It’s an awful nice cheat code when you can do something that feels enjoyable and even perhaps borderline hedonistic, but can still be somehow shoehorned into the broad category of “charitable.” I suppose I did a bit of that this past weekend, when I went out to Western North Carolina for reasons of enjoying the beautiful surroundings and all that magical crap, but then realized that, hey, after the brutality of Hurricane Helene trashed the whole Western chunk of the state, I could sort of consider my going out there and spending money at local places, you know, helpful.
This is a very, very loose definition of “helpful,” but you know, you take what you can.
Anyway it was delightful, and I absolutely enjoyed being out there in this strangely lovely state’s left flank. The aftermath of the hurricane is still shockingly evident, almost a year later, and while the big, attention-hogging cities like Asheville are pretty well recovered, there’s still plenty of little towns all around the mountains that are still not even close to being rebuilt. One of these is the little town of Marshall, a charming little community of about 700 people sort of crammed into a nook between some mountains and the French Broad River (named I imagine, after a delightfully loud woman named Geneviève from Lyon).
It’s only about four square miles in area, but on the little main drag sits this old taxi, which looks to be a 1956 Dodge Coronet:
Now, I can’t be certain this was there before the flooding, but it’s pretty well surrounded by all the grimy sediment left by the floodwaters, and I can’t think of a really good reason anyone would say, hey, let’s drag a 70-year-old non-running taxi into our flood-trashed town! That’ll help everything!
Actually, I can be sure this taxi survived the flooding, because here’s a picture of it from 2007, when it looked to be in much better condition. So this old workhorse really does seem to be a survivor of the hurricane.
Despite having endured a flood, the taxi looks to be in pretty good condition; I suspect it could be restored to its former glory, though I also suspect it’s pretty far down the list of things to do in this small town, which still has plenty of boarded up windows and vacant storefronts. Though, that said, there’s also a lot of re-growth happening, with some great restaurants, galleries, a library, bookstore, and live music venues, so, you know, don’t sleep on Marshall.
And yes, there’s a name for that thrill you feel when you gaze upon that taxi: it’s MOTION-DESIGN for the Forward Look! Do I agree with the ad copy that it has a “long, lithe, lancelike look?” Mmmm maybe not so much, though respect to the alliteration.
American cars of this era also had a weird fetish for heraldry and coats-of-arms, despite being from a country that made a pretty big point about not wanting any royalty. But we still stuck badges like that one, with a knight’s helmet over a shield, on plenty of cars.
I also noticed this building, the Westco Telephone Building, in Marshall, and I’m kind of fascinated by it. It’s just one of those telecom utility buildings full of equipment, and I guess the basic architectural style for these is “box.” Which is what this one is. Mostly.
Whoever this architect was – and I haven’t been able to find out, though I sort of suspect they designed this in the 1970s? – they managed to give this otherwise featureless block some flair with that dramatic rain downspout. I imagine in action it worked something like this:
I checked, and there is a drain in that WESTCO-branded block thing down there, so I do think the intent was something like this. Which I think is incredible! What a clever way to give some drama to what would otherwise be the most boring building possible! I bet it made good noises, too.
Oh, also, in the nearby town of Hendersonville, NC, they have very attractive livery for their fire trucks:
The red-and-black adds a certain dignity to these trucks that I appreciate.
Anyway, if you’re near Western NC, I strongly suggest getting out to one of the many beautiful not-Asheville towns and enjoying yourself and throw some of your money around there. They could use it as they still try to climb out of the Helene Hole, and you’ll have a fantastic time, too. Especially with fall coming up! It’ll be so beautiful out there you’ll plotz! Plotz hard.
First car I remember my family owning was a “56 Dodge Coronet Royale in red and black. 3 speed on the column and we kids knocked it out of gear once on a hill where it almost rolled into the street before someone jumped in a stopped it.
My mom sold it for next to nothing when the exhaust fell off.
Learned all the bad words on a trip from New Hampshire to Texas with my mom driving and my big brother as co-pilot…
My mother in law lived in Cullowhee, NC until she passed away in November of last year. After the hurricane everybody was trying to get in contact with her and panicked since she lives just off the Tuckaseegee. Nearly a week after the hurricane she got power back and called just to complain that she hadn’t been able to watch TV. She didn’t even know how bad the storm was and had not been impacted or even realized how severe it was around her. We have made 3 trips up since then and the locals were very happy about it. The first time in November just before she passed we had a very difficult time getting a room to stay in because everywhere was either closed for damaged, or booked with line workers and similar there for recovery.
A lot of my coworkers and friends made donations or brought supplies up. It is good that they did, since the government deemed them not worthy of assistance.
Bless you, Torch. People who have never visited WNC simply cannot understand what happened there. The sheer magnitude of the destruction boggles the mind. Hundreds of small bridges wiped out. Miles of roads destroyed. New Belgium Brewing in Asheville had 9 feet of water in it. The list goes on. Outsiders can’t understand why the recovery is slow – they’ve never been there and seen how rugged the terrain is. A colleague from Wisconsin worked with his daughter and a friend who owned a tractor trailer gathering donations of supplies. They loaded up 11 tons of supplies and drove them to Black Mountain NC. They had to detour way to the east to get up the mountain as the roads from the north and from the west were still closed. My colleague was amazed as he had no idea of the terrain. Almost a year later and I still get emotional when I think about the kindness and generosity he showed, and that so many others showed.
As much as I love the Outer Banks, I love the mountains more, which is probably a result of attending college in the Appalachians of Virginia. There’s so much more to do than just getting burned by the sun on the sand, including all the twisty mountain roads to enjoy.
The destruction in that part of the state looks similar to the aftermath of Maria in Puerto Rico. Even 8 years later, one can still see obvious evidence of the damage that storm caused. Hopefully NC can recover a little faster.
Considering how many electronics aren’t in that Coronet, it’s probably just a matter of a solid cleaning and rust inspection. The latter part would worry me.
I love old telecom buildings, mostly because I imagine they look like the inside of the computer in Tron, but, like, super noisy.
Just buy a harness from Painless, good to go.
We support local small business as we can. Go to a craft festival and buy a coffee in town. Check out the local shops, buy lunch at a food truck or corner counter. Buy from the local pizza shop, not a chain. It all adds up. Pay cash if you can, or don’t get bent when they add a CC surcharge. This is their livelyhoods.
Silghtly disappointed you don’t have a full report from the McCandless’ open house (I’d have gone but they’re in the wrong Burlington, or maybe I am because they salt the roads 4-6 months a year) but this makes an appropriately Mopar-flavored consolation prize.
My grandparents lived in Hendersonville for many years. Going downtown and having ice cream was always nice. I wonder if Tar Heel Lanes is still around.
Tarheel Lanes is indeed still around (note their incorrect spelling of Tar Heel). I grew up outside of Hendersonville, and my parents’ neighbor was the manager of that place for years. I used to play Gorf there on Friday nights while my parents bowled.
I absolutely want my next car to be the color of the ’56 Dodge in that brochure.
Pale orange? Sign me up! I’m sure my boring neighbors will be terrified by it.
Multi decade veteran of hurricane country here. The single most underrated yet impactful form of storm recovery that anyone can contribute to is going into storm damaged areas and spending your money in the local economy. Seriously. You don’t even have to break a sweat. Just go spend a buck or two in a place that could use your bucks.
That’s not a Coronet. It’s a Canadian Dodge (maybe a Regent) – it has Plymouth rear fenders and taillights!
A Plodge, right?
I was thinking the same, my father owned a 1956 (Canadian) Savoy wagon, looked very similar to this unit.
I have a repop of the Johan promo ’56 Plymouth on the shelf above me right now, so I recognized it right away as a Canada/export Plodge. I wonder how it ended up so far from the border.
“[T]hrow some of your money around there. They could use it as they still try to climb out of the Helene Hole”
Yes, as a neighbor in East Tennessee (though where I live we escaped the brunt of Helene) I agree whole-heartedly. The term “Helene Hole” is rather apt because if people don’t help out by throwing some of their money the residents of the afflicted areas will have to go to someone for aid, that is, they’ll have to go to Helene Waite.
As a resident of WNC (Sylva) I appreciate the shoutout Torch! We spent last weekend hitting festivals in Sylva and Spruce Pine and it is important to visit our smaller communities that have so much to offer
I have spent a lot of time in Sylva recently. My mother in law lived in Cullowhee and passed away in November. My wife and sister in law are inheriting her house. It is a lovely area and we were there for the first day of open trout season on the Tuckaseegee. We hit our limit on trout and decided to make it a yearly trip. Also ate at several local restaurants which was delicious.
What’s the name of that great bbq place in Sylva? Stopped in a couple years ago and have it on my list for a return trip!
Haywood Smokehouse? (actually in Dillsboro but basically the same town)
Always spend your $$’s where people need them. You know, like Autopian, farmers markets, and distressed communities. Otherwise you are just sending your money to Bezos.
THIS! Buy local (and in cash) if you can. Patronize farmer’s markets, craft shows, your local coffee shop (not big S). Go to a local pizzarea, burger shop, etc… Give the local Thai or Indian restaurant a go.