Walter B. Gwyn was an Asheville attorney, real estate man and… inventor? United States Patent No. 414,527, dated November 5,1889 appears to be… …drum roll please… a brush with a hook on it!!! Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best I suppose. He had some big local names willing to sign on as supporters of
Asheville Citizen’s readers enjoyed decades of cartoons and the political views of “Billy” Borne. Willis “Billy” Gustavus Borne, whose father was from Switzerland, came here from Toledo, Ohio. He became the Citizen’s cartoonist in 1907 and was referred to as Asheville’s Tom Nast. One hundred years ago Borne gives a nod towards the end of 1915. Borne’s cartoons were used by
The North Carolina Room recently received a new donation of Montford materials, including photographs, newspaper clippings and early newsletters. In the mid 1970’s Montford and Montford Hill residents rallied together to clean up the neighborhood and to work at renovating houses in need of repair. Work was organized through the Montford Community Club and the Montford Hills Community Club.
It was a momentous day. Tuesday, November 24, 2015 the staff of the North Carolina Room joined with the staff of the Youth Services Department, Pack Memorial Library and invited the third grade class at Isaac Dickson Elementary to visit the North Carolina Room. Our hope was to show the students a little bit about what
The Buncombe County Community (Night) School’s literacy program was a forerunner in the state to help teach literacy to adults. We wrote about it in a post two years ago, which covered rural Buncombe County citizens being taught to read and write. A not-as-well-known part of the Community School’s program was the Americanization Classes that were held to
“A lovely spot among the hills, A sky of blue above, And trees that bend in graceful form, These make the camp I love.” -Mary Mitchell Westall Camp Dellwood was established in the 1920s to afford girls aged 9-19 a summer filled with outdoor sports, arts and crafts, socializing, and fun. Under the direction of Mr. and Mrs. George Mason
Here’s a hint: Do you know the cultural origins of the banjo? The banjo comes to us from Africa, having been brought to the New World by slaves. This was news to me, although several people in the audience of Phil Jamison’s talk were able to answer the question correctly. What about Southern Appalachian music and