For such a small town, just over 12 square miles, Brasstown was named after a big mistake.
The Cherokee named the area “Place of Fresh Green,” which aptly describes the gentle beauty of the region. The English-speaking settlers liked the name so much that they attempted to charter it, but in doing so they made a translation error.
The Cherokee term for “place of fresh green” (Itse’yĭ) sounds deceivingly similar to the Cherokee term for “brass” (Ûňtsaiyĭ). So the fresh green landscape of the area would forever be called Brasstown. But the name, of course, cannot dim the majesty of the town on the Cherokee/Clay county line.
And the town has plenty of majesty. Take John C. Campbell Folk School, for example.
Appalachian artisans
John Campbell and his visionary bride, Olive, explored the area searching for an Appalachian location to build a folk school. They intended to decrease the poverty levels in the Appalachian area through education, but knew traditional avenues to colleges would require the youth to move away from the mountains. This meant the loss of meaningful family traditions and skills.
After John’s death, Olive worked in cooperation with Brasstown storekeeper Fred O. Scroggs, who allocated 20 acres of his family farmland to the folk school. The school, arguably resting on some of the prettiest acres in the area, has been serving the community since 1925.
The school’s dedication to the folk traditions of the Appalachian people influences Brasstown to this day.
“Brasstown is an artisan community,” said Sherry Dukes of Highlander Gallery. “A tremendous amount of artists live in this community, creative people, musicians and artists.”
Dukes’ gallery, open since 2016, certainly contributes to Brasstown’s artistic celebration. Housed inside a 100-year-old creamery, her gallery displays “30 of the finest artisans in western North Carolina.” Dukes loves running her business here.
“Life in Brasstown is very simple and quiet,” she said. “It’s a peaceful life in a world that is kind of crazy right now.”
Dukes’ sentiments are shared among other business owners in town. Born and raised in Brasstown, Jimmy Wilson, along with his brother, Allen, worked with several well companies after graduating from Murphy High School.
Takin’ care of business
They worked long enough to master the skill and then open their own well-drilling business in 2005. Wilson Well Drilling is a family owned operation.
“Brasstown is the best place in the world,” Jimmy said. “It’s the good people and the good atmosphere; it’s just home.”
However, the Wilson brothers have seen their hometown change over the years.
“It’s changed a whole lot,” Jimmy added. “There are more people now, and the older people are dying off. People move in and you don’t know as many people as you used to.”
The brothers sometimes work out of town but prefer the comforts of Brasstown.
“I tell people that we’re honest,” Jimmy said. “People in a small town are definitely more honest, in our experience.”
Marla Browning called Brasstown home back when she married her first husband. When a house fire destroyed all of her belongings, including her professional wardrobe, Browning chose to end her career as a paralegal and get into the painting business.
“My first job was from a person I knew from the folk school,” she said.
The homeowner hired her, but the foreman on the project wasn’t having it. When she showed up to work, he pulled her aside.
“He told me, ‘Little lady, you need to go home and bake. There are men who need this work to feed their families,’ ” she said.
Browning, a single parent herself, went home and baked a batch of cookies. The next day, she showed up at the work site with her plate of desert.
“The foreman just grinned and said, ‘We’ll see how it goes,’ ” she said.
It went really well. Browning had an aptitude for painting and eventually opened her own painting company, Browning Precision Painting. “It got to the point where I had the largest crew between the big cities,” she said.
Browning built her entire business on referrals.
“I could never just walk up on a job (construction site) because I was a woman,” she said. “So my business has always been referrals.”
Browning said her success in Brasstown in based on her truism, “One job well done leads to five referrals.” That, and, she joked, “I’m 66 years old now. I am booked constantly, and the only sober person on a paint crew.” She laughed, adding that “painters have a bad rap for being derelict.”
Racetrack an institution
The Brasstown business community doesn’t suffer derelicts. Businesses thrive based on workmanship and integrity. Meet Ray Cook, Tri-County Racetrack’s manager and promoter.
“Jack Wimpy started the track back in 1968,” Cook said. Wimpy once assisted the sheriff at a crash sight, which was the disastrous result of a drag race.
“They looked at each other and wondered how to keep people from drag racing down the main road. That’s when Jack opened up the track.”
Cook said the track is a local institution.
“It’s a business, but it’s more of a tradition,” he said. The track is the second oldest in the entire state and is one of the two biggest tourist draws in town.
“I’m a little bias, but the track and the folk school bring more people to town,” Cook said, adding that it’s successful because of the family atmosphere
“We don’t sell alcohol. Families come out and have a good time. It’s a place to gather.”
Like the Wilson brothers, Cook was born and raised in Brasstown.
“Why would I want to leave?” he asked. “There’s nothing no better.”
Despite boasting great food at the track, including Angus beef burgers and barbecue, Cook doesn’t eat out much in town. “My wife cooks for me,” he said. “We eat at home.”
Cook’s propensity for home-cooked meals doesn’t bother Donna and Robert Forsyth, owners of the The Crown. Like the racetrack, Donna said The Crown is a gathering place for the community.
“We’ve got good food and drink here,” she said adding that they are a part of Brasstown’s music and dance community. With their expansive outdoor seating under a fairy-lit arbor, a stone fire pit and gobsmacking views, The Crown offers a regal setting for its patrons.
Keith, born and raised in Murphy was thrilled to open their restaurant in Brasstown. Constructed just above the Hollywood-esque “Brasstown sign,” the restaurant represents the best of the place of fresh green, with its artisan flair rooted in local sensibilities.