Cultural Heritage

Historic Siler/Jones House Gifted to Mainspring

May 23, 2024

Some of the interior walls of the Siler/Jones house contain logs from a cabin built before 1820.

For more than two hundred years, the Siler/Jones House on East Main Street in Franklin has evolved—serving as a farmstead, a boarding house, a beacon of hospitality, and a home to generations of descendants of Franklin’s first white settler, Jesse R. Siler. It stood as a silent witness to history, and now, it will witness another change. Earlier this month, the Jones Family completed a plan to ensure the lasting legacy of the home by transferring “the House at the foot of the hill,” as it is affectionately known, to Mainspring Conservation Trust. The gift opens doors to a future of restoration, conservation, education, and invitation.

Dick Jones, who will turn 90 years old in May and grew up in the house, reflected on the family’s decision. “We had long discussions, including my wife, Melissa, our children, Laura and Fred and his wife, Jennifer, and our grandchildren about their dreams for the property’s future. We felt it was time to entrust this important piece of our family legacy, and really our community’s legacy, to an organization committed to preserving our collective cultural heritage.”

The current generation of the Jones Family collectively chose to donate the home to Mainspring.

Back in 1820, Jesse Siler, a pioneer instrumental in shaping the modern-day town of Franklin, purchased the property from the State of North Carolina. Over the years, the humble log cabin that came with the land underwent considerable transformations. For more than 60 years, the home remained in the Siler family. This changed in 1888, when Jesse’s son, Julius Grady Siler, swapped properties with his Siler cousin, Harriett, and her husband, Judge George Jones. Under their care, the home was extensively renovated and extended. It has remained in the Jones family since then, witnessing the growth and demands of time and new generations of Jones families. The Siler/Jones home’s significance was firmly established when it earned a place on the National Historic Register in 1982.

Jordan Smith, Mainspring’s executive director, emphasized the importance of the house’s historical ties. “Not only is the home significant as a symbol of early Appalachia, it now has a connection to the Removal in 1830,” he stated. In 2023, a Route Refinement on the Trail of Tears determined that the trail followed the road directly in front of the Siler/Jones House. Since the home was standing and occupied at the time of Removal, that designation would make it the only known Witness House on the (refined) National Historic Trail in North Carolina, a testament to its unique historical significance.

The refined map of the Trail of Tears Route runs directly in front of Jesse Siler’s former home.

The gift of the home to Mainspring makes it eligible for substantial funding to support its restoration and renovation. Molly Phillips is leading that process for Mainspring and says the restoration will be informed by its past roles while looking forward to future use. “This home holds countless stories within its walls, just waiting to be unearthed,” she says. “It will be a challenging project, but deeply rewarding to peel back those layers of history.”

Demo work has already begun under the management of Jim Byrd Construction. While immediate structural issues are being assessed, Mainspring is considering the best use of the restored home. “There are so many potential outcomes we’ve discussed,” Phillips said. “The Jones family has emphasized to us how this place has been a central site for people to gather to work together and solve problems that enhance this community,” she said. “Whatever happens, we hope to honor that legacy of unity and action that has defined the Siler/Jones house for generations.”

When Fred Jones considers the gift, he recalls an entry from Jesse Siler’s 1832 diary, where Siler describes his motivation for giving land for the Methodist Church to begin. The diary states: “Some particular incidents of my life enable me to look back and see both the movements and sentiments of my middle life . . . In 1829, I joined the Methodist Church. Being few in number, I thought of my promise to my Maker and accordingly set to work to build a church.” As Fred now says about this gift, those echoes of history are inescapable. “Our family values the beauty of these mountains, the valleys’ warmth, and the cool, clear waters that flow. We cherish the memory of those who have gone before and are committed to abundant opportunity for those who follow. Mainspring is the perfect partner for this special place, as its whole purpose is to preserve our natural and cultural resources and to make our region a place with deep roots and far-reaching branches. We are so pleased to partner with Mainspring and cannot wait to see what the future will bring.”

Mainspring Executive Director Jordan Smith shakes hands with Fred Jones. Holding Fred’s other hand is his father, Richard Jones, who grew up in the Siler/Jones home.

Mainspring Conservation Trust is a regional nonprofit dedicated to saving important places in the Southern Blue Ridge. For more information, visit www.mainspringconserves.org.

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Efforts to Restore the Oconaluftee River Advances

November 21, 2022

November 21, 2022 – A regionally and nationally significant river restoration project is moving forward on the Oconaluftee River, where a coalition of federal, state, tribal, nonprofit and private partners is working together to remove the Ela Dam in Whittier, North Carolina.

The most recent action is the signing between Mainspring Conservation Trust and Northbrook Carolina Hydro II of an Asset Purchase Option and Sale Agreement. The agreement provides Mainspring, or its assign, the option to acquire the entire impoundment structure, lands and property for nominal value, if it determines dam removal is feasible given available funding and conditioned on receipt of approvals from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and other reviewing agencies.

The coalition, which includes the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC), the US Fish and Wildlife Service, American Rivers, Mainspring, and the Southern Environmental Law Center, among others, was initially spearheaded by EBCI Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources Joey Owle. Owle had approached Northbrook, Ela Dam’s owner, about removing the dam following the company’s remediation efforts after an accidental sediment release in October 2021 that affected the downstream reach of the Oconaluftee River.

“The tribe has always had an interest in restoring connectivity to our waterbodies, and the Ela Dam has disconnected our river and aquatic relatives for nearly 100 years,” said Owle as he recounted the impetus of this historic project. “When I began this position in 2017, removing Ela Dam was one of the first ideas I pitched to my staff and leadership. The accidental sediment release coincided with an unprecedented funding opportunity from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). That, coupled with determined parties all around ready to pursue the idea of reconnecting 188 square miles of the watershed through a social and environmental justice lens, was perfect timing. I am grateful that Chuck Ahlrichs (of Northbrook) took my call in December 2021, and with a team of exceptional partners, we were able to come together to create an opportunity from the ground up.”

From that first call from EBCI, Northbrook was ready to come to the table with the partners. Nearly 100 years ago, the dam was constructed to support rural electrification but now, the social, economic, and environmental values of reestablishing a free-flowing Oconaluftee River vastly outweigh the one megawatt of output it generates. Northbrook also wanted to improve relations with organizations and agencies that work to protect and improve the nation’s rivers.

“Removing a dam is the fastest way to bring a river back to life,” said Erin McCombs, Southeast Conservation Director with American Rivers. “This project is one of the most exciting river restoration efforts in the U.S., with tremendous benefits including improved water quality, habitat for imperiled fish and wildlife, and cultural reconnection.”

According to American Rivers, 56 dams have been removed in North Carolina to restore river health. If this project is successful, it may serve as a template for how dam owners can work cooperatively with American Rivers and other partners to decommission dams when the value of a free-flowing river outweighs a dam’s power generation.

Mainspring Executive Director Jordan Smith says the EBCI-led coalition meetings have resulted in each partner bringing their organization’s best to the table to find a creative path forward.

“As a land trust, we are used to owning assets,” he said. “American Rivers brings their expertise in managing dam removals while the NC Wildlife Resources Commission and US Fish and Wildlife Service have supported the initiative from day one, identifying and providing funding and prioritizing this project within their offices. And without the leadership from the EBCI and Northbrook’s willingness to essentially contribute the property to the effort, we absolutely could not move forward. This is truly a team effort.”

Removal of the dam will open 549 river miles of the Oconaluftee River and its tributaries; streams across the entire Qualla boundary and parts of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be connected once again to the lower Oconaluftee and Tuckasegee Rivers. Additionally, culturally important fish species will have access to spawning areas in upstream Tribal waters after being disconnected from them for nearly a century.

Mainspring’s and Northbrook’s signing of the Asset Purchase Option and Sale Agreement allows the coalition to continue its work on the next phase of project planning. With funding from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, American Rivers is leading the design and engineering studies for dam removal while the coalition moves forward with planning and regulatory approval processes. Mainspring’s purchase option will expire in April 2023.

Land Along the Valley River Conserved

April 7, 2022

New public access to the Valley River is coming to the Hiwassee watershed, after Mainspring Conservation Trust conserved almost 30 acres in Cherokee County.

Situated on Mason Branch, the low topography and location along the historic river channel renders most of the property ideal to be restored as a wetland, which are increasingly hard to find within the Southern Blue Ridge. Ecologically rich and diverse, mountain wetlands are important for providing habitat for many amphibians, birds, small mammals, and invertebrates. Wetlands also act as water purifiers, filtering sediment and absorbing many pollutants, while serving as a sponge to absorb water during storms, reducing downstream flood damage.

The conservation property includes more than half a mile of Valley River frontage, something that Mainspring plans to take advantage of. “In addition to protecting some increasingly rare wetland in the mountains, the staff is working with the Wildlife Resources Commission to provide much-needed public access to the Valley River,” explains local volunteer and Mainspring Board Member Johnny Strawn. “I am very pleased with this purchase.”

In the 1700s, the land was part of Little Tellico, a Cherokee Town, and includes a portion of the Trail of Tears route. Though it has always been a culturally significant tract, it will soon be put to present-day use. Partnerships are in place for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian artisans to harvest rivercane growing on the property for their use in weaving traditional baskets.

“Our mission to conserve important places, restore them so that they contribute to biodiversity, and then connect people to the outdoors is all summed up nicely in this particular project,” says Mainspring Executive Director Jordan Smith. “I am thrilled that Mainspring continues to expand its conservation footprint into critical places within the Hiwassee watershed.”

For more information about Mainspring, visit www.mainspringconserves.org.

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