While evidence of Native American communities dot the Del Rio landscape, the first white settlement in the Del Rio area appears to have actually been at Wolf Creek, about five miles east of Del Rio. A house was built there about 1763 by a Frenchman named DeWolf, who is said to have built it for his daughter Fannie O'Neil. In Del Rio, the first white settler was John Huff, who arrived with his wife, Mary, and daughter Jennie from Virginia in 1783. John Huff's land grant, for 400 acres on the north side of the French Broad River, was recorded on October 14, 1783. It is the first land grant issued in Cocke County.
Over the years a number of important innovations slowly brought the rest of America into Del Rio. Early in its history, Del Rio was known as an area where livestock could be driven to market over the mountains and into North and South Carolina. The main animal driven through the Del Rio was the hog. Large herds of hogs and their escorts would pour through Del Rio following the river into Asheville. This prompted the construction of several "hog stands," which were essentially rest stops for the livestock and herders.
The railroad came to Del Rio in 1868 and changed the entire area seemingly overnight. New settlers poured into the town, and new markets from the big cities were opened to the residents of this once isolated farming community. The first tourism business in Cocke County, The Wolf Creek Inn, was built along the railroad line to accommodate the large numbers of new travelers passing through the area. Many famous people spent the night there including Presidents James K. Polk and Abraham Lincoln. An interesting side effect of the railroad was the changing of the community's name from Big Creek to Del Rio as there was another Big Creek railroad depot in Shelby County and the confusion between the two became a problem for a short time.
The next big wave of industry to the area was commercial lumbering, which sadly still exists in Del Rio today. The railroad opened up the timber business and between 1868 and 1880, a particularly interesting industry was the making of hand-shaved shingles from white pine. Later, large sawmills overtook the area and spun off several new industries to the area including black-smithing, knitting mills, and wood workers.
Today, Del Rio exists much the same way that it did in the early days of Cocke County's history. The people there still live off of the land and remain true to the principles of hard work and community that have brought the area through more than 200 years of history.
Located in the community of Chapel Hollow, you can travel back in time and visit the historic Ebenezer Mission, the original mission site from the beloved Catherine Marshall novel, Christy.
On the way to the Mission, be on the lookout for signs like the one at right that will guide and instruct you as you travel from Newport to Del Rio on to the Mission in Chapel Hollow. Just after passing over the French Broad River in Del Rio, vistors can see the boarding house where Christy spent her first night in Cocke County. After departing the train at the depot, Christy spent the night there, then rode horseback to Chapel Hollow (Cutter Gap in the movie) the next morning. After you pass the boarding house, just before turning onto Chapel Hollow, you can see Ebenezer Church, which was reconstructed from the original church and school house. The church still retains the original bell, dating back well before the turn of the century.
While at the Mission property, visitors can see the foundation of the original Mission House, and the locations of where other mission buildings once stood. Two buildings still stand dating from the time of Christy; the "O'Teale" cabin, and a cabin which was a barter store at that time. Later, the store became the home of Flora and Arthur Corn (Fairlight and Jeb Spencer in Christy). The cabin later became the home of their daughter, Opal Corn Myers, who was an inspiration to the entire mountain community. Opal Corn Myers became a teacher, and then befriended Catherine Marshall, later preserving the mission property and advising Catherine Marshall on her well-loved book. Presently, the cabin is the home of Larry Myers, Opal's son, who is the manager of the historic site and carries on her spirit of hospitality.
For everything you ever wanted to known about the history of the Christy Mission, click here. For information about visiting the Mission, feel free to contact Larry Myers between the hours of 9:00am and 1:00pm EST: (423) 487-2648
Located in deep in the heart of Del Rio, Hillbilly's Music Barn is a standing tribute to the good life in the Appalachians. With that pleasing thought in mind, every Saturday night you can get back to your roots with foot-stompin', finger-snappin' bluegrass music and dancing.
Join the fun at Hillbilly's each Saturday evening from 6:00 to 11:00pm in a relaxed, family style atmosphere. Just be sure to being your dancing shoes, because once that magical music gets in your soul, your feet will be moving you over to the dance floor! The reason for making you want to dance has got to be the magical music, because alcohol is not permitted inside. But don't worry, at the snack bar you can get all the concessions you need to munch on when you get hungry and all the sodas you can handle for when you get thirsty. The best thing about Hillbilly's is the fact that there is no admission charge for all the square dancing, buck dancing, clogging, bluegrass music, and good times you can handle. Heck, with all this good stuff going on for free, the only thing you need to know is how to get there!
If you have never been to Hillbilly's Music Barn before, be sure to print out this map and driving directions before you come. Just click here and a new browser window will pop up which will allow you to print the directions to take with you. Just remember, the directions start at the Newport exit of Interstate 40 - exit 435. For additional information about visiting Hillbilly's, feel free to contact Paul Stinson at: (423) 487-5541
