A bluegrass group in the Appalachians has adopted the name Buncombe Turnpike in memory of music sung by drovers at public lodgings along the Greenville NC to Greenville TN tollroad 1820 to 1860.

The band is led by Tom Godleski of Asheville NC and performs up and down the Appalachian mountain states.

They are due to perform at a World Folkdance Festival in Palma Spain in April.

History

The group has this history of the road whose name they adopted:

"The Buncombe Turnpike stretched through Buncombe County on a 75-mile route from Greenville, Tennessee to Greenville, South Carolina. The drover road, named for the county through which much of it ran, was a boom to local economy.

"Not only was the trail crucial to the livestock drovers from all over the region, it was equally important to the many stock stand owners who established businesses along the turnpike's route. Area corn farmers also profited by selling feed for the many animals driven along the turnpike.

"The turnpike was also a means for socialization in the otherwise remote mountains. After a long day of driving livestock, but not before the animals were fed and penned, the drovers would frequently gather to drink, sing, and trade stories.

"From the 1820s to 1861, trade on the Buncombe Turnpike flourished. However, with the onset of the Civil War, commerce was reduced to a standstill. The turnpike became a victim of neglect and ill repair, due to the suffering economy and the call for men to fight for the Confederate and Union armies.

"Before trade on the turnpike ever had a chance to rebound, the long-awaited ralroad made its way to the mountains. Rails were laid where much of the turnpike's roadbed had been. The drover's era in Western North Carolina was over.

see http://buncombeturnpike.homestead.com/

Their songs at http://buncombeturnpike.homestead.com/Bookings1.html

TOLLROADSnews 2007-03-14