacks for the Boy Scouts and other companies, and later developed tents for the army as well as backpacks, and soft luggage. This was purchased by GB Shoes that continues to operate as a discount shoe store in the Naples Community.
Naples Cocktails: Naples – Courvoisier, lemon juice, Benedictine, bitters, Mud Creek – Applejack, gin, sour mix, grenadine, French Broad – Calvados, Cointreau, sour mix, Byers Mountain – Applejack, gin, apricot brandy, 1/2 price US Flight
REMINDER 3/13 – NC Writers Network returns with Erin Hallagan Clare as its featured author and the follow week 3/20 – WNC Songwriters returns with Mare Carmody, Brian Claflin, and Michael Lille