I was so excited about the upcoming release of A Higher Purpose that I talked Richard into taking a field trip yesterday to Cullowhee, North Carolina, AHP's primary setting. If you've ever been before, then you already know that most of the real estate in Cullowhee is taken up by Western Carolina University.

I usually visit WCU to use Hunter Library, one of my favorite research libraries. It's just visible in the picture above, between the church and the building with the domed roof. For genealogists, there are few better places to access microfilmed records for the entire western North Carolina area.

The campus itself is growing all the time, and currently sprawls over six hundred beautiful acres. More than ten thousand students attend, but Cullowhee itself isn't what anyone would consider a college town. Most of the local businesses seem to cater not to students but to local residents, with few exceptions.

For the most part, students seem to do the majority of their business in Sylva, the county seat, which is located just a few minutes away by car.

And just for the record, all the businesses (and their relative locations) mentioned in AHP are completely made up.

One aspect of Cullowhee that's often overlooked is the scenic Tuckasegee River, whose headwaters are located nearby.

The river is one site of a local plant called river cane, used historically by native Cherokees for a variety of purposes, including basket weaving. A few years ago, WCU began working with, among others, members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee on a restoration project to help bring the plant back to large enough numbers that it can continue to be used by local craftsmen in a sustainable way.

Several area towns are mentioned in AHP, most of them in Jackson County, North Carolina. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a good map showing those towns. For anyone interested, try Google Maps and Wikipedia, both of which are very helpful.