Countdown to the Waynesville Gateway to Smokies arch comeback

Mar. 13—A reincarnation of the historic Gateway to the Smokies arch will soon crown Main Street in Waynesville and a symbolic date has been planned for the dedication.

The arch will be dedicated on June 1 — the anniversary of the original arch's installation 90 years ago, on the eve of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park formal dedication. The arch hitched Waynesville's wagon to the economic tourism engine the park would surely become.

"The original arch was installed June 1, 1933, and the park was dedicated the following year," said Alex McKay, who is locally known as one of Waynesville's pre-eminent historians.

The deteriorating Main Street arch was removed 50 years ago. Last year, plans to bring back the arch were unveiled and a major campaign was launched to raise private funds to pay for it. The dedication for the re-created arch is being delayed to coincide with the anniversary of the original installation.

"We're just now starting the planning process for the celebration," said Waynesville Town Council Member Jon Feichter, who described it as a big party. "All are invited. I'm so excited I can barely stand it. It's kind of like a kid waiting for Christmas."

Private funding

Feichter is a member of the former Downtown Waynesville Association that spearheaded the arch project as its last hurrah. The organization was instrumental in piloting the downtown revitalization effort for 35 years, but fell into disarray. A new downtown organization was formed under the auspices of the town. That left the former DWA with $70,000 in its bank account that had to be spent before the group could officially dissolve.

Feichter, a board member for both the DWA and its newest iteration, the Downtown Waynesville Commission, was instrumental in pushing to bring back the arch — welcoming visitors to the town and signifying it as a gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The dedication could have been much earlier. The support posts and decorative rock foundations are in place, and the metal arch to span the poles will be finished soon. But the group decided waiting for the anniversary of the original's arch's dedication would make the event all the more special.

The DWA board members were confident the $200,000 needed for the project could be raised from private donations, and that's exactly what happened.

"A couple of weeks ago, I sat down with the fundraising figures, and we ended up with 135 individual contributions totaling $170,000," Feichter said. "We had donations from $10 to $25,000."

The largest — and first — donation was from the McDevitt family, who made a challenge donation in honor of their daughter, Melissa. The 38-year-old nature lover died while hiking in British Columbia a little more than two years ago.

The most common donation amount was $250, followed by $1,000, Feichter said. While most donations were from Haywood residents, others came from Washington, D.C., Miami, South Carolina, Georgia, St. Louis and plenty of points in-between.

"The McDevitt donation definitely got us kicked off. We have more than enough to do all we need to do with the arch," Feichter said.

Rock work

The latest visible advance with the arch is the rock work that encases the arch's steel support poles. The arch will be 60 feet wide and 26 feet tall at its highest point.

Tim Burress, also known as "the Rock Man," donated his labor as his contribution to the effort.

"I wanted to do that for the town. I wanted to be part of something historical," Burress said. "I'll always get to look at it when I drive down Main Street."

This isn't the first time Burress donated his rock work skills to highlight the town's history efforts. He also crafted the base for the bronze statue on the courthouse lawn depicting a 1776 Militia Rifleman designed and fabricated by Earl Lanning.

McKay said when it came to commissioning the rock work on the arch's pillars, Burress topped the list.

"I've known Tim a long time and know Tim's work. He's one of the best around," McKay said. "When it came to doing the rock work, his was the only name I would even think about suggesting."

Once approached, Burress offered to do the job for free.

Both Feichter and McKay visited the Bethel rock yard where Burress had assembled several examples of how the columns could look. The duo decided to go with the sample that would complement the rock work on the adjacent police station.

"I personally like round creek rock, but it wouldn't have looked exactly right," McKay said.

With the rock work completed, and the metal arch finished, all that's left is to choose the design of the plaques listing major donors — and the party planning.