Valley Rewind: Claudia McGaw’s Tea House, 1920s

This November, we would like to highlight places of gathering, family, and harvest in the Swannanoa Valley. This photograph from the 1920s shows Claudia McGaw’s Tea House in Black Mountain. McGraw was widely known for her aprons, but before her rise to fame she opened her small tea house in 1918. The tea room quickly grew in popularity and would occasionally close on Sunday afternoons for a family dinner. Today, the building serves as the home for the Black Mountain/Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce and Black Mountain Visitor Center.