Logging train at the Montvale Lumber Company at Eagle Creek
Second Grade Unit Plan
This unit will investigate the birth of a railroad through Western North Carolina once known as the Murphy Branch. We will discuss how the operation and purpose for the train has changed over time. The Murphy Branch portion was completed in 1891 using convict labor for most of the construction. This line began in Asheville and continued on to Murphy. Now over a hundred years later, the train still rides the rails. Upon completion of this unit, children will experience a ride on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.
By Patti Mathis
Swain East Elementary School- Swain County Schools
Adventures of the American Mind- Western Carolina University
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