Watauga County

County History: 
Watauga
Region: 
Western
Quick Facts
People and Biographies
Notable individuals from nursing history.
  • Amy Fisher Barrier (1901-1990): Luthern Watauga Parish nurse and Chief Nurse of the Public Health Nursing Section for the state of North Carolina.
  • Florence E. Boyd (1950s): "Angel of Mercy" in the mountains, Boyd was a community caretaker and nurse devoted to helping children with physical disabilities.
  • Frances Farthing (1911- ): Watauga County nurse and nursing educator.
  • Anesta "Tiny" Glovier (1930s-1940s): Valle Crusis community nurse, and school nurse for the Valle Crusis School for Girls that was run by the Episcopal Church. She and her husband Monte were at the Valle Crusis Mission from the Depression years until their retirement in the 1940s. Glovier was featured in an article in the Asheville-Citizen Times (1936, Apr 19).
  • Edna Heinzerling (1888-1977): Superintendent of Nurses at the Watauga Hospital when the Hospital opened on Easter Sunday, April 7, 1938.
  • Mary S. Shook (1918-2017): Appalachian State's first health care provider. The Mary S. Shook Student Health Service clinic is named after her. More information about Shook can be found in the Appalachian Today feature: Appalachian's first health care provider, Nurse Mary S. Shook by Dr. Phoebe Pollitt (Version also available through NCDocks).
  • Dorothy Vance (1990s): Blowing Rock Hospital nurse.
Special Topics
Special topics and events from the county's nursing history.

A Surprising History of the 1918-1920 Flu at App State

Resources
Additional resources for further research.

Health Care Institutions and Schools of Nursing

Articles and Publications

  • Eason, J. (2009). Sweeting appointed to health commission. Watauga Democrat. Boone, North Carolina. Article about Nurse Practitioner Sue Sweeting being appointed to the NC State Commission for Public Health. Sweeting also served on the Blowing Rock City Council and the Watauga County Commission.
  • Lefler, C. (1987). She rode a horse named midnight. Watauga County Times Past. An article about Nurse Stella McCartney, the first Public Health Nurse in Watauga County.
  • Palmer, K. (1938). A day with the Boone District nurse [interview]. Federal Writer's Project.

Presentations

  • Pollitt, P.A. (n.d.). The History of Nursing in Watauga County [PowerPoint slides]. MS PowerPoint. Presented at Democratic Women's Club of Watauga County, Watauga County Historical Society and Watauga County Public Library. Download (PPTX) | Download (PDF)

Archives

Newspaper Clippings

Compiled by: 
Phoebe Pollitt