On this day in WNC history: On August 8, 1913, the Jackson County Journal reported the dangerous “Chestnut tree bark
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On this day in WNC history: In 1985, one of Asheville’s iconic residents passed away at the age of 92.
On this day in WNC history: A steamboat in the mountains? As far-fetched as this may seem today, on August
On this day in WNC history: During a period of immense change and wartime sacrifices, a promise was made to
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On this day in WNC history: On July 26, 1827, in New Echota (modern Georgia) the Cherokee Nation adopted a
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On this day in WNC history: On July 19, 1898, eleven companies of African American soldiers from North Carolina—including Companies
On this day in WNC history: In 1916, the worst documented flood in WNC ravaged the region, sweeping away people
On this day in WNC history: Engines roared and an estimated 5,000 fans cheered drivers as NASCAR first visited the
On this day in WNC history: Travelling overland by train from San Francisco to St. Louis, and ultimately to Asheville,
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There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
The Revolutionary journeys of 2 young WNC women Her name does not appear in the written record until her
On this day in WNC history: On July 4, 1844 James Smith—first owner of the Smith-McDowell House—applied for a pension
Story behind the accused murderer in 1936 Battery Park Hotel homicide Back at the courthouse, Martin was taken into
On this day in WNC history: In 1857, Dr. Elisha Mitchell, a University of North Carolina professor, fell to his
On June 19, 1865, a Union commander in Texas issued General Order No. 3, freeing all remaining African Americans held
On this day in WNC history: In the grand White Sulphur Springs Hotel outside of Waynesville, the North Carolina Teacher’s
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On this day in WNC history: Western North Carolina has served as a film location for numerous movies large and
On this day in WNC history: In a previous post, we covered McCormick Field’s opening as a baseball stadium, but
On this day in WNC history: in 1957, three years after the Brown v Board decision, Levern Hamlin entered
Story behind the WWII detainee camps at Grove Park Inn, Montreat Assembly Inn Above: A rare color photo of
On this day in WNC history: In 2006, a new festival opened in Marion celebrating a food with much older
On this day in WNC history: Crowds lined the streets of Rutherfordton and heard the low rumble of an automobile
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Bettie Sims was not a typical moonshiner Knowing, as she said, that “nine out of every ten men will
On this day in WNC history: On May 27, 1973, “Doc” Watson became Dr. Watson, awarded an honorary doctorate in
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There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
On this day in WNC history: On May 18, 1916, Asheville transplant Kiffin Rockwell became the first American to down
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On this day in WNC history: The sit-in movement that helped spark desegregation began in North Carolina, at a Greensboro
On this day in WNC history: On May 7, 1929, western North Carolina native Lucy Morgan, director of the Penland
On this day in WNC history: Towering white neoclassical buildings and throngs of presenters greeted guests to Chicago’s “White City”
On this day in WNC history: One of the most popular music festivals in WNC, honoring one of its most
On this day in WNC history: On April 24, 1955, the Asheville Citizen-Times reviewed a new book with lasting local
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On this day in WNC history: Play Ball! These words signifying the start of “America’s pastime” were first heard at
On this day in WNC history: At a 1784 meeting of the NC General Assembly, representatives chartered the first town
On this day in WNC History: On April 17, 1832, the Miners’ and Farmers’ Journal broke the news of a
On this day in WNC history: Lula Owl Gloyne, a Cherokee Beloved Woman and a lifelong advocate and public servant
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On this day in WNC history: The newspapers called him a “possum hunting amateur,” but Billy Joe Patton, a lumberman
On this day in WNC history: On April 6, 1865, just three days before Robert E. Lee’s army surrendered at
Rumbling Bald was rumbling in 1874 Newspapers of the day, rife with speculation and exaggeration, reported that Owensby held
On this day in WNC history: On April 3, 1924, a large forest fire burned in the hilly and heavily-wooded
A trek of self-liberation from Asheville to Tennessee In trying to determine whether Bob found freedom in 1819, the
On this day in WNC history: Following the passage of the Weeks Act on March 1, the U.S. Forest Service
On this day in WNC history: As the Civil War neared its end, a final raid into western North Carolina
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On this day in WNC history: On the afternoon of March 22, 1941, workers at the American Enka rayon manufacturing
This trunk contains lesson plans, worksheets, images, teaching artifacts, Civil War music, and supplemental information relating to the Civil War
On this day in WNC history: Entering the second year of conflict between British and French forces in North America,
On this day in WNC history: Seventy years ago, on a cold, snowy night, representatives from fifteen mountain counties gathered
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On this day in WNC history: On March 9, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Appalachian Regional Development Act into
As American forces withdrew from Afghanistan last summer, preparations were already underway to resettle many Afghans in
Incarcerated laborers on railroad attempted freedom Despite being chained, watched by armed guards, and weakened by the harsh climate,
On this day in WNC history: The Swain County Herald reported in 1890 that the Nantahala River and several nearby
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On this day in WNC history: One hundred is a much neater number than ninety-nine isn’t it? On this day
On this day in WNC history: On the western slope of Beaucatcher Mountain, in Asheville’s East End district, the first
On this day in WNC history: On this day in 1828—the year the Cherokee Nation ratified a constitution, and seven
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On this day in WNC history: On a Saturday in 1917, one of Asheville’s oldest residents, and perhaps one of
On this day in WNC history: The mountains of WNC occasionally experience earthquakes, which often pass without much notice or
On this day in WNC history: In a small studio in Ashland, Kentucky in 1928, WNC native Bascom Lamar Lunsford
On this day in WNC history: Just three years after Scranton, Pennsylvania created the nation’s first fully electric streetcar system,
On this day in WNC history: One of the only constants in a city is change; 1920s Asheville was a
Three historians will discuss past pandemics and public health crises—including smallpox, polio, and the 1918 flu— in
Though Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made many public visits to central North Carolina in the 1950s and 1960s, including
On this day in WNC history: In previous posts, we have discussed the creation of some WNC counties, but did
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On this day in WNC history: One hundred years ago today, two women – Florence Deering and Evelyn Morey –
On this day in WNC history: Meeting in Fayetteville, the North Carolina General Assembly passed a new law in 1787
Just a few short months after the last forced Cherokee removal to Oklahoma, North Carolina established its westernmost county—Cherokee—on this
“Even As We Breathe immerses us in a specific place and time, Asheville’s Grove Park Inn when
2022 The RAIL Memorial Project We are proud to recognize The RAIL (Railroad Incarcerated Laborer) Memorial Project as the winner of our
This exhibit was developed as part of the celebration of the 450th anniversary of the Juan Pardo expeditions. Several decades
This trunk contains lesson plans, worksheets, teaching artifacts, primary sources, and supplemental information relating to the 1920s decade from multiple perspectives.
2020 became a year of innovation—not only for us, but for nonprofits across Western North Carolina. There’s no more
“Sandra Muse Isaacs in Eastern Cherokee Stories helps the reader see the oral tradition of the Eastern
2020 Ann Miller Woodford Ann Miller Woodford won the 2020 award for her work preserving and promoting the history of
“The committee was especially struck by the depth of research and the objective and nuanced perspective that
2019 Rob Neufeld Longtime Asheville Citizen-Times columnist Rob Neufeld, a highly respected local historian known for his love and
From the publisher: “In his powerful new novel, Charles Frazier returns to the time and place of Cold Mountain, vividly
Dear Detective, I hear you’re ready to get to work. And not a moment too soon. We’ve got a case
2018 James R. Stokely III Jim Stokely began his career by writing brochures and handbooks for
From the publisher: “It’s 1931, and the federal government has sent USDA agent Virginia Furman into the North
This trunk contains lesson plans, worksheets, teaching artifacts, books, and supplemental information relating to the growing, harvesting, and manufacturing of
From the publisher: “Set in the summer of 1866, a year after the Civil War has ended, That Bright
Thomas C. Dula (June 22, 1845 – May 1, 1868) was a former Confederate soldier, who was tried, convicted, and hanged
From the publisher: “Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, a steady stream of Scots migrated to Ulster and
2015 Patricia D. Beaver Dr. Pat Beaver received the award to recognize her impressive contribution
From the publisher: “One of America’s most acclaimed writers returns to the land on which he has staked
2014 Gordon B. McKinney Dr. Gordon McKinney received the award for educating generations of students