Historic Downtown Banner Elk

Take some time to walk through We will tell you the history of some of the iconic Banner Elk buildings you see every time you drive through town and some you may not know are there!

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Historic Downtown Banner Elk

Banner Elk, North Carolina 28604, United States

Created By: Greater Banner Elk Heritage Foundation

Tour Information

Ordinarily, we suggest you park in one of the two spaces behind the Banner House Museum (or at the Mill Pond across Hickory Nut Gap Road) and start the tour app before moving on. Howerver, DUE TO DAMAGE FROM HURRICANE HELENE, DOWNTOWN BANNER ELK IS NOT ACCESIBLE FOR PEDESTRIANS FROM THE BANNER HOUSE MUSEUM. For now, we suggest parking at the Historic Banner Elk School and starting the tour at the elk statue, stop number 8 (Historic Banner Elk School). The entire tour is aproximately 1.4 mile of walking with some incline, traffic crossings and a few stairs. For ease of navigation on sidewalks, some of the sites may be across the street from the waypoint in the app. This is noted in the text. Because we are in a rural area, follow the walking tour arrows as best you can, but you can also "skip" a spot you know you are in front of so the app will move you to the next site. Your safety is important to us. Please be aware of traffic and other potential hazzards. When you finish the walking portion of the tour, we welcome you to visit the Banner House Museum and we will share more history of our town!


Tour Map

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What You'll See on the Tour

Note:  Slide image left to see more.  Tap on image for full view, then click "Back" button on your phone to return to the tour. Start tour in Banner House Museum Parking lot.  Select "Follow Me" at the bottom right of your screen for bet... Read more
Note:  Slide image left to see more.  Tap on image for full view, then click the "back" button on your phone to return to the tour. Although what is now Avery County was strongly Confederate, there were notable Unionist sentiments.  Samu... Read more
Note:  Slide image left to see more.  Tap on image for full view, then click the "back" button on your phone to return to the tour. Sam Banner, who built the Banner House, used oxen to drag logs across the Elk River to create a dam to ... Read more
This is a private residence.  Please do not enter the property. Note:  Slide image left to see more.  Tap on image for full view, then click the "back" button on your phone to return to the tour. Across the street from the Cheese House i... Read more
The Cheese House was built in 1917 by local residents who owned stock in the "Shawneehaw Cheese Cooperative."  First quality, award-winning cheddar cheese was made here and shipped as far away as Atlanta.  The fact that this was a coopera... Read more
This is a private residence.  Please do not enter the property. Note:  Slide image left to see more Bill Banner, a well-known woodworker and nephew of Sam Banner, installed a a waterwheel in the Shawneehaw Creek to power a small mill and... Read more
Clinchfield Caboose #1024 was in service with the Hampton Railroad Car Company from 1948-1964  The caboose made almost 5000 trips between Spartanburg, SC and Elkhorn, KY before being replaced by one of the new, lighter alumninum rail cars.... Read more
Note:  Slide image left to see more.  Tap on image for full view, then click the "back" button on your phone to return to the tour. Look to your right across the open field at the beautiful stone landmark on your right.  Construction of ... Read more
Across the street from where you stand, the original portion of the "My Best Friend's Barkery" building (closest to the street) is a house built in the 20s by Jim and Beulah Townsend Puckett from a Sears Roebuck kit - so popular in the da... Read more
Note:  Slide image left to see more.  Tap on image for full view, then click the "back" button on your phone to return to the tour. Aunt Bea Lowe (nee Banner) built the original house in the early 1900s. It was sold to her niece Caroline... Read more
Also across the street is the L.M. Pucket home.  Now home to Antler Realty, this attractive structure has been owned by the Puckett family since L.M. and his wife, Iris Tate, built it in 1924.  Their son then lived in the home until 1974.... Read more
Note:  Slide image left to see more.  Tap on image for full view, then click the "back" button on your phone to return to the tour. One of the town's most notable landmarks, the Village Grocery (Image 2-rendering) was built by Bob Cook in... Read more
Note:  Slide image left to see more.  Tap on image for full view, then click the "back" button on your phone to return to the tour. The Perry House was actually built by Felix and Helen Richards, circa 1907, as their dream house (Image 2)... Read more
Across the street from the Perry House, this building now known as BJ's Resortwear was constructed around 1920 by Robert Banner as a general merchandise store.  By the 30s, his wife Eva Lowe Banner established the Banner Elk Tea Room, whic... Read more
This is a private residence.  Please do not enter the property. This was the distinctive homeplace (c.1910) of Robert and Eva Lowe Banner who reared their nine children here and ran the general store across the street.  A Banner grandson ... Read more
Note:  Slide image left to see more.  Tap on image for full view, then click the "back" button on your phone to return to the tour. After you cross the street, look up to a stately stone building on a hill.  Currently serving as a men’... Read more
As you eye the display of bagels at Einstein Bros. Bagels, be sure to look to your right where you can still see the original vault from the Banner Elk Bank.  The Banner Elk Bank opened in 1919 though the investment of six local men.  The... Read more
Note:  Slide image left to see more.  Tap on image for full view, then click the "back" button on your phone to return to the tour. Currently Banner Elk Olive Oil & Balsamics, this house across the street was built in 1895 by Robert G... Read more
This is a private residence.  Please do not enter the poperty.  Note:  Slide image left to see more.  Tap on image for full view, then click the "back" button on your phone to return to the tour. Look across the street to the cheerful b... Read more
Note:  Slide image left to see more.  Tap on image for full view, then click the "back" button on your phone to return to the tour. There was already a thriving Methodist Episcopal Congregation here in 1882 when George Washington Dugger ... Read more
Note:  Slide image left to see more.  Tap on image for full view, then click the "back" button on your phone to return to the tour. When a young seminary student named Edgar Tufts was sent to the western North Carolina mountains as a hom... Read more
Note:  Slide image left to see more.  Tap on image for full view, then click the "back" button on your phone to return to the tour. Just past the Dugger house across the street, these pale yellow townhouses mark the former location of th... Read more
Note:  Slide image left to see more.  Tap on image for full view, then click the "back" button on your phone to return to the tour. As you walk down  Banner Road, take a moment to notice the small, unpainted wooden structure along the ro... Read more
This small, now one-way road was originally the only access road to town of Banner Elk.  It is especially easy to envision this as you look at the base of the road which curves gently around the Mill Pond as it comes off Shawneehaw Avenu... Read more
Note:  Slide image left to see more.  Tap on image for full view, then click the "back" button on your phone to return to the tour. In 1912, Rev. Tufts commissioned a hydroelectric plant to serve Lees-McCrae College, Grace Hospital, Grand... Read more
Thank you for your interest in our local history.  History in our small town is heavily reliant on stories passed down from generation to generation.  The Foundation is proud to keep up that tradition and share it with you!  Click the "b... Read more

 

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