Bearwallow, North Carolina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bearwallow, North Carolina
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 Bearwallow, North Carolina
Location in North Carolina
Bearwallow, North Carolina
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | North Carolina |
| County | Henderson |
| Named for | A bear wallow |
| Elevation | 2,031 ft (619 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes |
28735 and 28792
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| Area code(s) | 828 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1006125 |
Bearwallow is a small place in Henderson County, North Carolina, USA. It's not a city or town with its own government. Instead, it's an unincorporated community. This means it's part of the bigger Asheville area. You can find Bearwallow along Gerton Highway, also known as US 74A. It sits in a beautiful valley called Hickory Nut Gorge. This area is surrounded by mountains like Burntshirt, Grant, and Little Bearwallow.
History of Bearwallow
Early Roads and Naming
Long ago, the Bearwallow area was first connected by a special path. This path was called a drovers' road. It was a natural way into the Blue Ridge Mountains. Drovers were people who moved farm animals. They would guide large groups of turkeys, geese, hogs, and cattle. These animals were moved in and out of the mountains to be sold at markets.
This drovers' road was set up in 1798. It connected Bearwallow with Asheville. Today, much of this old road follows what is now US 74A. Also in the 1790s, a pioneer named William Mills settled here. He named the area "Bearwallow." He chose this name because there was a spot where bears loved to roll around in the mud or water. This spot was called a "bear wallow."
The Bearwallow Post Office
The first post office in the area was called "Bear Wallow". It opened in 1858. This was before other nearby post offices like Bat Cave (1879) and Pump (1883). In 1894, the name changed. The space between "Bear" and "Wallow" was removed. From then on, it was known as Bearwallow. The post office stayed open until 1951. At that time, it joined with the Gerton Post Office.
