Immigration at the turn of the century spurred debate over policy, as well as the country’s future.
Asheville Archives: A flood of allegations, 1916
In the immediate aftermath of the 1916 flood, the city of Asheville quickly united in its efforts to help rebuild and find temporary housing for those who lost their homes. Yet amid this goodwill, a battle brewed between some residents and local news publications.
Asheville Archives: The deaths of Thomas Wolfe
It’s not often that two men, unrelated, share both a name and a profession. But this was the case for writers Thomas Wolfe.
UNC Asheville students and faculty seek out Cherokee history
In late February Trey Adcock was one of seven national recipients of the White Public Engagement Fellowship. The UNCA assistant-professor will use the $50,000 grant to uncover the story of the Snowbird Day School.
Asheville Archives: Electric lights shine on Asheville, 1886
On Oct. 21, 1886, downtown Asheville was aglow.
Asheville Archives: The Lost Cause narrative
From textbooks to newspapers, from monuments to public orations, the Lost Cause narrative sought to present the Confederates’ wartime efforts, not as one of defeat, but heroism in the face of great odds. The campaign also aimed to reimagine slavery as both a benign and beneficial institution.
Historian Karen Cox confronts Confederate monuments
On Saturday, May 19, historian Karen Cox will present “Confederate Monuments in the Jim Crow South” in the Lord Auditorium at Pack Memorial Library.
Asheville Archives: ‘A growing evil’
On April 26, the the Equal Justice Initiative, a private nonprofit, opened the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Ala. The memorial features over 800 weathering steel monuments. According to its website, each structure represents a county in the U.S. where a “racial terror lynching” took place. Names of victims are inscribed on each […]
Asheville Archives: Beaver Lake opens with a splash, 1924
Before construction could begin on Beaver Lake, an agreement needed to be reached between Lakeview Inc. and the Asheville and East Tennessee Railroad. The railroad company’s tracks traversed the area Beaver Lake would eventually occupy.
Asheville Archives: The old Asheville Citizen-Times building comes down, 1939
The Asheville Citizen-Times Co.’s former building once stood where Woolworth Walk stands today. The structure, built in 1902, was razed in 1939.
Asheville Archives: Buffalo return to WNC
In 1916, plans were underway to bring herds of elk and buffalo to Pisgah Forest. Difficulties and delays would plague the project.
Asheville Archives: ‘The demands of mortality’
On May 23, 1885, The Asheville Citizen posed the following question to its readers: “What are we to do with our dead?” At the time, the city lacked a public cemetery. According to the newspaper, public health concerns led many religious organizations to privatize their burial sites, limiting the number of cadavers accepted at these […]
Asheville Archives: Dr. Lewis M. McCormick strikes
In 1905, Dr. Lewis M. McCormick arrived in Asheville. He quickly became known as “Fly Man.”
CTS contamination has poisoned more than drinking water
For nearly 30 years, the CTS of Asheville Superfund site has been a source of physical and social toxicity for the surrounding community. With remedial efforts to address the source of contamination finally underway, residents, activists and others reflect on the triumphs and tribulations of the decades-long battle for a clean-up and accountability.
Asheville Archives: ‘These innocent little unfortunates’
On March 11, 1890, the the Buncombe County Children’s Home opened.
Asheville Archives: Mission Hospital’s early woes, 1885
On Jan. 29, 1886, The Asheville Citizen updated its readers about the facility’s progress. The report stated that Mission Hospital, “organized in Asheville for charitable purposes … will eventually be made self sustaining by caring for paid patients[.]”
Asheville City Council, Buncombe Commissioners discuss racial equity, development in joint meeting
2018’s annual joint meeting of Asheville City Council and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners highlighted issues of racial equity, police use-of-force and zoning conflicts affecting Buncombe residents.
Asheville Archives: Public schools open in Asheville, 1888
In 1888, Asheville opened its first two public schools: the White Normal School and the “colored school.”
Future transit efforts, concerns mirror Asheville’s past
Asheville as we know it today was built upon the back of its electric streetcar system, one of the largest networks of its time. As the city finds itself in a growth spurt once again, could its defunct trolley system provide some clues to Asheville’s transit future?
Asheville Archives: Emancipation Day
Throughout the late 19th and early 20th century, Asheville’s African-American community took to the streets on Jan. 1 of each year to celebrate Emancipation Day.
Poet Zack Zachary shares his civil rights activist experiences
Poet and activist Zack Zachary hosts The Eccentricness of Black Folk from a Black Perspective on Thursday, Feb. 22, at The BLOCK off Biltmore. The spoken word event combines poetry, storytelling, music and conversation.