Your online resource for the Smoky Mountains
Nestled along the banks of the Tuckasegee River, Dillsboro has long served as a welcoming mountain sanctuary for travelers. From its origins as a small rail hub to its status today as a vibrant artisan village, Dillsboro’s heritage is deeply tied to the rise of North Carolina's mountain region.
Before it took its current name, the town was known as New Webster to distinguish it from Webster, the nearby Jackson County seat three miles to the east.
The North Carolina State Legislature officially renamed the town Dillsboro to honor founder William Allen Dills, who established the village on his own farmland.
William Dills built the first house on a hill overlooking Scott’s Creek and the Tuckasegee River, operating the post office from his residence. Today, it houses the Riverwood Shops.
With the Southern Railway's arrival in 1883, population quickly reached ~750 by the late 1890s, making it the largest non-county-seat town west of Asheville.
As a key commercial junction, Dillsboro provided essential goods and services for travelers and local industries along the line.
Four trains passed through daily (two passenger, two freight) connecting Asheville to Murphy. Freight for Franklin loaded onto covered wagons at Depot Square.
A massive engineering feat: state-provided convict labor spent 18 months blasting through almost solid rock to construct the 836-foot Cowee Tunnel.
Before the river bridge, travelers used a ferry at Webster or Barker's Creek bridge. Stagecoach travel to Franklin took a full day, including lunch on Cowee Mountain.
In its early years, Dillsboro was at the forefront of local progress:
Dillsboro was home to the first telephone system in Jackson County, directly connecting the railroad depot to the county seat primarily for relaying telegrams.
Nighttime streetscapes were illuminated by Cape Cod lamps, while oil-burning lamps lit up homes, hotels, and local businesses.
Dillsboro’s identity as a vacation retreat began in 1886, when visitors first started arriving by train to spend extended summer weeks enjoying the cool mountain air and scenic landscapes.
According to local lore, two of the town's earliest summer guests were sisters Nellie and Hattie Norfleet from Edenton, North Carolina. They left a lasting impression on the townspeople—not just as early vacationers, but as perhaps the first women cigarette smokers the locals had ever seen!