THE WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION PRESENTS:
Exhibits
Permanent exhibit:
Smith-McDowell: The House, the People, & the Land
From Native Americans and European explorers and settlers to the latest newcomers, many have lived and prospered in this mountain landscape. It was the mountains that largely defined how they lived. This exhibit is the story of the three families associated with this house in the 1800s – the Smiths, the McDowells, and the Garretts – and how their lives show the many ways the land shaped them and they shaped the land.
A Land Apart
From Native Americans and European explorers and settlers to the latest newcomers, many have lived and prospered in this mountain landscape.
Daniel Smith
Daniel Smith was one of the first European settlers of the French Broad and Swannanoa River valleys.
The Buncombe Turnpike
The Asheville area has always been a crossroads due to its central location in the French Broad River valley.
Slavery
Slavery in the Southern Mountains was different from slavery in the Deep South.
W. W. McDowell
W.W. McDowell organized a local volunteer company known as the Buncombe Riflemen.
Letters
Young recruit T.M. Garrison wrote these colorful letters to his family who lived in Reems Creek, just north of Asheville.
The Gilded Age
The last decades of the 1800s were dubbed “The Gilded Age” by Mark Twain because they were often marked by extravagance.
The Land of the Sky
"…if you want fresh air and glorious scenery…you must go to Western North Carolina to find them.”
The Native-American Footprint on the Land
Native Americans were here at least 3,000 years before the arrival of explorers and settlers from Europe.
James McConnell Smith
James Smith was a man with the right family connections, and he was in the right place at the right time to make his fortune.
The Buck House
Smith-McDowell House was originally called “Buck House,” after James McConnell Smith’s venture, the Buck Hotel.
George Avery
Among W.W. McDowell’s slaves was a talented blacksmith named George Avery.
Civil War
Before the Civil War began in 1861, most people here were opposed to secession.
Aftermath of the War
When the Civil War ended, western North Carolina lay devastated, even though there had been no major battles.
The Railroad
In October of 1880, after forty years of technical difficulties and political bickering, the Western North Carolina Railroad arrived in Asheville.
All Rights Reserved © Copyright, 2010
The Western North Carolina Historical Association and Smith-McDowell House Museum
Website Developed by Ouziad Designs