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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 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: 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." […]
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 […]
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 History Hour: The Brevard Rosenwald School
ZoomJoin the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) Thursday, February 17 at 6PM via Zoom for another program exploring African American education in WNC. We hope you are able to tour the Mars Hill Anderson Rosenwald School with us, but for those unable, or who simply want to learn more, please join us as Betty […]
WNCHA History Hour – The Buncombe County Remembrance Project
ZoomJoin the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) Thursday, February 24 from 6:30-8PM for a special Black History Month program. This event airs live via Zoom and will be recorded. “The Buncombe Community Remembrance Project: Acknowledging, Remembering, and Honoring Lynching Victims” discusses the personal and community trauma inflicted on individuals of color after the Civil […]
WNCHA History Hour – Refugees and Resettlement in WNC
ZoomJoin us Tuesday, March 8 from 6:00pm-7:45pm for this special event focusing on past and present refugee and immigrant resettlement in western North Carolina. This event airs live via Zoom and will be recorded. As American forces withdrew from Afghanistan last summer, preparations were already underway to resettle many Afghans in the United States. In this […]
Cherokee Women in Resistance and Activism: Valleytowns to the Voting Booth
ZoomJoin the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) Thursday, March 10 from 6-7PM as we bring you this live Zoom webinar. This event will be recorded. This presentation will focus on a period spanning from the 1830s through the 20th century. While the forced removal of the Cherokee people took place during the winter of […]
WNCHA History Hour – West End Women: Liquor, Labor, and Love in New Deal Urban Appalachia
ZoomJoin the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) Thursday, March 24 at 6PM. This program airs live via Zoom The area of Asheville known today as the River Arts District has not always been such a pleasant neighborhood. For most of the 20th century the community was home to various manufacturing operations and the workers […]
WNCHA History Hour – Historic Politics of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
ZoomJoin the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) Thursday, April 14 at 6PM as we discuss historic and recent politics of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. This event airs live via Zoom and will be recorded. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), descendants of those who resisted relocation during the 1830s, live and […]
NC 11: Partisanship, Polarization, and Politics in a Mountain District
ZoomJoin the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) Thursday, April 21 at 6PM as continue our April programming theme of historic WNC politics. This event airs live via Zoom and will be recorded. The 11th congressional district sits in the Western corner of North Carolina—wedged between North Carolina’s borders with Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia. […]
WNCHA History Hour – Missing History: Jewish Life in Western North Carolina
ZoomJoin the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) Thursday, May 19, at 6PM. This program airs live via Zoom. Little has been documented about the Jewish history of Western North Carolina, yet clues are all around us. Jews could be found in many towns including Brevard, Hendersonville, Statesville, Asheville, Rosman, Boone, Blowing Rock, Franklin, Sylva, […]
ReadWNC – Even As We Breathe
ZoomIntroducing our ReadWNC series! Join the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) for three virtual events. With authors and historians, we will explore the facts behind the fiction in these books centered in WNC. We encourage you to read the books in advance and bring your own questions to the discussion. You can find all […]
“Queer Voices of the Past and Present”: Documenting, Remembering, and Celebrating LGBTQ Lives in Western North Carolina
ZoomJoin the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) Thursday, June 2 at 6PM as we kick off our month of Pride and LGBTQ+ history programming. This event airs live via Zoom. West of Asheville there has been little research on LGBTQ history or activism. Just last year, Dr. Travis Rountree and colleagues from Western Carolina […]
WNCHA History Hour – Stories From the LGBTQIA+ Archive of Western NC
ZoomJoin the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) for this event exploring stories of LGBTQIA+ history and life in and around Asheville. This event airs live via Zoom Thursday, June 16 from 6-7PM and will be recorded. The rich and ongoing history of LGBTQIA+ lives and communities in WNC has been scarcely documented until fairly […]
WNCHA History Hour: The Skyview Golf Association and Tournament
ZoomJoin the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) Tuesday, July 5 at 6pm for a special History Hour event exploring the history of Asheville’s Skyview Golf Association and tournament. This program airs live via Zoom and will be recorded as well. The Skyview Golf Association was founded in 1959 as a non-profit promoting golf competition […]
WNCHA History Hour: Musical Instruments in WNC
ZoomJoin the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) Thursday, July 7 at 6PM as we kick off our month of music history programming. This event airs live via Zoom and will be recorded. From early Native Americans to buskers on modern street corners, music and musical instruments have always been part of the cultural landscape […]
ReadWNC Series – Guests on Earth
ZoomJoin the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) for the second of three events in our ReadWNC series! With authors and historians, we will explore the facts behind the fiction in these books centered in WNC. We encourage you to read the books in advance and bring your own questions to the discussion. You can […]
WNCHA History Hour – “I Found That Song In A Friend:” Bascom Lamar Lunsford and Western North Carolina Song
ZoomJoin the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) Thursday, July 28 at 6pm as for this live Zoom webinar exploring the musical legacy of Bascom Lamar Lunsford. This even will also be recorded. Lunsford was born in 1882 in Madison County, North Carolina, home to Cecil Sharp’s “nest of singing birds.” He was both […]
WNCHA History Hour – Mountain Thunder: Stock Car Racing in Buncombe County
ZoomJoin the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) Thursday, August 25 at 6pm for this Zoom presentation on the history of stock cars and short track racing in Buncombe County, NC. This program airs live and will be recorded. This talk will explore the captivating history of the four racetracks (Hollywood in Fairview, Asheville-Weaverville, McCormick Field, […]
ReadWNC Series: The Ballad of Frankie Silver
ZoomOur ReadWNC series concludes Tuesday, October 4 with author Sharyn McCrumb discussing the true events behind her novel The Ballad of Frankie Silver. In this series, authors and historians explore the facts behind the fiction in books centered in WNC. We encourage you to read the books in advance and bring your own questions to […]
WNCHA History Hour: Lost Cove, North Carolina
ZoomJoin the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) Thursday, October 6 at 6pm via Zoom for this program exploring the lost community of Lost Cove in Yancey County. This event airs live and will be recorded. Lost Cove, North Carolina was once described as where the “moonshiner frolics unmolested.” The small town in Yancey County […]
WNCHA History Hour: The Lost North Fork Community
ZoomJoin the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) Monday, October 17 at 6pm via Zoom for this program exploring the lost North Fork community in Buncombe County. This event airs live and will be recorded. In its heyday, North Fork, located to the northwest of Black Mountain, had a population larger than the nearby City […]
A Narrative from the Inside: Hendersonville’s 9th Avenue School
Manheimer Room, UNC-Asheville Reuter Center 300 Campus View Rd, Asheville, United StatesJoin the Western North Carolina Historical Association Thursday, June 8 at 6pm for this special program. This event airs live in-person at OLLI and also via Zoom livestream and will be recorded. Hendersonville’s 9th Avenue School—a union school merging grades 1-12—served African American students from Polk, Transylvania, and Henderson counties from 1951-1965. When the Brown […]