June 1994

MacRae Lumber Company Drying Shed at Linville

This is the drying shed at Linville. The right-of-way ran in front of this building at the edge of the road. This building is 48 wide x 72 feet deep. It stands in the curve where a Boone-bound ET&WNC train leaving Linville would cross the West Fork (river) to the right. In the 20s, 30s and 40s a line running up the river and behind the building connected the MacRae Lumber Company and their timber holdings to the ET&WNC line. MacRae had a sawmill, logpond, planing mill, drying kiln, and extensive narrow gauge tracks into the woods north of Linville towards Sugar Mountain.

As an update, this local landmark owned by the Hugh Morton estate, was torn down in 2009. I've been told it was built about 1919. It's a shame to lose historical structures like these.