CANCELED – Historic African American Cemetery Workshop – FREE
Participants of all ages and abilities are invited to join local and state experts from the South Asheville Cemetery Association and North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources for a hands-on workshop to learn how to preserve, protect, record, and care for historic cemeteries. Morning sessions include: - Why is this work important? - […]
POSTPONED – Park Day
This event has been postponed until the Museum reopens to the public. -- The Museum will be CLOSED today while our volunteers are busy dusting, sweeping, raking, vacuuming, brushing... To volunteer, please contact Elaine Blake at elaine@wnchistory.org or 828-253-9231.
POSTPONED – Living History Day (Thursday)
Smith-McDowell House 283 Victoria Rd., Asheville, NC, United StatesThis event has been postponed until the fall. To be included on updates specific to this event, please send an email to smh@wnchistory.org. -- Bring your 4th and 5th grade students to one our of Living History Days! Held on Thursday, April 23 and Friday, April 24, 2020, historic interpreters will lead students in activities, […]
POSTPONED – Living History Day (Friday)
Smith-McDowell House 283 Victoria Rd., Asheville, NC, United StatesThis event has been postponed until the fall. To be included on updates specific to this event, please send an email to smh@wnchistory.org. -- Bring your 4th and 5th grade students to one our of Living History Days! Held on Thursday, April 23 and Friday, April 24, 2020, historic interpreters will lead students in activities, […]
Lit Cafe – The French Broad with Jim Stokely
Zoom Webinar 283 Victoria Road, AshevilleJoin us for a presentation on and discussion of Wilma Dykeman’s award-winning 1955 book, “The French Broad,” by her son, Jim Stokely. Wilma Dykeman (1920 – 2006) was a writer, speaker, teacher, historian, and environmentalist. Her son, Jim Stokely, President of the Wilma Dykeman Legacy, will speak about his mother and her groundbreaking work. His […]
Paddle: The French Broad River
Amboy Road River Park 180 Amboy Road, Asheville, NC, United States“For the French Broad is, above all, a region of life, with all the richness and paradox of life. Water, forests, plants, animals, people: thronging here in rare and wonderful variety.” - Wilma Dykeman, The French Broad On Saturday, September 12, the Western North Carolina Historical Association, in partnership with Montreat College’s Outdoor Recreation Studies […]
Lit Cafe – Back of Beyond: A Horace Kephart Biography
Zoom Webinar 283 Victoria Road, AshevilleAn icon of the Southern Appalachian region known for books such as Camping and Woodcraft and Our Southern Highlanders, Horace Kephart was instrumental in efforts to create a national park in the Smokies and to establish the Appalachian Trail through North Carolina and Tennessee. This librarian-turned-woodsman had a far-reaching effect on wilderness literature and outdoor […]
Asheville’s Monuments: Past, Present, & Future
Zoom Webinar 283 Victoria Road, AshevilleJoin us via Zoom on Saturday, October 17 at 4:00pm for a virtual symposium focusing on monuments and commemoration in Asheville presented by the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) in collaboration with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Our city, like many others, is currently wrestling with the meanings and fates […]
Tour: Horace Kephart’s Bryson City
Bryson City Cemetery 80 Hillside Drive, Bryson City, NC, United States“The richness of the Great Smoky forest has been the wonder and admiration of everyone who has traversed it.” - Horace Kephart, Our Southern Highlanders On Saturday, November 14, the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) and WNCHA Vice President Geoff Cantrell will lead an interpretive walking tour of Kephart’s life in downtown Bryson City. […]
Film Screening: Guardians of Our Troubled Waters
Zoom Webinar 283 Victoria Road, AshevilleJoin us Thursday, December 3 for this virtual film screening event! Award-winning film director David Weintraub has been an oral historian and filmmaker for over 20 years. His films have appeared on PBS stations around the country and at film festivals around the world. Weintraub’s latest documentary Guardians of Our Troubled Waters, tells the story […]
Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award Celebration
Zoom Webinar 283 Victoria Road, AshevilleOriginated by the Louis Lipinsky family, we have presented the annual Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award since 1955 for printed works that focus special attention on Western North Carolina. The December 16, 2020 award ceremony will celebrate six finalists for the 2020 award with short readings by each author from their publication. The winner of […]
Film Screening: Julian Price Documentary
Zoom Webinar 283 Victoria Road, AshevilleJoin us Thursday, January 14 for a virtual film screening of "Julian Price: Envisioning community. Investing in people." with director Erin Derham. ‘Julian Price’ is a must-see for anyone who loves living in or visiting Asheville and solidifies Derham’s status as an elite filmmaker.” —Edwin Arnaudin for the Asheville Citizen-Times Julian helped start the movement of […]
LitCafe: When All God’s Children Get Together w Ann Miller Woodford
Zoom Webinar 283 Victoria Road, AshevilleIn the spirit of exploring great WNC writing and writers, we are reprising our popular LitCafe series with the multi-talented Ann Miller Woodford, author of When All God's Children Get Together: A Celebration of the Lives and Music of African American People in Far Western North Carolina. Ann's exhibit of the same name is currently […]
WNC History Lecture Series: Settlement & Transportation
Zoom Webinar 283 Victoria Road, AshevilleWe are excited to bring you a new virtual lecture series. Each month WNCHA will feature an expert on various topics in Western North Carolina history and culture. Our first speaker is the Museum Education Associate for Western Carolina University's Mountain Heritage Center. Peter Koch will present on the settlement of and transportation within Western […]
LitCafe: DuPont Forest with Danny Bernstein
Zoom Webinar 283 Victoria Road, AshevilleThis live virtual event features author Danny Bernstein discussing her new book DuPont Forest: A History
LitCafe Experiences: DuPont Forest History Hike with Danny Bernstein
DuPont State Forest 3051 Reasonover Rd, Cedar Mountain, NC, United StatesHistory Hike through DuPont Forest What is an airstrip doing in the middle of DuPont State Recreational Forest? Why the formal entrance into a state forest? And how did the lakes come to be? Come on a moderate all-day hike through historic DuPont Forest where we will walk, talk, take photos and even speculate. DuPont […]
WNC History Lecture Series: Cherokee Mound and Village Sites
Zoom Webinar 283 Victoria Road, AshevilleJoin us as Dr. Ben Steere of Western Carolina University presents research from his forthcoming book The Fire Yet Burns in These Great Mounds: Archaeology and Resilience in the Cherokee Heartland. Dr. Steere's presentation will be followed by a Q&A session. Dr. Ben Steere of WCU Dr. Steere says of his work: Mound and village […]
LitCafé: John Ehle’s The Road w Steve Little and Dr. Richard Starnes
ZoomLitCafé: John Ehle's The Road w Steve Little and Dr. Richard Starnes Join us April 13 at 6pm. This third event in our LitCafé series explores John Ehle's 1967 book, The Road. Set in western North Carolina, this work of fiction is based on the real history and people behind the Western North Carolina Railroad […]
LitCafe Experiences: History Hike with the RAIL Project
Point Lookout Trail, Ridgecrest Trailhead Mill Creek Road, Old Fort, NC, United StatesThis is one special hike you do not want to miss! John Ehle's The Road After reading and discussing John Ehle's work of historical fiction The Road, join WNCHA for a special hike exploring the real history of the incarcerated laborers who toiled and often died constructing the Western NC Railroad. We are joined by […]
LitCafe Experiences: History Hike with the RAIL Project (Hike 2)
Point Lookout Trail, Ridgecrest Trailhead Mill Creek Road, Old Fort, NC, United StatesAfter reading and discussing John Ehle’s work of historical fiction The Road, join WNCHA for a special hike exploring the real history of the incarcerated laborers who toiled and often died constructing the Western NC Railroad. We are joined by a special guest presenter, member of the RAIL Project committee and mayor of Marion, Steve Little. By popular […]
WNC History Lecture Series: Rep. John Ager on the Drover’s Road and Sherill’s Inn
Zoom Webinar 283 Victoria Road, AshevilleJoin us for the third event in our Intro to WNC Lecture Series. Rep. John Ager will discuss the drover's road through the Hickory Nut Gap and the historic Sherill's Inn. After the presentation, we will hold a Q&A where the audience can ask questions. Western NC once hosted large herds of livestock being driven […]
LitCafe: Mary Burnette presents Lige of the Black Walnut Tree
Zoom Webinar 283 Victoria Road, AshevilleLitCafe: Mary Othella Burnette presents Lige of the Black Walnut Tree For the fourth installment of this year's LitCafe series, we are very excited to bring you author and local native Mary Othella Burnette who will present her recently published memoir Lige of the Black Walnut Tree: Growing Up Black in Southern Appalachia. This virtual […]
WNCHA 2020 Outstanding Achievement Award Ceremony
ZoomWNC Historical Association presents Outstanding Achievement Award to Ann Miller Woodford The WNCHA 2020 Outstanding Achievement Award will be presented to Ann Miller Woodford for her work preserving and promoting the history of African American people in far western North Carolina, on Tuesday, May 18 at 6:30pm via Zoom. The live Zoom webinar is free […]
WNCHA Annual Meeting
Zoom Webinar 283 Victoria Road, AshevilleJoin us on Wednesday, May 19 at 5:00pm for our annual meeting. This year's meeting will be held via Zoom and will include updates on the Western North Carolina Historical Association and the Smith-McDowell House as well as the election of WNCHA officers and trustees. The meeting is open to the public. Only current, dues-paid […]
WNCHA Outdoor Experiences: Hickory Nut Gap Hike
Hickory Nut Gap NC, United StatesJoin us Saturday, May 22 as WNCHA leads a hike in the historic Hickory Nut Gap. In this exclusive hike, on a trail section not yet open to the public, we will explore the history of this area as a boundary and barrier, as well as a route connecting various people and places. Native Americans, […]
WNC History Lecture Series: Kieta Osteen-Cochrane on Tuberculosis & Tourism
Zoom Webinar 283 Victoria Road, AshevilleJoin us (virtually) for our fourth installment in the WNC History Lecture Series. Asheville native and WNCHA board member Kieta Osteen-Cochrane will present on the Von Ruck Sanitarium—one of many such facilities built in and around Asheville to treat tuberculosis patients in the late 1800s-early 1900s—as well as its impacts on Asheville and regional tourism. […]
LitCafé: Dale Neal on Appalachian Book of the Dead
ZoomJoin us (virtually) for another installment of LitCafé as author Dale Neal discusses his writing and most recent work Appalachian Book of the Dead, a finalist for the 2020 Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award. The event kicks off at 6pm. Like all of our virtual programs, this event will be recorded and available for you […]
WNC History Lecture Series: Sites of Resistance
ZoomFor the fifth installment in our Intro to WNC Lecture Series, we are joined by two researchers and historians who will present on sites of African American history and resistance here in western North Carolina. Ronnie Pepper will discuss his research into the Kingdom of Happy Land, demonstrating the importance of viewing it from an […]
LitCafé: Historic Tales of Sylva and Jackson County w Jim Buchanan
ZoomOur LitCafé series continues as author and WNCHA board member Jim Buchanan discusses his recently-published work Historic Tales of Sylva and Jackson County. His book was a nominee for the 2020 Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award. Join us Tuesday, July 13 at 6pm for this virtual event. The Author: A Jackson County native, Sylva-Webster and Western Carolina […]
Building a Historic Cemetery Community
ZoomYour cemetery has an important story! How do you expand your reach, develop community buy-in, and build the public and professional relationship you need? Join the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission, the North Carolina Office of State Archaeology, and the South Asheville Cemetery Association for a FREE evening online workshop featuring professionals and community […]
WNC History Lecture Series: Literature and Stereotypes
ZoomAll good things must come to an end. On Thursday, July 29, Dr. Erica Abrams Locklear of UNCA will conclude our Intro to WNC Lecture Series with a discussion of literature and stereotypes of western North Carolina and Appalachia. From traveler accounts and color writers, to stereotyped hillbillies and a romanticized land, this presentation examines […]
WNCHA Outdoor Experiences: The Buncombe Turnpike
Palmetto Trail Anders Road, Zirconia, NC, United StatesReady to hit the old dusty trail and explore the history of the Buncombe Turnpike? Join us Saturday, August 7 as special guest Lauren May of the Vance Birthplace State Historic Site partners with the Western North Carolina Historical Association to lead a hike in the historic Saluda Gap. This area was the southern terminus […]
Shiloh, Past and Present
ZoomJoin us (virtually) on Thursday, August 12 at 6:30pm as we bring you a multi-generational discussion of Asheville's historic Shiloh community. We are joined by a special moderator—Jefferson Ellison of JAWBREAKING Creative. Founded by newly freed people after the Civil War, Shiloh is one of Asheville’s oldest historically Black communities. Due to construction of the Biltmore […]
CANCELLED: Exhibit Opening Reception and Pickin’ in the Parlor
Smith-McDowell House 283 Victoria Rd., Asheville, NC, United StatesDue to the weather forecast and rising COVID cases in Buncombe County we are canceling this event. So sorry for the inconvenience. Stay safe! Join the Western North Carolina Historical Association for a reception marking the official opening of the exhibit, "Unearthing Our Forgotten Past: Fort San Juan," on Wednesday, August 18 from 5:30 - […]
LitCafé: Anne Chesky Smith Presents Murder at Asheville’s Battery Park Hotel
Zoom Webinar 283 Victoria Road, AshevilleJoin us live via Zoom Tuesday, August 24 at 6PM for a special LitCafé event. WNCHA Executive Director Anne Chesky Smith will discuss her new book Murder at Asheville's Battery Park Hotel: The Search for Helen Clevenger's Killer, out July 26. In 1936, Helen Clevenger's uncle discovered her bloodied body crumpled on the floor of […]
LitCafé: Peter Barr Presents Exploring North Carolina’s Lookout Towers
ZoomLitCafé continues Tuesday, September 7 at 6PM. We are joined by Peter Barr who will discuss his recently-published book, Exploring North Carolina's Lookout Towers: A Guide to Hikes and Vistas. This event airs live and will be recorded as well. As usual, we will hold a Q&A session following Peter's presentation. About the Author: Peter […]
WNCHA Outdoor Experiences: Paddle the French Broad
Amboy Road River Park 180 Amboy Road, Asheville, NC, United States“For the French Broad is, above all, a region of life, with all the richness and paradox of life. Water, forests, plants, animals, people: thronging here in rare and wonderful variety.” - Wilma Dykeman, The French Broad On Saturday, September 11, the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA), in partnership with Montreat College’s Outdoor Recreation […]
Guastavino Marker Dedication
Christmount Conference Center 222 Fern Way, Black Mountain, NC, United StatesJoin the Guastavino Alliance, Swannanoa Valley Museum, and Western North Carolina Historical Association on Monday, September 13, 2021 at 10:30 am for the unveiling and dedication of a new NC Highway Historical Marker recognizing Rafael Guastavino’s vault and dome tile work and marking the site of his Black Mountain estate, Rhododendron. After the dedication, we'll […]
WNCHA Outdoor Experiences: Big Ivy Historical Park
Big Ivy Historical Park 550 Dillingham Rd, Barnardsville, NC, United StatesJoin the Western North Carolina Historical Association Saturday, September 25 at 11am as we tour the Big Ivy Historical Park. NOTE: The planned hiking portion of this outing to Little Snowball Mountain is suspended unless road access and trail conditions improve. As of 9/1/21, we plan to offer only the tour of the historical park […]
WNCHA Presents: Dr. David Moore on Native American Resistance to the16th-Century Spanish Invasion of Western North Carolina
ZoomJoin the Western North Carolina Historical Association Thursday, September 30 at 6:30PM for this special virtual event. We will explore the history and the modern archaeology behind the travelling exhibit Unearthing Our Forgotten Past: Fort San Juan, now on display at the Smith-McDowell House Museum. Dr. David Moore will describe excavations of the Berry site, […]
WNCHA Lectures: The Marion Mill Massacre in Memory
ZoomJoin the Western NC Historical Association Thursday, October 14 at 6PM via Zoom as we kick off a month of programming centered on labor and mill history in WNC. On October 2, 1929, deputies killed six textile workers at the Marion Manufacturing Company mill, marking one of the deadliest labor strikes in the South. This […]
RAIL Monument Dedication Ceremony
Andrew's Geyser 2111 Mill Creek Rd, Old Fort, NC, United StatesOn Sunday, October 17 at 3:30pm, the Railroad and Incarcerated Laborer Memorial (RAIL) project will unveil a new monument at Andrew's Geyser in Old Fort. This granite marker memorializes the incarcerated African American laborers who toiled and died constructing the Mountain Division of the Western North Carolina Railroad in the late 1800s. The unveiling ceremony […]
WNCHA Lectures: Beacon Blanket Mill
ZoomThe Western North Carolina Historical Association concludes our month of labor history programming Thursday, October 21 at 6PM. Join us (virtually via Zoom) for a presentation on the history of Swannanoa's Beacon Blanket mill from writer and director Rebecca Williams. The Beacon Blanket mill was once billed as the "largest blanket manufacturer in the world." […]
And the creek don’t rise: a history of floods in WNC
Zoom Webinar 283 Victoria Road, AshevilleJoin the Friends of the East Asheville Library to learn about the history of flooding in Western North Carolina with Anne Chesky Smith, director of the WNC Historical Association. For more information or to register:
WNCHA Presents: 1874 Illustrations for “The Land of the Sky”
ZoomA virtual event exploring the illustrations of the famous Land of the Sky novel by Frances Tiernan Join the Western North Carolina Historical Association Thursday, November 4 at 6pm as we bring you this special event via Zoom. History shouldn’t be boring. W.L. Sheppard’s illustrations for Frances Tiernan’s notable novel are not — illustrating her blockbuster […]
LitCafé: Dr. Barbara Duncan Presents Living Stories of the Cherokee
ZoomJoin the Western North Carolina Historical Association via Zoom Tuesday, November 9 at 6PM as our LitCafé series continues. Each year, we present the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award recognizing local authors or WNC-focused books which make significant contributions to our understanding of this region. In advance of our 2021 ceremony, we are revisiting the […]
WNCHA Presents: Narrow Gauge Logging Railroads of the Champion Fibre Company
ZoomJoin the Western North Carolina Historical Association on Zoom Tuesday, November 23 at 6PM as we bring you this virtual event featuring guest Gerald (Jerry) Ledford. In 1905, paper manufacturer Peter Gibson Thomson came to western North Carolina in search of pulpwood and a suitable location for a mammoth pulp mill that would provide pulp […]
VIRTUAL: Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award Celebration
ZoomThe Western North Carolina Historical Association presents the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award Thursday, December 9 from 6:30-8:00PM via Zoom. Originated by the Louis Lipinsky family and now supported by the Ruth Siegel and Jacques Sartisky Foundation and the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Advisory Board, WNCHA has presented the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award annually for […]
WNCHA History Hour: African American Music Traditions in WNC
ZoomDr. William Turner and Dr. Ted Olson discuss African American musical contributions to WNC in this live Zoom webinar. Join the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) Thursday, January 13 at 6PM as we kick off our 2022 lineup of programming. This event airs live via Zoom. The mountains of WNC and Appalachia are home […]
WNCHA Presents: Vaccines and Public Health in WNC – Past and Present
ZoomJoin the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) Thursday January 20 from 6:30-8PM as we bring you this special event. This free program airs live via Zoom and will be recorded. Three historians will discuss past pandemics and public health crises—including smallpox, polio, and the 1918 flu— in WNC and Appalachia. They are joined by […]