The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The area was first connected by a Drovers' road, a natural access into the interior of the Blue Ridge Mountains for drovers who were moving livestock, mostly flocks of turkeys and some geese, herds of hogs and some cattle in and out of the mountains to the markets. Established in 1798, it connected the area with Asheville, following on what is today U.S. Route 74A (US 74A). In 1883 the "Pump" Post Office was opened, named after a pump that supplied water off Bearwallow Mountain to the community in the valley. In 1902, the United States Post Office issued a new cancelling stamp for the post office, but had misspelled Pump as Rump. The residents, being both upset and embarrassed, decided to rename the community after a long-time and beloved school teacher in the community, Gertrude Freeman. However, having been known to be very shy and modest, it was decided to use a contraction of her na…
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Start Gerton’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Gerton’s history is told.
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Gerton, decade by decade
2000
Nothing in Gerton is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Gerton has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Sherrill's Inn in Fairview, 1.5 miles away.
Gerton and the nearest listed places
How a place gets listed
Then & now
When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.