Many residents face the daunting task of cleanup and repair post-Helene, but those with historic houses have an added layer: preserving the area’s past for the future.
Smart Bets: Oral history exhibit
The new mini exhibit, “In the Spotlight: How Older Adults in Western North Carolina Serve their Communities,” runs through Feb. 1, 2025, at the Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center.
Asheville Police Department investigates its past
With its 150th anniversary approach, the Asheville Police Department is looking to put together a definitive history.
Publisher Jeff Fobes’ path to the Mountain Xpress
Jeff Fobes reflects on how his life led him to a 30-year career as a newspaper publisher, first of GreenLine, now the Mountain Xpress.
Black Mountain residents pull together to preserve tree’s legacy
Black Mountain’s beloved Robo Oil Tree was downed by a tornado in May. But thanks to the efforts of some local tree enthusiasts, its legacy will live on in the town.
Around town: Marion plantation recognizes woman of color as descendant
Woman of color inducted into Daughters of the American Revolution, Brew and View back on the market, Frozen live on stage, new book about labyrinths and more!
New book examines WNC’s violent past
“Violence spins in vicious cycles, and if you want to fully understand why these events in Morganton occurred, then you have to examine root causes that predate 1927,” says author and historian Kevin W. Young.
McCormick Field at 100: 10 memorable moments at the historic stadium
Asheville’s McCormick Field officially opened 100 years ago this week. To commemorate the anniversary, Xpress takes a look back at 10 of the more memorable moments in the history of the venerable ballpark: Everything from Franklin Roosevelt and NASCAR races to Kevin Costner, Cal Ripken, Jr. and Nelly.
An Asheville ‘leaver’ checks in
“In fact, much of the ire now being aimed at the TDA — and tourism in general — merely echoes concerns about the tourism of a century ago, and the mismanagement and negligence of city government back then.”
Asheville Archives: E.W. Grove’s influence on Asheville’s image
Health issues may have led E.W. Grove to Asheville, but the entrepreneur had no interest in perpetuating the city’s reputation as a landing spot for those seeking medical relief.
Artist Connie Bostic made her mark on Asheville
“Asheville lost one of its greatest when Connie Bostic died last month. Connie was a creator, and Asheville was her beneficiary.”
Look Homeward: Tourism and gentrification in the time of Thomas Wolfe, 1900-38
Local historian and archivist Katherine Cutshall discusses the parallels between Thomas Wolfe’s 1923 play, Welcome to Our City, and modern-day Asheville.
(HUMOR) Asheville’s comedic history runs deep
The Xpress staff offers 100% accurate interpretations of archival local photos.
Asheville Archives: Billy Borne’s 1924 cartoons
Topics featured in Billy Borne’s 1924 collection include concerns about tourism, that year’s presidential campaign and election (which involved the emergence of Robert M. La Follette as a third-party candidate), lack of funding for local education and police, anxieties over real estate and the pressures on everyday citizens due to the high cost of living.
A jukebox’s journey to the Asheville Radio Museum
For two years, Stuart Smolkin, curator of the Asheville Radio Museum, has been restoring a 1946 Rock-ola 1422 jukebox. Now the machine is on display inside A-B Tech’s Elm building.
Indigenous Walls Project finds local business allies
Project founder Jared Wheatley and Asheville entrepreneurs discuss the “You Are On Cherokee Land” sign initiative.
A lifelong resident’s passion for preserving Bascom Lamar Lunsford’s legacy
“What I’m doing is preserving this important piece of Western North Carolina regional history,” says Whitney Ponder, who purchased a property previously owned by Bascom Lamar Lunsford. “This man did so much for traditional Appalachian music here and throughout the whole region.”
Whatever it takes: Addressing racism and justice
“Both collaborations with the Vance Birthplace and the Mountain History and Culture Group have been the purest representations of the work we want to do, existing in the intersection of art and activism,” says Aaron Snook, co-founder and curator of America Myth Center
Anne Chesky on the opening of the Asheville Museum of History
“We are a space people can contemplate how our history affects our lives today,” says Anne Chesky, executive director of the Asheville Museum of History.
Whatever it takes: Expertise in genealogy is not required
“Our research materials are not limited to Buncombe County or Western North Carolina,” says Stella Taylor, the public relations chair at the Old Buncombe County Genealogical Society. “Our collection covers the areas from which settlers came to our state and areas to which some families moved.”
Asheville Archives: Calls for a more informed and engaged citizenry, 1923
“Except as impelled by the rising temperature of a political campaign, how small is the minority that gives regular and serious study to the public business!” lamented The Asheville Citizen in a Jan. 22, 1923 editorial.