Note: This is part of a series of articles about the history of the local community centers in Transylvania County.

Cathey’s Creek is located in central-west Transylvania County and is the source of the main watershed for Transylvania County. Named for early settler George Cathey who lived in the area as early as 1783, it’s the only county township to be completely surrounded by other townships and is bordered by the French Broad River on the south. The Pisgah National Forest takes up much of the northern terrain.

Families such as Barton, Gravely, Bracken, Wilson, Owens, Galloway, and King banded together to found the Cathey’s Creek Baptist Church in 1813, though some sources say it could have been as early as 1800. Elder Benjamin King is credited with being the first church leader of this, the “Mother of Baptist Churches,” in Transylvania County. It is said that all of the Baptist churches in Transylvania developed as off-shoots of this original congregation.

The area has also been known as “Selica” at times, an anglicized version of a Cherokee word pronounced suh-LEE-kah means “sparkling waters,” referring to the French Broad River. The name seems to have captured the imagination of southern writer William Gilmore Simms who wrote a poem in 1853 entitled “The Syren of Tselica: A Tradition of the French Broad”, in which he elaborated on a Cherokee legend about a feminine water spirit who would lure and destroy weary travelers who tried to drink from the river.

Selica referred to water for the Cherokee, so a European settler was the first to name the land “Tselica.” Large landowner Robert Symington gave the name to his landholdings and home in what would become Transylvania County. Since he may have been a majority landowner in the area, his property name grew to include a larger area when naming was needed.

Development in the area grew with the railroad routing through the community, which was known as “Robor” for postal delivery, necessitating a new name for the depot. Selica was chosen with the Cherokee’s silent “T” dropped, and the community became known as Selica as well. Work in the Selica area focused around the lumber industry.  A log flume was built in 1910 called the “Cagle Mountain Flume,” which streamlined the process and aided industry.

The schools were built early and were rustic log buildings. The small subscription schools of Cathey’s Creek School and Glady Branch School served students until the two were consolidated into a brand-new schoolhouse constructed by C.R. Sharpe in 1908 named the Selica Primary School. The schoolhouse was in service to public education until 1957, when schools further consolidated.

At this time, the “Selica Community Club” was granted a lease with the Transylvania County Board of Education (TCBOE) and began hosting community events in July 1957. It’s not certain when it switched to the Cathey’s Creek Community Club (CCCC), but that is the name listed on the lease deed that was updated with more permission to update the physical structure in 1972. In 2024 the deed was transferred from the TCBOE to the CCCC in full, cementing its designation as a community center.

The CCCC holds Bingo nights, clogging, traditional music, and other social gatherings. Martha Orr is the CCCC president and can be reached for more information.

Photos and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. This article was written by Laura Sperry, Local History Librarian. Special thanks to Fran Johnson and Cora Roess. Sources available upon request.