As in hundreds of other cities throughout the country, urban renewal dramatically changed Asheville’s neighborhoods and streetscapes. Established by the Housing Act of 1949 to clear blighted neighborhoods, the federal initiative displaced millions of predominantly African American individuals and families between the 1950s and 1980s.
Launched in 1887, the Allen High School operated until 1974. Early accounts state that initial classes were held inside a livery stable. But in 1897, an English woman named Marriage Allen donated $1,000 (roughly $31,000 in today’s dollar) for the construction of a proper school.
As one contemporary newspaper account noted, Uva Minners’ specialty was “walking out onto a wing and going though acrobatics without any safety attachment while the plane whirled along at more than 100 miles per hour.”
Poet Langston Hughes visited Asheville in 1949, offering a series of talks. Not everyone in town agreed on the poet’s merit.
“To what extent can sex instruction be given in the public schools?” The Asheville Gazette-News wrote on Sept. 29, 1913. According to the paper, a recent report by the United States Bureau of Eduction offered varying opinions on the matter, ranging from “a detailed plan of sex instruction beginning in the elementary schools to a determined opposition to any form of sex education whatsoever.”
At the start of the 20th century, as more women joined the workforce, female medications were introduced promising stamina and strength for those laboring all the livelong day.
In 1889, tempers flared as residents challenged Asheville’s Board of Aldermen over the poor conditions of the city’s sidewalks.
“There are more than 40,000,000 homeless dogs and cats in the United States,” wrote Mrs. Fred Hester in a letter published in the May 5, 1957, edition of the Asheville Citizen-Times. “Many people, finding it impossible to find homes for the animals they permitted to be born but are unwilling to keep, resort to drowning, […]
“Western North Carolina is confident, optimistic in the highest degree, and eager to be busy with the tasks that will come to our hands in 1920,” declared local banker W.B. Davis, in a Jan. 1, 1920, interview with The Asheville Citizen.
A look back on Billy Borne’s 1920 cartoons.
Colleagues and friends offer praise of local historian and librarian Zoe Rhine, who will retire at the end of 2019.
Whether digging through archives or covering the latest community news, Thomas Calder had a busy year. The Xpress writer shares his most memorable stories from 2019.
We raised the question to Jack Thomson, former executive director of The Preservation Society of Asheville & Buncombe County, who served the nonprofit from September 2010 to November 2019.
If you could grab a drink or a bite to eat in 2019 with a local historical figure, who would it be, and where would you take that person?
People came by the hundreds to attend the Rev. Lucius B. Compton’s annual revival services at Eliada in the early part of the 20th century. Known for his deep understanding of the Bible, Compton’s popularity continued to soar throughout much of his life. Scandal, however, erupted in 1943, when the religious leader was indicted on multiple counts of assault with intent to rape.
Throughout much of the 1950s, Asheville residents raised the same question again and again: Where can I find a taxidermist?
On Wednesday, Dec. 18, the North Carolina Room at Pack Memorial Library will host a launch party for the release of Nan Chase’s latest book, Lost Restaurants of Asheville. The event includes a talk by the author, followed by a book signing. The event runs from 6-7 p.m.
In 1916, tuition for Montreat Normal School (today’s Montreat College) was $225 per year, with scholarship options for those who could not afford to pay in full. The school’s early brochures placed a strong emphasis on character, as well as Christian studies.
In 1919, a year after the Great War ended, Asheville, along with the rest of the country, prepared to celebrate Thanksgiving Day.
“Buncombe blood flowed freely, and many of our gallant boys are among the slain,” the Asheville News reported on July 17, 1862. At the time, both Union and Confederate troops suffered immense losses during the Seven Days Battles near Richmond, Va.
On Dec. 26, 1948, several hundred people made their way to Charlotte Street to celebrate the grand opening of the Asheville Art Museum.
