BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Asheville Museum of History - ECPv6.1.3//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://wnchistory.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Asheville Museum of History REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20220313T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20221106T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220113T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220113T190000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013419 CREATED:20211124T163053Z LAST-MODIFIED:20211130T210219Z UID:9647-1642096800-1642100400@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:WNCHA History Hour: African American Music Traditions in WNC DESCRIPTION:Dr. William Turner and Dr. Ted Olson discuss African American musical contributions to WNC in this live Zoom webinar.\n\n\nJoin 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. \nThe mountains of WNC and Appalachia are home to rich\, ongoing musical traditions\, most commonly thought of as Scots-Irish in origin. Yet\, African Americans have played a largely unrecognized role in creating and expanding the musical landscape of the region\, introducing or shaping instruments\, songs\, and genres. From fiddle\, banjo\, and guitar tunes\, the work songs of the incarcerated laborers who built the WNC Railroad\, to the more famous Roberta Flack and Nina Simone\, our special guest will discuss the musical contributions of African Americans in the mountains. \nAbout the Speakers: \nWilliam H. Turner\, PhD\, the fifth of ten children\, was born in 1946 in the coal town of Lynch\, Kentucky\, in Harlan County. His grandfathers\, father\, four uncles and older brother were coal miners. \nBill has spent his professional career studying and working on behalf of marginalized communities\, helping them create opportunities in the larger world while not abandoning their important cultural ties. He is best-known for his ground-breaking research on African-American communities in Appalachia\, but Bill’s work is universal. As an academic and a consultant\, he has studied economic systems and social structures in the urban South and burgeoning Latino communities in the Southwest. What he strives for on behalf of his clients and their communities is what we all want: prosperity\, understanding and respect. \nDr. Turner co-edited the seminal 1985 anthology Blacks in Appalachia and recently published The Harlan Renaissance: A Memoir of Black Lives in Appalachian Coal Towns. He is also the co-host of Sepia Tones: Exploring Black Appalachian Music – a podcast featuring himself and Dr. Ted Olson. \nDr. Ted Olson is a professor of Appalachian Studies and Bluegrass\, Old-Time and Country Music Studies at East Tennessee State University. \nOlson has received a range of recognition for his work as a music historian\, including seven Grammy nominations. He holds a Ph.D. in English and Southern studies and has produced and curated a number of documentary albums of Appalachian music\, including four boxed sets for Germany’s acclaimed Bear Family Records label (complete recordings from the 1927-1928 Bristol Sessions\, from the 1928-1929 Johnson City Sessions\, and from the 1929-1930 Knoxville Sessions\, as well as a compilation of Tennessee Ernie Ford’s early recordings); four albums for the Gatlinburg-based Great Smoky Mountains Association; Rhino Records’ 50th anniversary edition of a seminal Elektra/Folkways 1960s-era folk music anthology; and a forthcoming retrospective collection of Doc Watson’s greatest recordings. \nAdditionally\, Olson has written or edited numerous books centered around Appalachian music and folklore\, along with numerous articles\, essays\, encyclopedia entries\, reviews\, poems\, creative nonfiction pieces\, and oral histories. He was also music section editor for the “Encyclopedia of Appalachia\,” and has served as book series editor for the Charles K. Wolfe Music Series (University of Tennessee Press) since 2008. He is presently co-producer and co-host of the six-part podcast series for the Great Smoky Mountain Association\, “Sepia Tones: Exploring Black Appalachian Music.” \n\n  \n\nTickets: $5 for WNCHA members/ $10 for General Admission. We also have no-cost\, community-funded tickets available. We want our events to be accessible to as many people as possible. If you are able please consider making a donation along with your ticket purchase. These donations are placed in our Community Fund\, which allows us to offer tickets at no cost to those who would not be able to attend otherwise. \nViewing: Registrants will receive a Zoom link with which to view the program. It will also be recorded and later available on our website. \nWestern North Carolina Historical Association received an American Rescue Plan Humanities Grant from North Carolina Humanities\, www.nchumanities.org. Funding for this grant was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act economic stabilization plan. Any views\, findings\, conclusions\, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of North Carolina Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/wncha-presents-dr-william-turner-on-african-american-music-traditions-in-wnc/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Logo-5.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220120T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220120T200000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013419 CREATED:20220106T174122Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220111T193959Z UID:10366-1642701600-1642708800@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:WNCHA Presents: Vaccines and Public Health in WNC - Past and Present DESCRIPTION:Join 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. \nThree historians will discuss past pandemics and public health crises—including smallpox\, polio\, and the 1918 flu— in WNC and Appalachia. They are joined by two immunologists and professors of biology who will address Covid-19\, vaccines\, and our current pandemic response. They will answer audience questions in a moderated session afterward. \nThis event is brought to you with special support from the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UNC-Asheville. \nTickets: This event is free and open to the public – donations are accepted. Registration is required. Participants will receive a Zoom link via email to join. \nContact: For questions or more information\, please email education@wnchistory.org \n  \nOur Speakers: \nDavid Cockrell is an instructor of history at Guilford Technical Community College. His research and publications include “’A Blessing in Disguise’: The Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and North Carolina’s Medical and Public Health Communities” published in the North Carolina Historical Review. He will discuss the similarities between the 1918 flu and the current Covid-19 pandemic. \nPatricia Bernard Ezzell serves as a Senior Program Manager in TVA’s Human Resources & Communications organization. Ms. Ezzell serves as the agency’s expert regarding the history of TVA and is the primary contact person for information pertaining to TVA’s past.  She maintains and curates TVA’s Historic Photograph Collection and provides input to questions of historical significance. Her presentation is entitled: “A Shot in the Arm: TVA’s Investment in Disease Prevention.” She is the author of several articles as well as two books on TVA history: TVA Photography: Thirty Years of Life in the Tennessee Valley and TVA Photography\, 1963-2008: Challenges and Changes in the Tennessee Valley\, both published by the University Press of Mississippi. She served as historical consultant on the documentary film\, Built for the People: The Story of TVA and has contributed to other media specials\, most recently the WBIR history on the building of Norris Dam\, For the Greater Good. \nRichard Eller is a historian deeply interested in the events that shaped western North Carolina. As a writer and documentarian\, he has covered the subjects of the 1944 Polio Epidemic\, as well as one of NC’s most famous homegrown companies\, Piedmont Airlines. Currently\, he is producing/directing a documentary on an African-American high school football team\, known as the Untouchables for their shutout season of 1964\, and a comprehensive history of the western North Carolina furniture industry. He was named the 2021 Historian of the Year by the NC Society of Historians and currently serves as director of Redhawk Publications\, a unique initiative of Catawba Valley Community College that offers an outlet for artisans in the region. He also oversees CVCC’s “HandsOnHistory” project which leads student learning in history by taking students to pivotal sites which have included Selma\, Alabama\, Gettysburg\, Pennsylvania\, Philadelphia and the American Southwest. \nDr. Maryam Ahmed is a Professor of Biology at Appalachian State University. She received her Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology at Wake Forest School of Medicine in the area of Molecular Virology\, and her postdoctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Viral Pathogenesis. She joined the faculty at Appalachian State University in 2010 and has a research program focused on developing oncolytic viruses as anti-cancer agents and investigating the mechanisms by which viruses interact with cancer and immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. Dr. Ahmed’s presentation will concentrate on concepts of viral variant emergence and what scientists expect for the evolution of SARS-CoV-2. \nDr. Michael Opata is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Biology at Appalachian State University. He trained as an immunologist at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and did a postdoctoral fellowship in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston\, Texas. His research program at App state focuses on understanding how moderate malnutrition influence mucosal immunity\, and the development of memory CD4 T cells during malaria infection. Together with a team of undergraduates and graduate students\, he has established a neonatal mouse model\, which is essential in understanding malaria pathogenesis in young children\, who are most vulnerable to malarial disease. Dr. Opata’s presentation will focus on how vaccines work to protect people against infectious diseases. He will also include data on how the first batch of COVID-19 vaccination efforts averted high death rates between January to May 2020. \n\n\n\n\n(Images: Highland Hospital nurse and patient\, 1940\, and Dr. John Kerr making a house call in the 1950s\, courtesy Buncombe County Special Collections; Modern vaccination\, 2021\, Photo courtesy of Western Carolina University) \n  \n  \nWestern North Carolina Historical Association received an American Rescue Plan Humanities Grant from North Carolina Humanities\, www.nchumanities.org. Funding for this grant was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act economic stabilization plan. Any views\, findings\, conclusions\, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of North Carolina Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. \n \n  URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/wncha-presents-vaccines-and-public-health-in-wnc-past-and-present/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Vaccine-Flyer.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220217T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220217T190000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013419 CREATED:20211208T195925Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220110T151055Z UID:9677-1645120800-1645124400@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:WNCHA History Hour: The Brevard Rosenwald School DESCRIPTION:Join the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) Thursday\, February 17 at 6PM via Zoom for another program exploring African American education in WNC. \nWe 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 J. Reed discusses her research into the Brevard Rosenwald School and other segregated schools in WNC. This school\, also funded by Julius Rosenwald\, served African American students in Transylvania County from c1923-1966 and\, according to Reed\, represents “a microcosm of Black education in southern Appalachia.” \nAbout the Speaker: \nBetty Jamerson Reed\, a native of Western North Carolina\, is an independent scholar who has spent over twenty-five years researching the history of schools in the region\, especially those functioning during the era of segregation. In 2002 she became a surveyor of Rosenwald schools in southwestern North Carolina for the State Archives Department. A retired educator who focused on educational leadership and rural education\, she lives on a farm in Transylvania County.  Her dissertation\, a case study of the Brevard Rosenwald School\, was written in 1998.  Reed’s extensive research forms the basis for three books: The Brevard Rosenwald School (2004)\, School Segregation in Western North Carolina (2011)\, and Soldiers in Petticoats (2019). Recently her article “Sequoyah\, the Son of a Virginian\,” appeared in the July issue of The Virginia Writers Journal. Her poetry has appeared in various journals\, anthologies\, and online publications. Journalism educator Howard Spanogle asserts: Reed “leads readers on journeys into unnoticed Appalachian communities and shows how it takes a trailblazing visionary to create a village of successful learners.” See her website. \nTickets: $5 for WNCHA members/ $10 for General Admission. We also have no-cost\, community-funded tickets available. We want our events to be accessible to as many people as possible. If you are able please consider making a donation along with your ticket purchase. These donations are placed in our Community Fund\, which allows us to offer tickets at no cost to those who would not be able to attend otherwise. \nViewing: Registrants will receive a Zoom link with which to view the program. It will also be recorded and later available on our website. \n(Image: Brevard Rosenwald School and students/staff\, c1920\, Courtesy of the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room\, Transylvania County Library) \n  \n  \nWestern North Carolina Historical Association received an American Rescue Plan Humanities Grant from North Carolina Humanities\, www.nchumanities.org. Funding for this grant was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act economic stabilization plan. Any views\, findings\, conclusions\, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of North Carolina Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/wncha-history-hour-the-brevard-rosenwald-school/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Logo-10.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220224T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220224T200000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013419 CREATED:20220207T181929Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220222T194834Z UID:10772-1645727400-1645732800@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:WNCHA History Hour - The Buncombe County Remembrance Project DESCRIPTION:Join 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. \n“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 War\, the Equal Justice Initiative’s research related to lynchings\, and the three lynchings “of record” that occurred in Buncombe County\, NC. Additional discussions will focus on the process of honoring individuals that were lynched\, the partnership with the Equal Justice Initiative\, specific related projects\, and the installation of three historical markers in Buncombe County. \nAbout the Speaker: \nDr. Joseph Fox is the owner of Fox Management Consulting Enterprises\, LLC.  He possesses an Ed.D. and an M.B.A. from Western Carolina University\, Cullowhee\, NC\, and a B.S. degree in Business Administration from Pfeiffer University\, Misenheimer\, NC. Dr. Fox also possesses the Professional in Human Resources Management (PHR) National Certification\, Global Achieve Leadership Training Certification\, and the Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning (REAL) Certification. \nDr. Joseph Fox is a life-long educator\, mentor\, and community advocate. He has advocated for students of a darker hue for more than 30 years in his role as a community college instructor\, as well as his role as a former Department Chair of Business Administration at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College. While still employed at A-B Tech\, he founded the Minority Male Mentoring Program\, that later became the Minority Students Leadership Academy\, and now the Multicultural Student Leadership Academy. Upon retiring from the NC Community College System\, Dr. Fox established\, in memory of his mother\, the Hazel Fox Minority Student Entrepreneurship Scholarship in which several scholarships were awarded to nonmajority Entrepreneurship students. The Scholarship was established to encourage individuals of a darker hue to view entrepreneurship as a viable option for wealth creation. Individuals that had been negatively impacted by the Criminal Justice System were encouraged to become “job creators” when they faced difficulty seeking employment. Upon the phasing out of the Entrepreneurship Degree by A-B Tech\, Dr. Fox established the Hazel Fox Minority Business Plan Competition in which $11\,000 was awarded recently to several local start-ups and existing businesses owned by nonmajority entrepreneurs. Dr. Fox is the recent recipient of several awards including the Summit Award given by the Association of Fundraising Professionals\, Western North Carolina Chapter\, during the 2021 National Philanthropy Awards Ceremony\, the Black Business Trailblazer Award\, presented to him during the 2021 Grindfest\, and both the 2022 Community Humanitarian Award and the Dr. Martin Luther King\, Jr Community Service Award\, given by the Martin Luther King\, Jr. Association of Asheville and Buncombe County. Previous awards received include a Thermal Belt Friendship Council Service Award for his work pertaining to race relations\, and the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church 7th Episcopal District Bishop’s “Empowering Us to Help Us” Award for outstanding service and contributions to the church and community. \nDr. Fox is the outgoing Vice President of the Martin Luther King\, Jr. Association of Asheville and Buncombe County\, a Wilma Dykeman Board Member\, and a Carolina Small Business Development Fund Board Member. He currently serves on the Food-Security Reparations Coalition\, and he is a recent appointee to the Advisory Committee for the African American Heritage Trail Project. In his hometown of Tryon\, NC\, Dr. Fox serves on the Eastside Citizens’ Advisory Committee\, and is Vice President of the Roseland Community Center Board of Directors. Dr. Fox is also a former President of the Thermal Belt Friendship Council. He has been the Chair of the Asheville Martin Luther King\, Jr. Peace March and Rally Committee for a number of years\, and he Chairs the Buncombe Community Remembrance Project in partnership with the Equal Justice Initiative\, to recognize\, honor\, and celebrate the three individuals “of record” that were lynched in Buncombe County. \nTickets: This event is free\, though a $10 donation is suggested. These donations are placed in our Community Fund\, which allows us to offer tickets at no cost to those who would not be able to attend otherwise. Donations for this event are also shared with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Association of Asheville and Buncombe County. \nViewing: Registrants will receive a Zoom link with which to view the program. It will also be recorded and later available on our website. \n\n \n  \n  \n(Images: Dr. Joseph Fox; Buncombe County Remembrance Project marker\, WNCHA photo) \nWestern North Carolina Historical Association received an American Rescue Plan Humanities Grant from North Carolina Humanities\, www.nchumanities.org. Funding for this grant was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act economic stabilization plan. Any views\, findings\, conclusions\, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of North Carolina Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/wncha-history-hour-the-buncombe-county-remembrance-project/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/cover-10.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Western%20North%20Carolina%20Historical%20Association%20%28WNCHA%29":MAILTO:smh@wnchistory.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220308T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220308T194500 DTSTAMP:20240329T013419 CREATED:20220222T185051Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220307T154733Z UID:10862-1646762400-1646768700@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:WNCHA History Hour - Refugees and Resettlement in WNC DESCRIPTION:Join 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. \nAs American forces withdrew from Afghanistan last summer\, preparations were already underway to resettle many Afghans in the United States. In this ongoing process\, several individuals and families have been relocated to western North Carolina. This is not the first time\, however\, that displaced groups have found a home in the mountains. From the Waldensians who founded the Town of Valdese in the 1890s\, to Lao\, Hmong\, Ukrainians\, and other groups resettling after the Vietnam War and other global developments\, many displaced individuals seeking better lives have established homes and communities in WNC. This event aims to tell their stories in light of the present moment as we witness another humanitarian crisis and war on Ukraine. \nAbout the Speakers:\nReverend Dr Kevin Frederick is a retired Presbyterian Pastor who served the Waldensian Presbyterian Church in Valdese\, NC\, for 13 years from 2007 to 2021. He had served churches in Tennessee\, Mississippi\, and North Carolina before coming to Valdese. As an educator and a historian\, he researched extensively the 850-year history of the Waldensians and spent three months on a sabbatical in 2015 researching that history in Italy\, Germany\, France\, and Switzerland. In 2018\, he authored the book\, With Their Backs Against the Mountains: 850 years of the Waldensian Witness. He has spoken numerous times on Waldensian history and continues an affiliation with the Waldensian Museum in Valdese. \nKaty Clune is the Virginia state folklorist and director of the Virginia Folklife Program at Virginia Humanities. Previously\, she worked as director of communications for Duke University’s arts initiative and as communications manager for The Textile Museum in Washington\, DC. She has a MA in folklore from UNC Chapel Hill and a BA in art history from UC Berkeley. As the child of a foreign service officer\, Clune grew up mostly overseas\, but now calls Charlottesville\, VA\, home. Clune notes that Morganton\, NC\, is a city of about 16\,500 tucked in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains—and since the end of the Vietnam War\, a growing number of first- and second-generation refugees and immigrants from Laos call it home. Clune will share an overview of her MA thesis research completed in 2015 that illustrates\, through the experience of the Phapphayboun family\, how traditional foodways help strengthen and maintain Laotian identity in this new context thousands of miles away from Laos. \nNoele Aabye serves as the Refugee Resettlement Case Coordinator for Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte in its Western Region Office in Asheville. She started on August 30\, 2021 and oversees the Afghan evacuee situation for Catholic Charities in Buncombe County. She served at Pisgah Legal Services for six years prior to coming to Catholic Charities. \nJesse Boeckermann is the Western Region Director of Catholic Charities\, which helps people in need in the 12 westernmost counties of North Carolina from Buncombe\, Henderson\, Madison\, and Yancey Counties and all counties west to the borders. Jesse started at Catholic Charities in January of 2021. \nThe Western Region Office of Catholic Charities has been doing refugee resettlement work for over five years in the Asheville area\, serving refugees from eastern Europe (Ukraine\, Russia\, Moldova) and central America\, including Guatemala. As the refugee resettlement placement program in Asheville\, Catholic Charities was tasked with resettling 40 Afghan evacuees starting in October after the Taliban took over Afghanistan this summer. Our refugee resettlement staff of three people and overall Western Region Office staff of eight employees and two interns have work tirelessly over the last five months to serve the Afghan evacuees with housing\, food\, clothing\, transportation\, and a variety of other services to help them transition to life in the United States and the Asheville area. \nOksana Love is a faculty in the chemistry department at University of North Carolina Asheville (UNC Asheville). Oksana and her family emigrated from Lviv\, Ukraine to western North Carolina\, Asheville\, in 2001. In 2006 she graduated from UNC Asheville with a chemistry degree and moved to Washington\, DC\, to pursue graduate and post-graduate studies. In 2013 Oksana moved back to Asheville\, and is currently teaching at her alma mater UNC Asheville. Oksana will share her own personal experience moving to WNC and making it home. People of Ukraine need help and support in this horrendous war. Please help and donate: \n\nRAZOM: The current emergency response is focused on purchasing medical supplies for critical situations like blood loss and other tactical medicine items: https://razomforukraine.org/razom-emergency-response/\nThe Department of State conducts a fundraising campaign to address the humanitarian needs of the people affected by the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Funds collected through the GoFundMe platform will be distributed to reputable relief organizations identified and vetted by GoFundMe as well as organizations recommended by the U.S. Department of State. The private sector and the general public can help the people in Ukraine by visiting http://ow.ly/i2VI50I5m5U.\nWorld Central Kitchen: WCK serving thousands of meals to Ukrainian families fleeing home as well as those who remain in the country:   https://wck.org/\nThe Ukrainian Red Cross: All funds will be used to help those in need\, affected by armed conflict\, blood collection\, mobilization of volunteers and resources\, and emergency activities: redcross.org.ua/en/donate\n\n  \n  \nTickets: By donation. Please consider a donation of $5 for WNCHA members/$10 for general admission. Several no-cost\, community funded-tickets are available as well. Donations will be shared with Catholic Charities to support their work with Afghan refugees. For other ways to support this mission\, see https://ccdoc.org/images/ForStaffOnly/Volunteers/Supporting_Afghan_Evacuees_-_Current_Update.pdf   \n          Lutheran Services of the Carolinas is also working with Afghan and other refugee groups. To learn more about their mission see: https://www.lscarolinas.net/ \nViewing: Registrants will receive a Zoom link with which to view the program. It will also be recorded and available to watch on our website. \n(Images: Waldensians in Valdese for the first Christmas in 1893\, from Maxine McCall and Kays Gary\, What Mean These Stones?: A Centennial Celebration of Valdese\, North Carolina (1993); A Pi Mai (Lao New Year) celebration in Morganton\, NC\, photo by Katy Clune) \nWestern North Carolina Historical Association received an American Rescue Plan Humanities Grant from North Carolina Humanities\, www.nchumanities.org. Funding for this grant was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act economic stabilization plan. Any views\, findings\, conclusions\, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of North Carolina Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/wncha-history-hour-refugees-and-resettlement-in-wnc/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Cover-14.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Western%20North%20Carolina%20Historical%20Association%20%28WNCHA%29":MAILTO:smh@wnchistory.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220310T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220310T190000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013419 CREATED:20220121T173755Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220121T203134Z UID:10654-1646935200-1646938800@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:Cherokee Women in Resistance and Activism: Valleytowns to the Voting Booth DESCRIPTION:Join 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. \nThis 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 1838-1839\, some Cherokees managed to remain in Western North Carolina. This was a time of uncertainty\, hardships\, challenges\, and instability. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians had not yet coalesced into the entity it is today. Cherokee society was traditionally based on matrilineages. During the centralization of the Cherokee Nation to meet the threat of their dispossession from their lands\, clans underwent immense transformations in gender roles and power. Cherokee women’s influence ebbed during this time as their male kin became more prominent. \nCherokee women who remained in the Valleytowns after the Removal rose to the challenge of survival by fostering Cherokee values of resistance\, persistence\, and resilience. Many Cherokees suffered greatly in those years\, but women held their families together and helped to rebuild their lives\, some as the head of their household. Not many accounts exist\, but the few that do reveal the importance of these women who were mostly invisible to the larger society. \nThis presentation will allow a glimpse into the world of the Cherokee woman and her roles in the 19th through the 20th centuries. It will follow the Cherokee woman from her determination to rebuild her family’s lives post-Removal to the growing activism of Cherokee women in the community and tribe\, all the way to the voting booth as an American citizen. \n  \nAbout the Presenter: \nHistorian Susan Abram (PhD\, Auburn) teaches at Western Carolina University and is an executive officer in the North Carolina Trail of Tears Association which works with the National Park Service to interpret the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. She also serves on the Planning Committee for the National Trail of Tears Conference to be held in Cherokee in September. \nAbram was a presenter at the “‘You Have to Start a Thing’: North Carolina Women Breaking Barriers.” Symposium Examining the History of Women’s Agency\, Voice\, and Scope in Western North Carolina in 2019 at Pack Memorial Library in Asheville. Previously\, she presented “Hidden in Plain View: Valleytown Cherokee Women in the Removal Era\, 1819-1842” to the Southern Association of Women Historians in 2018. Her current research on Valleytown Cherokee women spans the Removal era to achieving woman’s suffrage on the Qualla Boundary\, and their continued community activism. \nPrior to this\, Sue’s book Forging a Cherokee-American Alliance in the Creek War: From Creation to Betrayal won the 2013 McMillan Prize in Southern History from the University of Alabama Press. This book examines Cherokee masculinity\, its role in the Red Stick War\, and how it shaped Cherokee leadership resistance to Removal. \n  \nTickets: $5 for WNCHA members/ $10 for General Admission. We also have no-cost\, community-funded tickets available. We want our events to be accessible to as many people as possible. If you are able please consider making a donation along with your ticket purchase. These donations are placed in our Community Fund\, which allows us to offer tickets at no cost to those who would not be able to attend otherwise. \nViewing: Registrants will receive a Zoom link with which to view the program. It will also be recorded and later available on our website. \nThis event is co-sponsored by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UNC Asheville. \n(Images: American Agriculturalist (September 1883)\, 409; “Cherokee Indians Entering New Era: Old Order on Western North Carolina Reservation Will Change Early in October When Young Chief Takes Hold\,” Greensboro Daily News\, September n.d.\, 12A. From Museum of the Cherokee Indian Archives\, 1987.128.001) \n  \nWestern North Carolina Historical Association received an American Rescue Plan Humanities Grant from North Carolina Humanities\, www.nchumanities.org. Funding for this grant was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act economic stabilization plan. Any views\, findings\, conclusions\, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of North Carolina Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/wncha-history-hour-cherokee-women-in-resistance-and-activism-from-valleytowns-to-the-voting-booth/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Logo-12.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220324T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220324T190000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013419 CREATED:20211130T203347Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220110T151351Z UID:9657-1648144800-1648148400@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:WNCHA History Hour - West End Women: Liquor\, Labor\, and Love in New Deal Urban Appalachia DESCRIPTION:Join the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) Thursday\, March 24 at 6PM. This program airs live via Zoom \nThe 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 who labored inside their walls. Plumes of smog and smoke filled the air\, and the rhythmic sounds of coal-powered locomotives and industrial machinery provided a steady soundtrack to the rise of  New South Capitalism in the neighborhood then known as the West End or Factory Hill. \nThe West End-Factory Hill neighborhood was characterized by poor white families who worked as industrial laborers along the French Broad River. In an effort to make ends meet\, some women turned to extra-legal activities to provide extra support for their families\, in other cases they stood steadfast at the front of picket lines demanding better wages. To supplement their income\, some women became larcenists\, others turned to sex work\, still others began to manufacture and sell illegal alcohol\, better known as moonshine. In many cases these women found multiple pathways to increase their financial security\, holding both “legitimate” and “illegitimate” employment. \nInspired by the surprising discovery of one such bootlegging woman in her family tree\, Katherine Cutshall continued to search for stories of other women living in the West End-Factory Hill neighborhood in the early-mid twentieth century. In this talk\, pulling from sources like federal court records\, family anecdotes\, newspaper reports\, and interviews conducted by the Federal Writer’s Project\, Cutshall will explore the how liquor\, labor\, and love shaped the lives of poor white women in New Deal-era urban Appalachia. \nAbout the Speaker: \nKatherine Calhoun Cutshall is an historian and archivist born and raised in Buncombe County. She holds degrees in History and Liberal Arts from the University of North Carolina Asheville\, and her research interests lie at the intersection of tourism and the practice of chattel slavery in pre-Civil War Western North Carolina. \nKatherine has worked in museums and historic sites across the region since 2014\, including the Gov. Zebulon B. Vance State Historic Site\, Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center\, and the North Carolina Civil War and Reconstruction History Center. Today Cutshall is Collections Manager at Buncombe County Special Collections and is a member of the North Carolina State Historic Records Advisory Board. In 2020\, the Buncombe County Commission appointed her to the Vance Monument task force. \n  \nTickets: $5 for WNCHA members/ $10 for General Admission. We also have no-cost\, community-funded tickets available. We want our events to be accessible to as many people as possible. If you are able please consider making a donation along with your ticket purchase. These donations are placed in our Community Fund\, which allows us to offer tickets at no cost to those who would not be able to attend otherwise. \nViewing: Registrants will receive a Zoom link with which to view the program. It will also be recorded and later available on our website. \n\n\n  \n  \n\n\nWestern North Carolina Historical Association received an American Rescue Plan Humanities Grant from North Carolina Humanities\, www.nchumanities.org. Funding for this grant was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act economic stabilization plan. Any views\, findings\, conclusions\, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of North Carolina Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/wncha-history-hour-west-end-women-liquor-labor-and-love-in-new-deal-urban-appalachia/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Logo-4.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220331T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220331T190000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013419 CREATED:20200122T174021Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220203T224108Z UID:1815-1648746000-1648753200@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:Annual Fundraising Dinner at Historic Fernihurst Mansion DESCRIPTION:The Western North Carolina Historical Association invites you to an evening of fine dining with proceeds benefiting historic preservation.\n\n\nThe Western North Carolina Historical Association invites you to an evening of fine dining with proceeds benefiting historic preservation. Prepared by the nationally-recognized and award-winning culinary department at A-B Tech\, the all-inclusive\, five-course gourmet dinner has become an Asheville-area tradition. Dinner service will begin promptly at 5:00pm. \nThe menu for the evening includes:\nWild Mushroom Crepes\nConsomme’\nCassoulet\nFrisee Salad with Julienne of Bacon and Poached Egg\nGlazed Strawberry Tart \nA glass of wine is included with dinner. Due to college protocols\, no other alcohol is allowed. Also\, because this is a pre-set menu and is student driven\, we are unfortunately unable to make menu substitutions based on preference or dietary needs. \nCOVID-Protocols: Students will be masked and gloved during service. All guests are required to wear masks when entering and walking through the dining areas. Seating is limited to six tables which seat four guests per table. Tables are distanced in each room to make every effort to ensure guest and student safety. \nTickets: $100 members/$135 nonmembers of WNCHA; Register below with a credit card\, or call us at 828-253-9231 to reserve and pay with cash or check. \nMembership: Become a member today and save on this and other upcoming WNCHA events! Not sure about your membership status? Send us an email (smh@wnchistory.org) and we’ll check. \nSeating: Each table seats four. To be seated together\, please register your entire party at the same time or email smh@wnchistory with your seating preferences. \nAbout Historic Fernihurst Mansion: Fernihurst Mansion was constructed c1875 for Colonel John Kerr Connally atop Vernon Hill\, the highest point in what was once the little town of Victoria. The giant 25-room Italianate-style home was built from bricks handmade from clay mined on the property. Over the next half century\, the owners nearly doubled the size of the mansion until it became a “50 room monstrosity\,” as one writer remarked.  In 1933\, the monstrosity was acquired by John P. Curran\, who removed 38 rooms and reverted the house back to its original structure. AB-Tech purchased the property in the 1970s and the mansion is now home to AB-Tech’s culinary institute. URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/annual-fundraising-dinner-at-historic-fernihurst/ LOCATION:Fernihurst Mansion\, 70 Fernihurst Drive\, Asheville\, NC\, 28801\, United States CATEGORIES:Fundraiser ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Fernihurst-2.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220405T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220405T200000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013419 CREATED:20211202T215051Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220110T151629Z UID:9699-1649183400-1649188800@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:WNCHA History Hour: The Spirits Still Move Them Documentary Screening DESCRIPTION:Join the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) as we bring you a special documentary screening\, Tuesday\, April 5 from 6:30-8PM. This event airs live via Zoom. We will have time for audience questions after the approximately 1-hour film. \nMost of what we think we know about moonshining history is wrong.  That’s one of the themes of the Center for Cultural Preservation’s new documentary film on regional moonshine history\, The Spirits Still Move Them.  David Weintraub\, award-winning director/producer of forty history films interviews nearly three dozen moonshiners and their families in Western North Carolina\, East Tennessee and the Dark Corner of South Carolina to tell a story about moonshine history that’s never been relayed before. \nAccording to Weintraub\, “The myth that all moonshiners are violent\, lazy\, drunk criminals hiding in the woods wearing long beards and longer arrest records has been recounted by the media for over 100 years.  In reality\, liquor production was hard\, backbreaking work that only the most entrepreneurial farmers conducted which they did in order to survive difficult circumstances and put food on the table.  It’s a fascinating story and far more interesting than the myths and distortions we’ve heard.” \nThe film digs deep into Southern Appalachian history exposing the stereotypes and fabrications about mountaineers that have been fodder for movies and cable television programs for generations from the Beverly Hillbillies to the Moonshiner Show.  Says Cody Bradford\, fifth generation moonshiner and owner of Howling Moon Distillery in Asheville\, “People think all moonshiners were outlaws but it was the federal government that enacted an excise tax after the Civil War that poor farmers had to bear.  It was either starve or make liquor and it’s not difficult to understand which one they chose.” \nCody and his family are chronicled in the film as are moonshiners from Yancey County to Spartanburg County.  Most surprising to many is that many moonshiners were African-Americans\, women and Native Americans.   And that moonshine played a central role in medicine since the Civil War. \nThis film is made possible by Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership\, the Community Foundation of Henderson County and North Carolina Humanities.  The Center for Cultural Preservation is a cultural nonprofit organization dedicated to working for mountain heritage continuity through oral history\, documentary film\, education and public programs. For more information about the Center contact them at (828) 692-8062 or www.saveculture.org \nAbout the Presenter: \nAward-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. His credits include Guardians of Our Troubled Waters and Come Hell or High Water: Remembering the 1916 Flood. \nTickets: $5 for WNCHA members/ $10 for General Admission. We also have no-cost\, community-funded tickets available. We want our events to be accessible to as many people as possible. If you are able please consider making a donation along with your ticket purchase. These donations are placed in our Community Fund\, which allows us to offer tickets at no cost to those who would not be able to attend otherwise. \nViewing: Registrants will receive a Zoom link with which to view the program. It will also be recorded and later available on our website. \n  \nWestern North Carolina Historical Association received an American Rescue Plan Humanities Grant from North Carolina Humanities\, www.nchumanities.org. Funding for this grant was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act economic stabilization plan. Any views\, findings\, conclusions\, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of North Carolina Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/wncha-history-hour-the-spirits-still-move-them-documentary-screening-with-david-weintraub/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Logo-7.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220406T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220406T180000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013419 CREATED:20220317T192432Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220317T194814Z UID:11063-1649264400-1649268000@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:Annual Meeting: Researching the Lives of Asheville's Enslaved Population DESCRIPTION:Learn about the often overlooked stories of people who were enslaved in Asheville.\n\n\nJoin us at our annual meeting for an update on WNCHA’s progress over the last year\, election of trustees to WNCHA’s board\, and a presentation by Executive Director Anne Chesky Smith on WNCHA’s effort to research the people who were enslaved by the Smiths and McDowells\, the owners of the brick mansion that now serves as WNCHA’s headquarters. Besides telling stories of family ties and resistance\, Chesky Smith will provide information on how to do this kind of research. URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/annual-meeting-researching-enslaved-people-in-asheville/ LOCATION:Zoom Webinar\, 283 Victoria Road\, Asheville\, 28801 CATEGORIES:Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Program-Logo-Template-updated-with-Lit-Cafe.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220414T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220414T190000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013419 CREATED:20220303T161543Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220303T170417Z UID:10752-1649959200-1649962800@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:WNCHA History Hour - Historic Politics of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians DESCRIPTION:Join 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. \nThe Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI)\, descendants of those who resisted relocation during the 1830s\, live and govern themselves autonomously within the Qualla Boundary. Since their first elected principal chief\, Yonaguska\, their government and politics have undergone several changes\, while many basic tenets have remained the same. Join us to learn more about historic and contemporary ECBI politics and governance. \nAbout our Speaker: \nPrincipal Chief Richard G. Sneed life’s work has been one of public service advocating for youth\, community building\, and cultural preservation. The son of a businessman and former councilmember\, he knows that hard work and a community-centered focus enable collective opportunity. In this vein\, he has worked throughout his career to ensure that Cherokee people have equitable access to quality education and can put these skills to work in a community they can be proud of. Having grown up in Wolftown\, on the Qualla Boundary\, he values being rooted in a community that honors family\, culture\, and progressive thinking. After graduating from Cherokee High School in 1986\, Richard Sneed served in the United States Marine Corp for four years. is HHis beloved wife Colene is a citizen of the United Keetowah Band of Cherokee Indians. He is the father of five children\, Breanna\, Richie\, Mattilynn\, Katrina and Samuel. Sneed earned his degree from Universal Technical College in Phoenix\, AZ\, and holds a North Carolina Teaching License in Industrial Arts. \nWhile pastoring the Christ Fellowship Church of Cherokee for fourteen years\, Sneed also taught vocational education at Cherokee Central Schools for twelve of those years. Whether teaching students to rebuild an engine\, or counseling them through fiscally responsible financial planning\, his excellence in the classroom earned him recognition as the National Classroom Teacher of the Year by the National Indian Education Association in 2013. He continues to be a highly sought-after motivational speaker\, focusing on youth leadership and empowerment. \nIn 2015\, Sneed was called to formalize his commitment to public service and was elected Vice Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI). On May 25\, 2017\, he was officially sworn in as Principal Chief of the Eastern Band and subsequently re-elected as Principal Chief on September 5th\, 2019. Since taking office\, Chief Sneed’s administration has been dedicated to exercising the EBCI’s sovereignty\, including growing relationships and partnerships\, in part\, through his service to the WCU Cherokee Center Advisory Board\, United South and Eastern Tribes (USET)\, and the Cherokee Preservation Foundation Board of Directors.  Chief Sneed has also recently been elected as the Vice-Chairman of the Center for Disease Control’s Tribal Advisory Committee. \nDuring his time in office\, Chief Sneed has successfully passed legislation that enhanced transparency\, accountability\, and economic opportunities for the EBCI. He believes in the unrestricted potential of the Eastern Band and its ability to sustainably meet the needs of its people. By investing in a long-range vision that responsibly balances resources with the needs of the Cherokee people\, Principal Chief Richard Sneed is committed to ensuring that the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians continues to thrive for generations to come. \n  \nTickets: $5 for WNCHA members/ $10 for General Admission. We also have no-cost\, community-funded tickets available. We want our events to be accessible to as many people as possible. If you are able please consider making a donation along with your ticket purchase. These donations are placed in our Community Fund\, which allows us to offer tickets at no cost to those who would not be able to attend otherwise. \nViewing: Registrants will receive a Zoom link with which to view the program. It will also be recorded and later available on our website. \n(Images: (left) Fifth Principal Chief Nimrod J. Smith\, in Ramp\, A.T.\, The Wagonauts Abroad\, 1892; and (right) Principal Chief Richard G. Sneed\, courtesy EBCI) \n  \n  \nWestern North Carolina Historical Association received an American Rescue Plan Humanities Grant from North Carolina Humanities\, www.nchumanities.org. Funding for this grant was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act economic stabilization plan. Any views\, findings\, conclusions\, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of North Carolina Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/wncha-history-hour-historic-politics-of-the-eastern-band-of-cherokee-indians-with-principal-chief-richard-sneed/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Cover-Photo.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220421T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220421T190000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013419 CREATED:20220113T222416Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220114T160840Z UID:10554-1650564000-1650567600@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:NC 11: Partisanship\, Polarization\, and Politics in a Mountain District DESCRIPTION:Join 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. \nThe 11th congressional district sits in the Western corner of North Carolina—wedged between North Carolina’s borders with Tennessee\, South Carolina\, and Georgia. Within its borders sits part of a national park\, a separate nation\, a host of small towns and unincorporated places\, and some of the nation’s most fascinating politics. In this session\, Chris Cooper\, a Political Science Professor at Western Carolina University\, will discuss the politics of this mountain district and explore how it has shifted from a Democratic stronghold\, to a district that swung from party to party so often that it became known as “the turnstile\,” to its current status as the home of far-right congressman Madison Cawthorn. Along the way\, we will explore how the 11th reflects national political trends related to redistricting\, polarization and partisan change. \n  \nAbout the Speaker: \nChristopher A. Cooper is Robert Lee Madison Distinguished Professor and Director of the Public policy Institute at Western Carolina University. He has received Western Carolina University’s highest awards for research (University Scholar\, 2011) and teaching (Board of Governors Teaching Award\, 2013) and was named the 2013 North Carolina Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. \nCooper’s published academic research features over 50 refereed journal articles and book chapters on NC politics\, state politics\, southern politics\, political behavior\, and behavioral public administration. He is also co-author of The Resilience of Southern Identity: Why the South Still Matters in the Minds of its People (University of North Carolina Press) and co-editor of The New Politics of North Carolina (published by the University of North Carolina Press). \nCooper is a frequent source for news stories about North Carolina\, as well as national politics and he has been quoted hundreds of times in a variety of media including the New York Times\, Washington Post\, Christian Science Monitor\, Boston Herald\, Al Jazeera\, Charlotte Observer\, Asheville-Citizen Times\, The Hill\, National Journal\, Raleigh News and Observer\, North Carolina Insider National Public Radio (All Things Considered and Morning Edition)\, USA Today\, CNN\, FOX News\, WUNC\, Blue Ridge Public Radio\, WFAE (Charlotte) ABC News\, and ESPN.com. \n  \nTickets: $5 for WNCHA members/ $10 for General Admission. We also have no-cost\, community-funded tickets available. We want our events to be accessible to as many people as possible. If you are able please consider making a donation along with your ticket purchase. These donations are placed in our Community Fund\, which allows us to offer tickets at no cost to those who would not be able to attend otherwise. \nViewing: Registrants will receive a Zoom link with which to view the program. It will also be recorded and later available on our website. \n  \n(Image: Teddy Roosevelt campaign stop in Pack Square\, 1902\, courtesy Buncombe County Special Collections) A438-8 \n  \nWestern North Carolina Historical Association received an American Rescue Plan Humanities Grant from North Carolina Humanities\, www.nchumanities.org. Funding for this grant was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act economic stabilization plan. Any views\, findings\, conclusions\, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of North Carolina Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/wncha-history-hour-nc-11-partisanship-polarization-and-politics-in-a-mountain-district/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Logo-11.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220423T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220423T120000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013419 CREATED:20220307T164522Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220407T210509Z UID:10967-1650704400-1650715200@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:Park Day at the Smith-McDowell House DESCRIPTION:The Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) is proud to participate in the American Battlefield Trust’s annual Park Day. On this day\, volunteers across the country team up to clean\, maintain\, and learn about the history of battlefields and site associated with the American Revolution\, War of 1812\, and Civil War. Our event takes place on the grounds of the Smith-McDowell House\, the headquarters of WNCHA and also a site related to the American Civil War. Volunteers of all ages are welcome! \nThe day’s activities begin with sign-in at 9am on the patio at the rear entrance to Smith-McDowell House. Volunteers will rake leaves\, pick up debris\, spread mulch\, weed gardens\, clear dead shrubs and trees\, and plant new ones (if available). We are committed to maintaining the Olmsted landscape restored for us by the Men’s Garden Club of Asheville. We are grateful for their participation. We will provide bottled water as well as boxed sub-sandwich lunches\, and will feature an educational speaker at lunch time. Please help us plan by registering in advance and letting us know your lunch preferences. \nDetails: \nDate: Saturday\, April 23\, 9:00AM-12 Noon \nWhere: Smith-McDowell House Museum\, 283 Victoria Rd\, Asheville\, NC 28801 \nRestrooms: In house \nWhat to Bring: We have some tools available\, but feel free to bring your own. Suggestions include gardening gloves\, loppers\, pruning shears\, etc. Bottled water will be provided for volunteers. \n  \nThe American Battlefield Trust will thank volunteers with souvenir water bottles and copies of their magazine Hallowed Ground. \nFor more information email Trevor Freeman at education@wnchistory.org URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/park-day-at-the-smith-mcdowell-house/ LOCATION:Smith-McDowell House\, 283 Victoria Rd.\, Asheville\, NC\, 28801\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Park-Day-Cover-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220507T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220507T123000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013419 CREATED:20220407T153547Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220414T203912Z UID:11221-1651917600-1651926600@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:WNCHA Hidden History Hikes and Tours: Rumbling Bald Hike DESCRIPTION:Join the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) Saturday\, May 7 at 10AM as we hike below “Rumbling Bald” Mountain in the Hickory Nut Gorge. \nIn February\, 1874\, the mountains at the eastern edge of the Hickory Nut Gorge began to tremble\, shake\, and emit plumes of dust\, the day after a local preacher delivered a fire and brimstone sermon. Many local residents feared a volcano was set to erupt and a geologist was called in to investigate as tremors continued into May. His investigation and newspaper coverage of the events reveal surprising insights into the environmental and cultural history of the area. Join us as we loop along the southern side of “Rumbling Bald” Mountain and sort fact from fiction while enjoying the natural environment along the way. \n*During the hike\, participants also have the option of exploring a fissure cave with the guidance of a Chimney Rock State Park ranger. The trail is a moderate 0.5-mile hike will lead visitors to the base of Rumbling Bald Mountain.  From there visitors will have a strenuous scramble approximately 200 yards up and across a boulder field consisting of various sizes boulders.  Then visitors will squeeze through a 2-foot opening and into a large room. Once in the room a ranger will be available to talk about the ecology/geology of the cave.  All participants must follow white nose bat syndrome protocol which call for decontamination once exiting the cave.* \n  \nDetails: \nMeet:  10am at Chimney Rock State Park – Rumbling Bald Access (827 Boys Camp Rd\, Lake Lure\, NC 28746) by the restrooms. Please arrive prior to the starting time. \nDepart: 12:30PM \nHike Length: 1.6-mile loop. See map: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/north-carolina/rumbling-bald-loop-trail?ref=result-card \nElevation Gain: 341 feet \nHike Difficulty: Easiest (using National Park Service metric) \nWhat to Bring: \n\nBackpack\nWater (1 liter)\nBagged lunch or snacks (restaurants in nearby Chimney Rock will be open as well)\nHiking boots or comfortable trail shoes\nWeather-appropriate clothing\nSunscreen\nHiking poles (optional)\nAny needed medications.\n\n  \nRain Date: In the event of inclement weather\, participants will be notified in advance\, no later than 8PM the evening prior if the event is to be rescheduled. The alternate rain date will be the following Friday\, May 13. \n  \nTickets: $10 for WNCHA members/$20 non-members. We also have two no-cost\, community-funded tickets available. We want our events to be accessible to as many people as possible. If you are able please consider making a donation along with your ticket purchase. These donations are placed in our Community Fund\, which allows us to offer tickets at no cost to those who would not be able to attend otherwise. \nRegistrants must fill out the emergency contact form in advance: https://forms.gle/VUbqBJAfgvZqjDmJ9 \nRegister Here\n  \nHike Leader: \nThis hike is led by Trevor Freeman\, WNCHA public programs director. He has an MA in American history and is interested in both Appalachian and environmental history. He has previously served as an AmeriCorps trail coordinator in the Hickory Nut Gorge and has hiked the trail we will utilize numerous times. He is also wilderness first aid/CPR certified. \n  \nCovid Precautions: \n\nPlease do not attend if you feel unwell or have been exposed to someone with Covid\nSocial distancing is recommended when hiking and when the group is stopped\n\n  \nFor questions\, please contact Trevor Freeman at eduation@wnchistory.org \n  \n(Image: Harper’s Weekly\, April 11\, 1874) URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/wncha-hidden-history-hikes-and-tours-rumbling-bald-hike/ LOCATION:Chimney Rock State Park – Rumbling Bald Access\, 827 Boys Camp Rd\, Lake Lure\, 28746\, United States CATEGORIES:Outdoor Experience ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Cover-20.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Western%20North%20Carolina%20Historical%20Association%20%28WNCHA%29":MAILTO:smh@wnchistory.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220512T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220512T190000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013419 CREATED:20220414T182802Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220414T182918Z UID:11275-1652378400-1652382000@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:WNCHA History Hour - WWII Axis Detainees in WNC DESCRIPTION:Join the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) Thursday\, May 12 at 6PM as we discuss the detainment and experience of Axis individuals and families in WNC—specifically at Montreat —in WWII. This event airs live via Zoom and will be recorded. \nBeginning in early 1942\, Axis diplomats\, consular staff\, and families (particularly Japanese and Germans living in Hawaii and Latin America) were detained in several inns or resorts in southern Appalachia and WNC. Among these facilities\, many were transported to the Grove Park Inn and the Assembly Inn at Montreat. This program specifically focuses on the predominantly Japanese-American individuals detained and housed at Montreat 1942-1943 as they awaited exchange. \n  \nAbout the Speaker: \nRonald Vinson has served as Executive Director of the Presbyterian Heritage Center in Montreat since 2007. The Presbyterian Heritage Center at Montreat is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization to educate (onsite and online) people about the Presbyterian and Reformed heritage\, the church’s tradition of worldwide mission and the history of Montreat. \nRon has served as consultant to many museums and clients on historical projects\, including: \n\nThe Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution\nThe National Center for the Study of History\nDiscovery Place\nThe Schiele Museum of Natural History\nGaston County Museum of Art & History\nNorth Carolina Business Hall of Fame\nCentennial of Golf (Golf Magazine\, PGA et al)\nInsurance Information Institute (Bicentennial of Insurance) Columbia Theological Seminary\nNorth Carolina Business Hall of Fame\n\n  \nTickets: $5 for WNCHA members/ $10 for General Admission. We also have no-cost\, community-funded tickets available. We want our events to be accessible to as many people as possible. If you are able please consider making a donation along with your ticket purchase. These donations are placed in our Community Fund\, which allows us to offer tickets at no cost to those who would not be able to attend otherwise. \nViewing: Registrants will receive a Zoom link with which to view the program. It will also be recorded and later available on our website. \n Register Here   \n\n(Image: Several Japanese women and girls at Montreat\, courtesy Presbyterian Heritage Center) \n  \nWestern North Carolina Historical Association received an American Rescue Plan Humanities Grant from North Carolina Humanities\, www.nchumanities.org. Funding for this grant was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act economic stabilization plan. Any views\, findings\, conclusions\, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of North Carolina Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/wncha-history-hour-wwii-axis-detainees-in-wnc/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Cover-19.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Western%20North%20Carolina%20Historical%20Association%20%28WNCHA%29":MAILTO:smh@wnchistory.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220519T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220519T190000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013419 CREATED:20220111T212604Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220505T163933Z UID:10507-1652983200-1652986800@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:WNCHA History Hour - Missing History: Jewish Life in Western North Carolina DESCRIPTION:Join the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) Thursday\, May 19\, at 6PM. This program airs live via Zoom. \nLittle 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\, Little Switzerland\, Valle Crucis\, Marion\, Canton. Bryson City\, Robbinsville\, and Waynesville. Why did they come? What did they do? What is their lasting legacy? Join us for some answers. \nThis event is co-sponsored by Jewish Heritage North Carolina\, the only statewide independent organization dedicated to collect\, preserve and present the history of the Jewish people of our State. “To serve our mission we honor our history\, celebrate our culture\, and connect our communities.” \n  \nAbout the Speaker: \nSharon Fahrer is a recovered New Yorker with a background in geography and urban planning. She and her husband were drawn to Asheville by its wonderful historic neighborhoods. For 25 years they lived in an 1896 house they restored in Montford. In 2003 she co-founded History@Hand with Jan Schochet to reveal the history of  Asheville’s Jewish businesses creating a book and an exhibit titled The Family Store a History of Jewish Businesses in Downtown Asheville from 1880-1990. Since then she has continued to research and produce history panels which are installed: along the French Broad River about Wilma Dykeman (not currently on display)\, downtown Asheville\, bus shelters along Montford Avenue\,  on the campus of UNC Asheville\, in the Osher Life Long Learning Institute\, the ASheVille museum (no longer open)\, Asheville Museum of Science\, Asheville Community Theater (ACT)\, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center\, the Dry Ridge Museum in Weaverville\, and the Sprinza Weizenblatt Gallery on the campus of Mars Hill University. \nShe has also written two other books The Man Who Lived on Main Street about Sol Shulman of Sylva (coauthored with Jan Schochet) and A Home in Shalomville. the History of Asheville’s Jewish Community. The latter book received the 2016 Bob Terrill book award from the Old Buncombe County Genealogical Society. Sharon created the Jewish Museum without Walls highlighting locations which are part of Asheville’s Jewish history. In 2003 she started the Montford Music and Arts Festival. Currently she leads walking tours in downtown on architecture and history and also the Family Store\, Montford\, Riverside Cemetery and Biltmore Village in Asheville. Currently she is serving on the Buncombe County Remembrance Project research committee\, the boards of Jewish Heritage North Carolina\, Friends of Buncombe County Special Collections\, and the Wilma Dykeman Legacy. Her work can be seen on her website: www.history-at-hand.com \nTickets: $5 for WNCHA members/ $10 for General Admission. We also have no-cost\, community-funded tickets available. We want our events to be accessible to as many people as possible. If you are able please consider making a donation along with your ticket purchase. These donations are placed in our Community Fund\, which allows us to offer tickets at no cost to those who would not be able to attend otherwise. \nViewing: Registrants will receive a Zoom link with which to view the program. It will also be recorded and later available on our website. \n  \n(Images: Ada and Lou Pollock Collection\, D.H. Ramsey Library Special Collections\, University of North Carolina Asheville 28804) \n\n\n  \nFor questions or more information\, email Trevor Freeman at education@wnchistory.org \n  \n\n\nWestern North Carolina Historical Association received an American Rescue Plan Humanities Grant from North Carolina Humanities\, www.nchumanities.org. Funding for this grant was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act economic stabilization plan. Any views\, findings\, conclusions\, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of North Carolina Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/wncha-history-hour-missing-history-jewish-life-in-western-north-carolina/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Cover-8.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220524T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220524T190000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013419 CREATED:20220407T191037Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220505T164358Z UID:11053-1653415200-1653418800@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:ReadWNC - Even As We Breathe DESCRIPTION:Introducing 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 three books at Malaprop’s Bookstore here in Asheville.\nWe will kick off its 2022 ReadWNC literary series with Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle’s book\, Even As We Breathe\, which received the association’s prestigious Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award in 2021.  Saunooke Clapsaddle and historian Dr. Barbara Duncan will discuss the fact behind the fictional depiction of mid-20th century Cherokee life and culture\, the real-life detention of Axis diplomats and their families at Asheville’s Grove Park Inn during World War II\, and other local historical tidbits that appear in the novel\, including a visit from Charles “Ches” McCartney\, also known as “The Goat Man” and memories of drinking Cheerwine soda. \n\nEach event airs live via Zoom\, Tuesday\, May 24 from 6-7PM and will be recorded for later viewing. Register for individual events or for all three here at a discounted rate! \nThe series dates are:\nTuesday\, May 24 from 6:00-7pm – Even as We Breathe\nTuesday\, July 19 from 6:00-7pm – Guests on Earth\nTuesday\, October 4 from 6:00-7pm – The Ballad of Frankie Silver \nDr. Catherine Frank\, Chair of the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award selection committee\, says\, “Even As We Breathe immerses us in a specific place and time\, Asheville’s Grove Park Inn when it was being used to house Axis diplomats and their families in 1942\, and in the Qualla Boundary where Cherokee traditions are deeply embedded but in conflict with an ever encroaching outside world. But the story of Cowney Sequoyah and Essie Stamper is also timeless and universal\, exploring what it means to lose innocence and to find ‘who we are supposed to be.’ Most importantly\, the book is beautifully written\, with convincing\, well-drawn characters and compelling imagery that tie the various stories together. This first novel by an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians exemplifies the quality of the most compelling regional writing.” \nAbout the Presenters:\nAnnette Saunooke Clapsaddle\, an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and resides in Qualla\, NC with her husband\, Evan and sons Ross and Charlie. She holds degrees from Yale University and the College of William and Mary. Her debut novel\, Even As We Breathe\, was released by the University Press of Kentucky in 2020\, a finalist for the Weatherford Award and named one of NPR’s Best Books of 2020. In 2021\, it received the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award. Her first novel manuscript\, Going to Water is winner of the Morning Star Award for Creative Writing from the Native American Literature Symposium (2012) and a finalist for the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction (2014). Clapsaddle’s work has appeared in Yes! Magazine\, Lit Hub\, Smoky Mountain Living Magazine\, South Writ Large and The Atlantic. After serving as executive director of the Cherokee Preservation Foundation\, Annette returned to teaching at Swain County High School. She is the former co-editor of the Journal of Cherokee Studies and serves on the board of trustees for the North Carolina Writers Network. \nDr. Barbara R. Duncan received her Ph.D. in Folklore and Folklife from the University of Pennsylvania.  She coordinated “Folk Arts in the Schools” in Macon County for several years\, worked for The Foxfire Fund\, and went on to spend twenty-three years at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian\, where she wrote grants\, researched\, wrote books\, and coordinated festivals and community-based programs to revitalize Cherokee traditions.  Now retired from the Museum\, Duncan teaches Cherokee language as Assistant Adjunct Professor at University of North Carolina Asheville.  With a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians\, she has created a new method for learning Cherokee language and authored a series of textbooks and a website at www.yourgrandmotherscherokee.com. Duncan has written award-winning books about Cherokee history and culture\, including Living Stories of the Cherokee\, which received the Thomas Wolfe Literary Award and the World Storytelling Award; and The Cherokee Heritage Trails Guidebook (co-authored with Brett H. Riggs) which received the Presidential Preserve Freedom Award and the Willie Parker Peace Prize. Her most recent book is Cherokee Clothing in the 1700s\, published by the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. \nTickets: We hope you will register for the entire series\, but individual event tickets are available as well. We also have two no-cost\, community-funded tickets available per individual event.\n—For this event only – $5 for WNCHA members/$10 for general admission\n—For the entire series – $10 for WNCHA members/$20 for general admission \nNote* For those registering for the entire series\, you need only to register here once. You will be manually added to the upcoming events. \n\n\nRegister Here\nFor questions or more information email Trevor Freeman at education@wnchistory.org URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/readwnc-even-as-we-breathe/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Book Discussion,Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Cover-1-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220602T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220602T190000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013419 CREATED:20211209T160925Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220525T174722Z UID:9763-1654192800-1654196400@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:“Queer Voices of the Past and Present”: Documenting\, Remembering\, and Celebrating LGBTQ Lives in Western North Carolina DESCRIPTION:Join 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. \nWest of Asheville there has been little research on LGBTQ history or activism. Just last year\, Dr. Travis Rountree and colleagues from Western Carolina received an internal grant to expand drag performer oral narratives to include other LGBTQ+ voices from Jackson County\, NC. Our speakers will talk about how collecting these voices helped to recognize LGBTQ groups established from the 1960s to current\, newly formed\, local LGBTQ organizations. They will also touch upon how these narratives helped to spark the first ever Sylva Pride (the first Pride to occur west of Asheville) in addition to a local community production inspired by some of these voices. These collections and events are critical in recognizing the past and present LGBTQ voices of Western NC. \nAbout the Presenters: \nDr. Travis A. Rountree is an assistant professor in the English Department at Western Carolina University. He earned his PhD from the University of Louisville\, his MA in English from Appalachian State University with a certificate in Appalachian Studies\, and his BA in English from James Madison University with a minor in American Studies. He is from Richmond\, Virginia\, but lived in Boone\, NC for 9 years. \nDr. Rountree’s research interests include queer archival research and pedagogy\, Appalachian rhetorics\, place-based pedagogy\, and public memory studies. He has been published in The North Carolina Folklore Journal\, Journal of Southern History\, and Appalachian Journal. He continues to work on his manuscript under contract with University Press of Kentucky titled Hard to See Through the Smoke: Rhetorical Remembering of the 1912 Hillsville\, Virginia Courthouse Shootout. \nHe enjoys running\, weight lifting\, and gardening. He is an avid fan of old time\, bluegrass\, and country music and lives in Sylva\, NC with his two cats. \nSarah Steiner is the gender and sexuality studies specialist at Western Carolina University’s Hunter Library. She also coordinates the Jackson County LGBTQ+ archive at WCU. \n\n\n\n\n\nTickets: $5 for WNCHA members/ $10 for General Admission. We also have no-cost\, community-funded tickets available. We want our events to be accessible to as many people as possible. If you are able please consider making a donation along with your ticket purchase. These donations are placed in our Community Fund\, which allows us to offer tickets at no cost to those who would not be able to attend otherwise. \nViewing: Registrants will receive a Zoom link with which to view the program. It will also be recorded and later available on our website. \n(Image: “Lavender Bridges First Year Anniversary” courtesy Western Carolina University\, Hunter Library Digital Collections) \n  \nFor questions or more information\, email Trevor Freeman at education@wnchistory.org \n  \nWestern North Carolina Historical Association received an American Rescue Plan Humanities Grant from North Carolina Humanities\, www.nchumanities.org. Funding for this grant was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act economic stabilization plan. Any views\, findings\, conclusions\, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of North Carolina Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/queer-voices-of-the-past-and-present-documenting-remembering-and-celebrating-lgbtq-lives-in-western-north-carolina/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Logo-8.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220616T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220616T190000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013419 CREATED:20220204T214527Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220505T163110Z UID:10763-1655402400-1655406000@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:WNCHA History Hour - Stories From the LGBTQIA+ Archive of Western NC DESCRIPTION:Join 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. \nThe rich and ongoing history of LGBTQIA+ lives and communities in WNC has been scarcely documented until fairly recently. In 2019\, Dr. Amanda Wray and several UNCA student interns\, working in conjunction with Blue Ridge Pride\, began recording and archiving oral history interviews and cataloging newspapers\, scrapbooks\, and other materials that document former and current lives here in the Asheville area. Join us as Dr. Wray shares and contextualizes stories from this collaborative archive. \nAbout the Presenter: \nAmanda Wray learned oral history techniques on the front porch of her grandparents’ Sears and Roebuck house in Cumberland County\, KY. Currently\, Wray leads the LGBTQIA+ Archive of Western NC and teaches writing and gender studies at UNC Asheville. \n  \nTickets: $5 for WNCHA members/ $10 for General Admission. We also have no-cost\, community-funded tickets available. We want our events to be accessible to as many people as possible. If you are able please consider making a donation along with your ticket purchase. These donations are placed in our Community Fund\, which allows us to offer tickets at no cost to those who would not be able to attend otherwise. \nViewing: Registrants will receive a Zoom link with which to view the program. It will also be recorded and later available on our website. \n(Images: WNC LGBTQIA+ Archives logo and Oral History group featuring Michelle Padrón (they/them)\, Moraes Eduardo Barbosa  (he/they)\, London Newton (they/she)\, Queue\, (They/Them/Theirs). Photo by Camille Nevarez-Hernandez\, courtesy Dr. Amanda Wray) \n  \nFor questions or more information\, email Trevor Freeman at education@wnchistory.org \n  \nWestern North Carolina Historical Association received an American Rescue Plan Humanities Grant from North Carolina Humanities\, www.nchumanities.org. Funding for this grant was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act economic stabilization plan. Any views\, findings\, conclusions\, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of North Carolina Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. \n  URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/wncha-history-hour-stories-from-the-lgbtqia-archive-of-western-nc/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Cover-9.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220619T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220619T180000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013419 CREATED:20220524T192406Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220524T205239Z UID:11456-1655650800-1655661600@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:Juneteenth History Hike DESCRIPTION:Join Chimney Rock State Park and the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) on a hike exploring the lives and stories of those enslaved across WNC – particularly here in and around the Hickory Nut Gorge. This event is free and open to the public. \n\n\nSouthern Appalachia is often thought of as a place where little slavery existed prior to the American Civil War. Yet for those individuals held against their will in various places across the mountains\, their experiences were just as real as their desire for freedom. In honor of Juneteenth\, celebrating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans at the end of the Civil War\, join us on this short hike exploring the lives and stories of those enslaved across WNC – particularly here in and around the Hickory Nut Gorge – as they sought and found freedom before\, during\, and after the war. \n  \nHike Leader: \nTrevor Freeman is a western North Carolina native and alumnus of Appalachian State University and East Carolina University\, where he holds an MA in American History. He has worked or interned in several parks and battlefield sites including Chimney Rock State Park and Cowpens National Battlefield He is now the public programs director for the Western North Carolina Historical Association based in Asheville. His research interests include the American Revolution as well as Appalachian and environmental history. His 2020 MA thesis focuses on the service and lives of North Carolina’s 460+ identified African American or Black soldiers in the American Revolutionary War. An avid hiker\, paddler\, and fly fisher\, you will often find him exploring or leading outings in the places he writes about. www.wnchistory.org \n  \nAbout the Hike: \n“The Rumbling Bald Trail is a loop trail that meanders through a beautiful hardwood forest along the south face of Rumbling Bald Mountain\, revealing huge boulder fields and the base of the cliff areas.” \nWhen: Sunday June 19th 3-6pm \nWhere: Rumbling Bald Climbing Access loop trail\, 827 Boys Camp Rd\, Lake Lure\, NC 28746 \nDifficulty: 1.5 mile moderate hike \nWhat to Bring: Water (1+ liter)\, snacks\, sturdy shoes\, sunscreen\, any needed medications. \n  \nRegistration required through Eventbrite link \n  URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/juneteenth-history-hike/ LOCATION:827 Boys Camp Rd\, 827 Boys Camp Road\, Lake Lure\, NC\, 28746\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Logo-17.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220626T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220626T163000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013419 CREATED:20220606T180737Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220616T183903Z UID:11526-1656255600-1656261000@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:Outstanding Achievement Award Ceremony - The RAIL Project DESCRIPTION:The Western North Carolina Historical Association’s (WNCHA) 2021 Outstanding Achievement Award will be presented to The Railroad and Incarcerated Laborer (RAIL) Memorial Project for their work telling the story and memorializing the work and sacrifice of the thousands of incarcerated laborers who were forced to build the railroad through our region under brutal conditions. \nThe ceremony will be held on Sunday\, June 26 at 3:00pm in the Manheimer Room at UNC-Asheville’s Reuter Center. The event will also be live-streamed. \nWNCHA is committed to understanding the history of the western region of NC in a more complete way and to calling attention to stories that have not always been heard\, told and shared; many different groups in our region are working to the same goal. Members of WNCHA’s Outstanding Achievement Award Committee – James Bradley\, Jim Buchanan\, Geoff Cantrell\, and Catherine Frank – were elated that they had a hard job choosing which groups\, projects\, and individuals to honor with this year’s award. \n“We are excited by the many worthy projects and committed individuals who are working together to help us recognize and bring to light the ‘whole truth’ about the history of our region. We have chosen The RAIL Project for the 2021 Outstanding Achievement Award because we particularly value the coalition of historians\, researchers\, community leaders\, and musicians who collaborated to tell the story and memorialize the work and sacrifice of the 3\,000 incarcerated laborers who built the railroad from Old Fort to Swannanoa\,” said Catherine Frank\, Chair of the Awards Committee. “The Memorial\, located at Andrews Geyser\, is one part of an ongoing effort to understand\, uncover and share the complete story of the creation of the railroad that transformed our region at the cost of great human sacrifice.” \nAccording to The RAIL Project website\, “The construction of the Mountain Division of the Western North Carolina Railroad is widely considered one of the greatest human accomplishments in regards to both engineering and construction ever undertaken. Many people are aware that the railroad provided the first dependable access to and from much of Western North Carolina for the rest of the state as well as much of the nation. However\, most people are unaware that at least 95% of the labor which built the railroad across the Blue Ridge Escarpment was completed by inmates from the North Carolina State Penitentiary and approximately 98% of those inmates were African-American men\, the majority of whom were unjustly imprisoned. The RAIL Project was created to share the true story behind this human endeavor.” \nIn 2021\, thanks to the generosity of donors from across the state\, the group erected a memorial to honor the memory of those who labored and died on the mountain. In 2022\, the group is working to identify potential grave sites on the mountain and erect informational panels about the people who constructed the railroad. To learn more or donate to the project\, visit therailproject.org. \nThe in-person ceremony and live-streamed webinar are free to attend and will include brief remarks from the Awards Committee Chair\, Catherine Frank\, WNCHA’s Executive Director\, Anne Chesky Smith\, and WNCHA’s President\, Ralph Simpson. The ceremony will also include a program highlighting the stories of the incarcerated laborers who worked and died to build the railroad into Western North Carolina alongside the achievements of The RAIL Project and the group’s plans for the future. The program will conclude with the presentation of the Outstanding Achievement Award trophy and a $1\,000 monetary award to further the mission of The RAIL Project. \nThe Western North Carolina Historical Association is located in Asheville’s Smith-McDowell House. Though the house is currently closed to the public for renovations\, when the association reopens in late 2022\, their renovated gallery rooms will feature a new exhibit on the lives of the people who built the railroad up the steep grade from Old Fort into Asheville. The exhibit will be curated by historians\, academics\, and community members dedicated to helping the public understand the influence of the construction of the railroad in the 19th century on 21st century life. \n“Although we choose only one award winner\, we wanted to highlight several groups working to the goal of a more complete understanding of our past and present\,” said Frank\, including: \n\nBuncombe County Remembrance Project\, and Dr. Joseph Fox\, who have joined the national work of the Equal Justice Initiative’s National Memorial for Peace and Justice to ‘acknowledge and remember individuals lynched in Buncombe County’ as a way to reflect the history of racial and economic injustice and inequity that continues to have an impact on our community.\nBuncombe County Special Collections and collection manager Katherine Calhoun Cutshall and her colleagues\, to remove barriers and to encourage all library patrons to discover and contribute to our understanding of our shared past.\nBuncombe County Register of Deeds Drew Reisinger\, in conjunction with Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Museum of the Cherokee Indian\, for the website ‘As Long as the Grass Shall Grow\,’ the first step in creating an understanding of how land was taken from the Cherokee people to create Buncombe County.\nNikwasi Initiative in present-day Franklin\, NC\, for efforts to ‘preserve\, protect\, and promote culture and heritage in the original homelands of the Cherokee people’ as part of a vision to ‘make intercultural understanding universal.’”\n\nSince 1954\, the Western North Carolina Historical Association has presented its annual Outstanding Achievement Award to individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the preservation and promotion of our regional history. Recipients have included Sadie Smathers Patton\, Bascom Lamar Lunsford\, Ora Blackmun\, Johnnie Baxter\, The Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County\, the South Asheville Cemetery Association\, the Museum of the Cherokee Indian\, and Ann Miller Woodford. \nThe Western North Carolina Historical Association is a nonprofit organization with a mission of preserving and promoting the history and legacy of Western North Carolina through interpretation\, education\, collection\, and collaboration. For more information about WNCHA\, call 828 253–9231 or visit www.wnchistory.org. URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/outstanding-achievement-award-ceremony-the-rail-project/ LOCATION:Manheimer Room\, UNC-Asheville Reuter Center\, 300 Campus View Rd\, Asheville\, 28804\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/RAIL-Project-OAA.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220705T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220705T190000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013420 CREATED:20220620T192336Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220621T194954Z UID:12192-1657044000-1657047600@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:WNCHA History Hour: The Skyview Golf Association and Tournament DESCRIPTION:Join 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. \nThe Skyview Golf Association was founded in 1959 as a non-profit promoting golf competition among African Americans in the Asheville area. The following year\, they held their first annual Black golfing tournament. The association and tournament were transformative\, providing a steppingstone for several Black caddies—who were formerly only allowed to play Asheville’s municipal course on Mondays—to compete and hone their skills against many Black golfers who turned pro. The tournament increasingly drew Black golfers from across the U.S. and also proved to be an immensely popular social event for many Asheville residents. It was the subject of Asheville filmmaker Paul Bonesteel’s 2020 documentary The Muni\, of which we will view clips during this program. Join us to learn more about the association and the figures who have kept it going over the years. \n  \nAbout the Speaker: \nMatthew Bacoate Jr. has a lengthy list of leadership and service to Asheville\, and was the founder\, manager\, and owner of AFRAM\, the largest African American-owned business in Asheville history. He is a Korean War veteran\, community activist\, and a builder of economic development projects and interracial relationships in Asheville and North Carolina. He has previously served on the boards of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce\, YMI Cultural Center\, Asheville Chapter of the American Red Cross\, and the Black Business and Professional League among others. He is also frequently noted as a walking textbook of Asheville history. Once one of the young men who broke the barriers to integrate Asheville’s municipal golf course\, today Matthew runs the Skyview Golf Tournament. \n  \nTickets: Free/by donation. Please consider donating $5/WNCHA members or $10 for general admission. Proceeds will be donated to the Skyview Golf Association. \nRegister\nViewing: Registrants will receive a Zoom link to view the program live. Recordings will also be sent to registrants the following day\, and available on our website wnchistory.org \n  \nFor questions\, please email Trevor Freeman at education@wnchistory.org \n  \n(Images: Golfers and spectators in a previous Skyview tournament\, courtesy Matthew Bacoate Jr.) \nWestern North Carolina Historical Association received an American Rescue Plan Humanities Grant from North Carolina Humanities\, www.nchumanities.org. Funding for this grant was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act economic stabilization plan. Any views\, findings\, conclusions\, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of North Carolina Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/wncha-history-hour-the-skyview-golf-association-and-tournament/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Cover-25.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Western%20North%20Carolina%20Historical%20Association%20%28WNCHA%29":MAILTO:smh@wnchistory.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220707T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220707T190000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013420 CREATED:20220603T194807Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220603T200629Z UID:11508-1657216800-1657220400@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:WNCHA History Hour: Musical Instruments in WNC DESCRIPTION:Join 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. \nFrom early Native Americans to buskers on modern street corners\, music and musical instruments have always been part of the cultural landscape of WNC. In previous events\, we have learned about many of the region’s musicians\, but this time\, the instruments themselves will shine. This program will explore the arrival\, creation\, and development of instruments and playing styles in the mountains and their cultural origins and influences. We will also hear/see a few demonstrations of this musical progression. Join us to learn more about: \n\n– Pre-Columbian Instruments\n– Akonting\n– Banjo\n– Fiddles\n– Mandolins\n– Guitars\n– Slide Guitar/Lapsteel\n– How Three Finger and Flatpicking developed here\n– Recent Innovations\n\nAbout the Presenter: \nJohn Martin is a 10th generation Western North Carolina musician who wrote his Master’s Thesis on the development of flatpicking and crosspicking guitar styles at Appalachian State University. He currently lives in Asheville and teaches History at AB Tech Community College. \nTickets: $5 for WNCHA members/ $10 for General Admission. We also have no-cost\, community-funded tickets available. We want our events to be accessible to as many people as possible. If you are able please consider making a donation along with your ticket purchase. These donations are placed in our Community Fund\, which allows us to offer tickets at no cost to those who would not be able to attend otherwise. \nRegister\nViewing: Registrants will receive a Zoom link with which to view the program. It will also be recorded and later available on our website. \n(Image: Pisgah banjo\, courtesy Melissa Arnold Photography) \n\n  \n\nFor questions\, email Trevor Freeman at education@wnchistory.org \nThe Western North Carolina Historical Association received an American Rescue Plan Humanities Grant from North Carolina Humanities\, www.nchumanities.org. Funding for this grant was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act economic stabilization plan. Any views\, findings\, conclusions\, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of North Carolina Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/wncha-history-hour-musical-instruments-in-wnc/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Logo-19.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220726T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220726T190000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013420 CREATED:20220407T191409Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220719T153308Z UID:11059-1658858400-1658862000@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:ReadWNC Series - Guests on Earth DESCRIPTION:Join 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 find all three books at Malaprop’s Bookstore here in Asheville. This event airs live via Zoom\, Tuesday\, July 26 from 6:00-7pm. \nOur series continues with Lee Smith’s novel Guests on Earth\, set at Asheville’s Highland Hospital during the period when Zelda Fitzgerald resided there\, before she and eight other women perished in a terrible fire in 1948. Smith says: “In this novel I offer a solution for the unsolved mystery of that fire\, along with a group of characters both imagined and real\, and a series of events leading up to the tragedy. My narrator is a younger patient named Evalina Toussaint\, daughter of a New Orleans exotic dancer. Evalina is a talented pianist who connects to Zelda on many levels as she plays accompaniment for the many concerts\, theatricals\, and dances constantly being held at Highland Hospital.” \nAbout the Presenters: \nDr. Alaina Doten is the executive director of the Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum in Montgomery\, Alabama. She has a PhD in history and art history from the University of Melbourne. \nMáire Martello is the author of Stepping Out With Scott and Zelda: Touring the Fitzgerald’s Montgomery. \n  \nTickets: $5 for WNCHA members/$10 for general admission. We also have two no-cost\, community-funded tickets available. \nNote* If you have already registered for the entire series\, you do not need need to register for this individual event. You will automatically be added as an attendee. \nRegister Here \nFor questions or more information email Trevor Freeman at education@wnchistory.org URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/readwnc-series-guests-on-earth/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Book Discussion,Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/GOE-Cover.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220728T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220728T190000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013420 CREATED:20220520T214408Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220607T214429Z UID:11418-1659031200-1659034800@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:WNCHA History Hour - "I Found That Song In A Friend:" Bascom Lamar Lunsford and Western North Carolina Song DESCRIPTION: \n\n\nJoin 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. \nLunsford was born in 1882 in Madison County\, North Carolina\, home to Cecil Sharp’s “nest of singing birds.” He was both a traditional musician and a collector of “folk” music. He established the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival in Asheville in 1928; was recorded performing hundreds of tunes\, songs\, and dance calls; and collected thousands of song transcriptions – many of which are now housed in the Southern Appalachian Archives at Mars Hill University (also home to the annual Lunsford Festival). Lunsford’s work helped shape the public’s perception of Appalachian regional identity – in all of its nuance and complexity. \n  \nAbout the Presenter: \nLeila Weinstein is the program coordinator of the Appalachian Studies Program and the Ramsey Center for Appalachian Studies at Mars Hill University\, where she also directs the Lunsford Festival. She holds a master’s degree in Appalachian Studies with a concentration in culture and music. \n  \nTickets: $5 for WNCHA members/ $10 for General Admission. We also have no-cost\, community-funded tickets available. We want our events to be accessible to as many people as possible. If you are able please consider making a donation along with your ticket purchase. These donations are placed in our Community Fund\, which allows us to offer tickets at no cost to those who would not be able to attend otherwise. \nViewing: Registrants will receive a Zoom link with which to view the program. It will also be recorded and later available on our website. \n  \n(Image: Lunsford poster courtesy Bascom Lamar Lunsford Collection\, Southern Appalachian Archives\, Mars Hill University) \n  \nFor questions or more information\, email Trevor Freeman at education@wnchistory.org \n  \nWestern North Carolina Historical Association received an American Rescue Plan Humanities Grant from North Carolina Humanities\, www.nchumanities.org. Funding for this grant was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act economic stabilization plan. Any views\, findings\, conclusions\, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of North Carolina Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. \n  \n\n\n\n\nRegister URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/wncha-history-hour-bascom-lamar-lunsford-and-western-north-carolina-song/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/WP-Cover.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220806T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220806T130000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013420 CREATED:20211201T211328Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220505T162639Z UID:9653-1659783600-1659790800@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:WNCHA Hidden History Hikes and Tours: Mars Hill Anderson Rosenwald School Tour DESCRIPTION:Join the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) Saturday\, August 6 at 11AM. This event is free and open to the public. \nInfluenced by the work of Booker T. Washington\, in the 1900s\, the Julius Rosenwald Fund helped create schools across the American South for African American students. Between 1929-1930\, this funding helped construct one such school in Mars Hill\, in Madison County\, where dozens of Black students attended classes in a two-room building until integration in 1964. In 2009\, a group of community and alumni members came together in hopes of restoring this historic schoolhouse\, and have worked tirelessly to open it to the public once again. Today\, it is the only Rosenwald school building still standing in WNC. Join us as we tour the school and learn more about those who attended and saved this building. Our hosts will include the chair of the planning committee\, as well as various school alumni. We will also visit the nearby marker for Joseph Anderson\, an enslaved man (and namesake of the Rosenwald school) who was used by a trustee of Mars Hill College as collateral on a loan for the college in 1859. Learn more here. \nMeet: 11AM @ Mars Hill Anderson Rosenwald School\, Long Ridge Rd\, Mars Hill\, NC 28754. \nSecond Stop: 12:30PM @ Mars Hill University (Joseph Anderson grave) – 3 miles away \nNote: Afterwards\, guests may wish to eat lunch in Mars Hill. There are several restaurants near the university\, but guests are encouraged to check their hours/status in advance. \n  \nTickets: This is a free event\, though donations are accepted. Donations are shared with the Anderson Rosenwald School. Registration is required. \n\n\n    \n    Rain Date: In the event of inclement weather\, we will reschedule to Saturday\, August 13. Participants will be notified no later than 8PM the evening before the event. \n  \n Covid Safety: While inside the school building\, and when congregating outside\, we will require masks to be worn. We ask that anyone experiencing symptoms refrain from attending. \n  \n\n\n(Image: Mars Hill School\, c1928\, courtesy State Archives of North Carolina) \n  \n\n\n   For questions or more information\, email Trevor Freeman at education@wnchistory.org \n  \n\n\nWestern North Carolina Historical Association received an American Rescue Plan Humanities Grant from North Carolina Humanities\, www.nchumanities.org. Funding for this grant was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act economic stabilization plan. Any views\, findings\, conclusions\, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of North Carolina Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/wncha-experiences-anderson-rosenwald-school-tour/ LOCATION:Mars Hill Anderson Rosenwald School\, Long Ridge Rd\, Mars Hill\, NC\, 28754\, United States CATEGORIES:Outdoor Experience ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Logo-16.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220811T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220811T193000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013420 CREATED:20220623T172727Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220810T151030Z UID:12235-1660240800-1660246200@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:WNCHA History Hour: Asheville’s Black Baseball Teams DESCRIPTION:Join the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) and Buncombe County Special Collections Thursday\, August 11 at 6pm for a special History Hour event exploring the history of Negro League baseball teams in Asheville\, and the larger influences of these leagues on the Civil Rights movement. This event will be held in person at Buncombe County Special Collections at Pack Memorial Library in Asheville. It will also be livestreamed and recorded for those who cannot attend in person. \nAsheville has a long history with baseball. Three regional or national Negro League teams—The Royal Giants\, Black Tourists\, and Blues—played within the city between 1916-1955 before and during the integration of the major leagues. These teams were often overshadowed in the public eye by Asheville’s white teams\, but still drew throngs of spectators to watch the talented players (and some famous opponents) play at Oates Park\, Pearson Park\, and McCormick Field. This program will examine the pioneering figures such as E.W. Pearson and Clarence Moore who established and even managed the Royal Giants and Blues\, and also look at the wider effects of Negro League Baseball on the struggle for civil rights. \n  \nAbout the Speakers: \nClifford W. Cotton II was born and raised in Asheville\, NC\, graduated from Stephens-Lee High class of 1960\, attended N.C.C.U.in Durham\, studied business and music becoming a professional musician\, all the while reflecting back on my Grandfather E.W Pearson and the contributions he made to the City of Asheville and Western Carolina (Army veteran 1893 9th Calvary  Buffalo Soldier ) \nIn 1913 he owned and founded The Buncombe County & District Agricultural Fair which continued for over thirty years. Being a great Baseball fan but unable to attend pro games at the city Park. He started his own semiprofessional Baseball team. The Royal Giants. In March 1921 E.W. Pearson  became president of the Blue Ridge Colored Baseball League comprising teams from Charlotte\, Asheville\, Spartanburg\, Rock Hill Gastonia\, Concord\, Winston-Salem and Anderson Royal Giants opening game in Asheville April 15 with the Anderson Sluggers. There were many games to follow and always a major attraction at the Agricultural Fair. \nFor more information contact Pack Memorial Library\, North Carolina Room or give me a call 678-488-2701 \nDerrick Jones and his wife\, Denise have been married for thirty-four years. Derrick is from Wilmington\, N.C. and is a “79” graduate from Appalachian State University. He completed graduate school  in “85” from The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg\, Virginia. He met his wife\, Denise when he was in graduate school. As an active retired educator/ administrator\, he spends his time researching\, learning\, sharing information and making presentations about “The History of Negro Leagues Baseball” and “The Life and Legacy of Jackie R. Robinson.” Derrick has presented at both his alma maters and throughout the states of North Carolina and Virginia.  His desire to dig into the weeds to learn new information about these topics affords him\, practice of intellectual solidarity for the goodwill of others. Derrick welcomes  all viewers and fans of baseball as we dig into the weeds to learn and paint a picture about Black Baseball in Asheville and Negro Leagues Baseball. \n  \nLocation: 6-7:30 PM at Buncombe County Special Collections at Pack Memorial Library\, 67 Haywood St\, Asheville\, NC 28801 \n  \nTickets: Free – donations accepted. We want our events to be accessible to as many people as possible. If you are able please consider making a donation along with your ticket purchase. These donations are placed in our Community Fund\, which allows us to offer tickets to several events at no cost to those who would not be able to attend otherwise. \nRegister Here \n  \nViewing: Please register for either in-person or virtual attendance. If you register to attend in person and are unable\, you will still receive a link to attend virtually via Zoom.. Recordings will also be sent to registrants the following day\, and available on our website wnchistory.org \n  \nThis event is brought to you in part by Buncombe County Special Collections. For questions\, please email Trevor Freeman at education@wnchistory.org \n  \n(Images: 1918 Royal Giants at Oates Park\, courtesy Buncombe County Special Collections) \nWestern North Carolina Historical Association received an American Rescue Plan Humanities Grant from North Carolina Humanities\, www.nchumanities.org. Funding for this grant was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act economic stabilization plan. Any views\, findings\, conclusions\, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of North Carolina Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/wncha-history-hour-ashevilles-black-baseball-teams/ LOCATION:Buncombe County Special Collections\, 67 Haywood Street\, Asheville\, NC\, 28801\, United States CATEGORIES:Exhibit,Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Cover-27.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Western%20North%20Carolina%20Historical%20Association%20%28WNCHA%29":MAILTO:smh@wnchistory.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220820T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220820T130000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013420 CREATED:20220527T183351Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220815T160807Z UID:11497-1660993200-1661000400@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:WNCHA Hidden History Tour - Mars Hill Anderson Rosenwald School - 2nd Date DESCRIPTION:Join the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) Saturday\, August 20 at 11AM. This event is free and open to the public. \nInfluenced by the work of Booker T. Washington\, in the 1900s\, the Julius Rosenwald Fund helped create schools across the American South for African American students. Between 1929-1930\, this funding helped construct one such school in Mars Hill\, in Madison County\, where dozens of Black students attended classes in a two-room building until integration in 1964. In 2009\, a group of community and alumni members came together in hopes of restoring this historic schoolhouse\, and have worked tirelessly to open it to the public once again. Today\, it is the only Rosenwald school building still standing in WNC. Join us as we tour the school and learn more about those who attended and saved this building. Our hosts will include the chair of the planning committee\, as well as various school alumni. We will also visit the nearby marker for Joseph Anderson\, an enslaved man (and namesake of the Rosenwald school) who was used by a trustee of Mars Hill College as collateral on a loan for the college in 1859. Learn more here. \nMeet: 11AM @ Mars Hill Anderson Rosenwald School\, Long Ridge Rd\, Mars Hill\, NC 28754. \nSecond Stop: 12:30PM @ Mars Hill University (Joseph Anderson grave) – 3 miles away \nNote: Afterwards\, guests may wish to eat lunch in Mars Hill. There are several restaurants near the university\, but guests are encouraged to check their hours/status in advance. \nTickets: This is a free event\, though donations are accepted. Donations are shared with the Anderson Rosenwald School. Registration is required. \n Covid Safety: While inside the school building\, and when congregating outside\, we will require masks to be worn. We ask that anyone experiencing symptoms refrain from attending. \n(Image: Mars Hill School\, c1928\, courtesy State Archives of North Carolina) \n  For questions or more information\, email Trevor Freeman at education@wnchistory.org URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/wncha-hidden-history-hikes-and-tours-mars-hill-anderson-rosenwald-school-second-tour/ LOCATION:Mars Hill Anderson Rosenwald School\, Long Ridge Rd\, Mars Hill\, NC\, 28754\, United States CATEGORIES:Outdoor Experience ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Logo-for-Second-Hike.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220825T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220825T190000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013420 CREATED:20220614T224614Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220623T201826Z UID:11744-1661450400-1661454000@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:WNCHA History Hour - Mountain Thunder: Stock Car Racing in Buncombe County DESCRIPTION:Join 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. \nThis talk will explore the captivating history of the four racetracks (Hollywood in Fairview\, Asheville-Weaverville\, McCormick Field\, and the New Asheville Speedway–“The River”) that hosted stock car racing in Buncombe County for over 50 years from the late 1940s to the late 1990s. During this period Buncombe County hosted races in NASCAR’s top division as well as weekly races from spring to fall. The racing was intense\, unique\, developed many outstanding drivers\, and produced some of the most fascinating\, humorous\, and compelling stories in the history of auto racing. \n  \nAbout the Speaker: \nDaniel S. Pierce is the author of seven books\, including Tarheel Lightnin’: How Secret Stills and Fast Cars Made North Carolina the Moonshine Capital of the World (UNC Press\, 2019) and\, most recently\, Illustrated Guide to the Grand Circle\, Utah & Arizona (Anderson Design Group\, 2021). He serves as Interdisciplinary Distinguished Professor of the Mountain South and resident professional hillbilly at the University of North Carolina Asheville where he teaches courses on the South\, Appalachia\, North Carolina\, and the National Parks. \nTickets: $5 for WNCHA members/ $10 for General Admission. We also have no-cost\, community-funded tickets available. We want our events to be accessible to as many people as possible. If you are able please consider making a donation along with your ticket purchase. These donations are placed in our Community Fund\, which allows us to offer tickets at no cost to those who would not be able to attend otherwise. \nRegister Here \nViewing: Registrants will receive a Zoom link with which to view the program. It will also be recorded and later available on our website. \n(Image: Racing at Asheville Speedway\, courtesy Buncombe County Special Collections\, Pack Memorial Library\, Asheville\, NC) \nFor questions or more information\, email Trevor Freeman at education@wnchistory.org \nWestern North Carolina Historical Association received an American Rescue Plan Humanities Grant from North Carolina Humanities\, www.nchumanities.org. Funding for this grant was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act economic stabilization plan. Any views\, findings\, conclusions\, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of North Carolina Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/wncha-history-hour-mountain-thunder-stock-car-racing-in-buncombe-county/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Cover-24.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220907T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220907T123000 DTSTAMP:20240329T013420 CREATED:20220713T214258Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220810T195614Z UID:11664-1662546600-1662553800@wnchistory.org SUMMARY:WNCHA Hikes With a Historian: Newton Academy and South Asheville Cemeteries DESCRIPTION:The Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) invites you to join us for a special four-part Hikes With A Historian series where we explore the stories of several local cemeteries. Register for individual events\, or for all four at a discount. The first tour\, Wednesday\, September 7 from 10:30AM – 12:30PM takes place in Asheville’s Newton Academy and South Asheville cemeteries. \nIn the early-to-mid 1800s\, people enslaved by the Smith and McDowell families began burying their loved ones in what today is known as the South Asheville Cemetery. There were over 2\,000 individuals laid to rest in this cemetery\, which closed to burials in 1943\, though only about 100 graves are marked. Join WNCHA Executive Director Anne Chesky Smith on a tour that begins at the Smith-McDowell House\, WNCHA’s facility\, to learn about the lives of the people who were forced to work for the family. The tour will then proceed to Fernihurst Mansion to see the original burial site of the Smith matriarch and patriarch before viewing their present-day graves in the nearby Newton Academy Cemetery. The tour will end at South Asheville Cemetery. Chesky Smith will share stories of the emancipated Avery and Bailey families alongside the Smith and McDowell families who enslaved them and speak to how the lives of these families were intertwined long after the end of the Civil War. The tour requires some walking on uneven terrain – less than .5 miles. \nDetails: \nWhen: Wednesday\, September 7 \nTime: 10:30AM – 12:30PM \nMeet: 10:15AM at the Smith-McDowell House Museum\, 283 Victoria Rd\, Asheville\, NC 28801 \n\nWe will carpool from the Smith-McDowell House to Newton Academy Cemetery then to St. John A Baptist Church (20 Dalton St\, Asheville)\n\nHike Length: approximately .5 miles (easy difficulty) \nWhat to Bring: Water\, snacks\, comfortable and sturdy shoes\, weather appropriate clothing\, any needed medications. \nRain Date: In the event of inclement weather\, participants will be notified in advance\, no later than 8PM the evening prior if the event is to be rescheduled. The alternate rain date will be rescheduled promptly. \n  \nTickets: \n\nFor single event – $10 for WNCHA members/$20 non-members.\nFor Series: $20 WNCHA members/$35 non-members\n\nWe also have a few no-cost\, community-funded tickets available. We want our events to be accessible to as many people as possible. If you are able please consider making a donation along with your ticket purchase. These donations are placed in our Community Fund\, which allows us to offer tickets at no cost to those who would not be able to attend otherwise. \nNote: Those registering for the series need only to register once. You will be manually added to the other events.  \nRegister Here \n  \nEmergency Contact Form: Registrants must fill out the emergency contact form in advance. Those registering for the series only need to sign once. https://forms.gle/qHftZJdcMrC38JvM6 \nHike Leader: Anne Chesky Smith holds MA degrees in Appalachian studies and cultural anthropology. She serves as the executive director of the Western North Carolina Historical Association and lives in Asheville\, North Carolina\, with her family. \nCovid Precautions: \n\nPlease do not attend if you feel unwell or have been exposed to someone with Covid\nSocial distancing is recommended when hiking and when the group is stopped\n\nFor questions\, please contact Trevor Freeman at eduation@wnchistory.org \n(Image: South Asheville and Newton Academy cemeteries) URL:https://wnchistory.org/event/wncha-hikes-with-a-historian-newton-academy-and-south-asheville-cemeteries/ LOCATION:Smith-McDowell House\, 283 Victoria Rd.\, Asheville\, NC\, 28801\, United States CATEGORIES:Outdoor Experience ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wnchistory.org/wp-content/uploads/SA-and-NA-Cover-1.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR