North Carolina

Old country store on the Haw River keeps NC traditions alive

Published

2 years ago

July 13, 2024

Old country store on the Haw River keeps NC traditions alive

There was a time when old-fashioned general stores carried the memories and stores of rural North Carolina — locals sitting in rocking chairs on the front porch, somebody picking a guitar while the older folks swap stories and kids run in and out buying penny candy and bubblegum.

Today, many of those old country stores can be found decaying along rural North Carolina roadsides. With antique paint curling on fading storefronts, their drooping wooden porches are only fit for ghosts – and no one can hear their stories.

Bynum Front Porch was originally the general store for the small mill town of Bynum.

But tucked away down the winding rural roads of NC, there’s a place not far from the Triangle where the old traditions continue – where you can sit in a rocking chair and listen to local music on the front porch on a balmy summer evening. Or, in the fall, you can bundle up with cider on a crisp afternoon and listen to authentic storytellers keep our state’s country lore alive.

Almost a century old, stepping into Bynum’s general store is like stepping back in time. It’s one of the few remaining original stores from the historic mill village, which sits on the bank of the Haw River.

On a summer evening, you might see people dancing barefoot in the grass while a musician strums the guitar, or families running down to play near the river. There’s a food truck on-site, and several locals sitting on the front porch in rocking chairs.

Nearly a centuy old, Bynum Front Porch was originally the general store for the small rural mill town of Bynum.

Many of the dozen or so original stores in the unincorporated community of Bynum have closed their doors over the decades. In fact, Bynum itself has faded from the maps, losing its zip code, post office, movie theater and central cotton mill over the decades after a bypass funneled traffic away from the town.

However, the vibrant community refuses to let their way of life – or their history – just fade away.

Bynum Front Porch now holds a popular summer music series each Friday night.

Bynum Front Porch: Step back in time in Chatham County

Fueled by volunteers and community members, these old store keeps the Old North State’s legacy of storytelling, music and community alive.

“I was born within a stone’s throw of the store,” said Ted Williams, a native of Bynum.

Williams’ parents built the general store, now known as Bynum Front Porch, in the mid-1930s. Before that, both his parents worked at the cotton mill, which was central to Bynum’s existence. Families lived in traditional mill houses, and kept entertained by visiting the five or six stores in downtown. There was also a movie theater and a school.

“It was a vibrant community,” says Williams. “There was a lot of traffic through here at the time.”

Bymum Front Porch was originally the general store for the small mill town of Bynum, NC.

As a kid, Williams recalls sitting on the porch, where people gathered to tell stores, swap jokes and laugh and talk with each other.

“I remember sitting down here and just listening to the grown folks talk,” he said. “It was really special.”

In those days, the town had around 60 or 70 kids, according to his memory, and the bus had two stops:

“One at this store and the other at a store down the street,” he said.

Bymum Front Porch was originally the general store for the small mill town of Bynum, NC.

The highway went right through Bynum, bringing plenty of visitors and money to the town. However, when a bypass was built around the little mill town in the 1950s, the town began to struggle. It was the beginning of the end.

Soon, locals began going to nearby towns to shop. Eventually, stores began closing down and even the post office decided there weren’t enough residents to stay in town. Bynum lost its zip code and became incorporated.

The mill stopped running in the 1980s, and a fire destroyed it a few decades later.

But despite the setbacks, the people of Bymum refused to let their little town’s history just fade away. Bynum was a vibrant community — and would fight to stay that way.

Folks still gather on the front porch of the Bynum General Store in summer to chat and share stories, just like the old days.

Keeping Bynum’s history alive

Many waterways across North Carolina are dotted with overgrown stone foundations of mills and surrounding villages that washed away, burned down or were otherwise lost to time. Some communities became ghost towns; others were swallowed by the development of rapidly-growing cities nearby. In the mountains, the ghost of an old mill town provides a glimpse of what can happen when history is lost. Not far away, the community of Merry Oaks – whose general store is abandoned, but for sale – is under pressure by large nearby developments.

Bynum Front Porch now holds a popular summer music series each Friday night.

Instead of letting the tide of history wash Bynum away, Ron Hatley, chair of the board for Bynum Front Porch, wants to ensure Bynum’s history is preserved.

“It’s a constant struggle,” he said.

There are efforts in place to preserve the old water tower, as well Bynum Bridge – an abandoned bridge closed to vehicle traffic that currently serves as a popular walking path for locals, as well as a ‘freedom of expression’ canvas for painters. Colorful and vibrant, the bridge provides sweeping views of the Haw River. Every Halloween, hundreds of people come from around the region to see the bridge lined with glowing, carved pumpkins.

Bynum Front Porch now holds a popular summer music series each Friday night.

“One of the things we’re doing is an SOS, Save our Store. The Bynum Front Porch building is over a creek, and it’s 90 years old,” he said. “We’re trying to raise money to shore up the foundation. Back then, they just laid down some rocks and built right on top!”

Just as it always has, Bynum Front Porch serves as the beating heart of the community. It may no longer sell groceries, but it you can still trade a story or two and keep those old NC memories alive.

“It’s stayed open as a community center,” said Hatley. “Summer music, storytelling, yoga, morning coffee, scout troop meetings, gatherings for local organizations and leaders.”

Bynum Front Porch now holds a popular summer music series each Friday night.

Every Friday in summer, Bynum Front Porch hosts a summer music series in the grassy lawn beside the store. Then, starting in September, guests can come sit and listen to a storyteller at the old country store – just like kids listening to the older folks swap tales on the front porch.

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North Carolina

WNC wildfire updates for Monday, March 30, 2026

Published

6 hours ago

March 30, 2026

Press Room

BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — Multiple wildfires continue to burn across western North Carolina on Monday, March 30, 2026.

A statewide burn ban is in effect across North Carolina amid increased fire danger and dry conditions.

NORTH CAROLINA ISSUES STATEWIDE BURN BAN AS DRY WEATHER FUELS WILDFIRE DANGER

POPLAR FIRE

The Poplar Fire in Mitchell County is about 350 acres in size and 80% contained, according to the U.S. Forest Service on Sunday.

The fire, located 1 mile north of the Poplar community, is burning in an area heavily impacted by Helene, with downed trees contributing to increased wildfire intensity and risk.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Closed: The Appalachian Trail near Indian Grave Gap (NOBO mile 352.9) is impacted by the fire. Hikers are asked to exercise caution and follow all instructions.

TARKILN FIRE

The U.S. Forest Service said Sunday that the Tarkiln Ridge Fire, burning 5 miles northwest of Hayesville, is 407 acres in size and 90% contained.

The fire is now in patrol status, and firefighters will check the perimeter today to ensure it remains secure, forest officials said.

The fire was caused by lightning.

Closed: Leatherwood Road is closed for firefighter and public safety.

BLACK BALSAM FIRE

The U.S. Forest Service said Sunday that the Black Balsam Fire, located 14 miles southeast of Waynesville, is about 5 acres in size and 75% contained.

The Blue Ridge Parkway from U.S. 276 (mile marker 411.9) to N.C. 215 (mile marker 423.2) was closed to public travel for a time Sunday but reopened after crews made progress on containment efforts, forest officials said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

JUMPING BRANCH FIRE

As of 10 p.m. Sunday, McDowell County Emergency Management says the Jumping Branch Fire is about 175 acres in size with 0% containment.

The fire is located off Locust Cove Road and is burning north of Locust Cove Road and south of Sugar Cove Road in McDowell County.

McDowell County Emergency Management said about 200 firefighters battled the fire Sunday, along with multiple aircraft.

The U.S. Forest Service said Sunday that firefighters are prioritizing protecting private property and structures along the Highway 80 corridor. As of 10 p.m. Sunday, McDowell County officials said no structures have been lost.

Closed: Highway 80 was closed from Toms Creek Road to the Yancey County line. Residents and motorists are asked to avoid the area.

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North Carolina

New ‘Orchid kingdom’ display takes center stage at North Carolina Arboretum Festival

Published

18 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

New ‘Orchid kingdom’ display takes center stage at North Carolina Arboretum Festival

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — As spring returns, so does the 25th annual Asheville Orchid Festival at the North Carolina Arboretum.

The annual show features world-class growers, curated displays, and thousands of orchids for sale.

NORTH CAROLINA ARBORETUM’S ‘SPRING INTO THE ARB’ RETURNS FOR YEAR 2

The event is part of “Spring Into the Arb”, a celebration of the return of spring featuring a series of activities. This year, a new and unique display takes center stage.

“We build this castle, and it’ll be a one-time thing, and we always create something special that goes with the theme. This year it was orchid kingdom,” said Graham Ramsey, president of the Western North Carolina Orchid Society.

This is an American Orchid Society-sanctioned judging event as world-class orchid growers and breeders present hundreds of carefully crafted displays.

NORTH CAROLINA ARBORETUM HOSTS BONSAI CARE DEMONSTRATIONS

Ramsey says growing orchids, while not a hard thing to get into, is an obsessive hobby.

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“I started out with one orchid that belonged to my wife and next thing you know, we’re buying more, and it’s a very obsessive hobby, and by joining the Western North Carolina Orchid Society, we invite all orchid growers to come because that’s what we do, we sit around and talk about how to grow our orchids,” Ramsey said.

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North Carolina

Disputes grow between NC Bar, legislative committee tasked with reforming it

Published

1 day ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

Disputes grow between NC Bar, legislative committee tasked with reforming it

A North Carolina legislative committee is drawing passionate support — and criticism — as it pushes forward with recommendations to inject more secrecy and politics into a group tasked with disciplining lawyers across the state.

The committee plans to meet again this week, fresh off a dramatic hearing Tuesday, during which members of the committee sniped at one another, at least one appeared to have had no idea they’d be asked to vote on one particularly contentious item, and security had to forcibly eject a former state lawmaker who had refused to stop yelling accusations from a podium.

The target of that speaker, as well as the committee he was addressing: the North Carolina State Bar, a regulatory board in charge of licensing and disciplining North Carolina’s lawyers.

It’s the central focus of the State Bar Grievance Review Committee, which has tussled with the Bar and its supporters in the state’s legal community as it has sought to investigate allegations of cancel culture against politically outspoken lawyers and as it has recommended other reforms or demanded political inquisitions.

The committee, created in 2024, is a rarity in North Carolina: It consists of zero members of the state legislature. It’s led by Larry Shaheen and former state Sen. Woody White, two GOP insiders close with Republican state Senate leader Phil Berger. It can’t make changes on its own but can recommend them to the state legislature for approval.

Some previous suggestions by the committee have won broad and bipartisan approval at the state legislature, such as limiting who can report lawyers to the Bar.

But its most recent proposals — including making lawyer discipline a more secretive process, controlled entirely by political appointees — has raised concerns inside the Bar, as well as with some of the lawyers who make a living fighting the Bar on behalf of their clients.

Some of the new changes Shaheen and others on the committee are backing would ban non-lawyers from being involved in hearings of the Bar’s Disciplinary Hearing Commission, which is tasked with deciding whether — and how harshly — to crack down on lawyers accused of things such as stealing clients’ money, sleeping with clients or abusing drugs or alcohol.

The committee also wants to staff the Disciplinary Hearing Commission entirely with political appointees — almost all of them Republicans — and decrease transparency in the process, making more details confidential.

The Bar has deep reservations about those and other proposed changes, saying they’ll harm its goal of protecting members of the public from predatory or simply bad lawyers. The committee has not asked for the Bar’s input during this process, and relations between the two groups have become strained.

State Bar Executive Director Peter Bolac told WRAL he questions the need for these changes, which he said appear to have been put together “without broader input or a comprehensive understanding of the State Bar’s work.”

Bolac was at the most recent hearing on the changes, but he wasn’t invited to speak — whether to provide his own presentation, or to answer questions and concerns. He told WRAL the committee should attempt to learn how the Bar works, first, before trying to change it.

“Without a clear and shared understanding of how the current system functions, it is difficult to engage in a meaningful discussion about potential improvements,” Bolac said. “Nevertheless, we remain willing to participate in thoughtful, good-faith dialogue aimed at strengthening the system.”

Shaheen says he knows firsthand how the process works, having served on Disciplinary Hearing Commission he and his committee are now targeting. And he sees it as his mission to drastically change the way it operates, saying he has lost friends because of his association with it. “I have several lawyers, who have been long term friends of mine, who have come to me and, because of some of the things said to them, feel like I’m the devil,” Shaheen said.

‘Radical changes’

The committee’s most recent meeting was just the latest in the committee’s years-long attempt to make reforms to the Bar.

Alan Schneider, who has represented more lawyers facing disciplinary hearings than perhaps anyone else in North Carolina, often finds himself at odds with the Bar. He previously gave a formal presentation to this same committee on suggestions to reform it.

But he says the latest suggestions, to ramp up the political appointments, go too far.

“There were problems in the past in terms of maybe old cases weren’t heard as quickly as they could,” Schneider said. “But the changes were made. The State Bar heard, and the State Bar has acted. What I’d like this panel to understand is the necessity for all these radical changes. I believe it is unnecessary.”

White and Shaheen said the changes are necessary. Shaheen said increasing political control over the Bar would increase accountability, by making members of the Bar answer to politicians who ultimately answer to the people.

Under the new proposal, 19 of its 26 members would be chosen by various Republican politicians and the remaining seven would be chosen by Democratic Gov. Josh Stein.

“To have more folks appointed by public officials, we want to create more accountability, to make sure that the process is not weaponized against attorneys,” Shaheen said at the committee’s meeting on Tuesday.

White defended the push for less transparency.

“Nowadays when you can weaponize allegations in a nanosecond and publish them, put them out in a political context … that is unfair, for a lawyer to be accused of something before he or she is convicted of it,” he said.

‘Such sweeping reforms’

The committee is set to meet again Wednesday. The committee hadn’t released information on what issues it plans to discuss, but it’s expected to be closely watched by the state’s legal community.

The relative lack of public notice on what this committee is considering also raised the ire of interested parties at last week’s meeting.

Jane Meyer, a Tharrington Smith attorney in Raleigh who also chairs the Bar’s disciplinary group, questioned why the proposals voted on Tuesday were only made public a few days beforehand, and with no opportunity for the Bar — or the general public — to respond.

White had originally attempted pushing through a vote Tuesday without allowing members of the public to speak. But he relented after Andrew Heath, a conservative lobbyist who serves on the committee, urged him to allow Meyer and other members of the public to have two minutes each to give brief comments.

“That troubles me — that such sweeping reforms are being considered without much study, and without asking for input,” Meyer told the committee.

Given the sweeping nature of their recommendations, Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby suggested the committee should “do a little bit more study and maybe get a little bit more information.”

Willoughby specifically criticized the proposal to make it harder for members of the public to learn about accusations against attorneys.

“We should not be trying to restrict and make things more confidential,” he said. “We should make it more open. The public needs to have quicker and more complete access. I think people find their lawyers now, not from their Sunday school class or their bowling league or their Lions Club, but through the internet searches. They want information.”

They were among the passionate speakers at the hearing, but perhaps not the most passionate.

Two-plus hours into its most recent hearing on Tuesday, former state Rep. Edwin Hardy had his mic cut off and then was escorted out of the room by security. He was several minutes into speaking during the open public comment period as his comments turned into a rant involving former President Barack Obama, the late Gov. Jim Hunt, allegations of political favoritism, cocaine usage and more.

Hardy, a Republican who used to represent Beaufort County in the state House, was the only one ejected — even though he was also one of the few speakers who appeared to support the committee’s goal of major overhauls to the Bar. His comments were in line with the allegations White, Shaheen and others have been claiming for years about cancel culture.

“I got very vocal online because Obama won,” Hardy told the committee. “… Well guess what: I was very vocal, and the day after Obama won reelection, I got a phone call and the Bar told me I had been randomly picked for an audit.”

State records show that that 2012 audit found Hardy had been using poor accounting practices with trust accounts where he held onto money for clients — including taking actions that “allowed entrusted funds to be disbursed in a manner not authorized by or for the benefit of the client.”

However, the Bar found he didn’t steal any of the money, and that there wasn’t any evidence of his clients being harmed by his trust fund missteps. It allowed him to continue practicing law.

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