Whittier, North Carolina

A Lumber Town Founded by the Cousin of Poet John Greenleaf Whittier

Founded in 1887 by Clark Whittier, cousin of poet John Greeleaf Whittier, this town was built around a stop on the WNC Railroad and fueled by the timber boom of the late 19th century and early 20th century. Whittier grew quickly, and by 1913 boasted a drug store, a hotel, sawmills, lumberyards, more than a dozen stores, three churches and a school. The depression, the decline of the demand for lumber, and the founding of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park caused a decline in Whittier, and in 1933 the townspeople petitioned the state legislature to revoke the town charter. Today Whittier is a pleasant village consisting of a post office and several businesses.