This Week in Local History: Feb. 11, 2021

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The Graham Star’s front page from 50 years ago (Feb. 12, 1971).

10 years ago

* Graham County repealed the Federal Floodplain Ordinance, which was considered by many residents and commissioners as the Federal Government’s confiscation of private land. The FSMA ordered the state to re-draw the floodplain maps in 100 counties and the mapping effort gradually spread to the other western counties.

* Friends for most of their lives, Taylor Teesateskie, Jaron Ayers and Chris Daniels, all signed to play football for the Mars Hill Lions, extending their friendship into college. This is the biggest number of athletes that Robbinsville had signed to the collegiate level in several years. It was hard to tell who was more excited than the school: the athletes or their families.

25 years ago

* An ice storm that swept through western North Carolina over a weekend brought as much destruction as a tornado. Trees were bowed and snapped and lakes were iced over. Thirteen-hundred people were without power as trees fell on power lines, yet in the middle of clean up, men on work crews called it “Crystal City”, even in the low temperatures. Workers had to clear a path back to Highway 129 in order to leave the area.

David Jordan was sentenced to 41 ½ years of jail time, after being convicted by a Graham County jury on 21 counts of child molestation. Jordan received five sentences to run consecutively, one at the end of the other. They included two 12-year sentences, one 10, one 3-year sentence and a 4 ½-year sentence. Jordan did not take the stand in his own defense.

50 years ago

* After 50 years together, Mr. And Mrs. Fred Bradshaw of the Panther Wolf Creek Community, celebrated their Golden wedding anniversary on Feb. 12, 1971. Their children were set to honor them with an open house on Feb. 14, in their home. They had six children, 12 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

* Robbinsville’s Black Knights basketball team beat the Andrews Wildcats, 76-51 at Andrews and returned home to beat the Mountain View Highlanders, 80-64. The wins earned the Knights a berth in the district playoffs and were used as tune-up games for the upcoming Smoky Mountain Conference Tournament. All the first and second-round games were held in the Franklin High Gymnasium. Semi-finals and finals were held at the Reid Gymnasium, on the campus of Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.

– Diane West