Wall Street Journal: Asheville’s Grove Park Inn will shelter U.S. Supreme Court when Armageddon arrives

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

1

Here’s a fun bit of trivia from the Wall Street Journal, courtesy of loyal reader Jen:

Asheville, N.C., is where Moog synthesizers are made, where George Vanderbilt erected his Biltmore mansion and where Thomas Wolfe set “Look Homeward, Angel.” And if North Korea ever starts firing missiles at America, the Blue Ridge Mountains town could also become home to the U.S. Supreme Court.

That’s because the court has plans to relocate to Asheville in the event “of enemy attack or the imminence thereof on Washington,” according to once-secret documents unearthed by Cold War trivia maven Bill Geerhart.

In 1956, the court signed an agreement to occupy the Grove Park Inn, a sprawling pile built of granite boulders along a mountainside, during a national emergency. The hotel considers itself still bound by the agreement.

The story goes on to quote inn spokeswoman Tracey Johnston-Crum as saying the inn still felt bound by the agreement. The newspaper talked to several justices, who said they were unaware of the document.

“My wife has been suggesting a trip to Asheville for some time, but I don’t think this is what she has had in mind,” said Justice Samuel Alito.

Click over to read the full, fascinating story. The Grove Park Inn is celebrating its 100th birthday this year, and has hosted all kinds of celebrities and dignitaries over the years.

Image link for Grove Park Inn.