Correspondence between Z. V. Mehaffey, Zebulon Weaver, W. H. Woodbury, 1932

Zebulon Weaver (1872-1948) was a lawyer and U.S. Representative from western North Carolina. He was a member of the North Carolina Park Commission and was involved in the land acquisition process that went towards establishment of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and development of the Blue Ridge Parkway. This set of letters between Weaver, Mehaffey, and Woodbury deals with Mehaffey’s ownership of crops on land bought by the park. Following are brief summaries of each of the letters: Z.V. Mehaffey to Zebulon Weaver, April 22, 1932 In this three page letter Mehaffey asks for Weaver’s help regarding getting compensation for the Golden Seal crop on the lands owned by Mae and Harley Wilson that had been bought by the Smokey Mountain National Park. According to Mehaffey, he had put up the money for the Seal crop and was entitled to sell them. Zebulon Weaver to Z.V. Mehaffey, May 2, 1932 In this letter Weaver assures Mehaffey that he had forwarded his letter to the Park Commission and there should not be any opposition to Mehaffey removing the golden seal crop or the wire and posts around it from the land. Weaver’s candidacy for nomination to the Democratic primaries is also mentioned. W. H. Woodbury to Zebulon Weaver, May 4, 1932 In this letter Woodbury mentions that the Golden Seal patch mentioned by Mehaffey had been owned by the latter but Mehaffey had been asked to remove the plants and fence about three years back in order to maintain his ownership. However, it appears that Mehaffey had been slow to assert his rights and consequently the land had been leased to someone else once the government had taken over the property