William Allen Dills

William Allen Dills was an American businessman and politician. He founded the town of Dillsboro, North Carolina, served as a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives, and was the father of Gertrude Dills McKee, the first woman elected to the North Carolina State Senate.

Biography Dills was born around 1842 about south of the town that holds his name. During the Civil War he was part of the Confederate Army. He was captured by Union troops and taken prisoner in Missouri. There he taught himself surveying and, upon his release, became a school teacher. In 1876, he returned to Jackson County and wed Alice Enloe. Alice gave him three daughters: Minnie Dills Gray (author of The History of Dillsboro); Gertrude; and Beulah Dills Weaver. Dills built the first house in Dillsboro. Today the home is the Riverwood Shops. In 1882, as the Murphy Branch railroad arrived, Dills built the first home in the area. Dills died around 1900 and was buried in Parris Cemetery.