June 1996

Shulls Mills Store

We're at Shulls Mills, just south of the Watauga River where the bridge was washed out in the flood of 1940. There are 3 buildings here. One on the left is a very old, rambling wood sided house that looks kind of like an very large, spread-out log cabin. Then there is this general store called Harbin's Store, and then on the right is an older, contemporary, round-shaped concrete house. The right-of-way was just behind all these structures and a train going to Boone would be going to the left before turning east again to follow the Watauga for a ways. The store and both houses appeared to be closed. Some research in 1996 revealed that the store and the old wood house both belonged to "Old Mrs. Shulls" who was 107 years old and in a nursing home. Don't know of her condition now though. I'd love to talk to her about when the railroad came through here. I believe the old house would have been here at the time, but not sure when the store or the concrete contemporary were built. Old Mrs. Shulls would have been about 25-30 years old when the Linville River Ry. finally came to this area. Anybody know any more history of this little area? Just down to the left is the Clubhouse and offices of Hound Ears Golf Course, about where the Shulls Mills depot would have been.