As we all know, The Andy Griffith Show was filmed on a set in Hollywood, but the hometown of the star grew up in Mount Airy. Many of the things that showed up in the show were from this town. One of the things that makes the show special so that it still survives in reruns is that the people were actually based on real people. By the time we had begun our exploration of the downtown area, we had already concluded that much of the sprawl and commercial growth that have effected most other medium sized towns in the South had also occurred here. We laughingly referred to the Opie McDonalds.
Old fashioned charm still mixes in with the commercialization of all things Mayberry. Many stately older homes hearkening back to the early nineteen hundreds still line the streets in good shape. The people are friendly and outgoing. Is there a layer of efforts to play up for the tourists and make a little money? Yes, but not to the extent that you find most places. Prices, generally, appear to be pretty reasonable.
Most of the quaint businesses including a real, honest to goodness hardware store, Floyd's Barbershop, and the Snappy Lunch are located in a few short blocks downtown. Floyd (the real one, not the actor) still cuts hair, but his haircut costs eight dollars instead of a quarter. Snappy Lunch (actually mentioned in some early shows) offers its famous pork chop sandwich for four dollars. I had mine without the chili and onions; Klep had his with the chili, onions, coleslaw, and tomato.At the end of the shops of interests is the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History which is housed in a three story building which started its life as a hardware store. Our guide books told us, much to our disappointment, that the museum was not open on Mondays. We learned at the visitors' center that they had decided to open through the summer. The first floor exhibits objects from native Americans dating back to 2000 B.C. I found the native house constructed of slabs of tree bark interesting as well as the collection of spear and arrow heads. In the south gallery the settlement of the area, a log cabin, communities in the hollows, and early commerce was covered. One corner was devoted to a picturesque general store. In the west gallery is a huge model railroad showing models of all the communities on the railroad.
Downstairs in the basement we saw some granite outcroppings that the builders left when the building was constructed. A huge marble quarry has been mined for a century north of town. Klep enjoyed the antique fire engines, but I could not talk him into sliding down the fire pole.
The second floor had some exhibits devoted to famous people from Mount Airy including singer Donna Fargo (I'm the Happiest Girl in the USA) who started life as Yvonne Vaughn and Andy Griffith. A Victorian exhibit and children's toys completed the exhibits on this level.
The third floor had a nice Model T Ford and a quilt exhibit that was just going up. We walked up into the tower from this floor and gazed out over the mountains which surround Mount Airy on all sides, the most spectacular being Pilot Mountain which has a unique shape.
After we had our lunch at the Snappy Lunch, we visited the hardware store, drove 
down to Wally's Service Station where the tours in the 1962 Ford Galaxy police cars begin. Our next stop was the Gertrude Smith House.
The house was completed in 1903 with three floors and a basement on a very large corner lot by Jefferson Davis Smith who came to Mount Airy from Greensboro and raised his family of seven children in the house. He owned and operated the general store and owned a great deal of real estate. One of his daughters, Gertrude attended the Parsons School of Design. She never married and returned home to take care of her aging parents. She did interior design in Mount Airy and in Greensboro as well as help with the family business. Two of her brothers who were both doctors also did not marry.
A Baptist Church came to Mr. Smith and asked him to sell them enough land to build a small building. He agreed with the stipulation that they not block the view of the mountains nor build right up to the property line. Both of these things they ignored, placing the building right on the property line and blocked the view. Years later after Mr. Smith died the church went to Gertrude in an effort to buy the rest of the land. Gertrude answered "Hell,no!" and got the house put on the National Historic Registry.
When Gertrude died at age 90, her younger married sister and her daughters flew into Greensboro from Atlanta, hired a limousine, and showed up for the funeral and will reading. After the will was read and she discovered that she inherited nothing from her sister, she headed back to Atlanta on the bus.
Gertrude left the house and everything in it to be used as a living museum.Nothing has been added or taken away from the house. Her money in a foundation has been able to keep this beautiful house and its grounds as a place people can visit with no admittance charge.
We took another quick drive through Mount Airy, found Hwy 52 and headed into the edge of the piedmont in Winston Salem. As we traveled, we saw Pilot Mountain in the distance.We decided that the sprit of Mayberry is there in Mount Airy in the hearts of its people.
No comments:
Post a Comment