HISTORIC FLOODING
Becky Davis, the intrepid postmistress at the Penland Post Office, knows exactly what time the Toe River flowed over the railroad tracks next to the post office: Friday, Sept 27 at 4:30 pm. She knows this because she came to work as usual on Friday morning at the height of the hurricane and stayed to scan the blue post box outside her door at 4:30 pm: the official last task of the work day.
Autumn Brown, Penland’s iron coordinator, and neighbor to the post office, had asked Becky to signal to her when the water began to crest the tracks, so Becky waved her arms towards Autumn’s house to let her know. Autumn then waded over to help Becky escape the post office and shelter in her home for the remainder of the event.
Becky is safe and has returned to her home on the other side of the mountain, which survived the storm. However, the nearby home on the banks of North Toe River where she raised her family was swept away by Helene’s floodwaters.
The building that Penland Post Office occupies was built by Isaac Bailey in the late 1800s and was originally Bailey Lumber Company until the USPS moved there in the early 1900s. It last flooded during the historic flood of 1916, an event that destroyed much of the small mica mining settlement of Penland. Becky tells us that during the 1916 flood, her grandfather witnessed knee-deep water in the post office, and that it survived, along with other nearby buildings, because they were all lashed together with cables connected to the nearby railroad tracks.
RECOVERY
During Hurricane Helene, the post office took on a lot of water, but it is still standing! Its floor has buckled in several places, it received impact from a tree, the parking lot is covered in mud, and the recently completed renovations to the foundation are now in need of assessment. In-progress renovations to provide septic and water to the structure have been paused.
In the days after the storm, friends and neighbors of the Penland Post Office have come to help. Becky has been there every day, though mail is currently being rerouted through the post office in Spruce Pine. James Kriegsmann and Bryan Parnham took on the unpleasant job of removing the carpet, while neighbors Elizabeth Brim, Kit Paulson, Autumn Brown and Le Anne Brown worked with Becky to remove important historical items to dry next door in the old general store. Thor Bueno stops by daily with a generator to help dry out the building, and a tree that fell on the back of the building was removed by volunteers from Emerald Isle, NC. Soon, a tarp will be affixed to the structure by John Grey, and Buck Pollard and others will make repairs and continue renovations. The efforts continue daily to care for the building and its contents until electricity is restored sometime in the next month.
Standing near the tracks, looking at the river, Becky voiced what many have thought in the wake of this historic storm: ”Look at all this, it will never be the same again.”
YOU CAN HELP
Since 2012, a community-run 501(c)3 has been working to restore the Penland Post Office. The building has recently been stabilized and preliminary work has been done to add a septic system. Following the flooding, there is now even more to be done.
This little post office, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is not only historically significant, it is an important part of the Penland community. If you are able, we invite you to donate to its restoration.
SEND BECKY A NOTE
Sadly, just after the storm, Cleo Davis, Becky’s husband of 53 years, passed away in the care of his Burnsville nursing home. Becky is one of the longest serving US postal employee (over 57 years) and is a beloved pillar of our community. Please join us in sending your condolences and support by dropping a note to Becky Davis, PO Box 8, Penland NC 28765 or click here to help with funeral expenses.
HURRICANE HELENE UPDATES
Right now at Penland, we are focused on supporting our staff and community and restoring our campus. Penland campus is closed except to essential staff, road workers, and our closest neighbors. Conley Ridge Road is in bad condition, and several crews are working to make assessments and improvements. There are intermittent road closures in all directions, so it’s possible to get delayed or stuck at any point. Please help us and our road crews by not driving on these roads unless it’s necessary. Every visitor to Penland impedes painstaking progress for DOT and Duke Energy. We are so grateful for their help and want to keep them safe (we’ve been making lunch for them!). Recovery will take time, but we are looking forward to the future when we can gather here again in the name of craft. We will be back in 2025 and we hope you will join us.
Find support and ways to help here.