History Hour |

The Kingdom of the Happy Land

Video Courtesty of UNCA Ramsey Library Video Production

About the Program:

In this presentation, Ronnie Pepper introduces attendees to the history of the Kingdom of the Happy Land and the individuals and families who resided there. In Henderson County on the border of North and South Carolina, there were a group of freed people who had a dream of a land. A land that could bring them peace, hope and a beginning of a dream. Their dream was rooted in an ancestral tribal memory and sustained by the hope for a promised land. The land on which they settled came to be known as the Kingdom of the Happy Land. Come hear the facts of the story as it has been researched and documented by the Black History Research Group of Henderson County. Hear about the documents that surround those families that resided on a Land Known as the Kingdom, presented by Ronnie Pepper.

About the Speaker:

Ronnie Pepper is a native of Henderson County. His wife Roxanna, of 46 years, share six grandchildren and two children together. Ronnie is a veteran who served his nation in Germany while serving in the US Army. He holds an associate’s degrees from AB Tech, Blue Ridge Community College, and Haywood Community College. He works as a library assistant at the Henderson County Library at the moment. Ronnie is the current chair of the Black History Research Group of Henderson County where he works with a committed committee to compile the histories of notable Black citizens in Henderson County documenting local anthologies of the accomplishments and histories of Henderson’s Black populace. As an involved member of the community, Ronnie works with several agencies and nonprofits, providing support as needed. Ronnie is a member of the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee, the Henderson County Walk of Fame Committee, the Hendersonville Housing Authority Board, and the 7th Ave Community Garden Committee. He attends and is an active member of Contemporary Missionary First Baptist Church.