NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY
1979 SESSION

CHAPTER 205
HOUSE BILL 704

AN ACT TO INCORPORATE THE TOWN OF SEVEN DEVILS.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

Section 1.  The inhabitants and property of the area described in Section 2 of this act shall be and constitute a body politic and corporate under the name of the "Town of Seven Devils" and shall be vested with all municipal powers, functions, rights, privileges and immunities conferred by the Constitution and laws of the State of North Carolina upon municipalities and especially Chapter 160A of the General Statutes.
Sec. 2. The corporate boundaries of the Town of Seven Devils shall be as follows until changed in accordance with law.
BEGINNING at a point in the North line of the property described herein, said point of Beginning being at a stake on a large prominent rock in the gap between pinnacles on Four Diamond Ridge in Avery County, and being in the South line of the F.W. VonCannon Estate, North 67º 33' East 3361.25 feet (and crossing from Avery County into Watauga County) to a locust in Lee's Gap; continuing with the VonCannon Estate line (running along Hanging Rock Ridge), North 80º 7' East 1482.20 feet to a Spanish Oak, the Southwest corner of property now or formerly owned by Ben Broyhill; running thence with Broyhill's line the two following courses and distances, namely, North 46º East 200 feet to a stake and North 73º East 2680 feet to a marked 24-inch maple tree, Mark Townsend's corner; running thence with Townsend's East line, North 6º 30' East 1050 feet to a large birch, and old corner and Tom Townsend's Southwest line; running thence with Townsend's South line the following courses and distances, namely, South 86º 30' East 1248 feet to a white thorn on a rock; running thence North 34º East 786 feet and passing an "X" cut in a rock, to a pile of rocks; thence North 32º 30' East 297 feet to a stake; thence North 45º East 132 feet to a large water oak; thence North 35º West 332 feet to a point; thence North 61º East 1605 feet to a water oak stump, a corner with Cicero Townsend; thence North along Townsend's South line, North 54º East 120 feet to a rock; thence North 13º East 66 feet to a locust stump, a corner with Adam Townsend; thence with Townsend's South line the following courses and distances, South 81º East 198 feet to an ash on a rock; thence South 79º 30' East 1345 feet to a Spanish Oak located on the top of Nettle Knob, the Northwest corner of Sidney Harmon; running thence with Sidney Harmon's West line, South 21º East 1655 feet to a Spanish Oak, a Northeast corner of property formerly owned by Lin Aldridge; thence with Aldridge's North line, the following courses and distances: South 61º West 946 feet to a Beadwood; thence South 31º West 297 feet to a painted rock; thence South 52º West 842 feet to an iron stake; thence South 76º West 385 feet to a painted rock; thence South 25º West 266 feet to a pine stump, the Sherwood and Bingham Northeast Corner; running thence with Bingham's North and West lines the following courses and distances: South 70º West 349 feet to an iron stake; South 48º 30' West 148.5 feet to an oak tree; thence South 81º West 194.10 feet to a point in the South margin of a private road; thence with the margin of said road as follows: South 89º West 80.20 feet South 70-42 West 102.35 feet, South 62-22 West 90.28 feet, South 65-16 West 79.70 feet, South 59-44 West 74-45 feet, South 59-35 West 75.34 feet, South 56-34 West 110.39 feet, South 53-32 West 137.39 feet, South 57-53 West 89.61 feet and South 50-59 West 78.09 feet; thence leaving road South 54-04 East 135.80 feet; thence, South 40-15 East 683.31 feet; thence with Winkler's West line South 45º East 394 feet to a maple tree, the Northeast corner of the Andrew Ellis Property; thence with Ellis's North line, the following courses and distances: South 66º West 312 feet to an iron stake; South 39º West 339 feet to an iron stake; South 60º West 378 feet to an iron stake; and South 47º West 130 feet to a painted rock in Gragg Branch, and a common corner with the Johnson property; running thence with the center of the branch and along the Johnson's East line, the following courses and distances: North 60º West 139 feet to a point; North 65º West 170 feet to a point; North 75º West 278 feet to a point; North 34º West 142 feet to a point; and North 4º West 96 feet to a painted rock; thence continuing with Johnson's North line, South 88º West 247 feet to a chestnut stump; thence South 78º West 115.5 feet to a maple; thence South 66º West 66 feet to a rock; thence South 57º West 470 feet to an iron stake; thence South 34º East 214 feet to a bunch of chestnut oaks; thence South 55º East 625 feet to a poplar; thence South 24º East 206 feet to an iron stake; thence South 25º West 320 feet to an iron stake; thence South 78º West 592 feet to an iron stake; thence South 56º 30' West 297 feet to an iron stake; thence South 83º West 261 feet to an iron stake; thence South 12º 30' East 269 feet to a locust; thence South 7º East 69 feet to a point in the center of Valley Creek, Wagner's North line; thence along the center of Valley Creek following Wagner's North line the following courses and distances: North 67º West 74 feet; North 61º West 118 feet; North 42º West 138 feet; South 85º West 72 feet; North 57º West 37 feet; North 03º 30' West 109 feet; North 41º West 92 feet; South 83º West 46 feet; North 60º 30' West 46 feet; North 54º West 65 feet; North 9º West 90 feet; North 70º West 211 feet; North 67º West 60 feet; North 86º West 187 feet; North 81º 30' West 95 feet; North 89º West 125 feet; South 58º West 108 feet; South 65º West 72 feet; North 80º West 150 feet; North 60º West 125 feet; North 70º West 136 feet; South 62º West 165 feet; South 84º West 145 feet; North 61º West 86 feet; South 88º West 111 feet; South 58º West 181 feet; South 55º West 136 feet; South 70º West 145 feet; South 60º West 112 feet; South 85º West 123 feet; and South 60º West 107 feet to an iron stake, the Northwest corner of the Wagner property; running thence South 1º 30' West 660 feet to an iron stake, the Northwest corner of the Shook Heirs Property; running thence with the Shook Heirs line the following courses and distances: South 02º West 287 feet to a painted rock; thence South 02º West 500 feet to a point; thence South 02º West 1992 feet to a point; thence North 80º West 242 feet to a point; thence due West 326 feet to a point; thence South 80º West 84 feet to a point; thence due West 2,550 h feet to a point; thence South 01º 30' West 485 feet to a large white oak; thence North 70º West 66 feet to a chestnut stump; thence South 58º 30' West 690 feet, more or less, to a point; thence North 63º 30' West 109.63 feet to a point; thence North 53º 18' West 64.70 feet to a point; thence North 61º 49' West 71.38 feet to a point; thence North 71º 05' West 162.28 feet to a point; thence North 83º 56' West 86.85 feet to a point; thence South 86º 18' West 125.17 feet to a point; and South 68º 10' West 72.18 feet to a point; thence with the VonCannon Estate, the following courses and distances: North 26º 45' West 1228.14 feet to a point; North 01º East 160 feet to a point; South 70º West 66.70 feet to a point; North 37º West 375.70 feet to a point; thence North 69º 45' West 290.95 feet to an iron stake; North 44º 44' West 426.32 feet to a stake; thence North 58º 44' West 77.1 feet to a stake; thence North 47º 49' West 127.14 feet to a hole in a rock; thence North 04º 12' West 115.78 feet to the top of a rock; thence North 37º 15' East 110.53 feet to a water hole in a rock; thence North 26º East 1161.30 feet to a stake on top of Rock Bluff; thence North 36º 29' East 1138.12 feet to a stake on Rock Ledge; thence North 41º 25' East 1179.41 feet to the place of Beginning, containing 1254.12 acres, more or less.
Sec. 3. Until the initial election hereinafter provided for, Ruth L. Greene, Joan St. Louis, and F. Landis Smith are appointed as the Board of Aldermen of the Town of Seven Devils. Robert L. Brown is appointed Mayor. The persons appointed shall exercise the powers granted by law to the Board of Aldermen until the 1979 election of municipal officers when their successors shall be elected and qualified.
Sec. 4. The elected officers of the Town shall be a Board of Aldermen composed of four members, and the Mayor shall be elected by and from the Board of Aldermen. The term of the Mayor shall be two years, and after the initial election as provided in Section 5, the terms of aldermen shall be four years.
Sec. 5. At the regular municipal election in 1979, the candidates for alderman receiving the largest number of votes and the second largest number of votes shall be elected for four-year terms; the candidates for alderman receiving the third largest number of votes and the fourth largest number of votes shall be elected for two-year terms. In 1981 and quadrennially thereafter, two aldermen shall be elected for four-year terms. In 1983 and quadrennially thereafter, two aldermen shall be elected for four-year terms.
Sec. 6. The officers of the Town shall be elected by the nonpartisan plurality method as provided in G.S. 163-292.
Sec. 7. The Town shall operate under the mayor-council form of government in accordance with Part 3 of Article 7 of Chapter 160A of the General Statutes.
Sec. 8. Elections in the Town of Seven Devils shall be conducted in accordance with Subchapter IX of Chapter 163 of the General Statutes.
Sec. 9. The Board of Aldermen and Mayor may adopt a budget ordinance for the 1979-80 fiscal year, following their qualification for office, without having to comply with the budget preparation and adoption timetable set out in the Local Government Budget and Fiscal Control Act.
Sec. 10. This act shall become effective June 30, 1979.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 26th day of March, 1979.