This is an account of the early days of Junaluska Highlands from memories and anecdotes of those who were there. Apologies for any inaccuracies contained herein that may be caused by faulty recollections.
No account of Junaluska Highlands history would be complete without mentioning the importance of Anthony Antonino (Tony) in the early development. Pre-1997 Tony identified the property that now comprises Junaluska Highlands and Avalon as having great potential for development as a community of high-end houses close to Waynesville. At the time, there were only a few cows and a squatter shack in what is now the lower valley area of JH. Tony found and convinced a land developer (David Robinson) to purchase the property and the purchase was completed in 1997. The first order of business was to walk the property to assess how to place roads and lots to maximum advantage.
The roads that are now present in JH were built during a two-year period starting in 1998, and as the roads were built, lots for home sites were also laid out and surveyed. A set of covenants and restrictions were developed by David Robinson and recorded with the Register of Deeds in October of 1999. After the lots and covenants were registered, Junaluska Highlands was open for business despite the fact that the roads were still unpaved at this point. Three early spec homes were built by the developer (David Robinson) to show off the potential of JH. The first house [lot A2] (now the Huckaby home) was used as the sales office. The second home built was the current Ingram home [lot 21] on Breckinridge Rd. and the third home [lot A3] is the current Swanger home near the entrance gate [editor's note: correction - the house on A-3 was not a spec house but the first owner built house in JH per Patricia Swanger]. The Johnsons purchased a lot [lot 32] and built a home on Inverness Dr. prior to the roads being paved, receiving only a promise from Tony that they would definitely be paved.
Building roads on the steep slopes of JH was a real challenge. Fincher Mountain Road was located over rough rocky terrain and required a good deal of blasting to clear the way. There are some interesting and harrowing tales from those days of blasting out a roadway. A plentiful source of water had to be found for the development, as city water did not extend this far into farm country. Several wells were dug and tested for quantity and purity before a well site was selected just off Rimesdale Way. A pump house with filters and iron Chelation capability was built next to the well site and a water distribution system was installed that paralled the roads. A water storage tank was built at a higher elevation just below the Patrick’s home off Montrose Lane. This was a community water system that was owned and operated by JHCA. Much later, the water system was converted to City supplied water and is now operated by the Junaluska Sanitary District.
Jack Johnson, the first home site buyer in JH was also the first president of the Association. There was a dual system of administration with the Developer appointing a Board of Directors and the home/lot owners also having a set of officers. The developer had all the real power in this arrangement early on; because of the way the covenants were structured. This arrangement continued until the majority of lots were sold and voting control shifted to the homeowners. The community is now a non-profit Community Association operated by a set of officers that are elected by the home/lot owners for a two-year term. The association is all volunteer and non-paid individuals working for a better JH.
Because of the great mountain views, high quality roads, and proximity to Waynesville, early lot sales were brisk. The lot sales office was located in the first house after turning onto Breckinridge Rd. Ginny Golden was the office manager. Houston Hammond was the first sales manager, although Tony A. also helped in selling as well as excavating house sites. There were initially no trees in the valley area of JH, but David Robinson had a tree farm wholesale business in Florida and brought thousands of trees to JH. If you ever wondered why there are so many trees lining the roads, now you know why. Some of the early home builders (post road paving) in JH were the Castleberrys, the Cassos, the Williams (first house), the Pickers, the Mills, and the Brunsvolds. These were all built in the 2003-2005 time frame. After the recession in 2006, sales and home building slowed, but has since recovered to a rate of about two new homes per year.
The Development that is now Avalon was initially intended to be a phase two of Junaluska Highlands. However, after the recession of 2006-7, David Robinson decided to sell the over-the-mountain section (now Avalon) to another developer and this section is no longer connected with JH except for common use of Breckinridge Road. Incidentally, the roads inside JH were identified by Scottish names in keeping with the “Highlands” part of our community name.
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