Press release from Western North Carolina Historical Association:
Western North Carolina is a place of old traditions and even older mountains, family names that date back for generations, as well as an increasing number of new arrivals. The original stewards of this land were the Anikituwagi, more commonly known as the Cherokee. Today, the Cherokee’s ancestral lands contain small towns, rural communities, and bustling urban areas filled with a diversity of people. But it is also a land often stereotyped and romanticized.
This spring and summer the Western North Carolina Historical Association, in partnership with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNC-Asheville, will present a virtual six-part lecture series on the people, history, and cultures of western North Carolina. The series will feature scholars and regional historians presenting on Native American and Cherokee culture, the settlement of the region, drovers roads, African-American heritage, and more.
These live events will be broadcast via Zoom on the last Thursday each month from 6:30-7:30pm. There will be a time for question and answer with the presenter after each lecture. The sessions will be recorded and made available to all participants after the live event. This series is free for WNCHA members and available on a sliding scale of $5-15 per meeting for the general public.
SCHEDULE
FEBRUARY 25 – Early Settlement in WNC with Peter Koch
MARCH 25 – Cherokee Mound and Village Sites with Dr. Ben Steere
APRIL 29 – Drover’s Road and Sherill’s Inn with Rep. John Ager
MAY 27 – Sanatorium and Tuberculosis with Kieta Osteen-Cochrane
JUNE 24 – Sites of Resistance with Ronnie Pepper on Kingdom of the Happy Land and Lisa Withers on The Green Book in WNC
JULY 22 – Appalachian Stereotypes with Dr. Erica Abrams LocklearTo register, visit wnchistory.org/events or call 828-253-9231.
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