Welcome to Maggie Valley!

No matter the season, Maggie Valley showcases a rich mountain heritage, various shops and restaurants, and a short drive to tons of different attractions. Maggie is located at the southern gate of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and is bordered by the Blue Ridge Parkway. The area offers whitewater rafting and hiking in summer, and skiing and tubing in winter! Motorcycle enthusiasts flock to the area for the great riding, including Deals Gap, also known as the "Tail of the Dragon", which boasts 318 curves in 11 miles. Be sure to save some time for Wheels Through Time, home to the world's premier collection of rare & historic American Vintage Motorcycles, and Ghost Town, Western North Carolina's mile-high wild west theme park located on top of Buck Mountain!

 

 

The Story of Maggie of Maggie Valley, NC

 

Maggie Mae Setzer was born on December 21, 1890 in a log cabin here in this insolated mountain settlement. The closest post office to serve the area was located 5 miles away, and Maggie's father, Jack Setzer, hired locals to pick up the mail at the Plott Post Office and deliver it back to their community.

 

When the little long-blond-hair and blue-eyed Maggie was 10 years old, Jack decided he'd had enough of this and wanted to establish a new post office in his own home. He wrote to the US Postal Department for permission, and they told him to begin providing service and keeping records of all incoming mail for the next six months. He turned one corner of his home into a post office and built a wooden box to sort incoming letters and newspapers.

 

At the end of the six months, Jack submitted his careful records to the Postal Department and they accepted his application to establish a new post office. They also asked him to submit names for the new office. He submitted three names, and all three got rejected since they were already used by other North Carolina post offices. Next, Jack submitted the names of his three daughters, Cora, Mettie and Maggie Mae, without telling them he did so. He also submitted the name Jonathan Creek, which was the name of the creek that ran through the Setzer's home. 

 

On May 10, 1904, Jack recieved an offical letter from US Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock that a name had been selected for the post office. The official name of the mountain settlement post office was to be Maggie, NC. When her father told her the news, she was so embarrassed that she burst into tears and ran up the mountain to the log cabin where she had been born.

 

At the age of 17, Maggie married Ira Pylant of Nashville, Tennessee and they eventually moved to Texas. However, Maggie came back to her beloved valley several times before she passed in 1979 at the age of 88.