Heritage Partners

Heritage Partners

Benefit the community by strengthening its sense of place
"Down by the River" by Debra and Dave Vanderlaan... The slow moving Hiwassee River just after dawn, at the confluence of the Valley River is encircled by the Smoky Mountains... A touch of fog dances on the still water of this pretty river, mists floating over the reflective water. An old tree, long tangled roots exposed after the high waters recede after Spring and Summer rains have ended, is just a gnarled stump now. The morning light shines on the glistening mossy bark, a lovely glow accenting the curves and shapes of the roots. The cliffs at the opposite shore are called Lovers' Leap, a high granite stone face of rocks that rises suddenly from the shallow river's edge. Captured in Murphy, North Carolina in early autumn in the Blue Ridge Mountains of the Smokies...
Down by the River
"Forest Beauty" by Debra and Dave Vanderlaan... Captured along the River Walk in the Appalachian Mountains, these beautiful black river willow trees and poplars grow near the wetlands at the edge of the water. The trees are in their autumn colors in the misty fog as the sunrise color adds drama to the morning, dressed to impress the hikers and river folk who happen by. There are so many beautiful trails in the Smoky Mountains. This area is in Murphy near the Cherokee National Forest of North Carolina, very close to Tennessee and Georgia. This river meets the Valley River in town and floods during the Spring and part of the Summer months. Enjoy our fine art images of the Blue Ridge mountains in our gallery here! Www.CelebrateLifeGallery.com
Forest Beauty
"Fishing Under the Trestle" by Debra and Dave Vanderlaan... A beautiful Spring morning on the river, fog rolling in under the trestle. These fishing buddies, a man and is dog, are cruising around the swollen river on this pretty misty dawn. This is the Valley River where it meets the Hiwassee River just beyond the fog in the convergeance curve in the river. Fresh leaves hang on the branches along the edge of the stream. Sunlight breaks through the cloudy mist to light up the sycamore and willow trees along the banks... Enjoy our big gallery of fine art photography images! Www.CelebrateLifeGallery.com
Fishing Under the Trestle
An abandoned railroad track in Murphy, North Carolina is shown here on a misty autumn morning meandering along the Valley River and under the old highway through town. .The historically important Murphy Branch is the western most part of what was the Western North Carolina Railroad, later the Richmond and Danville, Southern Railway and today the Norfolk Southern Railway. The branch runs between Asheville, North Carolina in the east and Andrews in the west. It roughly follows Interstate 40 and the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway. The railroad branch was constructed with convict labor between 1881 and 1894. Today the section of the branch between Asheville and Sylva is owned and operated by the Norfolk Southern Railway. The tracks between Dillsboro and Andrews are owned and operated by the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, a tourist excursion railroad. Although the Murphy Branch is today divided between two separate companies, it is still a continuous rail line between Asheville and Andrews. The tracks between Andrews and Murphy are still in place but have not been in use since the late 1980s after Norfolk Southern decided to close the leg because of a lack of freight traffic. When the railroad began eying the rest of the Murphy Branch past Dillsboro for closure the state of North Carolina stepped in and purchased the tracks to keep the right-of-way alive. It later sold the tracks to the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad which had leased them from the state for a number of years. This section of the Murphy Branch has the distinction of being the first stretch of track the state ever purchased in modern times and began a long running practice for the state of North Carolina that eventually became the state's "Rails to Trails" program which maintains railroad rights-of-way for future use. The Murphy Branch was extremely important to Southwestern North Carolina in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as it opened up the isolated and rural mountains west of Asheville to t
Under And Over

Heritage Partners of Cherokee County
Murphy, North Carolina

Our Purpose:

Benefit the community by strengthening its sense of place, and by attracting a sustained base of heritage, ecological and agricultural tourism.

Our Mission:

Promote public awareness, education and good stewardship of the community’s natural, historic, and cultural resources. Serve as a planning, educational, and community-initiated development resource to conserve and renew these unique assets for the benefit of many generations to come.

Thank you for visiting Heritage Partners, and we hope you enjoy what you can see on-line.

Volunteers and contributions are always welcome and appreciated. Our volunteer board meets quarterly.

Email us for the next meeting date/time/location.  All are welcome!