EDITOR’S NOTE: Western North Carolina is weird – and it always has been. From Cherokee myths to Bigfoot and alien encounters, the Blue Ridge Mountains host the quirky and bizarre from past and present. We would not have it any other way, and neither would you. Join us in unfolding the histories and unraveling the mysteries of this strange land we call home.
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The land where the Ferris wheel stands was owned by Charles “Bill” Tillman, founder of Bildon Inc. According to his daughter, “the wheel was actually the second of two that had been on the company property. A friend of Tillman’s, Larry Justus, had found a water wheel from an old mill on his property and wanted to restore it,” as reported by the Hendersonville Times-News…