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Graham County, North Carolina
Official tourism page for Robbinsville, Fontana Dam, Lake Santeetlah & Stecoah Valley, North Carolina
The Stecoah school, located in Graham County, North Carolina, celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2026. Join in the Centennial Celebration Saturday, May 16th from 11 am to 3 pm.
The historic schoolhouse, completed in 1926, sits in the center of the beautiful Stecoah Valley and is surrounded by a manicured 10 acre campus that includes a walking trail, Cherokee Courtyard, wind garden and more.
The original structure burned shortly after completion, and the present school building was constructed within the same rock walls. The building, which was expanded in the 1950s after the completion of Fontana Dam operated as a K-12 school until it was closed in consolidation in 1994.
Constructed of native rock with the skill and labor of many local residents, the Stecoah Union School welcomed its first students in October 1926. The community proudly posed for a panoramic photograph that is known as the Dedication Day photograph. A large 18 foot print in the Lynn S. Shield's Auditorium hangs underneath a set of clan masks carved by Snowbird artist, Billy Welch.
After sitting empty following the school's closure, a group of community members and volunteers leased the building from Graham County in 1996 and formed the nonprofit organization that became the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center.
Historically, the Stecoah school was a popular venue stop for musicians on tour from Nashville. In the early 40s and 50s the Grand Old Stage was graced with the top bluegrass performers of that time – Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, Bill Monroe, The Carter Family, Chet Atkins, Bonnie Lou and Buster, Archie Campbell, Carl Story, Elmer Jethro, Martha Carson and the Brewster Brothers to name just a few.
Today, the building serves as a hub for the Center's mission to preserve and promote Appalachian Culture through arts, music, and cultural programming.
Every year, beginning the last week of June, the Center hosts, the popular "An Appalachian Evening" summer concert series. The annual Harvest Festival has established itself as a county-wide celebration that attracts visitors from multiple states who plan their fall vacations around the event every year. The Center also houses an Artisan Gallery representing more than 100 local and regional artists.
Learn more by purchasing a copy of 'An Appalachian Era' — a booklet published in recognition of the recent 25th anniversary of An Appalachian Evening — available at the Graham County Welcome Center.
Take some time this year to visit this historic landmark and become a part of the history and the culture that is Stecoah.
Please share your stories in the comments below.
20 hours ago
3 CommentsComment on Facebook
Come on out this Saturday, May 2nd for the fourth annual Smoky Mountain SpringFest at Stecoah as we celebrate spring in our beautiful Great Smoky Mountains!
This event is focused on outdoor activities and recreation with a selection of quality arts and craft vendors and is held on the beautiful grounds of the Stecoah Valley Center.
The day includes a festival schedule of fun activities for all ages:
🌿 Kid’s Nature Experiences
🪚 Crosscut Saw Demonstration: Partners of Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness
🌱 Garden Swap Shop: Bring Your Own Seeds, Plants, Gardening Gear to Swap
🦋 Airing of the Quilts
🎨 Face painting
🌽 Food Vendors
🎻 Live Music — featuring the Stecoah JAM program
Come on out — 11 am to 4 pm!
4 days ago
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Missed the Cheoah River release today? Don’t worry — we do it all over again tomorrow!
💦 For those of you who like to keep your feet on dry ground there are several viewing areas along US 129 on the way toward Tapoco.
It’s a great reason to stay a little longer if you haven’t experienced it yet.
1 week ago
18 CommentsComment on Facebook
🦋 Here's a sneak peek — and a reason to pay close attention this spring.
We commissioned Dayna Walton of Solstice Handmade to design this year's 2026 Flame Azalea Festival poster. Dayna is a printmaker, illustrator, and muralist whose work often features the underdogs of nature — the lichens, the fungi, and insects most of us walk past without a glance. Dayna first fell for these Southern Appalachian mountains during her Artist-in-Residence with Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2019, and she's been hiking, sketching, and studying our ecology ever since.
✒️ This year, her pen has been fluttering over her paper drawing butterflies.
Have you noticed an unusual amount of butterfly activity this spring? In March, WWF–Mexico and Mexico's National Commission of Protected Natural Areas reported a 64% rebound in the monarch population overwintering in Mexico — one of the most encouraging updates in years. The NC State Extension has also been tracking their spring return north through our state.
But it isn't only monarchs — our Appalachian Tiger Swallowtails also seem to be having a banner year. This species is only found only in the Southern Appalachians and is drawn to native azaleas as a key nectar source. The flame azaleas are blooming now in our lower elevations and will continue to creep up the mountains coloring the top of Hooper Bald in mid June.
Dayna's poster design celebrates that exact moment — when a bloom and its pollinators meet on a grassy bald in June.
The full poster design reveal and a limited edition of signed prints are coming soon — follow along for more behind the scenes content!
🌺 Flame Azalea Festival | June 13, 2026 | Robbinsville, NC
🎨 2026 Poster Art: Dayna Walton of Solstice Handmade
1 week ago
11 CommentsComment on Facebook
