By Dale Neal
STAFF WRITER
Updated: March 12, 2005 12:05 pm
The Appalachian Mountains are among the world’s most ancient ridges, old-timers compared to the upstart peaks of the Rockies out West. Coming to Western North Carolina, many visitors want lodging for time travelers. Pulling into an old-fashioned motor court, they can check in and back in time, snuggling up to an old-fashioned fireplace, sleeping in a mountain cabin.
Before the interstates or high-rise hotels came to Asheville, visitors found their lodgings in motor courts and log cabins off the old highways winding into the city.
“Farmers coming over from Tennessee to the farmer’s market in Asheville used to stay here on their way in and out. This was about the only thing out here,” said Allen Shumaker, owner of the Pine Cottages, 15 units that were built on the old U.S. 19-23 near Weaverville in 1932.
Now Shumaker is likely to rent his cabins to college students on their way to ski slopes, or couples looking for a romantic weekend, or just patrons who appreciate the old-fashioned feel of the cottages.
Motor courts have a long history in the mountains. Col. Harlan Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame once ran the Sanders Court, a 20-unit motor inn at the intersection of Weaverville and Marshall Highways.
Aubrey and Zeb Foster built Fosters Log Cabin Court in 1931 near Weaverville after travelers asked to camp in the pine grove beside their cottage. Robert Mitchum used the “Gold View” cabin as his dressing room when Hollywood filmed part of the movie “Thunder Road” at the site.
Next door, William and Idea Belle Pruett built The Pines Tourist Cottage in 1932. At the time, commuters could ride a trolley line connecting Weaverville and Asheville right past the Pines.
Shumaker bought The Pines three years ago, after considering buying the adjacent Log Cabin motor court. Shumaker had come to Asheville to enroll in a local acupuncture school, but he wanted a hospitality business to pay the bills.
He’s re-plumbed and renovated the cabins, replacing the TVs, linens and headboards. “We wanted to make it more comfortable for the customers.”
It’s not just older patrons who come, but college students who like the room and privacy, Shumaker said. The larger cabins can rent out for about $165 a night and sleep up to eight.