Meet the Owners & the Manager

The Owners: Kit Carson-Trubey, Bill and Judy Carson

When the old Altapass Orchard was advertised for sale, KIT CARSON TRUBEY was concerned that this beautiful place would be developed in a way that would be unsuitable as a view shed from The Blue Ridge Parkway.  So she quickly bought the land, and just as quickly, decided to try to bring this historic landmark back to life.

Kit is pictured here at The Orchard with Bea & Bonnie Hensley. Bea, a world known blacksmith, has his shop nearby, and is one of the select North Carolina state art treasures.

KIT SAYS: "For decades our family enjoyed visiting The Orchard.  In the spring we lifted our toddlers to experience the sweet fragrance of the fluttering blossoms in the same way our parents shared it with us.  We've wandered the Parkway, snapping endless pictures of the incredible scenery and often discovered later that The Orchard was unintentionally tucked into these photos, a random addition to the beauty.

Never during those annual vacations did we give thought to the past or the future of The Orchard.  Like these glorious mountains, it was always there.  A few years back, we bought The Orchard and discovered that with impulsive ownership, we had acquired not just the land, but the responsibility of stewardship.  Now we cared.  What is the history behind these hundred year old apple trees that still bear fruit?  How did we want this land to appear a hundred years in the future?

Bill has embraced the past, the McKinney family, the Revolutionary War, the railroad.  They all come to life when he weaves his stories.  Judy is immersed in the present.  She is bringing to life the preservation of the monarch butterfly and is developing a living classroom in a butterfly garden planted in memory of a friend.  She has identified the gifts and talents of present day residents and showcases them at The Orchard.  It has fallen to Kit to visualize the future."

BILL AND JUDY CARSON retired to the mountains in 1993.  Bill was an engineer with IBM for 33 years, and Judy had a small graphics business in their home.  Bill and Judy had several ideas about their activities in retirement, but running an apple orchard was not among them. 

When Bill's sister Kit bought The Orchard, Bill and Judy offered to be the on-site managers.  Even though they have had no previous experience in agriculture or retail, The Orchard is an awesome experience.

BILL SAYS: "The Orchard sits astride The Blue Ridge Parkway, an All American Highway.  Here at The Orchard the BRP follows a much older trail forged by buffalo, used by indians, and blazed by Daniel Boone himself.  It was an old trail in 1780 when it was used by the Overmountain Men on their way to defeating the British at King's Mountain, changing the course of the Revolutionary War.  The tales of strategy, bravery and cowardice, and sacrifice hallow this road.  Come hear the echoes of brave men and listen to their stories at The Orchard.

Coal built the Clinchfield Railroad and the Clinchfield built The Orchard.  In 1908 the last of 18 tunnels in 13 miles of track were completed, connecting Spruce Pine with Marion and Kentucky coal with southern Piedmont consumers.  The Clinchfield planted the apple trees above the tunnels, giving birth to the Altapass Orchard.  Hundreds of men died completing the tunnels of the Clinchfield Loops.  So difficult was the task it was called the engineering wonder of the 20th century.  It was so well done that 30 coal trains a day still go down the line.  The ghosts of the dead are said to haunt the Loops.  Their memories live in the stories we tell at The Orchard.

The history of The Orchard provides the entertainment on our hay rides.  I select the stories with the audience in mind, so young and old alike enjoy them and come back for more.  You are sure to hear about Charlie McKinney, the first settler hereabouts, and his family of four wives and 48 children."

JUDY SAYS: "When we first retired to these mountains, I had the opportunity to help The Blue Ridge Reading Team, the literacy program for our three counties, edit and prepare for print a book of local oral histories entitled, Stories 'neath The Roan, and later, Stories Worth Telling. That experience was a fine orientation into the area, the people and  their history.  It helped us learn to listen to the pulse of a place.  It was the breathtaking scenery that first attracted us here - but soon we found beauty is much deeper than scenery.

When The Orchard came along we'd learned something that may have been more important than agricultural experience.  We learned we did not have to be leaders - just enthusiastic followers who are willing to listen.  People of the community came to us delighted with the idea of bringing back the old orchard and the social, and possibly economic center it had been in its past. People of the neighborhood, or nearby communities bring their stories, the real history of the place.  Wonderful mountain cooks bring in their delicious homemade foods - jams, jellies, apple butter, and fried pies.  Musicians gather together to pick favorite tunes, just like their families did on front porches.  Artists and craftspeople bring handmade goods that show the enormous artistic talent that abounds in the many, many art studios of our neighborhood. Now naturalists are bringing their interests to give our visitors a look at the North Carolina mountains from an ecological and earth sciences point of view. Is it hard work? Sure!  But every single day, something happens that we wouldn't miss for the world!"